Investigating healthcare worker mobility and patient contacts within a UK hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Insights into behaviours relevant to the transmission of infections are extremely valuable for epidemiological investigations. Healthcare worker (HCW) mobility and patient contacts within the hospital can contribute to nosocomial outbreaks, yet data on these behaviours are often limited.

Methods

Using electronic medical records and door access logs from a London teaching hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, we derive indicators for HCW mobility and patient contacts at an aggregate level. We assess the spatial-temporal variations in HCW behaviour and, to demonstrate the utility of these behavioural markers, investigate changes in the indirect connectivity of patients (resulting from shared contacts with HCWs) and spatial connectivity of floors (owing to the movem

SUBMITTER: Wilson-Aggarwal JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9782286 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature