An Online Survey of Healthcare Professionals in the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK:

Abstract

To explore the emerging concerns of COVID-19 related issues amongst health care workers, members of a range of healthcare organisations, governmental agencies, and the media, and online self-administered survey of healthcare workers was undertaken by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in April 2020. Results The respondents were predominantly hospital doctors (67%), aged between 40-60 years (72%) and from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) backgrounds in the UK (86%). Thirty percent of respondents had one or more vulnerable comorbidities. Over 78% reported either lack of, or inappropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for their role and 68% of respondents felt that they were unable to comply with or that it was impractical to adhere to social distancing at work (including commuting). At the time of the survey, 18.5% of respondents reported having a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. In multivariate analysis, the BAME community emerged as an independent risk factor (OR 1.45) for COVID-19 when adjusted for confounding factors. Conclusions These results add to the emerging concerns expressed internationally on the observation that BAME ethnicity appears to have a higher risk of developing COVID-19. This is the first study that adjusted work-related factors (inability to maintain social distancing and inadequate PPE) and comorbidities. Our work supports the imperative for designing and conducting urgent larger studies to understand this risk and plan appropriate mitigation of the risks to health care workers

The impact of COVID-19 on health systems, mental health and the potential for nursing

“…personal protective equipment, (PPE)] required to contain the spread of the virus. Internationally, a matter of concern is the high proportion of healthcare staff who become ill through COVID-19 themselves with Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups (BAME) appearing particularly vulnerable (Chakravorty et al 2020;Lacobussi, 2020).…”

40 days and 40 nights: Clinical characteristics of major trauma and orthopaedic injury comparing the incubation and lockdown phases of COVID-19 infection

“…While body mass index and ethnicity are noted to be factors influencing outcome in COVID-19, we were not able to include these due to incomplete data. 15 …”

Perceptions of COVID-19-related risk and mortality among ethnically diverse healthcare professionals in the UK

“…Pre-existing medical conditions (where genetics may also play a role), environmental factors and disparities is healthcare (or PPE) access may have a bigger role in higher mortality with COVID-19 in BAME population and HCPs. A recent survey of doctors in British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) suggested that 30% had one or more comorbidities and 78% reported lack of PPE or inadequate PPE (Chakravorty et al 2020). A variety of personal characteristics common to BAME population including socioeconomic circumstances and comorbidities compounded by working in high-risk areas or without adequate PPE may have resulted in higher mortality in BAME HCPs.…”