With the aim to equip healthcare professionals with profound insight on infection prevention, especially in the backdrop of a pandemic, this article presents a comprehensive analysis of the prevalence and potential risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infections among healthcare workers (HCWs). This piece is generated from a vast study examining robust data from MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar, encompassing the period from December 1, 2019 to February 5, 2024. After comprehensive scrutiny of 498 primary records, this piece relies on data from 63 eligible studies. These studies underscore a substantial global burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs. It reveals approximately 11% of 283,932 HCWs across the globe were affected by the virus.
The exploration of risk factors indicates that household exposure, working as a cleaner, occupational exposure, inadequate training on infection prevention and control, and insufficient use of personal protective equipment (PPE) were linked with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conversely, measures such as the frequent decontamination of high-touch areas and adhering to quarantines showcased protective attributes against the infection.
Echoing the call for robust infection prevention, the article underscores the urgency to revisit factors such as household and occupational exposure, particularly for high-risk roles like cleaning staff. The insights generated are directed at promoting hospital preparedness for combating pandemic scale contagions, especially when a vaccine is not yet available or fully functional.
Additionally, the article takes note of the significant health and social impact of SARS-CoV-2, reporting over 775 million confirmed cases globally as of August 18, 2024, and more than 7 million excess mortalities. HCWs have been reported to be particularly at risk, with an infection rate of 14.5%. In some cases, this rate spiked to 59%.
Despite the introduction of effective national COVID-19 control measures, HCWs continue to face the risk disproportionately. The shortage of PPEs, initially noted during the early months of the pandemic, has forced reuse of single-use PPE, often without optimal protocols in place. This makes the need for coherent and simplistic infection prevention control (IPC) policies coupled with regular viral surveillance critical in identifying transmission risk factors, especially during times of high community spread.
The implementation of transmission risk mitigation measures like quarantine and sick leave, while reducing transmission, has nonetheless strained healthcare capacity. Therefore, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the risk profile for different factors among HCWs.
The article concludes by emphasizing the need to explore non-pharmacological variables that can reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare settings. These variables include exposure elimination, proper usage of PPEs, and maintaining a clean hospital environment.