The role of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology physicians in the management of COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals

Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology physicians have critical importance in terms of pandemic management in hospitals. There are recommendations for hospitals in the national pandemic preparedness plan, which was developed to limit the damage during pandemic periods. With this study, it was aimed to determine the reading status of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology physicians in the pandemic plan and the factors affecting it, and to learn their views on the application of the headings in the plan. For this descriptive study, the questioned opinions of physicians were collected with an electronic questionnaire for the periods of June 2020 and January 2021. Statistical analysis were conducted to determine the associated factors of physicians' reading of the pandemic plan. Of the 169 physicians participating in the study, 62.7% were women, with a mean age of 43.1±9.9 years, and nearly two-thirds of the physicians were working in a tertiary hospital. More than 70% of physicians read the pandemic preparedness plan. The reading of the pandemic plan increased with physician's time spent in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology practice(OR=1.08, 95% CI=1.01–1.16, p=0.037), and previous outbreak experience with COVID-19(OR=3.10, 95% CI=1.00–9.58, p=0.050), and it decreased with the hand hygiene compliance of healthcare professionals working in the physician's hospital(OR=0.27, 95% CI=0.11–0.68, p=0.006) and the number of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology physicians working in the physician's hospital(OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.94–0.99, p=0.016). Physicians' reading status of the national pandemic preparedness plan did not differ significantly between the periods. With the time spent in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology practise and their epidemic experience before COVID-19, the status of reading the pandemic plan increases. With the compliance of hand hygiene of the health professionals working in the physicians' hospital and the number of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology physicians working with whom it decreases. Attention should be paid to the introduction of the pandemic plan to physicians with professional inexperience and no epidemic experience.