COVID-19 Infections and Predictors of Sickness Related Absences Among Healthcare Workers: The Experience of a Tertiary Care Center With the COVID-19 Pandemic

Carine J Sakr; Lina Fakih; Nada M Melhem; Mohammad Fakhreddine; Umayya Musharrafieh; Hanin Banna; Rita Doudakian; Nada Kara Zahreddine; Joseph Tannous; Souha S Kanj; Martin Slade; Carrie A Redlich; Diana Rahme

doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000002857

COVID-19 Infections and Predictors of Sickness Related Absences Among Healthcare Workers: The Experience of a Tertiary Care Center With the COVID-19 Pandemic

J Occup Environ Med. 2023 Jul 1;65(7):590-594. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002857. Epub 2023 Apr 4.

Authors

Carine J Sakr¹, Lina Fakih, Nada M Melhem, Mohammad Fakhreddine, Umayya Musharrafieh, Hanin Banna, Rita Doudakian, Nada Kara Zahreddine, Joseph Tannous, Souha S Kanj, Martin Slade, Carrie A Redlich, Diana Rahme

Affiliation

¹ From the Employee Health Unit, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon (C.J.S., L.F., U.M., H.B., R.D., D.R.); Medical Laboratory Science Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon (N.M.M.); Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon (M.F.); Infection Prevention and Control Program, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon (N.K.Z., J.T., S.S.K.); Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut (M.S., C.A.R.); and Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon (S.S.K.).

Abstract

Background: Little has been published on predictors of prolonged sick leaves during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to determine the rate of COVID-19 infections among healthcare workers (HCWs) and to identify the predictors of longer sick leave days.

Methods: We identified predictors of longer sick leave using linear regression analysis in a cross-sectional study design.

Results: Thirty-three percent of the total workforce contracted COVID-19. On average, HCWs took 12.5 sick leave days after COVID-19 infection. The regression analysis revealed that older employees, nurses, and those who caught COVID-19 earlier in the pandemic were more likely to take longer sick leave.

Conclusions: Age, job position, and month of infection predicted sick leave duration among HCWs in our sample. Results imply that transmission was most likely community-based. Public health interventions should consider these factors when planning for future pandemics.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Health Personnel
Humans
Pandemics
Sick Leave
Tertiary Care Centers