key: cord-0828479-2869xpuv
authors: Koczkodaj, Paweł; Cedzyńska, Magdalena; Didkowska, Joanna
title: Smoking and SARS-CoV-2: Are Polish health professionals at higher risk of infection?
date: 2020-06-05
journal: Tob Induc Dis
DOI: 10.18332/tid/122760
sha: 7a428f89d877908f564d93f38996c599a5ff7461
doc_id: 828479
cord_uid: 2869xpuv

nan

. Percentage of nurses, midwives*, medical doctors and dentists** in Poland by age group threat for a further increase in the number of health professionals that are excluded from the healthcare system due to COVID-19 treatment and quarantine (in April 2020 there were about 4500 health professionals in quarantine 5 ). Unfortunately, the data on smoking prevalence among Polish health professionals are very limited. There are a few studies presenting percentages of medical doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives who smoke (investigated groups were small and careful inference is recommended). For example, a study conducted in 2018 6 (cohort of 423 physicians) showed that 7.8% of respondents were current smokers. Another study 7 indicated that among 544 investigated dentists 13.2% were current smokers. On the other hand, Adamek et al. 8 showed in their study that 40% of nurses smoked cigarettes.

Despite many limitations, the above data indicate that smoking is still a real health problem among health professionals, which nowadays has another important meaning. Even though the discussed data are very scarce, there is also other evidence showing that stress is a significant risk factor for smoking 9 that may explain the higher smoking prevalence among health professionals.

In view of the above data and current epidemiological circumstances, we suggest to include recommendations on the importance of smoking cessation among health professionals to the national coronavirus medical guidance as well as to existing and future coronavirus public health campaigns.

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Polish Chief Sanitary Inspectorate's Spokesperson Statement -Medycyna Praktyczna. Niemal co piąty zakażony to pracownik medyczny

Cigarette and E-Cigarette Use and Smoking Cessation Practices among Physicians in Poland

Tobacco smoking among dentists in Poland

Perceived stress and smoking-related behaviors and symptomatology in male and female smokers