Original Research Article
Year: 2021 | Month: January | Volume: 11 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 10-20
Demographic, Practice Characteristics, and Risk Factors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection among ICU Healthcare Workers: A Cross Sectional and Nested Case Control Study
Tasmiya Asad1, Abdulrahman Alharthy1, Abdullah Ba Lahmar1, Saima Shahzad1, Huda Mhawish1, Basel Almuabbadi1, Juhaina Abdulrahiem1, Dimitrios Karakitsos1,2, Waleed Aletreby1
1Critical Care Department, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2Critical Care Department, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Corresponding Author: Waleed Aletreby
ABSTRACT
Objectives: To describe demographic and practice variables of SARS-CoV-2 infected healthcare workers in ICU, and variables significantly associated with infection.
Method: Cross sectional survey study method was used for the descriptive objective, and a nested case control method was used for significant association. The study was conducted in the ICU of a tertiary referral center in Saudi Arabia, including healthcare workers practicing during the study period between March 1st and June 31st, 2020.
Results: 462 responses were received, of which 78 were SARS-CoV-2 positive, two thirds were females, mainly bedside nurses. The positive group had a median experience of 6 years, and bronchial asthma as the most common comorbidity. All positive group members practiced universal masking and hand hygiene, however; only one third used appropriate N95 size, and they worked a mean shift duration of 12.3 ± 2.7 hours, two thirds cared for intubated patients, and were exposed to a mean of 6.74 ± 10.5 aerosol generating procedure, the most common of which was endotracheal intubation. In the nested case control study, only endotracheal intubation and applying nebulization were significantly associated with increased risk of infection, adjusted OR=3.4, 95% CI: 1.2-9.6; p = 0.015, and OR=3.5, 95% CI: 1.02-12.1; p = 0.03 respectively.
Conclusion: Main predisposing factors for COVID-19 infection amongst HCWs were lack of PPE, unavailability of fit tested size N95 respirators, caring for intubated COVID-19 patients, and performing aerosol generating procedures. Endotracheal intubation and applying nebulization were associated with increased odds of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition by HCWs.
Key words: Demographic, practice characteristics, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, ICU healthcare workers.