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Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania

The ability of a health system to withstand shocks such as a pandemic depends largely on the availability and preparedness of health-care workers (HCWs), who are at the frontline of disease management and prevention. Despite the heavy burden placed on HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is kno...

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Autores principales: Tani, Kassimu, Osetinsky, Brianna, Mhalu, Grace, Mtenga, Sally, Fink, Günther, Tediosi, Fabrizio
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10697532/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002678
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author Tani, Kassimu
Osetinsky, Brianna
Mhalu, Grace
Mtenga, Sally
Fink, Günther
Tediosi, Fabrizio
author_facet Tani, Kassimu
Osetinsky, Brianna
Mhalu, Grace
Mtenga, Sally
Fink, Günther
Tediosi, Fabrizio
author_sort Tani, Kassimu
collection PubMed
description The ability of a health system to withstand shocks such as a pandemic depends largely on the availability and preparedness of health-care workers (HCWs), who are at the frontline of disease management and prevention. Despite the heavy burden placed on HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known regarding their experiences in low-income countries. We conducted a web-based survey with HCWs in randomly selected districts of Tanzania to explore their experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures. The survey assessed implementation of COVID-19 control guidelines in health facilities, HCW perceptions of safety, well-being and ability to provide COVID-19 care, and challenges faced by frontline workers during the pandemic. We used multivariate regression analysis to examine the association between HCW and health facility characteristics, a score of guideline implementation, and challenges faced by HCWs. 6,884 Tanzanian HCWs participated in the survey between December 2021 to March 2022. The majority of respondents were aware of the COVID-19 guidelines and reported implementing preventive measures, including masking of both HCWs and patients. However, HCWs faced several challenges during the pandemic, including increased stress, concerns about infection, and inadequate personal protective equipment. In particular, female HCWs were more likely to report exhaustion from wearing protective equipment and emotional distress, while physicians were more likely to experience all challenges. While most HCWs reported feeling supported by facility management, they also reported that their concerns about COVID-19 treatment were not fully addressed. Notably, perceptions of protection and well-being varied widely among different HCW cadres, highlighting the need for targeted interventions based on level of exposure. In addition, various factors such as HCW cadre, facility ownership and COVID-19 designation status influenced HCWs’ opinions about the health system’s response to COVID-19. These findings highlight the importance of consistent implementation of guidelines and social and emotional support for HCWs.
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spelling pubmed-106975322023-12-06 Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania Tani, Kassimu Osetinsky, Brianna Mhalu, Grace Mtenga, Sally Fink, Günther Tediosi, Fabrizio PLOS Glob Public Health Research Article The ability of a health system to withstand shocks such as a pandemic depends largely on the availability and preparedness of health-care workers (HCWs), who are at the frontline of disease management and prevention. Despite the heavy burden placed on HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known regarding their experiences in low-income countries. We conducted a web-based survey with HCWs in randomly selected districts of Tanzania to explore their experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures. The survey assessed implementation of COVID-19 control guidelines in health facilities, HCW perceptions of safety, well-being and ability to provide COVID-19 care, and challenges faced by frontline workers during the pandemic. We used multivariate regression analysis to examine the association between HCW and health facility characteristics, a score of guideline implementation, and challenges faced by HCWs. 6,884 Tanzanian HCWs participated in the survey between December 2021 to March 2022. The majority of respondents were aware of the COVID-19 guidelines and reported implementing preventive measures, including masking of both HCWs and patients. However, HCWs faced several challenges during the pandemic, including increased stress, concerns about infection, and inadequate personal protective equipment. In particular, female HCWs were more likely to report exhaustion from wearing protective equipment and emotional distress, while physicians were more likely to experience all challenges. While most HCWs reported feeling supported by facility management, they also reported that their concerns about COVID-19 treatment were not fully addressed. Notably, perceptions of protection and well-being varied widely among different HCW cadres, highlighting the need for targeted interventions based on level of exposure. In addition, various factors such as HCW cadre, facility ownership and COVID-19 designation status influenced HCWs’ opinions about the health system’s response to COVID-19. These findings highlight the importance of consistent implementation of guidelines and social and emotional support for HCWs. Public Library of Science 2023-12-05 /pmc/articles/PMC10697532/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002678 Text en © 2023 Tani et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Tani, Kassimu
Osetinsky, Brianna
Mhalu, Grace
Mtenga, Sally
Fink, Günther
Tediosi, Fabrizio
Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania
title Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania
title_full Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania
title_fullStr Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania
title_short Healthcare workers’ experiences with COVID-19-related prevention and control measures in Tanzania
title_sort healthcare workers’ experiences with covid-19-related prevention and control measures in tanzania
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10697532/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002678
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