Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
Study

Not sick enough to worry? "Influenza-like" symptoms and work-related behavior among healthcare workers and other professionals: results of a global survey.

Tartari E, Saris K, Kenters N, et al. Not sick enough to worry? "Influenza-like" symptoms and work-related behavior among healthcare workers and other professionals: Results of a global survey. PLoS One. 2020;15(5). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0232168.

Save
Print
June 3, 2020
Tartari E, Saris K, Kenters N, et al. PLoS One. 2020;15(5).
View more articles from the same authors.

Presenteeism among healthcare workers can lead to burnout and healthcare-associated infections, but prior research has found that significant numbers of healthcare workers continue to work despite having influenza-like illness. This study surveyed 249 healthcare workers and 284 non-healthcare workers from 49 countries about their behaviors when experiencing influenza-like illness between October 2018 and January 2019. Overall, 59% of workers would continue to work when experiencing influenza-like illness, and the majority of healthcare workers (89.2-99.2%) and non-healthcare workers (80-96.5%) would continue to work with mild symptoms, such as a mild cough, fatigue or sinus cold.  Fewer non-healthcare workers (16.2%) than healthcare workers (26.9%) would continue working with fever alone.

Save
Print
Cite
Citation

Tartari E, Saris K, Kenters N, et al. Not sick enough to worry? "Influenza-like" symptoms and work-related behavior among healthcare workers and other professionals: Results of a global survey. PLoS One. 2020;15(5). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0232168.