Research articles
A multicentre study on quarantined healthcare workers during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned in a resource limited setting
Authors:
D. Govindapala ,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About D.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
D. Nakkawita,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About D.
Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
H. Jayasena,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About H.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
P. Jayasekara,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About P.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
V. Navaratne,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About V.
Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
H. Abeygoonawardena,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About H.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
P. Kawyangana,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About P.
Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
A. Gamage,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About A.
Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
A. D. De Silva
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rathmalana, LK
About A. D.
Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
Abstract
Introduction: Facing a pandemic is quite challenging for resource-poor healthcare settings. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, healthcare workers (HCWs) had to work with insufficient skills, knowledge and experience regarding the novel coronavirus, which increased their risk of infection.
Methods: This study aimed to determine the personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, exposure characteristics, clinical outcomes and seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among a group of quarantined HCWs in seven hospitals in the Western province of Sri Lanka, during the first wave of the pandemic. Data were collected using an intervieweradministered questionnaire and a serum sample was collected at six weeks of exposure to detect SARSCoV- 2 specific IgG antibodies. Both descriptive statistics and chi square test were performed to identify distribution patterns and associations.
Results: Of 167 quarantined HCWs, 89(53.3%) had high-risk exposures, while 78 (46.4%) reported lowrisk exposures. Eighty-four HCWs have been exposed when interacting with the patient’s environment and 90.5% of them were not using recommended PPE. None of the HCWs wore N95 or higher respirators when performing aerosolgenerating procedures. SARS-COV-2 RT-PCR assay was performed only on 117 (70.1%) HCWs, with 49.6% of them being subjected to the test after 14days of exposure. SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG antibodies were detected in 31(18.6%) HCWs. A high seroprevalence was observed among HCWs over 40 years (n=13, 29.5%) (P=0.029).
Conclusions: This study illustrated an imperfect adherence to PPE recommendations and high transmission of COVID-19 amongst HCWs. The observed inappropriate use of RT-PCR assay and unwarranted quarantining of HCWs in a limited resource setting is concerning.
How to Cite:
Govindapala, D., Nakkawita, D., Jayasena, H., Jayasekara, P., Navaratne, V., Abeygoonawardena, H., Kawyangana, P., Gamage, A. and De Silva, A.D., 2022. A multicentre study on quarantined healthcare workers during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned in a resource limited setting. Journal of the Ceylon College of Physicians, 53(1), pp.26–34. DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/jccp.v53i1.7948
Published on
23 Jun 2022.
Peer Reviewed
Downloads
