Improving health care workers' protection against infection of Ebola hemorrhagic fever through video surveillance

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of supervision through video surveillance in improving the quality of personal protection in preparing health care workers working in Ebola treatment units.

Methods: Wardens supervise, remind, and guide health care workers' behavior through onsite voice and video systems when they are in the suspected patient observation ward and in the patient diagnosed ward of the Ebola treatment center. The observation results were recorded, and timely feedback was given to the health care workers.

Results: After 2 months of supervision, 1,797 cases of incorrect personal protection behaviors were identified and corrected. The error rate continuously declined. The declined rate of the first 2 weeks was statistically different from other time periods. Through reminding and supervising, nonstandard personal protective behaviors can be discovered and corrected, which can help health care workers standardize personal protection. The timely feedback from video surveillance can also offer psychologic support and encouragement promptly to ease psychologic pressure. Finally, this can ensure health care workers stay at a zero infection rate during patient treatment.

Conclusions: Personal protective equipment protocol supervised by wardens through a video monitoring process can be used as an effective complement to conventional mutual supervision methods and can help health care workers avoid Ebola infection during treatment.

Keywords: Ebola; Ebola virus disease; individual protection; infection control.