P-18 The impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on staff at a tertiary referral hospital in Guyana.
Author(s):
P Findlay-Hardyal , A Harvey , A Prakash , J Francke , T Grogan , R Sanghvi
Year of Presentation:
2024
Objective: 1. To determine how staff at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) were affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
2. To determine the staff's satisfaction with the hospital's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used a Qualtrics survey tool to collect relevant data from the current GPHC staff over a six week period from November to December 2021. Data regarding staff demographics, employment characteristics, individual experiences related to COVID-19, their degree of wellness and satisfaction with the hospital’s response to COVID-19 was obtained. Correlations were sought between the self-reported prevalence of COVID-19 was obtained. Correlations were sought between the self-reported prevalence pf COVID-19 among staff and the data collected. Statistical analyses were conducted using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27 and p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: The prevalence of COVID-19 among GPHC's Health Care Workers (HCWs) was 35.3%. Physicians had a significantly lower prevalence of COVID-19 (29.3%, p< 0.05) whereas burses had higher prevalence (44.8%, p< 0.05). The Accident and Emergency (A&E) department had a significnt higher rate of VOVID-19 infection compared to other departments (51.9%, p<0.001). COVID-19 postivity was higher among respondents who received a vaccine after a vaccination mandate was nationally institued vs prior (p<0.001). Mean wellness and workplace satisfaction scores were 2.72/4 and 2.61/4 respectively. Nurses and doctors had the lowest wellness and satisfaction scores.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that COVID-19 had a significant impact on GPHC's staff individual experiences and degree of wellness. Risk factors for burnout were high- lighted by the wellness statements, while the satisfaction statements indicated areas for improvement. Our data can be used for targeted initiatives that enhance future pandemic preparedness at GPHC.