Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of enrolled participants
| Characteristic | Total (n = 737) | MERS-referral hospital (n = 280) | MERS-affected hospital (n = 457) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, male, n (%) | 160 (21.7%) | 51 (18.2%) | 109 (23.9%) | 0.072 |
| Age, mean (±SD), range | 33.0 (±8.5), 18–67 | 33.8 (±8.6), 18–58 | 32.6 (±8.5), 22–67 | 0.037 |
| Occupation, n (%) | ||||
| Doctor | 143 (19.4%) | 46 (16.4%) | 97 (21.2%) | |
| Nurse | 509 (69.1%) | 201 (71.8%) | 308 (67.4%) | |
| Nursing assistant | 13 (1.8%) | 3 (1.1%) | 10 (2.2%) | |
| Radiologic technologist | 17 (2.3%) | 3 (1.1%) | 14 (3.1%) | |
| Patient transporter | 12 (1.6%) | 0 | 12 (2.6%) | |
| Clerical officer/security guard | 8 (1.1%) | 1 (0.4%) | 7 (1.5%) | |
| Other | 35 (4.7%) | 26 (9.3%) | 9 (2.0%) | |
| Doctor, department, n (%)a | ||||
| Medical | 108 (76.6%) | 42 (93.3%) | 66 (68.8%) | |
| Surgical | 9 (6.4%) | 2 (4.4%) | 7 (7.3%) | |
| Emergency medicine | 23 (16.3%) | 0 | 23 (24.0%) | |
| Location of exposure, n (%)b | ||||
| Emergency room | 79 (10.7%) | 9 (3.2%) | 70 (15.3%) | <0.001 |
| Ward | 411 (55.8%) | 232 (82.9%) | 179 (39.2%) | <0.001 |
| Intensive care unit | 186 (25.2%) | 41 (14.6%) | 145 (31.7%) | <0.001 |
| Outpatient department | 40 (5.4%) | 5 (1.9%) | 35 (7.7%) | <0.001 |
| Quarantine, n (%) | ||||
| No | 340 (46.1%) | 236 (84.3%) | 104 (22.8%) | <0.001 |
| Yes | 292 (39.6%) | 7 (2.5%) | 285 (62.4%) | |
| Active surveillance, n (%) | 105 (14.2%) | 37 (13.2%) | 68 (14.9%) | |
MERS, Middle East respiratory syndrome.
a
One participant, a doctor of Oriental medicine, is excluded from department classification.
b
Some participants were exposed at multiple sites.