Medical status of healthcare providers during the COVID19 two-months period
Healthcare workers have been monitored during the study period and followed-up for at least 14 days after the last patient enrolled in this study was operated, in order to rule out hospital-acquired viral infection, since incubation time it is currently estimated to range between 2 and 11 days, up to a maximum of 14 days.[11]
The monitoring policies of healthcare staff evolved during the pandemic, based on new evidence gradually emerging. Between February 24th and March 22nd, no indications were given to perform swab and/or serological tests for COVID-19 on the medical staff involved in patients’ care, even if they had been in contact with a subsequently ascertained COVID-19 positive patient. In this case, the worker, if asymptomatic, was asked to constantly wear a surgical mask during service and notify the Occupational Medicine Department if suspected symptoms (e.g. fever) were to develop. If symptomatic, the worker was recommended to self-confinement and further investigation was performed according to Regional dispositions.
Starting on March 23rd, as for Hospital guidelines, check-points were set up where all workers underwent body temperature measurement every day, at the beginning of their shift, and if above 37.5°C, the worker was restricted from taking service and submitted to SARS-Cov-2 testing and subsequent home isolation until the test’s result was available. In case of negative swab testing, self-confinement was prolonged to one week after symptoms resolutions. In case of positivity of the swab, home confinement was prolonged until collection of two consecutive negative swabs, repeated 2 days apart from each other.
Nonetheless, some people among medical staff developed symptoms compatible with the viral infection other than temperature increase, hence they have not been tested according to Hospital provisions. Therefore, all the medical staff who served during the COVID-19 two-months period were asked to fill out a survey, which investigated the following items: temperature increase, development of any symptoms compatible with SARS-Cov-2 infection, results of COVID-19 swab, rapid qualitative test (2019-nCOC IgG/IgM rapid test, ScreenItalia, Perugia - Italy) or quantitative serological ELISA test. Nurses, scrub staff and anesthesiologists were excluded from the present analysis since they have been allocated to multiple wards and operative rooms during this two-month period and therefore they have been potentially exposed to viral infection in other settings different from otorhinolaryngology procedures. Conversely, all medical doctors of our Department, both residents and seniors, were not assigned to other tasks and were therefore suitable for assessing the impact of otorhinolaryngology procedures on viral cross contamination.