Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023;102(11):924-933.
doi: 10.1159/000534327. Epub 2023 Oct 18.

Causes and Risk Factors for Absenteeism among Medical Staff in German Specialized Lung Clinics during the COVID Pandemic

Stella Piel  1   2 , Maria A Presotto  3 , Rudolf A Jörres  4 , Stefan Karrasch  4 , Wolfgang Gesierich  5 , Jörn Bullwinkel  6 , Klaus F Rabe  6 , Markus C Hayden  7 , Franziska Kaestner  8 , Dominik Harzheim  8 , Biljana Joves  9 , Axel T Kempa  9 , Alessandro Ghiani  10 , Claus Neurohr  10 , Julia D Michels  3 , Michael Kreuter  3   11 , Felix J F Herth  3 , Franziska C Trudzinski  3
Affiliations

Causes and Risk Factors for Absenteeism among Medical Staff in German Specialized Lung Clinics during the COVID Pandemic

Stella Piel et al. Respiration. 2023.

Abstract

Background: Staff shortages pose a major challenge to the health system.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to clarify the role of different causative factors we investigated on staff absenteeism during the COVID pandemic.

Methods: The prospective multicentre cohort study assessed the private and professional impact of the pandemic on health care workers (HCWs) using a specially developed questionnaire. HCWs from 7 specialist lung clinics throughout Germany were surveyed from December 1 to December 23, 2021. The current analysis addresses pandemic-related absenteeism.

Results: 1,134 HCW (55% female; 18.4% male, 26.3% not willing to provide information on age or gender) participated. 72.8% had received at least one vaccination dose at the time of the survey, and 9.4% reported a COVID infection. Of those with positive tests, 98% reported home quarantine for median (IQR) 14 (12-17) days; 10.3% of those who ultimately tested negative also reported quarantine periods of 14 (7-14) days. 32.2% of vaccinated respondents reported absenteeism due to vaccine reactions of 2 (1-3) days. Overall, 37% (n = 420) of HCW reported pandemic-related absenteeism, with 3,524 total days of absenteeism, of which 2,828 were due to illness/quarantine and 696 to vaccination effects. Independent risk factors for COVID-related absenteeism ≥5 days included already having COVID, but also concern about long-term effects of COVID (OR 1,782, p = 0.014); risk factors for vaccine-related absenteeism ≥2 days included concerns of late effects of vaccination (OR 2.2, 95% CI: 1.4-3.1, p < 0.000).

Conclusion: Staff shortages due to quarantine or infections and vaccine reactogenicity have put a strain on German respiratory specialists. The fact that staff concerns also contributed to absenteeism may be helpful in managing future pandemic events to minimize staff absenteeism.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Healthcare workers; Long-term effects; Specialized lung clinics; Staff shortage; Vaccination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Stella Piel states that she has received support for attending meetings and/or travel by Grifols and study funding by DZL Germany. Maria A. Presotto and Stefan Karrasch state that they have received study funding by DZL Germany. Wolfgang Gesierich states that he has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events by Olympus, PulmonX. Klaus F. Rabe states that he has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events by AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Sanofi & Regeneron, GlaxoSmithKline, Berlin Chemie, Roche Pharma, he also states participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board of AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi & Regeneron, and he also states leadership or fiduciary role in German Center for Lung Research (DZL), German Chest Society (DGP), American Thoracic Society (ATS). Franziska C. Trudzinski states that she has received payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline, Grifols, Novartis, CSL Behring, Streamed up, RG Gesellschaft für Information und Organisation mbH, she also states participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board of CSL Behring, GlaxoSmithKline. Michael Kreuter states that he has received grants or contracts by Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, consulting fees from Nichtraucherhelden, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, and he also states leadership or fiduciary role in ERS. Rudolf A. Jörres, Jörn Bullwinkel, Markus C. Hayden, Franziska Kaestner, Dominik Harzheim, Biljana Joves, Axel T. Kempa, Alessandro Ghiani, Claus Neurohr, Julia D. Michels, Felix J.F. Herth have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Number of participants with absenteeism due to different causes: histograms for absenteeism (days) stratified due to their cause. Red: COVID/quarantine; blue: vaccination; dashed: both.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lyttelton T, Zang E. Occupations and sickness-related absences during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Health Soc Behav. 2022;63(1):19–36. 10.1177/00221465211053615. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gomez-Ochoa SA, Franco OH, Rojas LZ, Raguindin PF, Roa-Diaz ZM, Wyssmann BM, et al. . COVID-19 in health-care workers: a living systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and outcomes. Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(1):161–75. 10.1093/aje/kwaa191. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arenliu Qosaj F, Weine SM, Sejdiu P, Hasani F, Statovci S, Behluli V, et al. . Prevalence of perceived stress, anxiety, and depression in HCW in kosovo during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(24):16667. 10.3390/ijerph192416667. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Van Wert MJ, Gandhi S, Gupta I, Singh A, Eid SM, Haroon Burhanullah M, et al. . Healthcare worker mental health after the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic: a US medical center cross-sectional survey. J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37(5):1169–76. 10.1007/s11606-021-07251-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abdelhafiz AS, Ali A, Ziady HH, Maaly AM, Alorabi M, Sultan EA. Prevalence, associated factors, and consequences of burnout among Egyptian physicians during COVID-19 pandemic. Front Public Health. 2020;8:590190. 10.3389/fpubh.2020.590190. - DOI - PMC - PubMed