Hospital Practices and Research

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the socioeconomic situation worldwide, but another issue is the impact of socioeconomic status on the rate of coronavirus infections.
Objectives: This study aims to examine the socioeconomic status of individuals infected with COVID-19.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 768 hospitalized patients at 7 hospitals in Tehran, Iran from 2020 to 2021. The study included two groups: a case group of 384 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and a control group of 384 individuals hospitalized. A socioeconomic status questionnaire was used for data collection. The data were analyzed using SPSS v.26 software, descriptive statistical tests, and logistic regression. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered.
Results: The findings indicated a significant relationship between age (OR = 1.017), marital status (OR = 0.316), and education level (OR = 0.348) with the rate of infection. Individuals over 60 years old, married, and those with higher education had a greater chance of infection. The regression results for two components of economic class and housing status, categorized by housing prices and purchasing ability, were not significant (P >0.05). However, there was a significant relationship between income level (P <0.05, OR = 0.497) and the rate of infections; individuals with lower income had a lower chance of infection.
Conclusion: The researchers concluded that the Hygiene Hypothesis may influence the rate of COVID-19 infection among individuals; however, further research in this area is needed.

Abstract Background: Infection prevention, control, and health workers’ safety in the face of biological agents are among the vital issues in healthcare systems worldwide. Considering the high prevalence of COVID-19 infection and its high mortality rate, this epidemic can be tackled to some extent through infection control in the general population and promoting the safety of health centers.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to scrutinize the literature regarding measures adopted for infection control and safety of healthcare workers in health centers during the beginning of COVID-19.
Methods: A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines was performed. Keywords related to the study namely, “prevention and control”, “safety”, “coronavirus”, “COVID-19”, and “health personnel” in PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus databases, and Google Scholar using AND/OR functions from February 2020 to July 2020 were searched. To select the documents, the titles of the retrieved studies were first evaluated for relevance; then, the abstracts and full texts of the papers with relevant titles were inspected.
Results: Out of 136 retrieved studies, 10 were relevant and their data were analyzed. Four articles highlighted the importance of prevention, three enunciated the importance of control, and three related to care providers’ safety. The results showed that the COVID-19 epidemic has affected the healthcare providers’ health; however, it is possible to prevent a catastrophe through strategic planning, prevention, and control measures.
Conclusion: Considering the importance of healthcare workers’ health, it is necessary to implement COVID-19 prevention and control management principles based on scientific evidence.

Abstract The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered an increased demand for health services. Public health facilities are becoming increasingly inadequate to provide care for the increasing COVID-19 cases. Therefore, positioning the private health facilities (PHFs) to contribute to the COVID-19 outbreak response is highly required. To position PHFs for an improved COVID-19 outbreak response, guidelines that provide clarity on the role of PHF in the COVID-19 outbreak response need to be developed. Specific regulations should be tailored towards the government acting as a financial risk protector for PHF. Also, equity in the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the public and PHF from the Federal Government should be ensured. Moreover, subsidies should be provided on PPE, including goggles, hand sanitizers, and face masks. Furthermore, the purchase of PPE could be made by PHF on a large scale at subsidized costs via the PHF professional bodies and associations. Moreover, a comprehensive assessment of the human and infrastructural capacity of PHF needs to be conducted regarding the COVID-19 response. Results obtained from such assessment would inform on the existing human resources needs of the private sector and opportunities by which PHF’s capacity could be enhanced. In addition, assessing the extent of representativeness of PHF in the existing rapid response team needs to be conducted. All challenges delimiting the active involvement of the PHF should be addressed. Additionally, adequate support systems need to be developed and well-placed to promote the involvement of the PHF in the outbreak response.