Abolfotouh Mostafa A, AlQarni Ali A, Al-Ghamdi Suliman M, Salam Mahmoud, Al-Assiri Mohammed H, Balkhy Hanan H
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), PO 22490, Riyadh, 11426, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
King Saud bin-Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Infect Dis. 2017 Jan 3;17(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s12879-016-2096-8.
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is caused by MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV). More than 80% of reported cases have occurred in Saudi Arabia, with a mortality exceeding 50%. Health-care workers (HCWs) are at risk of acquiring and transmitting this virus, so the concerns of HCWs in Saudi Arabia regarding MERS were evaluated.
An anonymous, self-administered, previously validated questionnaire was given to 1031 HCWs at three tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia from October to December, 2014. Concerns regarding the disease, its severity and governmental efforts to contain it, as well as disease outcomes were assessed using 31 concern statements in five distinct domains. A total concern score was calculated for each HCW. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify predictors of high concern scores.
The average age of participants was 37.1 ± 9.0 years, 65.8% were married and 59.1% were nurses. The majority of respondents (70.4%) felt at risk of contracting a MERS-CoV infection at work, 69.1% felt threatened if a colleague contracted MERS-CoV, 60.9% felt obliged to care for patients infected with MERS-CoV and 87.8% did not feel safe at work using standard precautions. In addition, 87.7% believed that the government should isolate patients with MERS in specialized hospitals, 73.7% agreed with travel restriction to and from areas affected by MERS and 65.3% agreed with avoiding inviting expatriates from such areas. After adjustment for covariates, high concern scores were significantly associated with being a Saudi national (p < 0.001), a non-physician (p < 0.001) and working in the central region (p < 0.001).
The majority of respondents reported concern regarding MERS-CoV infection from exposure at work. The overall level of concern may be influenced by previous experience of MERS outbreaks and related cultural issues. The concerns of HCWs may affect their overall effectiveness in an outbreak and should be addressed by incorporating management strategies in outbreak planning.
中东呼吸综合征（MERS）由中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒（MERS-CoV）引起。超过80%的报告病例发生在沙特阿拉伯，死亡率超过50%。医护人员有感染和传播这种病毒的风险，因此对沙特阿拉伯医护人员对MERS的担忧进行了评估。
2014年10月至12月，在沙特阿拉伯的三家三级医院，向1031名医护人员发放了一份匿名的、自行填写的、先前经过验证的问卷。使用五个不同领域的31条担忧陈述，评估了对该疾病、其严重程度、政府控制措施以及疾病结果的担忧。为每位医护人员计算了总担忧得分。采用多元回归分析确定高担忧得分的预测因素。
参与者的平均年龄为37.1±9.0岁，65.8%已婚，59.1%是护士。大多数受访者（70.4%）认为在工作中有感染MERS-CoV的风险，69.1%认为如果同事感染MERS-CoV会受到威胁，60.9%觉得有义务照顾感染MERS-CoV的患者，87.8%认为在工作中使用标准预防措施不安全。此外，87.7%认为政府应将MERS患者隔离在专科医院，73.7%同意对受MERS影响地区实施旅行限制，65.3%同意避免邀请来自这些地区的外籍人士。在对协变量进行调整后，高担忧得分与沙特国籍（p<0.001）、非医生（p<0.001）以及在中部地区工作（p<0.001）显著相关。
大多数受访者报告了对工作中接触感染MERS-CoV的担忧。总体担忧水平可能受MERS疫情既往经历和相关文化问题的影响。医护人员的担忧可能会影响他们在疫情中的整体效能，应在疫情规划中纳入管理策略来解决这些担忧。
