Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemic
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor of the United States, the exposure risk for anaesthesiologists working with COVID-19 patients can be classified as high or very high. This is mostly due to fact that the anaesthesiologists work in close contact...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Termedia Publishing House
2020-12-01
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Series: | Anaesthesiology Intensive Therapy |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.termedia.pl/Occupational-hazards-in-anaesthesiology-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic,118,42746,1,1.html |
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author | Magdalena Wujtewicz Anna Dylczyk-Sommer Aleksander Aszkiełowicz Jan Stefaniak Szymon Zdanowski Radoslaw Owczuk |
author_facet | Magdalena Wujtewicz Anna Dylczyk-Sommer Aleksander Aszkiełowicz Jan Stefaniak Szymon Zdanowski Radoslaw Owczuk |
author_sort | Magdalena Wujtewicz |
collection | DOAJ |
description | According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor of the United States, the exposure risk for anaesthesiologists working with COVID-19 patients can be classified as high or very high. This is mostly due to fact that the anaesthesiologists work in close contact with patients’ airways, and the aerosol-generating nature of some procedures they perform. Fortunately, despite the occupational hazard, the incidence of COVID-19 among anaesthesiologists and intensivists remains relatively low. Current evidence suggests that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections in this group were either contracted outside of the work environment or can be attributed to personal protective equipment (PPE) malfunction. This article focuses on different aspects of anaesthesiologists’ safety, risks connected with different clinical scenarios and procedures, issues related to testing and screening, as well as modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for severe illness or from COVID-19. This analysis is accompanied by a review of guidelines dedicated to mitigating said risks. Educating the personnel, introducing appropriate procedures, and proper utilisation of PPE are essential to the safety of all parties involved in hospital care, particularly those with significant exposure risk. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:36:58Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-0abe7094ed5045ec9d66538dd69d3ceb |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1642-5758 1731-2531 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:36:58Z |
publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
publisher | Termedia Publishing House |
record_format | Article |
series | Anaesthesiology Intensive Therapy |
spelling | doaj.art-0abe7094ed5045ec9d66538dd69d3ceb2022-12-21T19:56:24ZengTermedia Publishing HouseAnaesthesiology Intensive Therapy1642-57581731-25312020-12-0152540040810.5114/ait.2020.10184442746Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemicMagdalena WujtewiczAnna Dylczyk-SommerAleksander AszkiełowiczJan StefaniakSzymon ZdanowskiRadoslaw OwczukAccording to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor of the United States, the exposure risk for anaesthesiologists working with COVID-19 patients can be classified as high or very high. This is mostly due to fact that the anaesthesiologists work in close contact with patients’ airways, and the aerosol-generating nature of some procedures they perform. Fortunately, despite the occupational hazard, the incidence of COVID-19 among anaesthesiologists and intensivists remains relatively low. Current evidence suggests that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections in this group were either contracted outside of the work environment or can be attributed to personal protective equipment (PPE) malfunction. This article focuses on different aspects of anaesthesiologists’ safety, risks connected with different clinical scenarios and procedures, issues related to testing and screening, as well as modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for severe illness or from COVID-19. This analysis is accompanied by a review of guidelines dedicated to mitigating said risks. Educating the personnel, introducing appropriate procedures, and proper utilisation of PPE are essential to the safety of all parties involved in hospital care, particularly those with significant exposure risk.https://www.termedia.pl/Occupational-hazards-in-anaesthesiology-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic,118,42746,1,1.htmlcovid-19 sars-cov-2 exposure risk anaesthesiologist. |
spellingShingle | Magdalena Wujtewicz Anna Dylczyk-Sommer Aleksander Aszkiełowicz Jan Stefaniak Szymon Zdanowski Radoslaw Owczuk Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemic Anaesthesiology Intensive Therapy covid-19 sars-cov-2 exposure risk anaesthesiologist. |
title | Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_full | Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_fullStr | Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_full_unstemmed | Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_short | Occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_sort | occupational hazards in anaesthesiology during the covid 19 pandemic |
topic | covid-19 sars-cov-2 exposure risk anaesthesiologist. |
url | https://www.termedia.pl/Occupational-hazards-in-anaesthesiology-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic,118,42746,1,1.html |
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