TY - JOUR
T1 - Retrospective evaluation of the symptom-based work restriction strategy of healthcare providers in the first epidemic of COVID-19 at a tertiary care hospital in Tokyo, Japan
AU - Shikano, Hiroki
AU - Uehara, Yuki
AU - Kuboki, Rino
AU - Tashino, Erika
AU - Nakahara, Fumiko
AU - Matsumoto, Yumi
AU - Kusakabe, Satomi
AU - Fukazawa, Chizumi
AU - Matsuo, Takahiro
AU - Mori, Nobuyoshi
AU - Ayabe, Akiko
AU - Jinta, Torahiko
AU - Taki, Fumika
AU - Sakamoto, Fumie
AU - Takahashi, Osamu
AU - Fukui, Tsuguya
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Background: Effectiveness of restricting healthcare providers (HCPs) from working based on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-like symptoms should be evaluated. Methods: A total of 495 HCPs in a tertiary care hospital in Tokyo, Japan, participated in this study between June and July in 2020. Analysis of serum anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody to identify infected HCPs, questionnaire surveys, and medical record reviews were conducted to evaluate the appropriateness of symptom-based work restriction for 10 days. Results: Five participants (1.0%) were identified as infected. Forty-six participants (9.3%) experienced work restriction and all 5 infected participants (10.8%) restricted working, even though the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was positive only in 4 participants (80.0%). There were no unexpectedly infected participants among those who did not experience work restriction. However, only 46 of 110 HCPs with COVID-19-like symptoms (41.8%) restricted themselves from working. Discussion: Symptom-based work restriction strategy successfully prevented infected HCPs to work, but showed low specificity to identify truly infected HCPs, and their low adherence to the strategy was revealed. Conclusions: HCPs with COVID-19-like symptoms should restrict working as the first step of infection prevention, but the strategy to identify truly infected HCPs is necessary.
AB - Background: Effectiveness of restricting healthcare providers (HCPs) from working based on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-like symptoms should be evaluated. Methods: A total of 495 HCPs in a tertiary care hospital in Tokyo, Japan, participated in this study between June and July in 2020. Analysis of serum anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody to identify infected HCPs, questionnaire surveys, and medical record reviews were conducted to evaluate the appropriateness of symptom-based work restriction for 10 days. Results: Five participants (1.0%) were identified as infected. Forty-six participants (9.3%) experienced work restriction and all 5 infected participants (10.8%) restricted working, even though the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was positive only in 4 participants (80.0%). There were no unexpectedly infected participants among those who did not experience work restriction. However, only 46 of 110 HCPs with COVID-19-like symptoms (41.8%) restricted themselves from working. Discussion: Symptom-based work restriction strategy successfully prevented infected HCPs to work, but showed low specificity to identify truly infected HCPs, and their low adherence to the strategy was revealed. Conclusions: HCPs with COVID-19-like symptoms should restrict working as the first step of infection prevention, but the strategy to identify truly infected HCPs is necessary.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121982464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85121982464&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.11.029
DO - 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.11.029
M3 - Article
C2 - 34896200
AN - SCOPUS:85121982464
SN - 0196-6553
VL - 50
SP - 645
EP - 650
JO - American Journal of Infection Control
JF - American Journal of Infection Control
IS - 6
ER -
