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. 2021 May 26;18(11):5712.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18115712.

SARS-CoV-2 Epidemics in Retirement and Nursing Homes in Italy: A New Preparedness Assessment Model after the First Epidemic Wave

Carmelo Gugliotta  1 , Davide Gentili  1 , Silvia Marras  1 , Marco Dettori  1 , Pietro Paolo Muglia  1 , Maria Giuseppina Desole  2 , Marcello Acciaro  3 , Sabina Bellu  4 , Antonio Azara  1   4 , Paolo Castiglia  1   4
Affiliations

SARS-CoV-2 Epidemics in Retirement and Nursing Homes in Italy: A New Preparedness Assessment Model after the First Epidemic Wave

Carmelo Gugliotta et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The aim of the study is to evaluate the preparedness of retirement and nursing homes in the city of Sassari at the end of the first wave of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic, first by investigating the risk perception of epidemic outbreaks by the facility managers and subsequently by carrying out a field assessment of these facilities. To perform the field assessment, a checklist developed by the CDC (Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes Preparing for COVID-19) and adapted to the Italian context was used. Fourteen facilities took part in the survey (87.5%). The application of good practices for each survey area was expressed as a percentage with the following median values: restriction policies (87.5%), staff training (53.8%), resident training (67.6%), availability of personal protective equipment (41.7%), infection control practices (73.5%) and communication (80%). Among the facilities, considerable variability was observed in these evaluation fields: only the restriction policies and communication activities were applied uniformly. A discrepancy was found between perceived risk and real danger in the facilities, requiring targeted communication actions. At present, it is necessary to promote a new approach based on the prediction of critical events, thereby providing the means to effectively address them.

Keywords: COVID-19; infection prevention and control; nursing home; preparedness; risk communication.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Daily distribution of SARS-CoV-2 cases by Sardinian district as of 31 May 2020 (data source: Civil Protection Database).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of facility scores by checklist section (R: restrictions policies for visitors and non-essential staff; ST: staff training, monitoring, and screening; RT: resident training, monitoring, and screening; PPE: Availability of PPE and other supplies; IPC: infection prevention and control (IPC) practices; COM: communication; GLO: global checklist score).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of total checklist scores obtained by facilities according to the presence of SARS-CoV-2 cases during the emergency phase.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Perceptual map of risk (facility perception) versus hazard (external evaluation) for the IPC practice indicator, quarantine/isolation indicator and training indicator.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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