Assessment of the working conditions of medical personnel in military medical organizations during the pandemic of new coronavirus infection

Relevance. During the pandemic of new coronavirus infection, healthcare professionals have increased occupational risks of exposure to the pathogen SARS-CoV-2, as well as physical and psychological stress, especially when treating Covid patients in “red zones”. Such a change in working conditions wasn’t reflected in the results of a special assessment, which requires the development of an individual scientifically based approach to its organization in conditions equated to emergency situations. Intention. Evaluate the results of a special assessment of working conditions and their compliance with actual working conditions, taking into account the health risks for healthcare professionals taking care of Covid patients.

Methodology. We retrospectively conducted a comparative analysis of 295 cards for a special assessment of the working conditions of medical personnel of military medical organizations of therapeutic and infectious profile over 2015–2019, and 266 cards from the same organizations for 2020.

Results and Discussion. Study of cards for special assessment of working conditions of medical personnel of military medical organizations for 2015–2020 showed the leading role of biological factors for all categories of medical personnel. Working in the “Red zone” should be assessed as 3.3 (Degree III harmful) based on biological hazard or 4 (dangerous) due to risks of acute occupational diseases and death. This should be reflected in the results of special assessment of working conditions and compensated via reduction of working hours. However, in the context of the pandemic, actual working hours of healthcare professionals exceeded the established 39 hours per week (Article 350 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation), and the medical personnel were allowed to work with the pathogen of Group II pathogenicity without preliminary medical examinations.

Conclusion. Analysis of the results of special assessment of the working conditions of medical personnel showed that they do not reflect the actual harmful (dangerous) working conditions of employees involved in providing care to patients with new coronavirus infection in these medical and preventive institutions.

1. Bektasova M.V., Zhuravskaya N.S., Gultiyaeva L.A. Analiz struktury professional’noi zabolevaemosti i otsenka uslovii truda rabotnikov zdravookhraneniya Primorskogo kraya [Analysis of the structure of occupational morbidity and assessment of working conditions for health workers in the Primorsky territory]. Obshchestvennoe zdorov’e i zdravookhranenie [Public Health and Health Care]. 2020. N 2. Pp. 42–48.

2. Bektasova M.V., Kiku P.F., Sheparev A.A. Faktory riska v protsesse trudovoi deyatel’nosti meditsinskikh rabotnikov [Identification of risk factors in assessment of the working conditions of medical personnel]. Dal’nevostochnyi meditsinskii zhurnal [Far East Medical Journal]. 2019. N 2. Pp. 73–78. DOI: 10.35177/1994-5191-2019-2-73-78.

3. Bukhtiyarov I.V. Epidemiologicheskie i kliniko-ekspertnye problemy professional’noi infektsionnoi zabolevaemosti rabotnikov pri okazanii meditsinskoi pomoshchi v usloviyakh pandemii COVID-19 [Epidemiological, clinical, and expert problems of occupational infectious diseases of workers during medical care in the COVID-19 pandemic]. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya [Occupational medicine and industrial ecology]. 2021. N 1. Pp. 4–12. DOI: 10.31089/1026-9428-2021-61-1-4-12.

4. Denisov E.I., Prokopenko L.V., Pfaf V.F. Pandemiya COVID-19: Problemy meditsiny truda rabotnikov zdravookhraneniya [Issues of occupational health of healthcare workers and pandemic COVID-19]. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya [Occupational medicine and industrial ecology]. 2021. N 1. Pp. 49–61. DOI: 10.31089/1026-9428-2021-61-1-49-61.

5. Evdokimov V.I. Sredstva individual’noi zashchity organov dykhaniya: razvitie patentovaniya i struktura izobretenii v mire (2000–2019 gg.) [Personal respiratory protective equipment: development of patenting and structure of inventions in the world (2000–2019)]. Mediko-biologicheskie i sotsial’no-psikhologicheskie problemy bezopasnosti v chrezvychainykh situatsiyakh [Medico-Biological and Socio-Psychological Problems of Safety in Emergency Situations]. 2021. N 1. Pp. 66–81. DOI: 10.25016/2541-7487-2021-0-1-66-81.

6. Kryukov E.V., Shulenin K.S., Cherkashin D.V. [et al.]. Opyt medicinskogo obespecheniya korablej i chastej inostrannyh armij v period pandemii novoj koronavirusnoj infekcii [Experience in medical support of ships and units of foreign аrmies during the new coronavirus pandemic ]. Morskaya meditsina [Marine medicine]. 2021. N 1. Pp. 69–77. DOI: 10.22328/2413-5747-2021-7-1-69-77.

7. Mikhaylova L.A. Gigienicheskie i fiziologicheskie aspekty deyatel’nosti spetsialistov ekstremal’nykh professii [Hygienic and physiological aspects of activity of experts of extreme professions]. Fundamental’nye issledovaniya [Fundamental research]. 2014. N 10, Iss. 8. Pp. 1626–1631.

8. Petrukhin N.N., Loginova N.N., Andreenko O.N. [et al.]. Rol’ biofaktora v formirovanii professional’nykh zabolevanii u rabotnikov zdravookhraneniya [The role of the biofactor in the formation of occupational diseases in healthcare workers]. Gigiena i sanitariya [Hygiene & Sanitation]. 2018. N 12. Pp. 1231–1234. DOI: 10.18821/0016-9900-2018-97-12-1231-1234.

9. Tarasov L.A., Sukhova A.A., Shtukina E.A. Tekhnicheskie kharakteristiki sovremennykh sredstv individual’noi zashchity kozhi ot negativnykh vozdeistvii porazhayushchikh faktorov razlichnoi prirody [Technical characteristics of modern skin personal protective equipment against adverse impacts of various hazards]. Mediko-biologicheskie i sotsial’no-psikhologicheskie problemy bezopasnosti v chrezvychainykh situatsiyakh [Medico-Biological and Socio-Psychological Problems of Safety in Emergency Situations]. 2020. N 3. Pp. 76–86. DOI: 10.25016/2541-7487-2020-0-3-76-86.

10. Shpagina L.A., Kuzmina L.P., Kotova O.S. [et al.]. COVID-19 u meditsinskikh rabotnikov (obzor literatury i sobstvennye dannye) [COVID-19 in healthcare workers (literature review and own data)]. Meditsina truda i promyshlennaya ekologiya [Occupational medicine and industrial ecology]. 2021. N 1. Pp. 18–26. DOI: 10.31089/1026-9428-2021-61-1-18-26.