Assessment instrument of risk factors for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 among health care workers with suspected COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: Health professionals are at high or very high risk of being infected with COVID-19, making it essential to adopt control and protection measures. The World Health Organization developed a risk assessment instrument to identify possible protection failures and to guide corrective actions. OBJECTIVES: To test an adapted version of this instrument among health care workers with a suspected case of COVID-19. METHODS: The World Health Organization instrument was translated and adapted with the participation of health care workers. The adapted version was inserted into Google Forms(®) and applied to 211 health care workers with a suspected case of COVID-19 in three public hospitals. RESULTS: Fifty-five percent of workers were nursing professionals. The main risk factors for exposure to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were failures in training, in donning and doffing, and in the use and maintenance of personal and collective protective equipment; problems in cleaning rooms and equipment; and changes in work organization. The assessment instrument fulfilled its purpose of assessing risk factors for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and helped adopt the corrective and preventive measures required to prevent COVID-19 among health care workers. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted instrument proved to be an important support tool to improve risk management and protection of these workers.