SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Nursing Home Healthcare Workers
Author Information
Author(s): Valentina Rosolen, Diana Menis, Luigi Castriotta, Fabio Barbone, Francesca Larese Filon
Primary Institution: Central Directorate for Health, Social Policies and Disability Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia Region Italy
Hypothesis
What is the risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection among nursing home employees by job title?
Conclusion
The risk of COVID-19 infection among nursing home employees varied by job title and pandemic phase.
Supporting Evidence
- Approximately 70.0% of nursing home employees were younger than 50 years old.
- 84.4% of the nursing home employees were female.
- The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 infection among nursing home staff was 69.5%.
- Healthcare elementary occupations had a higher risk of infection compared to administrative assistants.
- Physicians and nurses showed a lower probability of infection in the later phases of the pandemic.
Takeaway
This study looked at how likely nursing home workers were to get COVID-19 based on their job. Some jobs were riskier than others, especially early in the pandemic.
Methodology
A retrospective population-based longitudinal study was conducted analyzing swabs from nursing home employees over three years.
Limitations
Lack of data on worker mobility between different nursing homes, which may increase infection risk.
Participant Demographics
{"age_distribution":{"18-30":15.7,"31-40":19.7,"41-50":29.3,"51-60":29.0,"61-70":6.3},"gender_distribution":{"female":84.4,"male":15.6},"job_distribution":{"healthcare_elementary_occupation":52.5,"physician":0.5,"nurse":9.4,"other_professional":6.5,"support_functions":25.9,"administrative_assistant":5.3}}
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
{"phase_1":{"healthcare_elementary_occupation":"3.52 (1.44–8.56)","physicians_nurses":"2.96 (1.15–7.66)"},"phase_2":{"healthcare_elementary_occupation":"1.54 (1.18–2.02)","physicians_nurses":"1.41 (1.04–1.91)"},"phase_6":{"physicians_nurses":"0.73 (0.58–0.91)"}}
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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