ABSTRACT
Some have touted technology as a panacea for overcoming the isolation associated with COVID-19 mitigation policies; yet, these tools are not widely adopted by older adults. With data from the COVID-19 supplement to the National Health and Aging Trends Survey, we conduct adjusted Poisson regression modeling to examine digital communications use during COVID-19 and feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults (65+ years of age). Adjusted Poisson regression revealed that those who reported frequent use of video calls with friends and family (aPR = 1.22, 95% CI:1.06-1.41) and with healthcare providers (aPR = 1.22, 95% CI:1.03-1.45) were more likely to report feelings of anxiety than those not using these platforms; yet, reports of in-person visits with friends and family (aPR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66-0.93) and with healthcare providers (aPR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.77-1.01) were associated with fewer feelings of depression and loneliness, respectively. Future research is needed to tailor digital technology to support older adults.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: To determine the association between the laboratory biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP), Ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Procalcitonin, and D-dimer) with complications and in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Emergency Medicine of Aga Khan University Hospital from April 01, 2020, to July 31, 2020. Descriptive statistics were presented as Mean±SD and Median along with Range. The frequencies and percentages were calculated for all categorical variables. Univariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to evaluate the significant association between the laboratory biomarkers and in-hospital mortality. Results: A total of 310 adult COVID positive patients were included. The most common complication was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (37.1%), followed by myocardial injury (MI) (10.7%), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (0.6%), and pulmonary embolism (PE) (0.3%). In-hospital mortality was 15.2%. In univariate analysis, it was observed that increased values of all biomarkers were significantly associated with the prediction of in-hospital mortality using binary logistic regression analysis (OR > 1.0, P <0.05). In multivariate analysis, increased levels of LDH and D-dimer at admission were significantly associated with increased odds of mortality (P <0.05). Conclusion: Serum CRP, ferritin, Procalcitonin, LDH, and D-dimer levels at the time of admission can predict complications like ARDS and MI and also predict mortality in COVID-19 infection. Serum LDH and D-dimer are the best amongst them for predicting mortality.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Traditional, instructor led, in-person training of CPR skills has become more challenging due to COVID-19 pandemic. We compared the learning outcomes of standard in-person CPR training (ST) with alternative methods of training such as hybrid or online-only training (AT) on CPR performance, quality, and knowledge among laypersons with no previous CPR training. METHODS: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for relevant articles from January 1995 to May 2020. Covidence was used to review articles by two independent researchers. Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool was used to assess quality of the manuscripts. RESULTS: Of the 978 articles screened, twenty met the final inclusion criteria. All included studies had an experimental design and moderate to strong global quality rating. The trainees in ST group performed better on calling 911, time to initiate chest compressions, hand placement and chest compression depth. Trainees in AT group performed better in assessing scene safety, calling for help, response time including initiating first rescue breathing, adequate ventilation volume, compression rates, shorter hands-off time, confidence, willingness to perform CPR, ability to follow CPR algorithm, and equivalent or better knowledge retention than standard teaching methodology. CONCLUSION: AT methods of CPR training provide an effective alternative to the standard in-person CPR for large scale public training.