Occupational and Return-To-Work Characteristics of Covid-19 Patients After Treated in Udayana University Hospital

Abstract

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-COV-2). The COVID-19’s symptoms are fatigue, muscle pain, and psychological disorders. The purpose of this study was to describe the occupational characteristics and health conditions of COVID-19 patients who had recovered after being treated at Udayana University Hospital. This study is a descriptive study with a quantitative method and cross-sectional design. The research samples were 110 COVID-19 patients treated at Udayana University Hospital from June to August 2020 and taken using random sampling. The results showed that the highest proportion of respondents were aged between 24-44 years (44.5%), with almost equal proportions of women (50.1%) and men (49.09%). Most of them lived in Denpasar (46.36%). Most respondents work as private sector employees (24.55%), and 70% of them were using personal protective equipment (PPE) while working. Most respondents needed less than seven days to return to work after being declared “in recovery state” (60%), with the remaining 55.5% having a decreased work duration to be less than 8 hours per day. The proportion of respondents with comorbidities was 30.91%. As many as 27.27% were experiencing previously similar symptoms (fever, fatigue, cough) 4 to 5 months after being declared “cured.” COVID-19 patients who have recovered should be monitored for a longer period of time to evaluate the symptom reoccurrence and its impact on their occupational and health conditions.