Browsing by Subject "Healthcare workers"

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    A Cohort Study of Seroprevalence of Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia
    (Dove Press, 2022-08-10) Mushcab, Hayat; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Ghamdi, Mohammed; Babgi, Amani; Amir, Abdulrazack; Sheikh, Salwa S.; Darwisheh, Adel; Alobaid, Abrar; Jebakumar, Arulanantham Zechariah; Qahtani, Saeed; Al Sagheir, Ahmed; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: The nature of the healthcare workers’ jobs standing at the frontline against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) puts them at a higher risk of unknowingly contracting the disease and potentially contributing to the spread. This study aims to assess the overall positive seroconversion prevalence of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: This is a longitudinal cohort study of healthcare workers at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH). JHAH is a tertiary hospital located in Dhahran serving patients in several districts in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Participants were recruited between June and December 2020. Each participant had a serology blood test and completed the World Health Organization’s risk factor assessment questionnaire. Results: This study included 682 participants working in JHAH, representing 15.7% of our population. Out of the 682 participants, 15.2% had a positive SARS-CoV-2 rt-PCR before taking part in the study. However, only 87 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, a prevalence of 12.7% of all participants. Out of the 87 positives for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, 17 participants never tested positive for COVID-19 rt-PCR, a prevalence of 2.9%. Moreover, not properly using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water after the risk of body fluid exposure and wearing personal protective equipment when indicated were found to be statistically significant to having a positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay. Conclusion: Positive seroconversion rate was considerably low during the first wave of COVID-19 amongst JHAH’s healthcare workers and similar to other healthcare organizations in Saudi Arabia. Seropositivity correlated significantly with following infection prevention and control recommendations.
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    ChatGPT and the Future of Digital Health: A Study on Healthcare Workers' Perceptions and Expectations
    (MDPI, 2023-06-21) Temsah, Mohamad-Hani; Aljamaan, Fadi; Malki, Khalid H.; Alhasan, Khalid; Altamimi, Ibraheem; Aljarbou, Razan; Bazuhair, Faisal; Alsubaihin, Abdulmajeed; Abdulmajeed, Naif; Alshahrani, Fatimah S.; Temsah, Reem; Alshahrani, Turki; Al-Eyadhy, Lama; Alkhateeb, Serin Mohammed; Saddik, Basema; Halwani, Rabih; Jamal, Amr; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Al-Eyadhy, Ayman; Medicine, School of Medicine
    This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and intended practices of healthcare workers (HCWs) in Saudi Arabia towards ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot, within the first three months after its launch. We also aimed to identify potential barriers to AI Chatbot adoption among healthcare professionals. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1057 HCWs in Saudi Arabia, distributed electronically via social media channels from 21 February to 6 March 2023. The survey evaluated HCWs' familiarity with ChatGPT-3.5, their satisfaction, intended future use, and perceived usefulness in healthcare practice. Of the respondents, 18.4% had used ChatGPT for healthcare purposes, while 84.1% of non-users expressed interest in utilizing AI Chatbots in the future. Most participants (75.1%) were comfortable with incorporating ChatGPT into their healthcare practice. HCWs perceived the Chatbot to be useful in various aspects of healthcare, such as medical decision-making (39.5%), patient and family support (44.7%), medical literature appraisal (48.5%), and medical research assistance (65.9%). A majority (76.7%) believed ChatGPT could positively impact the future of healthcare systems. Nevertheless, concerns about credibility and the source of information provided by AI Chatbots (46.9%) were identified as the main barriers. Although HCWs recognize ChatGPT as a valuable addition to digital health in the early stages of adoption, addressing concerns regarding accuracy, reliability, and medicolegal implications is crucial. Therefore, due to their unreliability, the current forms of ChatGPT and other Chatbots should not be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes without human expert oversight. Ensuring the trustworthiness and dependability of AI Chatbots is essential for successful implementation in healthcare settings. Future research should focus on evaluating the clinical outcomes of ChatGPT and benchmarking its performance against other AI Chatbots.
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    COVID-19 vaccine uptake among healthcare workers in the fourth country to authorize BNT162b2 during the first month of rollout
    (Elsevier, 2021-09) Barry, Mazin; Temsah, Mohamad-Hani; Aljamaan, Fadi; Saddik, Basema; Al-Eyadhy, Ayman; Alenezi, Shuliweeh; Alamro, Nurah; Alhuzaimi, Abdullah N; Alhaboob, Ali; Alhasan, Khalid; Alsohime, Fahad; Alaraj, Ali; Halwani, Rabih; Jamal, Amr; Temsah, Omar; Alzamil, Fahad; Somily, Ali; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was the fourth country in the world to authorize the BNT162b2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, which it rolled out on December 17, 2020 and first targeted at healthcare workers (HCWs). This study assesses vaccine uptake among this group during the first month of its availability. Methods A national cross-sectional, pilot-validated, self-administered survey was conducted among HCWs in the KSA between December 27, 2020 and January 3, 2021. The survey included sociodemographic details, previous contact with COVID-19 patients, previous infection with COVID-19, receiving (or registering with the Ministry of Health website to receive) the COVID-19 vaccine, sources of HCWs’ information on vaccines, awareness of emerging variants of concern, and anxiety level using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder assessment. A descriptive bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic binary regression analysis were performed. The primary evaluated outcome was vaccine uptake. Results Of the 1058 participants who completed the survey, 704 (66.5%) were female, and 626 (59.2%) were nurses. Of all the respondents, 352 (33.27%) were enrolled to receive or had already received the vaccine, while 706 (66.73%) had not enrolled. In a bivariate analysis, not enrolling for vaccination was more likely in females than males (78.5% vs. 21.5%, P < 0.001), HCWs between the ages of 20 and 40 years than those >40 years (70.4% vs. 29.6%, P = 0.005), Saudi HCWs than expatriates (78% vs 22%, P < 0.001), and among HCWs who used social media as a source of information than those who did not (69.8% vs. 38.6%, P < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with uptake were being a Saudi national (aOR = 1.918, 95 %CI = 1.363–2.698, P < 0.001), working in an intensive care unit (aOR = 1.495, 95 %CI = 1.083–2.063, P = 0.014), and working at a university hospital (aOR = 1.867, 95 %CI = 1.380–2.525, P < 0.001). Conclusions A low level of vaccine uptake was observed especially in female HCWs, those younger than 40 years old, and those who used social media as their source of vaccine information. This survey provides important information for public health authorities in order to scale up vaccination campaigns targeting these HCWs to increase vaccine enrollment and uptake.
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    The dangers of reused personal protective equipment: healthcare workers and workstation contamination
    (Elsevier, 2022) Doos, D.; Barach, P.; Alves, N.J.; Falvo, L.; Bona, A.; Moore, M.; Cooper, D.D.; Lefort, R.; Ahmed, R.; Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protect healthcare workers (HCWs). The practice of reusing PPE poses high levels of risk for accidental contamination by HCWs. Scarce medical literature compares practical means or methods for safe reuse of PPE while actively caring for patients. Methods: In this study, observations were made of 28 experienced clinical participants performing five donning and doffing encounters while performing simulated full evaluations of patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Participants' N95 respirators were coated with a fluorescent dye to evaluate any accidental fomite transfer that occurred during PPE donning and doffing. Participants were evaluated using blacklight after each doffing encounter to evaluate new contamination sites, and were assessed for the cumulative surface area that occurred due to PPE doffing. Additionally, participants' workstations were evaluated for contamination. Results: All participants experienced some contamination on their upper extremities, neck and face. The highest cumulative area of fomite transfer risk was associated with the hook and paper bag storage methods, and the least contamination occurred with the tabletop storage method. Storing a reused N95 respirator on a tabletop was found to be a safer alternative than the current recommendation of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use a paper bag for storage. All participants donning and doffing PPE were contaminated. Conclusion: PPE reusage practices pose an unacceptably high level of risk of accidental cross-infection contamination to healthcare workers. The current design of PPE requires complete redesign with improved engineering and usability to protect healthcare workers.
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    Healthcare worker knowledge and opinion regarding intimate partner violence screening in an academic dermatology clinic: a survey study
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022-08-01) Carr, Christian L.; Rivera, Sydney; Jetelina, Katelyn K.; Mauskar, Melissa; Medicine, School of Medicine
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    Healthcare Workers' Worries and Monkeypox Vaccine Advocacy during the First Month of the WHO Monkeypox Alert: Cross-Sectional Survey in Saudi Arabia
    (MDPI, 2022-08-28) Ajman, Fadi; Alenezi, Shuliweeh; Alhasan, Khalid; Saddik, Basema; Alhaboob, Ali; Altawil, Esraa S.; Alshahrani, Fatimah; Alrabiaah, Abdulkarim; Alaraj, Ali; Alkriadees, Khaled; Alshamlani, Yousef; Alharbi, Homood; Jamal, Amr; Halwani, Rabih; AlZamil, Fahad; Al-Subaie, Sarah; Barry, Mazin; Memish, Ziad A.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Temsah, Mohamad-Hani; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Monkeypox virus re-surged in May 2022 as a new potential global health threat, with outbreaks bursting in multiple countries across different continents. This study was conducted in Saudi Arabia during the first month following the WHO announcement of the Monkeypox outbreak, to assess healthcare workers (HCWs) perceptions of, worries concerning, and vaccine acceptance for, Monkeypox, in light of the resolving COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted between 27 May and 10 June 2022, in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected on: HCWs' sociodemographic and job-related characteristics; COVID-19 infection status; and worries concerning Monkeypox, compared to COVID-19 and its sources; as well as their perceptions and awareness of, and advocacy for, supporting Monkeypox vaccination. Results: A total of 1130 HCWs completed the survey, of which 41.6% have already developed COVID-19. However, 56.5% were more concerned about COVID-19 compared to Monkeypox, while the rest were more worried about Monkeypox disease. The main cause for concern among 68.8% of the participants was the development of another worldwide pandemic, post-COVID-19, followed by their concern of either themselves or their families contracting the infection (49.6%). Most HCWs (60%) rated their level of self-awareness of Monkeypox disease as moderate to high. Males, and those who had previously developed COVID-19, were significantly less likely to worry about Monkeypox. The worry about Monkeypox developing into a pandemic, and the perception of Monkeypox being a severe disease, correlated significantly positively with the odds of high worry concerning the disease. The major predictors of participants' advocacy for vaccination against Monkeypox disease were: those who had developed COVID-19 previously; and those who supported tighter infection control measures (than those currently used) to combat the disease. A total of 74.2% of the surveyed HCWs perceived that they needed to read more about Monkeypox disease. Conclusions: Approximately half of the HCWs in this study were more concerned about Monkeypox disease than COVID-19, particularly regarding its possible progression into a new pandemic, during the first month following the WHO's Monkeypox international alert. In addition, the majority of participants were in favor of applying tighter infection prevention measures to combat the disease. The current study highlights areas requiring attention for healthcare administrators regarding HCWs' perceptions and preparedness for Monkeypox, especially in the event of a local or international pandemic.
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    Longevity of Immunoglobulin-G Antibody Response Against Nucleocapsid Protein Against SARS-CoV-2 Among Healthcare Workers
    (Dove Press, 2023-05-31) Mushcab, Hayat; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Babgi, Amani; Ghamdi, Mohammed; Amir, Abdulrazack; Sheikh, Salwa S.; Darwisheh, Adel; AlObaid, Abrar; Masuadi, Emad; AlFattani, Areej; Qahtani, Saeed; Al Sagheir, Ahmed; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the latest pandemic and the most significant challenge in public health worldwide. Studying the longevity of naturally developed antibodies is highly important clinically and epidemiologically. This paper assesses the longevity of antibodies developed against nucleocapsid protein amongst our health-care workers. Methods: This longitudinal cohort study was conducted at a tertiary hospital, Saudi Arabia. Anti-SARSsCoV-2 antibodies were tested among health-care workers at three-point intervals (baseline, eight weeks, and 16 weeks). Results: Of the 648 participants, 112 (17.2%) tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19) by PCR before the study. Of all participants, 87 (13.4%) tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, including 17 (2.6%) participants who never tested positive for COVID-19 using rt-PCR. Out of the 87 positive IgG participants at baseline, only 12 (13.7%) had remained positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by the end of the study. The IgG titer showed a significant reduction in values over time, where the median time for the confirmed positive rt-PCR subgroup from infection to the last positive antibody test was 70 (95% CI: 33.4-106.5) days. Conclusion: Health-care workers are at high risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and contracting an asymptomatic infection is not unlikely. Developing and sustaining natural immunity differs from one person to another, while the rate of positive IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 wanes over time.
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    SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 UK Variant of Concern Lineage-Related Perceptions, COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Travel Worry Among Healthcare Workers
    (Frontiers, 2021-05) Temsah, Mohamad-Hani; Barry, Mazin; Aljamaan, Fadi; Alhuzaimi, Abdullah N.; Al-Eyadhy, Ayman; Saddik, Basema; Alsohime, Fahad; Alhaboob, Ali; Alhasan, Khalid; Alaraj, Ali; Halwani, Rabih; Jamal, Amr; Alamro, Nurah; Temsah, Reem; Esmaeil, Samia; Alenezi, Shuliweeh; Alzamil, Fahad; Somily, Ali M.; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background: Healthcare workers' (HCWs') travel-related anxiety needs to be assessed in light of the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 mutations. Methods: An online, cross-sectional questionnaire among HCWs between December 21, 2020 to January 7, 2021. The outcome variables were HCWs' knowledge and awareness of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage that was recently reported as the UK variant of concern, and its associated travel worry and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) score. Results: A total of 1,058 HCWs completed the survey; 66.5% were female, 59.0% were nurses. 9.0% indicated they had been previously diagnosed with COVID-19. Regarding the B.1.1.7 lineage, almost all (97.3%) were aware of its emergence, 73.8% were aware that it is more infectious, 78.0% thought it causes more severe disease, and only 50.0% knew that current COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing it. Despite this, 66.7% of HCWs were not registered to receive the vaccine. HCWs' most common source of information about the new variant was social media platforms (67.0%), and this subgroup was significantly more worried about traveling. Nurses were more worried than physicians (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Most HCWs were aware of the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant and expressed substantial travel worries. Increased worry levels were found among HCWs who used social media as their main source of information, those with lower levels of COVID-19 vaccine uptake, and those with higher GAD-7 scores. The utilization of official social media platforms could improve accurate information dissemination among HCWs regarding the Pandemic's evolving mutations. Targeted vaccine campaigns are warranted to assure HCWs about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines toward SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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    Self-reported long COVID-19 symptoms are rare among vaccinated healthcare workers
    (Elsevier, 2023) AlBahrani, Salma; AlBarrak, Ali; AlGubaisi, Nawal; Alkurdi, Hamoud; Alburaiki, Dalia; AlGhamdi, Abdulrahaman; AlOthaiqy, Mohammed; Tayeb, Sarah; Tayeb, Nesreen; Abdraboh, Salimah; Khairi, Amani; Alshareef, Lujain; AlHarbi, Asma; AlRabeeah, Saad; Alqahtani, Abdullah S.; Alqahtani, Jaber S.; Hakami, Fatimah Hassan; Al-Maqati, Thekra N.; Alkhrashi, Sausan Abdulrahman; Almershad, Meshael Musaed; AlAbbadi, Asmaa; Hakami, Mariam Hassan; Faqihi, Osama; Altawfiq, Kauthar Jaffar A.; Jebakumar, Arulanantham Zachariah; Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected healthcare workers (HCWs). Here, we evaluate the occurence of long-COVID-19 symtoms among HCWs. Methods: This is a questionnaire-based study of HCWs who had COVID-19 in two medical centers in Saudi Arabia and were mostly vaccinated. Results: The study included 243 HCWs with a mean age (+ SD) of 36.1 (+ 7.6) years. Of them, 223 (91.8%) had three doses of COVID-19 vaccine, 12 (4.9%) had four doses, and 5 (2.1%) had two doses. The most common symptoms at the start of the illness were cough (180, 74.1%), shortness of breath (124, 51%), muscle ache (117, 48.1%), headache (113, 46.5%), sore throat (111, 45.7%), diarrhea (109, 44.9%) and loss of taste (108, 44.4%). Symptoms lasted for< one week in 117 (48.1%),> one week and< 1 month in 89 (36.6%),> 2 months and< 3 months in 9 (3.7%), and> 3 months in 15 (6.2%). The main symptoms present> 3 months were hair loss (8, 3.3%), cough (5, 2.1%), and diarrhea (5, 2.1%). A binomial regression analysis showed no relationship between persistence of symptoms for> 3 months and other demographic or clinical symptoms characteristics. Conclusion: The study showed a low rate of the occurence of long-COVID> 3 months during the Omicron-wave among mostly vaccinated HCWs with no significant comorbidities. Furhter studies are needed to examine the effect of different vaccines on long-COVID-19 among HCWs.