Reflections on the ebola public health emergency of international concern, Part 1: Post-Ebola syndrome: The silent outbreak

Stawicki, Stanislaw P.; Sharpe, Richard P; Galwankar, Sagar; Sweeney, Joan; Martins, Noel; Papadimos, Thomas J.; Jeanmonod, Donald; Firstenberg, Michael S.; Paladino, Lorenzo; Hansoti, Bhakti

doi:10.4103/jgid.jgid_20_17

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The regression coefficient of the perceived threat of COVID‐19 ( β = .392; p < 0.001) showed that this situational variable presents the highest explanatory power. This result is in line with previous studies that have shown that the level of perceived threat in pandemic situations can explain the burnout suffered by nursing staff (Lai et al., 2020; Shih et al., 2007; Stawicki et al., 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…As with other invisible epidemics, such as the Ebola virus (Paladino et al, 2017;Stawicki et al, 2017), the health situation caused by COVID-19 generated a climate of fear and alarm that may have contributed to the appearance of burnout syndrome among nursing staff globally, but particularly in Spain. On the one hand, this scenario meant that nurses faced a significant increase in both the physical and psychological demands of their work.…”

Section: Backg Rou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the job's resources and demands, situational variables such as the perceived threat of a virus that causes acute respiratory infections, for example the perceived threat of COVID‐19, could contribute to the appearance of burnout among nurses (Fernandez et al., 2020; Lai et al., 2020; Manzano‐García et al., 2017; Shih et al., 2007; Stawicki et al., 2017). However, the idea of a perceived threat among nursing professionals during pandemics has not been studied in much depth (Fernandez et al., 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The threat of COVID‐19 and its influence on nursing staff burnout

García

Calvo

2020

Journal of Advanced Nursing

172

179

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Aims: To evaluate whether the perceived threat of COVID-19 moderates the influence of work resources and demands on burnout. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: We used a convenience sample of 771 nurses working in 10 hospitals in northern Spain. The data on burnout, demand, and resources at work and the perceived threat of COVID-19 were compiled in the second fortnight of April 2020 using an online questionnaire. We used several hierarchical linear regression models. Results: Work overload, material and human resources and social support at work were significant in explaining burnout. The perceived threat of COVID-19 variable was also significant and presented the highest regression coefficient (β = 0.392). The perceived threat of COVID-19 moderated the relationship between social support at work and burnout. Conclusion: The perceived threat of COVID-19 helped to explain the degree of burnout in nurses and moderated the relationship between social support at work and burnout. Impact: Hospitals should implement strategies to ensure that health emergency situations are not perceived as a threat. In pandemics, the organization should maintain clear, fluid, and regular communication with the nursing staff, which would help increase staff members' confidence and sense of control.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Backg Rou N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The threat of COVID‐19 and its influence on nursing staff burnout

García

Calvo

2020

Journal of Advanced Nursing

172

179

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“…Within the Ebola virus disease context, the high use of T&CM among survivors may be explained in that current biomedical care as provided to survivors with post-Ebola complications is proving inadequate given that the nature and mechanism of these sequalae are still not well understood. [38] Also, the conventional health care services currently provided in West Africa are dominated by general health assessments and largely devoid of specialised care, especially for those survivors experiencing severe and long term sequalae[27].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pattern of health care utilization and traditional and complementary medicine use among Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone

et al. 2019

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BackgroundIt is well established that Ebola Survivors experience a myriad of physical and psychological sequelae. However, little is known about how they seek care to address their health needs. Our study determines the current healthcare seeking behaviour among Ebola survivors and determines the prevalence, pattern of use and correlates of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) use among Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone.MethodsWe conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey among a cross-sectional sample of Ebola Survivors in Sierra Leone between January and August 2018. We employed descriptive statistics, chi-square test, Fisher exact two-tailed test and backward stepwise binary regression analysis for data analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsEbola Survivors who participated in our study (n = 358), visited a healthcare provider (n = 308, 86.0%), self-medicated with conventional medicines (n = 255, 71.2%) and visited a private pharmacy outlet (n = 141, 39.4%). Survivors also self-medicated with T&CM products (n = 107, 29.9%), concurrently self-medicated with conventional and T&CM products (n = 62, 17.3%), and visited a T&CM practitioner (n = 41, 11.5%). Almost half of (n = 163, 45.5%) Ebola survivors reported using T&CM treatments for post ebola related symptoms and non-Ebola related symptoms since their discharge from an Ebola treatment centre. Ebola survivors who considered their health to be fair or poor (AOR = 4.08; 95%CI: 2.22–7.50; p<0.01), presented with arthralgia (AOR = 2.52; 95%CI: 1.11–5.69, p = 0.026) and were discharged three years or less (AOR = 3.14; 95%CI: 1.13–8.73, p = 0.028) were more likely to use T&CM. Family (n = 101,62.0%) and friends (n = 38,23.3%) were the common sources of T&CM information. Abdominal pain (n = 49, 30.1%) followed by joint pain (n = 46, 28.2%) and back pain (n = 43, 26.4%) were the most cited post–Ebola indications for T&CM use. More than three-quarters of T&CM users (n = 135, 82.8%) failed to disclose their use of T&CM to their healthcare providers.ConclusionEbola survivors in Sierra Leone employ a myriad of healthcare options including T&CM in addressing their healthcare needs. Researchers, health policy makers and healthcare providers should be aware of the substantial role of T&CM in the health seeking of survivors, and this topic that should be factored into future research, policy formulation and implementation as well as routine practice regarding Ebola survivors.

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“…The virus quickly spread throughout West Africa infecting over 28,000 individuals and claiming the lives of over 11,000 [ 22 ]. As Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) patients continued to reach convalescence, a number of symptoms including musculoskeletal pain, ocular complaints, and hearing loss were noted among survivors [ 23 – 26 ]. This constellation of symptoms which has been shown to arise in over 90% of survivors was termed Post-Ebola Syndrome [ 25 , 27 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence of Post-Ebola Syndrome hearing loss, Sierra Leone

Ficenec

Grant

Sumah³

et al. 2022

BMC Infect Dis

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Background Globally, hearing loss is the second leading cause of disability, affecting approximately 18.7% of the world’s population. However, the burden of hearing loss is unequally distributed, with the majority of affected individuals located in Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa. Following the 2014 West African Ebola Outbreak, disease survivors began to describe hearing loss as part of the constellation of symptoms known as Post-Ebola Syndrome. The goal of this study was to more fully characterize hearing loss among Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) survivors. Methodology and principal findings EVD survivors and their household contacts were recruited (n = 1,12) from Eastern Sierra Leone. Each individual completed a symptom questionnaire, physical exam, and a two-step audiometry process measuring both air and bone conduction thresholds. In comparison to contacts, EVD survivors were more likely to have complaints or abnormal findings affecting every organ system. A significantly greater percentage of EVD survivors were found to have hearing loss in comparison to contacts (23% vs. 9%, p < 0.001). Additionally, survivors were more likely to have bilateral hearing loss of a mixed etiology. Logistic regression revealed that the presence of any symptoms of middle or inner ear (p < 0.001), eye (p = 0.005), psychiatric (p = 0.019), and nervous system (p = 0.037) increased the odds of developing hearing loss. Conclusions and significance This study is the first to use an objective and standardized measurement to report hearing loss among EVD survivors in a clinically meaningful manner. In this study it was found that greater than 1/5th of EVD survivors develop hearing loss. The association between hearing impairment and symptoms affecting the eye and nervous system may indicate a similar mechanism of pathogenesis, which should be investigated further. Due to the quality of life and socioeconomic detriments associated with untreated hearing loss, a greater emphasis must be placed on understanding and mitigating hearing loss following survival to aid in economic recovery following infectious disease epidemics.

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Reflections on the ebola public health emergency of international concern, Part 1: Post-Ebola syndrome: The silent outbreak

Cited by 5 publications

References 33 publications

The threat of COVID‐19 and its influence on nursing staff burnout

The threat of COVID‐19 and its influence on nursing staff burnout

Pattern of health care utilization and traditional and complementary medicine use among Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone

The prevalence of Post-Ebola Syndrome hearing loss, Sierra Leone

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