Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era
Introduction. Hemodialysis technicians play a crucial role in infection control practices in hemodialysis units. Thus, it is important to assess the knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 among hemodialysis technicians in this pandemic situation. Materials and Methods. An online survey composed of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2020-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Nephrology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/6710503 |
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| author | Amit S. Pasari Amol Bhawane Manish R. Balwani Priyanka Tolani Vishal Ramteke Nishant Deshpande |
| author_facet | Amit S. Pasari Amol Bhawane Manish R. Balwani Priyanka Tolani Vishal Ramteke Nishant Deshpande |
| author_sort | Amit S. Pasari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction. Hemodialysis technicians play a crucial role in infection control practices in hemodialysis units. Thus, it is important to assess the knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 among hemodialysis technicians in this pandemic situation. Materials and Methods. An online survey composed of 22 closed-ended questions using Google Forms was conducted in the month of April (13th to 19th) 2020. The survey consisted of questions regarding the knowledge of COVID-19 and current hemodialysis practice among hemodialysis technicians. The study was approved by the institutional ethics board. The survey was administered online through a mobile phone invitation. Basic statistics (mean and standard deviation or total number and percent) were computed for all covariates. Results. Out of 150, 115 technicians participated in the survey. 80.9% of the participants were males. The mean age of respondents was 28.22 + 6.97 years. Most of the respondents could correctly identify fever (87.8%), breathlessness (86.08%), and dry cough (81.7%) as the symptoms of COVID-19 infection. 75.7% of the technicians were aware that it can be transmitted by asymptomatic persons. 61.1% of the technicians were segregating patients who had symptoms such as fever and cough to the last shift of the day. 81.1% of the technicians read the guidelines issued by the Indian Society of Nephrology—COVID-19 working group. But, only 25.5% of the respondents could rightly identify to keep a minimum distance of two meters between two beds while dialyzing a suspected patient of COVID-19 along with other patients to minimise risk of COVID-19 transmission. 60% of the technicians have received hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis against coronavirus infection. Conclusion. Our study shows a significant knowledge gap among hemodialysis technicians about COVID-19. Effective COVID-19 education campaigns should be carried out intensively with relevant information among hemodialysis technicians to address the knowledge gap. A well-informed hemodialysis technician can prove to be a great tool to spread the right infection control practices among dialysis-dependent patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2500ab719fbc4240ab8d0e77d0db5e3e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-214X 2090-2158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Nephrology |
| spelling | doaj-art-2500ab719fbc4240ab8d0e77d0db5e3e2025-02-03T01:01:23ZengWileyInternational Journal of Nephrology2090-214X2090-21582020-01-01202010.1155/2020/67105036710503Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic EraAmit S. Pasari0Amol Bhawane1Manish R. Balwani2Priyanka Tolani3Vishal Ramteke4Nishant Deshpande5Department of Nephrology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi, Wardha, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Nephrology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi, Wardha, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Nephrology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Sawangi, Wardha, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Medicine, NKPSIMS, Nagpur, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Nephrology, Kingsway Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, IndiaDepartment of Nephrology, Alexis Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, IndiaIntroduction. Hemodialysis technicians play a crucial role in infection control practices in hemodialysis units. Thus, it is important to assess the knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 among hemodialysis technicians in this pandemic situation. Materials and Methods. An online survey composed of 22 closed-ended questions using Google Forms was conducted in the month of April (13th to 19th) 2020. The survey consisted of questions regarding the knowledge of COVID-19 and current hemodialysis practice among hemodialysis technicians. The study was approved by the institutional ethics board. The survey was administered online through a mobile phone invitation. Basic statistics (mean and standard deviation or total number and percent) were computed for all covariates. Results. Out of 150, 115 technicians participated in the survey. 80.9% of the participants were males. The mean age of respondents was 28.22 + 6.97 years. Most of the respondents could correctly identify fever (87.8%), breathlessness (86.08%), and dry cough (81.7%) as the symptoms of COVID-19 infection. 75.7% of the technicians were aware that it can be transmitted by asymptomatic persons. 61.1% of the technicians were segregating patients who had symptoms such as fever and cough to the last shift of the day. 81.1% of the technicians read the guidelines issued by the Indian Society of Nephrology—COVID-19 working group. But, only 25.5% of the respondents could rightly identify to keep a minimum distance of two meters between two beds while dialyzing a suspected patient of COVID-19 along with other patients to minimise risk of COVID-19 transmission. 60% of the technicians have received hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis against coronavirus infection. Conclusion. Our study shows a significant knowledge gap among hemodialysis technicians about COVID-19. Effective COVID-19 education campaigns should be carried out intensively with relevant information among hemodialysis technicians to address the knowledge gap. A well-informed hemodialysis technician can prove to be a great tool to spread the right infection control practices among dialysis-dependent patients.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/6710503 |
| spellingShingle | Amit S. Pasari Amol Bhawane Manish R. Balwani Priyanka Tolani Vishal Ramteke Nishant Deshpande Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era International Journal of Nephrology |
| title | Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era |
| title_full | Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era |
| title_fullStr | Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era |
| title_full_unstemmed | Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era |
| title_short | Knowledge about COVID-19 and Practices among Hemodialysis Technicians in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era |
| title_sort | knowledge about covid 19 and practices among hemodialysis technicians in the covid 19 pandemic era |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/6710503 |
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