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Impact of the 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic on Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Care Center in New York City

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Nahid Bhadelia ,
Rajiv Sonti ,
Jennifer Wright McCarthy ,
Jaclyn Vorenkamp ,
Haomiao Jia ,
Lisa Saiman  and
E. Yoko Furuya
Nahid Bhadelia
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Rajiv Sonti
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York
Jennifer Wright McCarthy
Affiliation:
Workforce Health and Safety, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
Jaclyn Vorenkamp
Affiliation:
Workforce Health and Safety, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
Haomiao Jia
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, New York
Lisa Saiman
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, New York Department of Infection Prevention and Control, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
E. Yoko Furuya*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, New York Department of Infection Prevention and Control, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
*
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, PH-8W 876, New York, NY 10032 ([email protected]), or to Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MALD, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA 02118x ([email protected])
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Abstract

Background and Objective.

Assessing the impact of 2009 influenza A (H1N1) on healthcare workers (HCWs) is important for pandemic planning.

Methods.

We retrospectively analyzed employee health records of HCWs at a tertiary care center in New York City with influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and confirmed influenza from March 31, 2009, to February 28, 2010. We evaluated HCWs' clinical presentations during the first and second wave of the pandemic, staff absenteeism, exposures among HCWs, and association between high-risk occupational exposures to respiratory secretions and infection.

Results.

During the pandemic, 40% (141/352) of HCWs with ILI tested positive for influenza, representing a 1% attack rate among our 13,066 employees. HCWs with influenza were more likely to have fever, cough, and tachycardia. When compared with the second wave, cases in the first wave were sicker and at higher risk of exposure to patients' respiratory secretions (P = .049). HCWs with ILI- with and without confirmed influenza-missed on average 4.7 and 2.7 work days, respectively (P = .001). Among HCWs asked about working while ill, 65% (153/235) reported they did so (mean, 2 days).

Conclusions.

HCWs in the first wave had more severe ILI than those in the second wave and were more likely to be exposed to patients' respiratory secretions. HCWs with ILI often worked while ill. Timely strategies to educate and support HCWs were critical to managing this population during the pandemic.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 34 , Issue 8 , August 2013 , pp. 825 - 831
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2013

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