Factors Associated with Work-related COVID-19 infection among Healthcare Personnel at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: Healthcare personnel is a high-risk group for exposure to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the workplace. The occurrence of illness among them not only affects the quality of patient care, but also contributes to the transmission of the infection to the community.
Objectives: To examine the incidence of work-related COVID-19 infection and the associated factors among healthcare personnel.
Methods: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical design. The research targeted individuals who were diagnosed with COVID-19 during October 1^st 2021-September 30^th 2022. A sample of 322 individuals was selected using stratified random sampling. The collected data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression (p<0.05).
Results: The study revealed an incidence rate of 11.3% for work-related COVID-19 infections. Factors that were associated included close contact to patients <2 meters [OR=52.75(95%CI=9.97-279.23)], contact with surfaces in the patient's surroundings [OR=7.09(95%CI=2.36-21.99)], aged ≥ 30 years [OR=1.89(95%CI=1.06-3.35)], not utilizing protective equipment [OR=1.52 (95%CI=1.04-2.23)], and males [OR=5.30(95%CI=1.11-25.38)].
Conclusions: Healthcare personnel experienced a higher incidence of work-related COVID-19 infections. The key contributing factors were close contact with the patients and contact with environmental surfaces around the patients. Interestingly, the support staff did not exhibit a significantly different infection rate compared to the group with close patient contact. This could be attributed to the availability of personal protective equipment and adherence to the standard precautions in high-risk units. Therefore, hospital administrators should prioritize the strict adherence to infection prevention measures at all levels and ensure continuous monitoring until behavioral changes are implemented.