Objectives
Healthcare professionals’ high risk of infection and burnout in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic probably hindered their much-needed preparedness to respond. We aimed to inform how individual and institutional factors contributed for the preparedness to respond during the first months of a public health emergency.
Study design
Cross-sectional study.
Methods
We surveyed healthcare workers from a Local Health Unit in Portugal, which comprises primary health care centers and hospital services, including public health units and intensive care units, in the second and third months of the COVID-19 epidemic in Portugal. The 460 answers, completed by 252 participants (about 10% of the healthcare workers), were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regressions. We estimated adjusted odds ratios for the readiness and willingness to respond.
Results
Readiness to respond was associated with the perception of adequate infrastructures (aOR = 4.04,
P
< 0.005), lack of access to personal protective equipment (aOR = 0.26,
P
< 0.05) and organization (aOR = 0.31,
P
< 0.05). The willingness to act was associated with the perception of not being able to make a difference (aOR = 0.05,
P
< 0.005), risk of work-related burnout (aOR = 21.21,
P
< 0.01) and experiencing colleagues or patients’ deaths due to COVID-19 (aOR = 0.24,
P
< 0.05).
Conclusions
Adequate organization, infrastructures, and access to personal protective equipment may be crucial for workers' preparedness in a new public health emergency, as well workers’ understanding of their roles and expected impact. These factors, together with the risk of work-related burnout, shall be taken into account in the planning of the response of healthcare institutions in future public health emergencies.
Viral hepatitis is globally leading causes of death, and 96% of these are due to hepatitis B and C (HBV/HCV) late outcomes. The first Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) aims to reduce by 65% the mortality associated with HBV/HCV, and an indicator (C10) is proposed to monitor progress. Data on viral hepatitis and liver-related mortality are required, and different methods of estimation can be used, depending on availability and quality of sources. We aimed to understand the current situation and practicality of calculating C10, accessing available sources to estimate initial figure for Europe. We listed and compiled regional and national data sources reporting deaths from HCC, cirrhosis and chronic liver disease (CLD) and available estimates of attributable fraction. We critically appraised quality of data, highlighting gaps in current data and estimated mortality attributable to HBV and HCV, for 31 EU/EEA countries from 2010 to 2015. Mortality data are available for 30/31 countries. Quality varies but 60% of national sources report with specificity as required by WHO indicator. Attributable fraction is only available through the literature search. We estimated C10 for 87.6% country-years. Deaths attributable to HBV/HCV for this period and region were 292 600, while HCV deaths were three times higher. Incomplete data for 2015 prevented calculation of time trends. Regional sources are outdated for monitoring C10, but national sources are capable of reporting mortality data. Sources for attributable fraction are sparse, outdated and much needed. We recommend improvement of death registration allowing measuring this indicator. Studies measuring attributable fraction on national and subnational levels are crucial.
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