Evaluations of risk factors related to Covid-19 disease in healthcare professionals

Abstract

Objective: The most prominent victims of the Covid-19 pandemic are healthcare workers. The increasing workload in hospitals and daily exposure to a disease factor threatens the health of healthcare professionals and the community. With this study, we aimed to investigate the risk factors in terms of infection of healthcare workers who are exposed to the disease during the health service delivery to Covid-19 patients, and whether current infection control measures are effective. Method: A case-control study was conducted with a questionnaire for healthcare workers diagnosed with Covid-19 and non-infected healthcare workers working in a tertiary education and research hospital in Istanbul. Results: In the study in which 127 healthcare workers participated. The average duration of experience in the profession was found to be higher in cases compared to controls (p = 0.011). The rate of taking prophylactic drugs after high-risk exposure to Covid-19 patients was significantly higher in the case group compared to controls (p=0,001). Conclusion: Healthcare workers with more experience in the profession appear to be at greater risk of Covid-19 infection and high-risk unprotected exposure may be associated with higher infection rates. Three days of prophylactic hydroxychloroquine after high-risk contact with Covid-19 patient is not effective in preventing the disease.