Covid-19 and Health Care Workers in Burkina Faso: Characteristics and Perceptions of their Management

Abstract

Background: Health workers, engaged in the front line of the response to this pandemic, have inevitably been exposed to great risks of infection. Thus, in Burkina Faso, as in most countries, health workers have been infected. Objective: To study the characteristics and perceptions of their care management Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study of health workers with COVID-19 from March to August 2020. All health workers with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 who consented to participate in the study were included. Results: Of the 62 health workers identified, the sex ratio was 0.82. The median age was 40.5 years with interquartile ranges of 36 and 52. Doctors (54.8%) and nurses (25.8%) were the most represented and 60% worked in university hospitals. Fifty- one health workers (82.3%) recalled having been infected, 41 (80.4%) of them in the course of their work. Thirty-three agents (53.2%) were hospitalised. Almost all health workers were symptomatic, frequently stigmatised in 61.3% of cases by their neighbors (60.5%) and their colleagues on duty (47.3%). The evolution was favorable for all health workers and psychosocial care was necessary for 22% of them. Conclusion: As health emergencies are becoming more and more frequent, health workers are vulnerable and it is crucial to put in place, all the necessary conditions to enable them to provide care without risk.