Investigation and analysis of occupational physical injuries among healthcare staffs during allopatric medical aid for the fight against COVID-19

Background: Occupational health impairment of medical personnel manifested as a prominent problem in COVID-19. The aim of this study is to investigate the occupational physical injuries of front-line medical staffs in Hubei province during the fight against COVID-19. Material and Methods: questionnaire survey was conducted among 476 medical staffs from 3 regions of Hubei Province, including general characteristics and the physical discomfort/damage suffered in the isolation wards during working hours. Results: A total of 457 valid questionnaires were collected. The common physical discomfort/damage included skin injuries (22.76%), conjunctivitis (15.10%), falls (9.19%), intolerant unwell symptoms (8.53%) and sharp injuries (6.13%). Logistic regression analysis showed that: lack of protective work experience (OR = 2.049, 95% CI: 1.071–3.921), continuous working for 4 h (OR = 3.771, 95% CI: 1.858–7.654), and working >4 h (OR = 7.076, 95% CI: 3.197–15.663) were high-risk factors for skin injuries. Working continuously for 4 h (OR = 3.248, 95% CI: 1.484–7.110) and working >4 h (OR = 3.096, 95% CI: 1.232–7.772) were high-risk factors for conjunctivitis. Lack of protective work experience was a high risk factor for falls (OR = 5.508, 95% CI: 1.299–23.354). The high risk factors for intolerant unwell symptoms were continuous working for 4 h (OR = 5.372, 95% CI: 1.239–23.301) and working >4 h (OR = 8.608, 95% CI: 1.843–40.217). Working in a COVID-19 critical care unit (OR = 3.249, 95% CI: 1.344–7.854) and implementation of nursing (OR = 9.766, 95% CI: 1.307–72.984) were high risk factors for sharp injuries. Conclusions: Occupational physical injuries are universal in the COVID-19 ward. Those who take up nursing, work in a critical care ward, with no experience in an isolation ward for infectious diseases, and work continuously for ≥4 h on the same day should get more attention.