Biosafety and self-care: a priority in university training during pandemic times

Authors

Keywords:

biosafety, biological risk contentions, exposure to biological agents, self-care, higher education, pandemics.

Abstract

Introduction: Biosafety and self-care are two important practices in the training process. These should be permanently reinforced, since they are directly related not only to the risk of infections, but also to the quality of care.

Objective: To identify the scientific evidence on the biosafety and self-care training processes in the context of the pandemic.

Methods: A review of the scientific literature published between 2016 and 2020 on biosafety and self-care measures was carried out. The search was performed in Spanish, English and Portuguese, in the Virtual Health Library, PubMed, Science Direct, and the Google Scholar search engine. The PRISMA methodology was applied and a total of 25 scientific articles were assessed.

Results: The year 2020 had the highest frequency. Most of the studies were carried out in the university context in health programs. Hand hygiene and glove-wearing were the most reported biosafety measures, while warning measures are known and implemented. The publications are indicative of moderate knowledge regarding prevention of biological risk factors, especially in clinical practices.

Conclusions: The relevance of reinforcing biosafety and self-care measures to favor professional practice should be taken into account in training processes. It is important to design and rethink these processes, both in professors and students, through new methods and curricular changes. Mental health may be affected not only by the situation, but also by ignorance, fear of infection and work overload.

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Author Biographies

Consuelo Vélez Álvarez, Universidad de Caldas

Docente Titular investigadora. Segunda líder del Grupo de investigación Promoción de la Salud y Prevención de la Enfermedad, de la Universidad de Caldas. Departamento de Salud Pública

María Eugenia Pico Merchán, Universidad de Caldas

Docente Titular investigadora. Líder del Grupo de investigación Promoción de la Salud y Prevención de la Enfermedad, de la Universidad de Caldas. Departamento de Salud Pública

Claudia Patricia Jaramillo Ángel, Universidad de Caldas

Docente Titular investigadora. Decana Facultad Ciencias para la Salud Integrante del Grupo de investigación Promoción de la Salud y Prevención de la Enfermedad, de la Universidad de Caldas. Departamento de Salud Pública.

María del Pilar Escobar Potes, Universidad de Caldas

Docente Titular investigadora. Integrante del Grupo de investigación Promoción de la Salud y Prevención de la Enfermedad, de la Universidad de Caldas. Departamento de Salud Pública

Published

2022-11-27

How to Cite

1.
Vélez Álvarez C, Pico Merchán ME, Jaramillo Ángel CP, Escobar Potes M del P. Biosafety and self-care: a priority in university training during pandemic times. Educación Médica Superior [Internet]. 2022 Nov. 27 [cited 2025 Mar. 12];36(4). Available from: https://ems.sld.cu/index.php/ems/article/view/3164

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Section

Artículos Originales