COVID-19: Hotspot hospital?- seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in hospital employees in a secondary care hospital network in Germany: Intermediate results of a prospective surveillance study

Hildebrandt, Anke; Hökelekli, Oktay; Uflacker, Lutz; Rudolf, Henrik; Gatermann, Sören

doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113771

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The primary aim of the study was to assess the course of seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in hospital employees and an associated fire brigade during the first pandemic year using an IgG detecting immunoassay. Preliminary results of the first observation period are already published [39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Employees of Three Hospitals of a Secondary Care Hospital Network in Germany and an Associated Fire Brigade: Results of a Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveillance Study Over 1 Year

Hildebrandt

Hökelekli

Uflacker

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Healthcare workers (HCWs) are playing a vital role in the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This study investigated how infection spreads within three local hospitals and an associated fire brigade in Germany by testing employees for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies over one year. The three observational periods corresponded to the initial three pandemic waves: first wave: June–September 2020, second wave: October 2020–January 2021, and third wave: February–June 2021. We analysed 3285 serum samples of 1842 employees, which represents 65.7% of all employees. Altogether, 13.2% employees were seropositive: 194/1411 HCWs (13.7%) and 49/431 non-HCWs (11.4%) with a clear increase of seroprevalence from the first (1.1%) to the second (13.2%) and third (29.3%) pandemic wave. HCWs presumably had an additional occupational risk for infection in the second and third wave due to an increase of infection pressure with more COVID-19 patients treated, showing possible weak points in the recommended infection prevention strategy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two hospitals reported data until December 2020 [21,22], but no information for HCWs in Germany is available for the year 2021 so far. Employees of three hospitals of a secondary care hospital network and an associated fire brigade [39], actual data…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Employees of Three Hospitals of a Secondary Care Hospital Network in Germany and an Associated Fire Brigade: Results of a Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveillance Study Over 1 Year

Hildebrandt

Hökelekli

Uflacker

et al. 2022

IJERPH

Self Cite

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“…In this study, the seroprevalence was higher compared to serological studies in more urban German districts with sampling at earlier time points in 2020. These studies reported seroprevalences of less than 3.0% among HCWs employed in different healthcare facilities [6,7,11]. This finding reflected the steep increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in autumn 2020 in the OSL study region, characterized by the number of laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases (on 15 July 2020: n = 53; on 16 December 2020: n = 2333) [16].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To investigate the number of infections among HCWs, serological testing of specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was commonly used [4,5]. By means of antibody testing, seroepidemiological studies among HCWs in Germany covered different levels of healthcare [6][7][8][9] and different healthcare facilities (e.g., medical supply centers [6], higher care-level hospitals [8], and university hospitals [10,11]). Additionally, studies examined the virus spread among HCWs in healthcare facilities located in sparsely populated rural regions [8] and in urban areas [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Serological-Epidemiological Cohort Study in a Standard Care Hospital in Rural Germany

Hoffmann

Schiebel

Hufert

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Healthcare workers (HCW) play a vital role in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic control. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and the risk of COVID-19 infections in a cohort of HCW from four different risk groups (from intensive care unit to administration) of a hospital of a primary care level in rural Germany. The outcomes were monthly measures of antibody seroprevalence over a period of 6 months. Overall, a seroprevalence of 13.41% was determined, with significantly higher prevalence rates among HCW working in areas with more frequent contact to confirmed or suspected cases (30.30%, p = 0.003). The group specific differences in the risk of infection from COVID-19 were detected, as HCW groups with frequent exposure seemed to have an increased risk (RR = 3.18, p = 0.02; CI95 1.09–9.24). The findings contribute to the epidemiological understanding of the virus spread in an unvaccinated population group, which is highly relevant for the pandemic management.

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“…Eine bis September 2020 durchgeführte Untersuchung mittels Antikörperbestimmungen unter 907 HCWs durch Hildebrandt et al. [ 21 ] kam zu einem vergleichbaren Ergebnis. Beide Untersuchungen fanden zwischen der ersten und zweiten COVID-19-Welle statt, allerdings in Zeiten mit niedriger Inzidenz (Sommerplateau).…”

Section: Diskussion Und Implikationenunclassified

Handlungsempfehlungen für SARS-CoV-2-Testkonzepte für asymptomatische Beschäftigte im Gesundheitswesen

2023

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Zusammenfassung Hintergrund und Zielsetzung Bei der Umsetzung von SARS-CoV‑2-Testkonzepten in Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens kommen ranggleiche Gesetze und Verordnungen zur Anwendung. Vor dem Hintergrund erlebter Hindernisse bei einer adäquaten Umsetzung gesetzlicher Vorgaben in regelkonforme und rechtssichere Prozesse auf betrieblicher Ebene war das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit, dafür konkrete Handlungsempfehlungen zu entwickeln. Methodik In einer Fokusgruppe mit Vertreter*innen aus Behörden, Fachschaften und Interessenvertretungen wurden auf Basis von Leitfragen aus zuvor identifizierten Handlungsfeldern in einem holistischen Ansatz kritische Aspekte der Umsetzung diskutiert. Die transkribierten Inhalte wurden anhand deduktiv-induktiver Kategorienbildung qualitativ analysiert. Ergebnisse Alle Diskussionsinhalte konnten den identifizierten Kategorien Gesetzliche Hintergründe von, Anforderungen an und Zielrichtungen für Testkonzepte in Gesundheitseinrichtungen, Zuständigkeiten für Umsetzung in betrieblichen Entscheidungsketten sowie Implementierung von SARS-CoV-2-Testkonzepten/Testprozessen zugeordnet werden. Implikationen Die Umsetzung gesetzlicher Vorgaben in regelkonforme und rechtssichere SARS-CoV-2-Testkonzepte in Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens setzt bereits sowohl die Einbeziehung von Ministerien, Fachschaftsvertretungen, Berufsverbänden, Arbeitgeber(AG)- und Arbeitnehmer*innenvertretungen, Datenschutzexpert*innen, Vertretungen möglicher Kostenträger als auch eine integrative und vollzugstaugliche Formulierung von Gesetzen und Verordnungen voraus. Die Definition von Zielrichtungen für Testkonzepte ist maßgeblich für nachfolgend im Betrieb etablierte Prozessabläufe, bei denen Aspekte des Beschäftigtendatenschutzes genauso berücksichtigt werden müssen wie die Bereitstellung zusätzlicher personeller Ressourcen für die Bewältigung der Aufgaben. Zudem muss es in Zukunft ein zentrales Anliegen der Betriebe sein, IT-Schnittstellenlösungen für eine datenschutzkonforme Informationsweitergabe zu Beschäftigten zu finden.

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COVID-19: Hotspot hospital?- seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in hospital employees in a secondary care hospital network in Germany: Intermediate results of a prospective surveillance study

Cited by 9 publications

References 25 publications

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Employees of Three Hospitals of a Secondary Care Hospital Network in Germany and an Associated Fire Brigade: Results of a Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveillance Study Over 1 Year

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Employees of Three Hospitals of a Secondary Care Hospital Network in Germany and an Associated Fire Brigade: Results of a Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveillance Study Over 1 Year

COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers: A Prospective Serological-Epidemiological Cohort Study in a Standard Care Hospital in Rural Germany

Handlungsempfehlungen für SARS-CoV-2-Testkonzepte für asymptomatische Beschäftigte im Gesundheitswesen

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