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Volume 11, Number 4—April 2005
Dispatch

Patient Contact Recall after SARS Exposure

Popy Dimoulas*, Karen A. Green*, Altynay Shigayeva*, Michael Aquino*, Allison McGeer*Comments to Author , Damon C. Scales*, and Toronto SARS Hospital Investigation Team
Author affiliations: *University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

Main Article

Table 1

Characteristics of healthcare workers and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) index patient contact

Characteristics* No. (%) of healthcare workers (N = 27)
Demographic characteristics
  Age group (y)
     20–29 7 (26)
     30–39 9 (33)
     40–49 8 (30)
     ≥50 3 (11)
  Sex: female 18 (67)
  Occupation
     Nurse 10 (37)
     Respiratory therapist 8 (30)
     Other† 9 (33)
  No. with laboratory-confirmed SARS
3 (11)
Contact characteristics
  Cumulative time spent in patient’s room‡
     <10 min 9 (35)
     11–30 min 8 (31)
     31 min–4 h 6 (23)
     >4 h 3 (11)
  Touched patient 16 (59)
  Face <3 feet of patient 18 (67)
  Contact with mucous membranes or respiratory secretions 7 (26)
  Patient coughing or spitting while healthcare worker was present 11 (41)
  Performed or assisted with intubation 2 (7)

*Characteristics ascertained from initial interview.
†Other occupation categories include service assistants, residents, 1 physician, and 1 pharmacist.
‡Based on 26 healthcare worker responses.

Main Article

1B. Henry (Toronto Public Health), S. Paton (Health Canada), T. Stewart (Mount Sinai Hospital), D. Zoutman (Kingston General Hospital), J.M. Raboud and U.R. Saskin (Mount Sinai Hospital), M. Loeb (Hamilton Health Sciences Center), A.E. Simor and M. Vearncombe (Sunnybrook and Women’s College Hospital), C. MacDonald (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), E. Bontovics (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care)

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The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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