COVID-19 Contact Tracing Experience at a Tertiary Healthcare Center in Saudi Arabia

Muthalib, Hamna Abdul; Hamad, Abdullah; Muhammad, JB; Ifthikar, Zainab; Albanyan, Esam A.; Al-Jumaah, Suliman; Al‐Ghamdi, Sami G.

doi:10.7759/cureus.41919

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The rapidly spreading infection forced the ruling authorities of most countries to implement quarantine, isolation, and contact-tracing protocols [ 3 ]. The main motivation for implementing these measures was to combat the contagious spread and prevent its destructive outcomes [ 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Infection Among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Healthcare Hospital

Muthalib¹,

Hamad²,

Abbasi³

et al. 2023

Cureus

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 virus was the culprit of the global pandemic that began in 2019. With alarming mortality rates reaching sky-high worldwide, the virus prompted the masses to switch to online working. However, this was not feasible for healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to a higher-than-normal risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection. This study aims to observe the prevalence of COVID-19 positivity among the various areas of a healthcare facility in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study of positive employees among all departments at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, such as administration, capital projects/facilities, and healthcare. The study included all hospital employees-permanent staff, rotating physicians, and trainees-who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 20, 2020 and December 30, 2020. Results: It was found that HCWs had the most significant number of infected individuals with nursing staff being the predominant demographic. This was followed by the capital projects/facilities departments, of which the environmental services staff were the most infected. Conclusion: It is pertinent that strict protocols be taken by hospital management to limit the spread of future infectious diseases within hospital settings. This includes the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and adequate education on its proper usage, alongside regular surveillance of staff with regard to adherence and early detection of symptoms.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Infection Among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Healthcare Hospital

Muthalib¹,

Hamad²,

Abbasi³

et al. 2023

Cureus

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Digital Contact Tracing Implementation Among Leaders and Health Care Workers in a Pediatric Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Interview Study

O'Dwyer,

Jaana,

Hui

et al. 2024

JMIR Public Health Surveill

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Health systems had to rapidly implement infection control strategies to sustain their workforces during the COVID-19 pandemic. Various outbreak response tools, such as digital contact tracing (DCT), have been developed to monitor exposures and symptoms of health care workers (HCWs). Limited research evidence exists on the experiences with these technologies and the impacts of DCT innovations from the perspective of stakeholders in health care environments. Objective This study aims to identify the factors influencing the adoption of DCT, highlight variations in perspectives across 3 key stakeholder groups concerning the impact of DCT, and provide benchmarking evidence for future pandemic preparedness. Methods Guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study to investigate the implementation and impact of DCT at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario between December 2022 and April 2023. We conducted 21 semistructured interviews with key stakeholders, including health care administrators (6/21, 29%), occupational health and safety specialists (8/21, 38%), and HCWs (7/21, 33%). Stakeholders were asked about the factors influencing engagement with the DCT tool, organizational-level uptake, the implementation process, long-term use and sustainability of DCT, and unintended consequences. Verbatim transcripts were subject to thematic analysis using NVivo (QSR International). Results The implementation of DCT was viable and well received. End users indicated that their engagement with the DCT tool was facilitated by its perceived ease of use and the ability to gain awareness of probable COVID-19 exposures; however, risk assessment consequences and access concerns were reported as barriers (reach). Participants commonly agreed that the DCT technology had a positive influence on the hospital’s capacity to meet the demands of COVID-19 (effectiveness). Implementors and occupational specialists referred to negative staffing impacts and the loss of nuanced information as unintended consequences (effectiveness). Safety-focused communication strategies and having a DCT tool that was human-centered were crucial factors driving staff adoption of the technology. Conversely, adoption was challenged by the misaligned delivery of the DCT tool with HCWs’ standard practices, alongside the evolving perceived threat of COVID-19. Stakeholders collectively agreed on the viability of DCT and its applicability to infectious disease practices (maintenance). Conclusions Hospital stakeholders were highly satisfied with DCT technology and it was perceived as feasible, efficient, and having a positive impact on organizational safety. Challenges related to the alignment and delivery of DCT, alongside the evolving perspectives on COVID-19, posed obstacles to continued adoption by HCWs. Our findings contribute to evidence-based practices and present benchmarks that can inform preparedness for future pandemics and infectious disease outbreaks and help other organizations implement similar technologies.

show abstract

Digital Contact Tracing Implementation Among Leaders and Health Care Workers in a Pediatric Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Interview Study (Preprint)

O'Dwyer,

Jaana,

Hui

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND Health systems had to rapidly implement infection control strategies to sustain their workforces during the COVID-19 pandemic. Various outbreak response tools, such as digital contact tracing (DCT), have been developed to monitor exposures and symptoms of health care workers (HCWs). Limited research evidence exists on the experiences with these technologies and the impacts of DCT innovations from the perspective of stakeholders in health care environments. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify the factors influencing the adoption of DCT, highlight variations in perspectives across 3 key stakeholder groups concerning the impact of DCT, and provide benchmarking evidence for future pandemic preparedness. METHODS Guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study to investigate the implementation and impact of DCT at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario between December 2022 and April 2023. We conducted 21 semistructured interviews with key stakeholders, including health care administrators (6/21, 29%), occupational health and safety specialists (8/21, 38%), and HCWs (7/21, 33%). Stakeholders were asked about the factors influencing engagement with the DCT tool, organizational-level uptake, the implementation process, long-term use and sustainability of DCT, and unintended consequences. Verbatim transcripts were subject to thematic analysis using NVivo (QSR International). RESULTS The implementation of DCT was viable and well received. End users indicated that their engagement with the DCT tool was facilitated by its perceived ease of use and the ability to gain awareness of probable COVID-19 exposures; however, risk assessment consequences and access concerns were reported as barriers (reach). Participants commonly agreed that the DCT technology had a positive influence on the hospital’s capacity to meet the demands of COVID-19 (effectiveness). Implementors and occupational specialists referred to negative staffing impacts and the loss of nuanced information as unintended consequences (effectiveness). Safety-focused communication strategies and having a DCT tool that was human-centered were crucial factors driving staff adoption of the technology. Conversely, adoption was challenged by the misaligned delivery of the DCT tool with HCWs’ standard practices, alongside the evolving perceived threat of COVID-19. Stakeholders collectively agreed on the viability of DCT and its applicability to infectious disease practices (maintenance). CONCLUSIONS Hospital stakeholders were highly satisfied with DCT technology and it was perceived as feasible, efficient, and having a positive impact on organizational safety. Challenges related to the alignment and delivery of DCT, alongside the evolving perspectives on COVID-19, posed obstacles to continued adoption by HCWs. Our findings contribute to evidence-based practices and present benchmarks that can inform preparedness for future pandemics and infectious disease outbreaks and help other organizations implement similar technologies.

show abstract

COVID-19 Contact Tracing Experience at a Tertiary Healthcare Center in Saudi Arabia

Cited by 3 publications

References 11 publications

COVID-19 Infection Among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Healthcare Hospital

COVID-19 Infection Among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Healthcare Hospital

Digital Contact Tracing Implementation Among Leaders and Health Care Workers in a Pediatric Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Interview Study

Digital Contact Tracing Implementation Among Leaders and Health Care Workers in a Pediatric Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Interview Study (Preprint)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About