Lessons learnt about transmission of COVID-19 in acute care settings
Enrique Castro-Sánchez PhD MPH BSc RGN DipTropNurs PgDip DLSHTM FEANS1,2,3
1City, University of London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, UK, enrique.castro-sanchez@city.ac.uk
2Infection Prevention & Control Programme, NHS England & NHS Improvement, London Road, London, SE1 6LH, UK
3Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
The rapid and dramatic surge of persons requiring hospital admission worldwide due to COVID-19 infection placed a large burden on healthcare professionals and services to meet the needs of patients. Multiple COVID-19 specific factors, such as an initial uncertainty surrounding the characteristics of the new coronavirus or optimal infection prevention and control measures together with equipment shortages, combined with chronic staff shortages and struggling public health systems facilitated potential exposure of healthcare workers and non-COVID-19 patients to SARS-CoV-2 in acute settings.
The session will review the extant evidence on nosocomial transmission to and from healthcare workers and patients, reflect upon the documented nosocomial outbreaks, and identify key areas for further research.
Biography:
Enrique Castro-Sánchez combines positions as Lecturer in Adult Nursing at City, University of London; IPC Clinical Fellow at NHE England/Improvement; and Honorary Lecturer at the Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London.
Enrique’s research interests include health literacy and policy influence on infectious diseases, and novel education and training tools for clinicians and citizens around infection and stewardship.
He has a PhD in Nursing by University of Alicante (Spain), and MSc in Public Health by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has a broad clinical experience in infectious diseases, tuberculosis, and HIV. Enrique is a Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholar, associate editor of BMC Public Health, BMC Health Services Research, and JAC-AMR journals, and was designated as Emerging Leader in International Infectious Diseases in 2016 by the International Society for Infectious Diseases.