An Online Survey of Healthcare Professionals in the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: Perceptions of Risk Factors

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Indranil Chakravorty MBBS PhD FRCP
Sunil Daga PhD, MRCP, MBBS
Subodh Dave MRCPsych
Subarna Chakravorty PhD MRCPCH FRCPath
Professor Geeta Menon MS FRCS FRCOpth
Neeraj Bhala MBBS MD FRCP
Ramesh Mehta OBE MD FRCPCH
Professor JS Bamrah MB, BS, FRCPsych, MHSM

Abstract

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To explore the emerging concerns of COVID-19 related issues amongst health care workers, members of a range of healthcare organisations, governmental agencies, and the media, an online self-administered survey of healthcare workers was undertaken by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin in April 2020.


Results


The respondents were predominantly hospital doctors (67%), aged between 40-60 years (72%) and from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) backgrounds in the UK (86%). Thirty percent of respondents had one or more health comorbidities. Over 78% reported either lack of, or inappropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for their role and 68% of respondents felt that they were unable to comply with or that it was impractical to adhere to social distancing at work (including commuting). At the time of the survey, 18.5% of respondents reported having a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. In multivariate analysis, the inability to self-isolate and having a BAME background emerged as independent risk (OR 1.45) for COVID-19 when adjusted for confounding factors.


Conclusions


These results add to the emerging concerns expressed internationally on the observation that BAME ethnicity appears to have a higher risk of developing COVID-19. This is the first study that adjusted work-related factors (inability to maintain social distancing and inadequate PPE) and comorbidities. Our work supports the imperative for designing and conducting urgent larger studies to understand this risk and plan appropriate mitigation of the risks to health care workers


*version 1.2 includes the addition of self-isolation as a risk for COVID-19. See Table 4.

Article Details

How to Cite
Chakravorty, I., Daga, S., Dave, S., Chakravorty, S., Menon, G., Bhala, N., Mehta, R., & Bamrah, J. (2020). An Online Survey of Healthcare Professionals in the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: : Perceptions of Risk Factors. Sushruta Journal of Health Policy & Opinion, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.38192/13.2.9
Section
Research
Author Biographies

Indranil Chakravorty MBBS PhD FRCP, St George's University of London, UK

Consultant Physician in Acute & Respiratory Medicine

Senior Lecturer & Director of MedicaL Education

Clinical Lecturer, School of Postgraduate Medicine, University of Hertfordshire

Chair, BAPIO Research & Innovation Forum

 

 

Sunil Daga PhD, MRCP, MBBS, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK

Consultant Nephrologist

Subodh Dave MRCPsych, Royal Derby Hospital, UK

Consultant Psychiatrist

Subarna Chakravorty PhD MRCPCH FRCPath, Kings College Hospital, London, UK

Consultant Paediatric Haematologist

Professor Geeta Menon MS FRCS FRCOpth, Frimley Park Hospital, UK

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon,

Postgraduate Dean, Health Education England, South London

Neeraj Bhala MBBS MD FRCP, University Hospitals of Birmingham, UK

Consultant Gastroenterologist

Ramesh Mehta OBE MD FRCPCH, British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Bedford, UK

President, BAPIO UK

Professor JS Bamrah MB, BS, FRCPsych, MHSM, Central Manchester Mental Health Partnership Trust, UK

Consultant Psychiatrist

National Chairman of BAPIO UK

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