Abstract:
Health care workers (HCWs) are more than ten times more likely to be infected with coronavirus infectious
disease 2019 (COVID-19) than the general population, thus demonstrating the burden of COVID-
19 among HCWs. Factors that expose HCWs to a differentially high-risk of COVID-19 acquisition are
important to elucidate, enable appropriate public health interventions to mitigate against high risk and
reduce adverse outcomes from the infection. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to
summarize and critically analyze the existing evidence on SARS-CoV-2 risk factors among HCWs. With
no geographical limitation, we included studies, in any country, that reported (i) the PCR laboratory
diagnosis of COVID-19 as an independent variable (ii) one or more COVID-19 risk factors among HCWs
with risk estimates (relative risk, odds ratio, or hazard ratio) (iii) original, quantitative study design, and
published in English or Mandarian. Our initial search resulted in 470 articles overall, however, only 10
studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. Out of the 10 studies included in the review, inadequate/
lack of protective personal equipment, performing tracheal intubation, and gender were the most
common risk factors of COVID-19. Based on the random effects adjusted pooled relative risk, HCWs who
reported the use of protective personal equipment were 29% (95% CI: 16% to 41%) less likely to test
positive for COVID-19. The study also revealed that HCWs who performed tracheal intubations were 34%
(95% CI: 14% to 57%) more likely to test positive for COVID-19. Interestingly, this study showed that female
HCWs are at 11% higher risk (RR 1.11 95% CI 1.01e1.21) of COVID-19 than their male counterparts.
This article presents initial findings from a living systematic review and meta-analysis, therefore, did not
yield many studies; however, it revealed a significant insight into better understanding COVID-19 risk factors among HCWs; insights important for devising preventive strategies that protect them from this
infection.
