An Analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Turkey

Abstract Background Several vaccines have been developed and approved for use against SARS-CoV-2; however, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and precautions against transmission remain important due to the lack of effective specific treatment and whole community immunity. Hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) was used as a treatment option in the early days of the pandemic; however, it was subsequently removed due to a lack of evidence as an effective treatment for COVID-19. Aim To evaluate the testing and infection characteristics of COVID-19 among health care professionals (HCPs) and determine the efficacy of prophylactic HCQ use to prevent transmission. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out between 1 May and 30 September 2020. The HCPs included in the study were doctors, nurses, and paramedical personnel, such as secretaries or technical staff. The medical records of HCPs who had been tested for SARS-CoV-2 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were retrospectively analyzed. Student's t-test and Pearson's Chi-square test were used for inter-group comparisons. Results 508 HCPs were included in the study. A total of 152 (29.9%) HCPs were diagnosed with COVID-19. The positive PCR rate was 80.3% (n = 122). A comparison of infected and uninfected HCPs showed a significant difference in terms of age and occupation, and no significant difference in terms of gender, working area, and prophylactic HCQ use. Conclusion Protective measures in low-risk areas of our hospital require improvements. All HCPs should be trained on PPE usage. Furthermore, there was no evidence to support the efficacy of prophylactic HCQ against SARS-CoV-2 transmission.