PropertyValue
?:abstract
  • OBJECTIVES: To describe a cohort of self-isolating healthcare workers (HCWs) with presumed COVID-19. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, single-centre study. SETTING: A large, teaching hospital based in Central London with tertiary infection services. PARTICIPANTS: 236 HCWs completed a survey distributed by internal staff email bulletin. 167 were women and 65 men. MEASURES: Information on symptomatology, exposures and health-seeking behaviour were collected from participants by self-report. RESULTS: The 236 respondents reported illness compatible with COVID-19 and there was an increase in illness reporting during March 2020 Diagnostic swabs were not routinely performed. Cough (n=179, 75.8%), fever (n=138, 58.5%), breathlessness (n=84, 35.6%) were reported. Anosmia was reported in 42.2%. Fever generally settled within 1 week (n=110/138, 88%). Several respondents remained at home and did not seek formal medical attention despite reporting severe breathlessness and measuring hypoxia (n=5/9, 55.6%). 2 patients required hospital admission but recovered following oxygen therapy. 84 respondents (41.2%) required greater than the obligated 7 days off work and 9 required greater than 3 weeks off. CONCLUSION: There was a significant increase in staff reporting illness compatible with possible COVID-19 during March 2020. Subsequent serology studies at the same hospital study site have confirmed sero-positivity for COVID-19 up to 45% by the end of April 2020 in frontline HCWs. The study revealed a concerning lack of healthcare seeking in respondents with significant red flag symptoms (severe breathlessness, hypoxia). This study also highlighted anosmia as a key symptom of COVID-19 early in the pandemic, prior to this symptom being more widely recognised as a feature of COVID-19.
is ?:annotates of
?:creator
?:doi
?:doi
  • 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040216
?:journal
  • BMJ_Open
?:license
  • cc-by-nc
?:pdf_json_files
  • document_parses/pdf_json/380b555ca154f1f5ae075c0ab08b197fcf1c4b50.json; document_parses/pdf_json/7d8d93b8e602d469f3265350102675936bae07d9.json
?:pmc_json_files
  • document_parses/pmc_json/PMC7692003.xml.json
?:pmcid
?:pmid
?:pmid
  • 33243801.0
?:publication_isRelatedTo_Disease
?:sha_id
?:source
  • Medline; PMC
?:title
  • Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study
?:type
?:year
  • 2020-11-26

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