Capacity development and safety measures for health care workers exposed to COVID-19 in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background The safety of health care workers (HCWs) in Bangladesh and the factors associated with getting COVID-19 have been infrequently studied. The aim of this study was to address this gap by assessing the capacity development and safety measures of HCWs in Bangladesh who have been exposed to COVID-19 and by identifying the factors associated with respondents’ self-reported participation in capacity development trainings and their safety practices. Methods This cross-sectional study was based on an online survey of 811 HCWs working at 39 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in Bangladesh. A pretested structured questionnaire consisting of questions related to respondents’ characteristics, capacity development trainings and safety measures was administered. Binary logistic regressions were run to assess the association between explanatory and dependent variables. Results Among the respondents, 58.1% had been engaged for at least 2 months in COVID-19 care, with 56.5% of them attending capacity development training on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), 44.1% attending training on hand hygiene, and 35% attending training on respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette. Only 18.1% reported having read COVID-19-related guidelines. Approximately 50% of the respondents claimed that there was an inadequate supply of PPE for hospitals and HCWs. Almost 60% of the respondents feared a high possibility of becoming COVID-19-positive. Compared to physicians, support staff [odds ratio (OR) 4.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.25–8.51] and medical technologists (OR 8.77, 95% CI 3.14–24.47) were more exhausted from working in COVID-19 care. Respondents with longer duty rosters were more exhausted, and those who were still receiving infection prevention and control (IPC) trainings were less exhausted (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.34–0.86). Those who read COVID-19 guidelines perceived a lower risk of being infected by COVID-19 (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.29–0.67). Compared to the respondents who strongly agreed that hospitals had a sufficient supply of PPE, others who disagreed (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.31–5.51) and strongly disagreed (OR 5.05, 95% CI 2.15–11.89) had a higher apprehension of infection by COVID-19. Conclusion The findings indicated a need for necessary support, including continuous training, a reasonable duty roster, timely diagnosis of patients, and an adequate supply of quality PPE.

Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Food Service Staff in Bangladeshi Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The possible explanation is that those with high monthly income may be able to acquire additional materials needed to establish themselves in hygienic conditions [such as personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer] and acquire extra cooking training, including food safety practices [34]. In Bangladesh, hospital authorities generally provide PPE to staff; however, the quality and adequacy of PPE can be a concern, especially during the crisis period [56]. A recent study reported that nearly half of the respondents [50%] claimed that there was an inadequate supply of PPE for hospitals and healthcare workers [56].…”

“…In Bangladesh, hospital authorities generally provide PPE to staff; however, the quality and adequacy of PPE can be a concern, especially during the crisis period [56]. A recent study reported that nearly half of the respondents [50%] claimed that there was an inadequate supply of PPE for hospitals and healthcare workers [56]. Hence, financial solvency enables them to carry hygienic materials for their own use regardless of their workplace.…”

Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania

“…In addition, perceptions of protection and well-being varied widely among different HCW cadres. It is therefore important to implement targeted interventions based on the level of risk exposure of HCWs, rather than one-size-fits-all interventions [ 47 ]. These findings are consistent with finding from studies conducted in different settings in Africa, India and Iran, which have reported that different cadres of HCWs experience different levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms depending on their level of exposure [ 14 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 48 ].…”

Mental health status and associated factors with stress among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

“…Their responsibility was challenging due to the limited healthcare infrastructure 15 . There were problems at the healthcare facilities, and HCWs faced difficulties in getting the necessary equipment to deal with the situation, such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 16 and necessary training 17 . Very few stakeholders had thought of the HCWs' physical and mental health support 18 , whose families were also at risk 19 , and at some point, society was against them 19 .…”