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Patient contact recall after SARS exposure.
Popy Dimoulas1, Karen A Green, Altynay Shigayeva
1Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|April 15, 2005
Summary
Healthcare workers accurately remembered events six months after exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). This study confirms reliable recall of infection control practices and contact activities over time.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
- Healthcare Worker Safety
Background:
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreaks necessitate understanding healthcare worker (HCW) exposure and adherence to safety protocols.
- Accurate recall of events is crucial for assessing infection control effectiveness and preventing future transmissions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of time on recall reliability among HCWs exposed to SARS.
- To assess HCWs' willingness to report contact activities and infection control precautions after a significant time lapse.
Main Methods:
- Reinterviewing HCWs previously exposed to a SARS patient in an intensive care unit setting.
- Assessing recall accuracy of exposure events, contact tracing, and implemented infection control measures at a 6-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- HCWs demonstrated reliable recall of events up to 6 months post-exposure.
- Willingness to report contact activities and adherence to precautions remained consistent over the 6-month period.
Conclusions:
- Time does not significantly impair HCW recall of SARS exposure events and related safety practices.
- Findings support the reliability of retrospective data collection for evaluating infection control in SARS or similar respiratory illness outbreaks.