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.