Analysis of the Prophylactic use of Hydroxychloroquine at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Physicians
Mehmet Gokhan Gonenli, Ilker Kayi, Nilufer Alpay-Kanitez, Tuba Baydas, Murat Kose, Emine Ayca Nalbantoglu, Mirac Vural Keskinler, Timur Selcuk Akpinar, Onder Ergonul
Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, doi:10.36519/idcm.2022.111
Objective: Throughout the pandemic, physicians working at the frontlines have embarked on various quests to protect themselves, and many physicians preferred using hydroxychloroquine (HQN) as a prophylactic agent. This study aimed to investigate the reasons leading physicians to use HQN and its effects on them.
Materials and Methods: This study is cross-sectional with a target population of physicians working in pandemic hospitals in İstanbul, Turkey. We invited participants from seven hospitals via email between May 14 and June 13, 2020. An online questionnaire, including 57 questions, was sent to physicians. Results: A total of 148 (26%) physicians out of 564 participants had used hydroxychloroquine for prevention. Older physicians and those with a history of exposure to COVID-19 patients without protection used prophylactic HQN more frequently. The use of HQN did not differ statistically in terms of being infected among the exposed physicians (p=0.52). Nineteen (13%) physicians using HQN developed side effects related to the drug. Diarrhea and nausea were the most common.
Conclusion: Prophylactic HQN use was more common among physicians older than 40 years and with higher exposure rates to a COVID-19 patient without protection. The physicians working on the front line had the highest rate of infection. HQN was not effective in the prophylaxis of COVID-19 among the exposed physicians.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Financial Disclosure: The authors declared that this study has received no financial support.
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doi:10.36519/idcm.2020.0012{ 'indexed': {'date-parts': [[2023, 1, 13]], 'date-time': '2023-01-13T07:12:17Z', 'timestamp': 1673593937524},
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'abstract': '<jats:p>Objective: Throughout the pandemic, physicians working at the frontlines have '
'embarked on various quests to protect themselves, and many physicians preferred using '
'hydroxychloroquine (HQN) as a prophylactic agent. This study aimed to investigate the reasons '
'leading physicians to use HQN and its effects on them.\n'
'\n'
'Materials and Methods: This study is cross-sectional with a target population of physicians '
'working in pandemic hospitals in İstanbul, Turkey. We invited participants from seven '
'hospitals via email between May 14 and June 13, 2020. An online questionnaire, including 57 '
'questions, was sent to physicians.\n'
'\n'
'Results: A total of 148 (26%) physicians out of 564 participants had used hydroxychloroquine '
'for prevention. Older physicians and those with a history of exposure to COVID-19 patients '
'without protection used prophylactic HQN more frequently. The use of HQN did not differ '
'statistically in terms of being infected among the exposed physicians (p=0.52). Nineteen '
'(13%) physicians using HQN developed side effects related to the drug. Diarrhea and nausea '
'were the most common.\n'
'\n'
'Conclusion: Prophylactic HQN use was more common among physicians older than 40 years and '
'with higher exposure rates to a COVID-19 patient without protection. The physicians working '
'on the front line had the highest rate of infection. HQN was not effective in the prophylaxis '
'of COVID-19 among the exposed physicians.\n'
'\n'
'Keywords: COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine, prophylaxis, physicians</jats:p>',
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