Abdulsamet Sandal1, Zehra Nur Töreyin2, Cüneyt Saltürk3, Peri Meram Arbak4. 1. Occupational Diseases Clinic, Ankara Occupational and Environmental Diseases Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. 2. Occupational Diseases Clinic, Adana City Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. 3. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Yeni Yüzyil University, İstanbul, Turkey. 4. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the perspective of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS) members regarding institutional preparedness, in terms of administrative measures and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), in the first and third months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 22-item online survey was e-mailed between the first and third months to TTS members, and participants' responses were evaluated. RESULTS: The number of participants was 295 in the first survey and 141 in the second. In the second survey, the percentage of answers implying availability increased in all 18 control measures, 16 of which were statistically significant. However, there were still less than half of the respondents who reported the availability of psychological and behavioral support and some PPE, including respirators, facial protectors, goggles, and gowns. Statistical significance was observed for provision of a waiting area (P = .008), rooms for aerosol-generating procedures (P = .042), and special wards for patients with suspected or definite COVID-19 (P < .001); testing healthcare workers (HCWs) with a history of contact with a COVID-19 case (P < .001); and surveillance of symptomatic HCWs (P = .048), between tertiary vs. primary and secondary healthcare facilities in the first survey, but provision of special wards (P = .002) and supply for aprons (P = .027) in the second survey. CONCLUSION: Our results showed an improvement in control measures in the third month of the pandemic. However, the persistent low availability of psychological and behavioral support and several items of PPE pointed out the need for action. Considering the health and safety of HCWs, the control measures should be actively monitored and deficiencies eliminated.
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the perspective of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS) members regarding institutional preparedness, in terms of administrative measures and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), in the first and third months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 22-item online survey was e-mailed between the first and third months to TTS members, and participants' responses were evaluated. RESULTS: The number of participants was 295 in the first survey and 141 in the second. In the second survey, the percentage of answers implying availability increased in all 18 control measures, 16 of which were statistically significant. However, there were still less than half of the respondents who reported the availability of psychological and behavioral support and some PPE, including respirators, facial protectors, goggles, and gowns. Statistical significance was observed for provision of a waiting area (P = .008), rooms for aerosol-generating procedures (P = .042), and special wards for patients with suspected or definite COVID-19 (P < .001); testing healthcare workers (HCWs) with a history of contact with a COVID-19 case (P < .001); and surveillance of symptomatic HCWs (P = .048), between tertiary vs. primary and secondary healthcare facilities in the first survey, but provision of special wards (P = .002) and supply for aprons (P = .027) in the second survey. CONCLUSION: Our results showed an improvement in control measures in the third month of the pandemic. However, the persistent low availability of psychological and behavioral support and several items of PPE pointed out the need for action. Considering the health and safety of HCWs, the control measures should be actively monitored and deficiencies eliminated.
Authors: Pia Paffenholz; Arne Peine; Martin Hellmich; Stella V Paffenholz; Lukas Martin; Mark Luedde; Miriam Haverkamp; Christoph Roderburg; Gernot Marx; Axel Heidenreich; Christian Trautwein; Tom Luedde; Sven H Loosen Journal: Emerg Microbes Infect Date: 2020-12 Impact factor: 7.163
Authors: Long H Nguyen; David A Drew; Mark S Graham; Amit D Joshi; Chuan-Guo Guo; Wenjie Ma; Raaj S Mehta; Erica T Warner; Daniel R Sikavi; Chun-Han Lo; Sohee Kwon; Mingyang Song; Lorelei A Mucci; Meir J Stampfer; Walter C Willett; A Heather Eliassen; Jaime E Hart; Jorge E Chavarro; Janet W Rich-Edwards; Richard Davies; Joan Capdevila; Karla A Lee; Mary Ni Lochlainn; Thomas Varsavsky; Carole H Sudre; M Jorge Cardoso; Jonathan Wolf; Tim D Spector; Sebastien Ourselin; Claire J Steves; Andrew T Chan Journal: Lancet Public Health Date: 2020-07-31