• Abdulsamet Sandal, Zehra Nur Toreyin, Cuneyt Salturk, and Peri Meram Arbak.
• Ankara Occupational and Environmental Diseases Hospital, Occupational Diseases Clinic - Ankara, Turkey.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2021 Oct 1; 67 (10): 1472-1479.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the data of Turkish health care workers practicing chest medicine on their coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) status and related parameters.MethodsThis descriptive study included online survey data that the Turkish Thoracic Society conducted with its members in two phases starting in June and December 2020. The 33-item survey included demographic data, smoking status, the presence of any chronic diseases, occupation, working status, and non-work-related and work-related COVID-19 exposure characteristics.ResultsOf 742 responses, 299 (40.3%) reported that they had contracted COVID-19. The second survey detected a higher frequency of health care workers who had contracted COVID-19 (12.1% versus 57.4%, p<0.001) than the first survey. The analysis of the association between study parameters and COVID-19 in health care workers using logistic regression revealed statistical significance with working at the onset of the outbreak (OR 3.76, 95%CI 1.09-12.98, p=0.036), not working at the time of survey (OR 5.69, 95%CI 3.35-9.67, p<0.001), COVID-19 history in colleagues (OR 2.27, 95%CI 1.51-3.41, p<0.001), any non-work-related COVID-19 exposure (OR 4.72, 95%CI 2.74-8.14, p<0.001), COVID-19 exposure at home (OR 6.52, 95%CI 3.52-12.08, p<0.001), and COVID-19 history in family members (OR 8.16, 95%CI 5.52-12.08, p<0.001) after adjusting for age and sex. The study also observed an inverse relationship between the use of aprons and goggles and COVID-19 in health care workers.ConclusionOccupational and nonoccupational characteristics are related to COVID-19 in health care workers practicing chest medicine. Therefore, active surveillance to detect health care workers contracting COVID-19 and to document and control occupational and nonoccupational risks should be provided.

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