{"id":46973,"date":"2020-03-25T22:24:28","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T21:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=46973"},"modified":"2020-04-02T18:12:36","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T17:12:36","slug":"healthcare-workforce-safety-and-ebola-in-the-context-of-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/03\/25\/healthcare-workforce-safety-and-ebola-in-the-context-of-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid-19: Protecting frontline healthcare workers\u2014what lessons can we learn from Ebola?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On March 23, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. The virus, which originated in Guinea, subsequently spread to neighbouring countries and become the largest Ebola outbreak in history. As the health system became inundated with patients, the resources needed to protect healthcare workers from infection became increasingly scarce. By the end of the outbreak, over 50% of infected healthcare workers died and, of those that survived, countless were left with post traumatic stress disorder. Healthcare workers became martyrs; but the repercussions for patients and providers were catastrophic.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Marine-grade vinyl, industrial tape, cotton, foam and elastic. These sound like supplies for a 5th grade science project, but they are materials that the U.S healthcare workforce are using to <a href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/hospital-workers-are-making-their-own-face-masks-using-1842391094\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">make their own personal protective equipment (PPE)<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. When the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/hcp\/ppe-strategy\/face-masks.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> recently recommended that bandanas and scarves be used as a last resort in the absence PPE, photos of healthcare workers sewing their own facemasks soon went viral, alongside the hashtag <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/getmeppe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GetMePPE<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The images are striking: the minute attention to detail required to sew is powerfully illuminating a stark reality<\/span>\u2014<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">providers\u2019 lives are literally in their own hands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We know that two of the most effective ways to protect the healthcare workforce from infectious disease is through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/30202878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">diagnostic testing and adequate PPE<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Yet as the covid-19 pandemic spreads, shortages of both have been widely reported. The impact? As of mid-March, over 3000 healthcare workers in China have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/healthcare-workers-getting-coronavirus-500-infected-2020-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">infected<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">; healthcare workers may account for as many as 8.3% of cases in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2020\/03\/rising-number-medical-staff-infected-coronavirus-italy-200318183939314.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Italy<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">; and the United States recently reported its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-scientist.com\/news-opinion\/university-of-washington-pathology-professor-dies-of-covid-19-67291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first physician death<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the midst of an epidemic or pandemic, healthcare workers are at the frontline. And when the frontline becomes incapacitated, the health system disintegrates. During the Ebola 2014-16 outbreak in West Africa, this is exactly what happened. The impact, both short term and long, was catastrophic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2020\/02\/25\/coronavirus-cases-health-workers-chaos-outbreak-front-lines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report<\/a> stating that certain healthcare workers were up to 32 times more likely to become infected with Ebola than the general populatio<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As the outbreak progressed,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> healthcare worker infection rates would range from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/30202878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2.1% to as high as 50%<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The disease was no less virulent in facilities with low healthcare worker infection; what differed was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/30202878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">facility preparedness<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. What does this tell us? That health provider infection and death are largely preventable. It doesn&#8217;t matter if you are in Sierra Leone battling Ebola, or the United Kingdom responding to covid-19\u2014healthcare workers can avoid infection if <a href=\"https:\/\/annals.org\/aim\/fullarticle\/1900481\/protecting-health-care-workers-from-ebola-personal-protective-equipment-critical\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">properly protected<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">High rates of infection during Ebola were largely driven by insufficient or incorrect use of PPE, in addition to contact with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/30202878\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unrecognized infected patients<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Similar to COVID-19, many Ebola cases presented as nonspecific. Symptoms\u2014such as fever, fatigue, and diarrhoea\u2014mirrored those of more common diseases in West Africa, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25515060\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">typhoid fever and malaria<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Contradictory isolation and treatment strategies dependent on diagnosis created a conundrum for providers\u2014a short supply of PPE meant it had to be used sparingly; but a lack of diagnostics meant there was little basis to know who had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/25515060\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ebola<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. As a result, providers risked contracting the disease as they tried to treat patients who were ill, but not yet diagnosed. Infections of HCWs and the subsequent nosocomial infection of patients, resulted in hospitals being stigmatized as &#8220;incubators of infection,&#8221; which deterred patients from seeking necessary care and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/366\/bmj.l5482.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">further exacerbated spread<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Descriptions of how the Ebola outbreak unfolded sound eerily familiar to those of covid-19. A shortage of essential supplies has already been widely reported and, without intervention, will only escalate as cases rise. Doctors report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/03\/19\/health\/coronavirus-masks-shortage.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">increased anxiety<\/a>, fearing they will not only expose themselves to the virus, but also their families and their communities<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u201cWe are at war with no ammo,\u201d a surgeon said in a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/03\/19\/health\/coronavirus-masks-shortage.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Times article<\/a>, referencing the lack of access to basic surgical masks, with existing supplies quickly diminishing<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Compared to West African countries faced with Ebola, high-income countries have stronger health systems and significantly more resources. Yet despite these clear advantages, the failure to take action and protect the healthcare workforce has surprising parallels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While efforts are currently underway to address supply shortages, the speed at which countries are moving will determine how many lives are lost. For example, the U.S.&#8217;s next order of respirators could take up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-03-19\/trump-s-500-million-respirators-could-take-18-months-to-deliver\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">18 months to arrive<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Consequently, pressure is being put on the providers themselves to secure essential materials, an approach that is not practical or sustainable. While the private and non-profit sectors are stepping up <a href=\"https:\/\/learningenglish.voanews.com\/a\/volunteers-produce-3d-printed-valves-for-italian-coronavirus-patients\/5334261.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">innovative efforts<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the increased manufacturing of critical supplies requires centralized leadership, through mechanisms like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-03-18\/trump-gives-u-s-broad-control-over-health-products-supply-chain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">executive order<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As we push for more supplies, it is important to remember that healthcare workforce protection isn\u2019t limited to physical health. While caring for patients is deeply challenging in its own right, other factors, such as witnessing the loss of those within one&#8217;s immediate circle, including colleagues, can result in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5452550\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">significant psychological trauma<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. During Ebola, the acute clinical demand often forced providers to carry on; deferring grief until <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5452550\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">later<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. To this day, many of the healthcare workers that worked with Ebola patients continue to experience <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5452550\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PTSD<\/a>; a well-established <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/euro-emergencymed\/Abstract\/2005\/02000\/The_psychological_impact_of_severe_acute.5.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">risk<\/a> for providers in outbreaks<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. As stated by the WHO, mental health sequelae of epidemics often constitute \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/27020309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an emergency within an emergency<\/a>\u201d in their own right<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Healthcare worker burnout has already been widely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/03\/12\/world\/europe\/12italy-coronavirus-health-care.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Burnout is associated with a suite of negative outcomes in addition to workforce departure: provider depression; reduced quality of patient care; interpersonal conflict, <a href=\"https:\/\/pdfs.semanticscholar.org\/52cb\/1a2b57aa6a5a288b50e08222346e477a0d37.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">among others<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In the midst of a pandemic, we simply cannot afford this; we need to invest in the resilience of healthcare workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For covid-19, steps have already been taken that could reduce burnout: telehealth services have been upped and financial barriers to accessing them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/business\/2020\/03\/05\/millions-of-chinese-cooped-up-and-anxious-turn-to-online-doctors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reduced<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, some scope-of-practice laws have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/states\/new-york\/albany\/story\/2020\/03\/19\/every-law-and-regulation-suspended-by-cuomo-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-1268180\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">relaxed<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0and non-profit organizations have compiled publicly available guidelines on how to mobilize community health worker (CHW) <a href=\"http:\/\/lastmilehealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Prevent-Detect-Respond-Rapidly-expanding-healthcare-teams-through-community-health-workers-in-the-fight-against-COVID-19.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">responses<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. These efforts align with strategies that were effective during Ebola. Non-clinical CHWs were critical to reducing viral spread through contact tracing and community education campaigns in densely packed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5261562\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">slums<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This kind of task sharing allows healthcare workers to focus on work that they are uniquely trained for, while leveraging <a href=\"https:\/\/elemental.medium.com\/op-ed-what-if-americans-unemployed-by-coronavirus-could-be-hired-to-fight-it-8066ac4434e0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">trusted members of the community<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The West African Ebola epidemic had severe physical and mental health consequences for healthcare workers, and as a result, the larger community. The fact that most healthcare workers deaths could have been prevented with simple interventions\u2014diagnostic testing, proper equipment and training\u2014makes their loss especially devastating. Given that the covid-19 pandemic is just beginning, the reports of healthcare worker infections are alarming. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ebola and other epidemics have already shown us the consequences of not protecting HCWs. We don\u2019t need another set of \u2018lessons learned.\u2019 We know what needs to be done. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To fail to act is not only an act of negligence; it is blood on our hands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Megan B Diamond<\/strong> is an Assistant Director at the Harvard Global Health Institute. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Liana Woskie<\/strong> is a Research Fellow at the Harvard Global Health Institute and a PhD Candidate in Health Policy at the London School of Economics.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><em>No competing interests declared.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On March 23, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. The virus, which originated in Guinea, subsequently spread to neighbouring countries and become [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/03\/25\/healthcare-workforce-safety-and-ebola-in-the-context-of-covid-19\/\">More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-global-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Covid-19: Protecting frontline healthcare workers\u2014what lessons can we learn from Ebola? - The BMJ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2020\/03\/25\/healthcare-workforce-safety-and-ebola-in-the-context-of-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Covid-19: Protecting frontline healthcare workers\u2014what lessons can we learn from Ebola? - The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On March 23, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. 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