Screening and Risk Assessment of Healthcare Workers and Infection Control in University and COVID-19 Quarantine Hospitals Using Real-time Geospatial Mapping for Emergency Healthcare Resource Mobilization and Management

Research Approach and Methodology

1. Healthcare workers' risk and 2. Infection prevention and control needs: Study design and setting

To fulfill specific objectives, a prospective investigation of all HCWs working in all governmental university hospitals and the affiliated COVID-19 quarantine hospitals.

To date, the Ministry of Higher Education has dedicated quarantine hospitals at the following governmental universities: Ain Shams, Cairo, Helwan, Alexandria, Mansoura, Assiut, Minia. This list may be expanded in the future. The project will be pilot tested in Ain Shams University, then extended to other universities subsequently.

Study population For the purpose of this study, HCWs are defined as all staff in the governmental university hospitals involved in emergency and intensive care and in the provision of care for COVID-19 patients in the affiliated COVID-19 quarantine hospitals. These include those who have been present in the same area as the patient, as well as those who may not have provided direct care to the patient, but who have had contact with the patient's body fluids, potentially contaminated items or environmental surfaces. This includes health care professionals, allied health workers, auxiliary health workers (e.g. cleaning and laundry personnel, x-ray physicians and technicians, clerks, phlebotomists, respiratory therapist, nutritionists, social workers, physical therapists, lab personnel, cleaners, admission/reception clerks, patient transporters, catering staff etc.). Once a case of COVID-19 has been identified in these hospitals, a list of all health care workers with any exposure to COVID-19 patient will need to be drawn up.