COPE-West Midlands

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  COPE-West Midlands: The contribution of occupational exposures to risk of COVID-19 and approaches to control among healthcare workers

• IRAS ID

  287600

• Contact name

  Peymane Adab

• Contact email

  p.adab@bham.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Birmingham

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Healthcare workers have higher risk of getting coronavirus (COVID-19 disease). Contact with infected patients, the type of work and measures such as use of masks affect their risk. However, factors outside the workplace are also important. For example, being older, from minority ethnic groups, some health conditions and home circumstances increase risk. We don’t know how these aspects compare with workplace risks, or which work exposures are most risky. We will invite about 5000 staff with different job-roles and departments from three large West Midlands NHS Trusts to join our study. These will include workers who had a COVID-19 test because of symptoms. We will also invite some workers with no symptoms. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire covering:
  - type and nature of work
  - extent and nature of contact with COVID-19 patients (direct, cleaning, transport etc)
  - ability to comply with recommended infection control procedures
  - home/family circumstances; travel
  - personal data and health conditions

  We will compare workplace exposures and other characteristics amongst those who had positive with those who had negative tests. Our findings will help us to better understand the risk of infection among healthcare workers and to develop guidelines to reduce risk.

• REC name

  London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  20/HRA/4451

• Date of REC Opinion

  18 Sep 2020

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion