Education of Healthcare Personnel Working with Pediatric Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic within the Framework of Infection Control
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Objective: In the early stages of any epidemic caused by new emerg-ing pathogens healthcare personnel is subject to a great risk. Pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, proved to be no exception. Many healthcare workers died in the early stages of pandemic due to inadequate precau-tions and insufficient protection. It is essential to protect and maintain the safety of healthcare personnel for the confinement of pandemic as well as continuity of qualified healthcare services which is already under strain. Educating healthcare personnel on appropiate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is as essential as procuring them. Material and Methods: A survey is conducted on 4927 healthcare per-sonnel working solely with pediatric patients from 32 different centers. Education given on PPE usage were questioned and analyzed depend-ing on age, sex, occupation and region.Results: Among four thousand nine hundred twelve healthcare person-nel from 32 different centers 91% (n= 4457) received education on PPE usage. Of those who received education only 36% was given both theo-retical and applied education. Although there was no differences among different occupation groups, receiving education depended on regions.Conclusion: It is essential to educate healthcare personnel appropiately nationwidely for the continuity of qualified healthcare services during the pandemic.