Development of Harmonized COVID-19 Occupational Questionnaires

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Harmonized data collection is crucial for comparing occupational COVID-19 impacts across regions.
• Existing research highlighted the need for standardized tools to assess working life during pandemics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and provide open-source occupational questionnaires for COVID-19 research.
• To cover key working life aspects related to the pandemic, including risks and preventive measures.

Main Methods:

• Developed general and specific occupational COVID-19 questionnaires within the OMEGA-NET COST action and EPHOR project.
• Selected items from existing resources where possible, defining key domains for data collection.
• Included questions on diagnosis, prevention, health, work-related effects, risk factors, and PPE use.

Main Results:

• Two freely accessible questionnaires are available: a general and a specific occupational COVID-19 questionnaire.
• The general questionnaire covers broad working life impacts, while the specific one focuses on occupational risks and mitigation.
• The initiative offers a comprehensive approach to understanding COVID-19's working life implications.

Conclusions:

• The developed questionnaires provide a valuable, harmonized resource for occupational COVID-19 research.
• Further validation is needed, and collaboration is welcomed.
• These tools can support the development of effective preventive strategies for current and future pandemics.