Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study
Objectives To describe a cohort of self-isolating healthcare workers (HCWs) with presumed COVID-19.Design A cross-sectional, single-centre study.Setting A large, teaching hospital based in Central London with tertiary infection services.Participants 236 HCWs completed a survey distributed by interna...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2020-11-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e040216.full |
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| author | Sarah A Logan Zain Chaudhry Angus de Wilton Eliz Kilich Lucy CK Bell Joshua Gahir Jane Cadman Robert A Lever |
| author_facet | Sarah A Logan Zain Chaudhry Angus de Wilton Eliz Kilich Lucy CK Bell Joshua Gahir Jane Cadman Robert A Lever |
| author_sort | Sarah A Logan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives To describe a cohort of self-isolating healthcare workers (HCWs) with presumed COVID-19.Design A cross-sectional, single-centre study.Setting A large, teaching hospital based in Central London with tertiary infection services.Participants 236 HCWs completed a survey distributed by internal staff email bulletin. 167 were women and 65 men.Measures Information on symptomatology, exposures and health-seeking behaviour were collected from participants by self-report.Results The 236 respondents reported illness compatible with COVID-19 and there was an increase in illness reporting during March 2020 Diagnostic swabs were not routinely performed. Cough (n=179, 75.8%), fever (n=138, 58.5%), breathlessness (n=84, 35.6%) were reported. Anosmia was reported in 42.2%. Fever generally settled within 1 week (n=110/138, 88%). Several respondents remained at home and did not seek formal medical attention despite reporting severe breathlessness and measuring hypoxia (n=5/9, 55.6%). 2 patients required hospital admission but recovered following oxygen therapy. 84 respondents (41.2%) required greater than the obligated 7 days off work and 9 required greater than 3 weeks off.Conclusion There was a significant increase in staff reporting illness compatible with possible COVID-19 during March 2020. Subsequent serology studies at the same hospital study site have confirmed sero-positivity for COVID-19 up to 45% by the end of April 2020 in frontline HCWs. The study revealed a concerning lack of healthcare seeking in respondents with significant red flag symptoms (severe breathlessness, hypoxia). This study also highlighted anosmia as a key symptom of COVID-19 early in the pandemic, prior to this symptom being more widely recognised as a feature of COVID-19. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3b67a0fc76384f15b09aa3e0d0ccb273 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-3b67a0fc76384f15b09aa3e0d0ccb2732025-08-20T01:53:29ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552020-11-01101110.1136/bmjopen-2020-040216Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational studySarah A Logan0Zain Chaudhry1Angus de Wilton2Eliz Kilich3Lucy CK Bell4Joshua Gahir5Jane Cadman6Robert A Lever7COVID-19 Response Team, Department of Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UKCOVID-19 Response Team, Department of Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UKCOVID-19 Response Team, Department of Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UKCOVID-19 Response Team, Department of Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UKCOVID-19 Response Team, Department of Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UKCOVID-19 Response Team, Department of Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UKOccupational Health, COVID-19 Response Team, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UKCOVID-19 Response Team, Department of Infectious Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, UKObjectives To describe a cohort of self-isolating healthcare workers (HCWs) with presumed COVID-19.Design A cross-sectional, single-centre study.Setting A large, teaching hospital based in Central London with tertiary infection services.Participants 236 HCWs completed a survey distributed by internal staff email bulletin. 167 were women and 65 men.Measures Information on symptomatology, exposures and health-seeking behaviour were collected from participants by self-report.Results The 236 respondents reported illness compatible with COVID-19 and there was an increase in illness reporting during March 2020 Diagnostic swabs were not routinely performed. Cough (n=179, 75.8%), fever (n=138, 58.5%), breathlessness (n=84, 35.6%) were reported. Anosmia was reported in 42.2%. Fever generally settled within 1 week (n=110/138, 88%). Several respondents remained at home and did not seek formal medical attention despite reporting severe breathlessness and measuring hypoxia (n=5/9, 55.6%). 2 patients required hospital admission but recovered following oxygen therapy. 84 respondents (41.2%) required greater than the obligated 7 days off work and 9 required greater than 3 weeks off.Conclusion There was a significant increase in staff reporting illness compatible with possible COVID-19 during March 2020. Subsequent serology studies at the same hospital study site have confirmed sero-positivity for COVID-19 up to 45% by the end of April 2020 in frontline HCWs. The study revealed a concerning lack of healthcare seeking in respondents with significant red flag symptoms (severe breathlessness, hypoxia). This study also highlighted anosmia as a key symptom of COVID-19 early in the pandemic, prior to this symptom being more widely recognised as a feature of COVID-19.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e040216.full |
| spellingShingle | Sarah A Logan Zain Chaudhry Angus de Wilton Eliz Kilich Lucy CK Bell Joshua Gahir Jane Cadman Robert A Lever Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study BMJ Open |
| title | Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study |
| title_full | Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study |
| title_fullStr | Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study |
| title_short | Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study |
| title_sort | delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the covid 19 pandemic a single centre observational study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e040216.full |
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