The Spread of COVID-19 Among 15,000 Physical Therapists in Italy: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Silvia Gianola, Silvia Bargeri, Isabella Campanini and 6 others
PMID 33970270WHAT IT FOUND
Among Italian physical therapists who were swab tested, 13.1% had positive results.
Working in a health care institution, being moved to another unit, and changing tasks were linked to positive tests. Loss of smell and taste were common symptoms.
Key findings
013.6% of the overall respondent cohort had a positive nasopharyngeal swab test, and 13.1% of those who received testing had a positive result.
02Working in a health care institution, being reallocated to a different unit, and changing job tasks were associated with positive swab results, with odds ratios of 12.0, 1.9, and 1.6 respectively.
03Among physical therapists with positive swab tests, the most common symptoms were fatigue and tiredness (69.1%), loss of smell (64.5%), aches and pains (60.8%), loss of taste (58.3%), and headache (51.1%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 43.3% of active registered physical therapists responded, and the authors did not analyse non-respondents, so the sample may not represent all therapists. Diagnosis and symptoms were self-reported in an anonymous survey, so accuracy is uncertain. Questions required recall over a month, so timing and symptoms may be inaccurate. The survey could not fully link exposure to disease development, because people with symptoms in February might have negative tests later. PPE type and use were heterogeneous, so the study could not clarify whether PPE reduced risk. The associations are cross-sectional, so they do not prove that working in a health care institution, reallocation, or task change caused infection. Testing was not universal, so the 3.6% overall positive rate may underestimate true infection.
Declared interests
The Italian Association of Physiotherapy (AIFI) supported only the Survey Monkey license. Its Scientific Committee did not receive fees for design, preparation, review, or approval.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the high odds ratios as proof that these work changes caused infection. The survey was cross-sectional and self-reported, and the authors say these associations need confirmation by cohort studies.