Assessment of Physicians’ Willingness to Work with Patients Not Yet Diagnosed with COVID-19 in a Romanian Sample

Rotaru, Tudor-Stefan, Cojocaru, Daniela, Stefan Cojocaru,  Alexinschi, Ovidiu, Puia, Aida, Oprea, Liviu, Assessment of Physicians’ Willingness to Work with Patients Not Yet Diagnosed with COVID-19 in a Romanian Sample. Healthcare12(2), 161; DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12020161, WOS: 001149052500001.

Abstract

Background: The risk to physicians who worked with patients without confirmed COVID-19 testing during the pandemic has been little studied. However, they were at high risk.

Methods: In the summer of 2020, 1285 Romanian physicians participated in a single-center study. Participants (mean age = 48.21 years; 302 males and 982 females, all specialties) completed a series of single-item measures adapted from previous studies on work ethics and responsibility. This study used Mann-Whitney comparisons between physicians who reported that they knowingly had direct contact with COVID patients and those who did not regarding their willingness to work.

Results: Compared with their colleagues, physicians who reported not knowingly having direct contact with COVID patients reported less access to protective equipment, less overall willingness to respond when asked to work with infected patients, more likely to work out of fear of losing their jobs, and fear of legal repercussions. They received less training in the use of protective equipment.

Conclusions: Physicians who worked with patients not yet diagnosed with COVID-19 were significantly less willing to work. The perception of invisible risk may explain the observed differences.

Keywords: COVID-19; personal protective equipment; physicians’ perceptions; willingness to work.

References

Hill, M.; Smith, E.; Mills, B. Willingness to Work amongst Australian Frontline Healthcare Workers during Australia’s First Wave of COVID-19 Community Transmission: Results of an Online Survey. Disaster Med. Public Health Prep. 202117, e44. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Khalid, M.; Khalid, H.; Bhimani, S.; Khan, S.; Choudry, E.; Mahmood, S.U. Risk Perception and Willingness to Work among Doctors and Medical Students of Karachi, Pakistan during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey. Risk Manag. Healthc. Policy 202114, 3265–3273. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Mushtaque, I.; Raza, A.Z.; Khan, A.A.; Jafri, Q.A. Medical Staff Work Burnout and Willingness to Work during COVID-19 Pandemic Situation in Pakistan. Hosp. Top. 2022100, 123–131. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]

Rafi, A.; Hasan, M.T.; Azad, D.T.; Alam, S.F.; Podder, V.; Hossain, S.; Akther, S.M.Q.; Ashraf, F.; Hossain, G. Willingness to work during initial lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic: Study based on an online survey among physicians of Bangladesh. PLoS ONE 202116, e0245885. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Maraqa, B.; Nazzal, Z.; Zink, T. Mixed Method Study to Explore Ethical Dilemmas and Health Care Workers’ Willingness to Work Amid COVID-19 Pandemic in Palestine. Front. Med. 20207, 576820. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Damery, S.; Wilson, S.; Draper, H.; Gratus, C.; Greenfield, S.; Ives, J.; Parry, J.; Petts, J.; Sorell, T. Will the NHS continue to function in an influenza pandemic? A survey of healthcare workers in the West Midlands, UK. BMC Public Health 20099, 142. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Barnett, D.J.; Balicer, R.D.; Thompson, C.B.; Storey, J.D.; Omer, S.B.; Semon, N.L.; Bayer, S.; Cheek, L.V.; Gateley, K.W.; Lanza, K.M.; et al. Assessment of local public health workers’ willingness to respond to pandemic influenza through application of the extended parallel process model. PLoS ONE 20094, e6365. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Barnett, D.J.; Levine, R.; Thompson, C.B.; Wijetunge, G.U.; Oliver, A.L.; Bentley, M.A.; Neubert, P.D.; Pirrallo, R.G.; Links, J.M.; Balicer, R.D. Gauging U.S. Emergency Medical Services workers’ willingness to respond to pandemic influenza using a threat- and efficacy-based assessment framework. PLoS ONE 20105, e9856. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Ehrenstein, B.P.; Hanses, F.; Salzberger, B. Influenza pandemic and professional duty: Family or patients first? A survey of hospital employees. BMC Public Health 20066, 311. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Mackler, N.; Wilkerson, W.; Cinti, S. Will first-responders show up for work during a pandemic? Lessons from a smallpox vaccination survey of paramedics. Disaster Manag. Response 20075, 45–48. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Categories: