COVID-19 in Africa: care and protection for frontline healthcare workers

Chersich, Matthew; Gray, Glenda; Fairlie, Lee; Eichbaum, Quentin; Mayhew, Susannah; Allwood, Brian; English, René; Scorgie, Fiona; Luchters, Stanley; Simpson, Gregory J.G.; Haghighi, Marjan Mosalman; Pham, Minh Duc; Rees, Helen

doi:10.1186/s12992-020-00574-3

Cited by 334 publications

(359 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Importantly, almost all interviewees noted that the first‐line nurses lacked personal protective equipment and experienced a shortage of human resources. This situation is doubtless similar to that in other countries facing COVID‐19(Tan et al, 2020; Nagesh & Chakraborty, 2020; Chersich et al, 2020). Overloaded work can lead to burnout, inefficiency and physical and mental exhaustion, directly affecting nursing quality (Miao et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Experiences of clinical first‐line nurses treating patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study

et al. 2020

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Aim To explore the work experience of clinical first‐line nurses treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Background COVID‐19 has been listed as an international public health emergency. Clinical first‐line nurses are at a high risk of infection, and they face a lack of experience and inadequate preparation for COVID‐19, leading to physical and psychological disorders. Methods A qualitative study was conducted from January to February 2020 at a COVID‐19‐designated hospital in Wuhan, China. Thirty nurses were selected for the study using a purposive sampling method. Data were collected by semi‐structured interviews and analysed using content analysis. Results Two main categories were defined in the study from the perspective of nurses: negative experiences during clinical first‐line work and positive impacts of clinical first‐line work. Under the first category, two subcategories were included: psychological experiences of clinical first‐line work and difficulties faced during clinical first‐line work. The analysis further yielded two subcategories for the second category: the needs of clinical first‐line work and the impact of clinical first‐line work on professional attitudes. Conclusions The results demonstrate that success depends upon strengthening emergency training and knowledge of infectious diseases for nurses, providing adequate protective equipment and improving the emergency response plans of hospitals for public health emergencies. Implications for Nursing Management It is believed that our findings will guide hospital managers to make improvements in personal, administrative and institutional areas and that they will provide a reference and inspiration for nurses with regard to public health emergencies in the future.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Experiences of clinical first‐line nurses treating patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study

et al. 2020

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“…Africa is known with limited resources, weak health system which will be made double burdened. As a result, the government is expected to full ll the necessary equipment and keep the safety of healthcare providers (7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparedness and Approaches of Healthcare Providers to Tackle the Transmission of Covid-19 among North Shewa Zone Hospitals, Amhara, Ethiopia, 2020.

Mulu

Kebede

Worku

et al. 2020

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Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 is an emerging respiratory disease that is caused by a novel coronavirus and was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The disease is highly infectious, and its main clinical symptoms include fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgia, and dyspnea. Health care providers are in front in fighting the coronavirus spread by making themselves the risk of contracting the disease. This study aimed to assess the preparedness and approaches of healthcare providers to tackle the transmission of COVID-19 among North Shewa Zone Hospitals. Methods Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2020 among 422 healthcare providers in the North Shewa Zone, Amhara, Ethiopia using a self-administered questionnaire. Study subjects were selected through systematic random sampling based on their proportional distribution of sample size to each hospital. A structured questionnaire will be used to collect data. The data were coded and entered into the Epi data 4.2.1 version and the analysis was carried out in statistical package for social science 25 versions. Results 404 participants involved in the study gives a response rate of 95.7%. The self-satisfaction of healthcare providers revealed 301 (74.5%) of study participants feel unsafe in their workplace. Two-third, 260 (64.4%) of them responded that they feel anxious while working with febrile patients. Nearly one -third (31%), 27.4%, 15.9%, 14.5%, 14.2% of HCP had access to gloves, facemask, goggle, shoe, and apron respectively in hospitals. Conclusion Protecting healthcare workers is a public health priority. Access to essential personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic was limited. The poor perception of healthcare professionals about not having enough support from medical institutions and public health authorities raises the need to urgently implement strategies to protect healthcare workers in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…Moreover, HCWs in LMICs face other challenges that limit optimum infection control including shortage of good quality PPE, variable knowledge on the appropriate use and maintenance of PPE, rapidly evolving policies and lack of proper infrastructure. 50 In the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to conduct further operational research to develop robust evidence to support decision-making and planning by healthcare managers, clinicians and the wider population. Several research questions that could inform policy-makers include: (1) What are the rates of infection transmission in settings with suboptimal versus optimal ventilation?…”

Section: Implications and Recommendations For Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission risk of respiratory viruses in natural and mechanical ventilation environments: implications for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Africa

et al. 2020

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Respiratory viruses can be transmitted through contact, droplet and airborne routes. Viruses that are not naturally airborne may be aerosolised during medical procedures and transmitted to healthcare workers. Most resource-limited healthcare settings lack complex air handling systems to filter air and create pressure gradients that are necessary for minimising viral transmission. This review explores the association between ventilation and the transmission of respiratory viruses like SAR-CoV-2. When used appropriately, both natural and mechanical ventilation can decrease the concentration of viral aerosols, thereby reducing transmission. Although mechanical ventilation systems are more efficient, installation and maintenance costs limit their use in resource-limited settings, whereas the prevailing climate conditions make natural ventilation less desirable. Cost-effective hybrid systems of natural and mechanical ventilation may overcome these limitations.

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COVID-19 in Africa: care and protection for frontline healthcare workers

Abstract: Medical staff caring for COVID-

Cited by 334 publications

References 49 publications

Experiences of clinical first‐line nurses treating patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study

Experiences of clinical first‐line nurses treating patients with COVID‐19: A qualitative study

Preparedness and Approaches of Healthcare Providers to Tackle the Transmission of Covid-19 among North Shewa Zone Hospitals, Amhara, Ethiopia, 2020.

Transmission risk of respiratory viruses in natural and mechanical ventilation environments: implications for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Africa

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