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Case Reports
. 2023 Mar 2;20(5):4434.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054434.

Preventive Measures among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Robert Rodríguez-González  1 , Aleksis Galloza  2 , Edgar J Medina  2 , Valeria Oliver  2 , Natalia I Rodríguez  2 , Elizabeth Ramos-Colón  1 , Mileily Velázquez-Ferrer  1 , Dayaneira Rivera-Alers  1 , Wanda Vargas  3 , Vanessa Rivera-Amill  2   3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Preventive Measures among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Robert Rodríguez-González et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), placed health systems worldwide under immense pressure, and healthcare workers (HCWs) were at the front lines. The Puerto Rico Department of Health confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in March 2020. We aimed to assess whether COVID-19 preventive measures implemented by HCWs were effective in a work scenario before vaccine availability. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from July to December 2020 to evaluate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene guidelines, and other measures taken by HCWs to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. We collected nasopharyngeal specimens for molecular testing at the beginning of the study and follow-up. We recruited 62 participants aged 30-59 (79% women). Participants recruited from hospitals, clinical laboratories, and private practice included medical technologists (33%), nurses (28%), respiratory therapists (2%), physicians (11%), and others (26%). Among our participants, nurses were at higher risk (p < 0.05) of infection. We identified that 87% of participants followed the hygiene recommendation guidelines. In addition, all participants practiced handwashing or disinfection before or after caring for each patient. All participants tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 during the study period. On follow-up, all study participants reported being vaccinated against COVID-19. The implementation of PPE and hygiene measures showed high efficacy as a prevention method against SARS-CoV-2 infection when vaccines and treatment were not widely available in Puerto Rico.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; healthcare workers; prevention.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Nurses were among the healthcare workers (HCWs) with a significantly higher risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 because of prolonged exposure to a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19. The proportion of HCWs with medium to high risk of COVID-19 was compared using the proportion Z test. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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