Author:
Espitia-Hernandez Diana Marcela
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on healthcare workers who are at a greater risk of contagion given their higher level of exposure. However, the various factors contributing to this heightened risk have not been identified so far. Objective: To identify the factors associated with COVID-19 contagion in healthcare workers. Methods Cross-sectional study using data from healthcare workers of a high complexity hospital between March 2020 and March 2021. The sociodemographic characteristics of the contagion cases were analyzed, and a Chi2 test was carried out to identify the variables to be measured as part of the multinomial regression. Results: Overall, 382 positive cases were reported in a population of 1544 hospital workers, for an institutional prevalence of 24.74%. Of these, 71.2% were women, 65.8% worked in the clinical area, and the highest percentage of contagion cases occurred among licensed practical nurses (38.22%). A significant association was found between inhospital contagion and all the variables included in the model, with p<0.000 in the adjusted model. Conclusions: The highest percentage of contagions occurred among healthcare professionals working in the clinical area. However, the majority of the cases are the result of inside and outside social contacts and not of patient care. Steps must be taken, considering that clinical staff is essential for managing the current health crisis and learning lessons for future similar circumstances.