Awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers against the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey across 57 countries.

BACKGROUND: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been concerns related to the preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to describe the level of awareness and preparedness of hospital HCWs at the time of the first wave. METHODS: This multinational, multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital HCWs from February to May 2020. We used a hierarchical logistic regression multivariate analysis to adjust the influence of variables based on awareness and preparedness. We then used association rule mining to identify relationships between HCW confidence in handling suspected COVID-19 patients and prior COVID-19 case-management training. RESULTS: We surveyed 24,653 HCWs from 371 hospitals across 57 countries and received 17,302 responses from 70.2% HCWs overall. The median COVID-19 preparedness score was 11.0 (interquartile range [IQR] = 6.0-14.0) and the median awareness score was 29.6 (IQR = 26.6-32.6). HCWs at COVID-19 designated facilities with previous outbreak experience, or HCWs who were trained for dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, had significantly higher levels of preparedness and awareness (p<0.001). Association rule mining suggests that nurses and doctors who had a 'great-extent-of-confidence' in handling suspected COVID-19 patients had participated in COVID-19 training courses. Male participants (mean difference = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.46; p<0.001) and nurses (mean difference = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.81; p<0.001) had higher preparedness scores compared to women participants and doctors. INTERPRETATION: There was an unsurprising high level of awareness and preparedness among HCWs who participated in COVID-19 training courses. However, disparity existed along the lines of gender and type of HCW. It is unknown whether the difference in COVID-19 preparedness that we detected early in the pandemic may have translated into disproportionate SARS-CoV-2 burden of disease by gender or HCW type

Abstract 307: Epidemiology, Outcomes and Factors Associated with Survival Following Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Vietnam

Introduction: Pre-hospital capabilities are minimally developed in Vietnam; therefore, the prognosis of OHCA might differ from that of other countries. The aim of this study was to investigate survival rate from OHCA and potential determinants of the chain of survival following an OHCA in a developing country. Hypothesis: Understanding the country-specific etiologies and the disease risk and prognosis of OHCA are crucial for reducing mortality in Vietnam, as well as in other countries that face challenges in clinical practice owing to limited medical resources. Methods: This is a multi-center prospective observational study of OHCA patients (age&gt;18 years) presenting to the ED of three tertiary hospitals from February 2014 to December 2018. Factors associated with survival following OHCA were collected and compared among types of pre-hospital care transportation and between survival and non-survival to admission. Factors for survival to admission were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 590 OHCA patients (male, 74.6%; age, 56.1±17.2 years), we observed low rates of survival to admission (24.2%) and discharge (14.1%). Of total patients, 67.8% occurred at home, 79.4% witnessed by bystanders, 124/555 (22.3%) received bystander CPR, a minority of patients (8.64%) was conveyed by EMS, and 49/152 (32.2%) received pre-hospital defibrillation. Multivariate analysis revealed that past medical history (PMH) of respiratory disease (OR, 3.128; 95% CI, 1.197-8.173), pre-hospital defibrillation (OR, 3.904; 95% CI, 1.540-9.898), pre-hospital advanced airway (OR, 3.441; 95% CI, 1.203-9.844) and ROSC at ED (OR, 2.891; 95% CI, 1.030-8.115) were independent factors for survival to admission. Following OHCA with cardiac etiology, EMS use (OR, 0.203; 95% CI, 0.044-0.935) was also an independent factor for survival to admission. Conclusions: This was a highly selected cohort of OHCA patients presenting to the ED. Many OHCA victims in Vietnam do not come to the ED. PMH of respiratory disease, pre-hospital defibrillation and advanced airway, and ROSC at ED were independent factors predicting survival to admission. EMS use was also an inverse and independent predictor of survival to admission among patients following OHCA with cardiac etiology. </jats:p

Awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers against the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey across 57 countries

BACKGROUND: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been concerns related to the preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to describe the level of awareness and preparedness of hospital HCWs at the time of the first wave. METHODS: This multinational, multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital HCWs from February to May 2020. We used a hierarchical logistic regression multivariate analysis to adjust the influence of variables based on awareness and preparedness. We then used association rule mining to identify relationships between HCW confidence in handling suspected COVID-19 patients and prior COVID-19 case-management training. RESULTS: We surveyed 24,653 HCWs from 371 hospitals across 57 countries and received 17,302 responses from 70.2% HCWs overall. The median COVID-19 preparedness score was 11.0 (interquartile range [IQR] = 6.0-14.0) and the median awareness score was 29.6 (IQR = 26.6-32.6). HCWs at COVID-19 designated facilities with previous outbreak experience, or HCWs who were trained for dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, had significantly higher levels of preparedness and awareness (p<0.001). Association rule mining suggests that nurses and doctors who had a 'great-extent-of-confidence' in handling suspected COVID-19 patients had participated in COVID-19 training courses. Male participants (mean difference = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.46; p<0.001) and nurses (mean difference = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.81; p<0.001) had higher preparedness scores compared to women participants and doctors. INTERPRETATION: There was an unsurprising high level of awareness and preparedness among HCWs who participated in COVID-19 training courses. However, disparity existed along the lines of gender and type of HCW. It is unknown whether the difference in COVID-19 preparedness that we detected early in the pandemic may have translated into disproportionate SARS-CoV-2 burden of disease by gender or HCW type