COVID-19 and clinic workflow optimization using lean six sigma.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the workflow of clinics. We applied Lean Six Sigma processes to optimize clinic workflow to reduce patient wait times and improve the patient experience. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: We implemented (1) pushing most extended wait times to the end of the workflow by rooming the patient directly and (2) using distractions during the waiting process by using educational videos and a timer for physician arrival in the patient exam room. We compared the patient wait times and subcomponents of Press Ganey scores as a surrogate for changes in patient experience and satisfaction from the preimplementation period (n = 277) to the 3-month (September 1, 2020, to November 30, 2020) postimplementation period (n = 218). RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in overall throughput time (38 vs 35 minutes) and wait before rooming (11 vs 8 minutes), and increased physician time with patients (15 vs 17 minutes) (P < .0001 for all). These results corresponded with a significant improvement in Press Ganey subcomponents of (1) waiting time in the exam room before being seen by the care provider, (2) degree to which you were informed about any delays, (3) wait time at clinic (from arriving to leaving), and (4) length of wait before going to an exam room (P < .001 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Simple, inexpensive measures can improve patient engagement and provide a safe setting for patients for clinic visits in the wake of COVID-19. In the future, clinics' common wait areas could be reappropriated to increase the number of clinic exam rooms.

Remdesivir-induced conduction abnormalities: A molecular model-based explanation

Purpose: Remdesivir use in COVID-19 is associated with cardiac conduction abnormalities from unclear mechanisms. A proposed mechanism is the bioaccumulation of the intermediate metabolite GS-441524 resulting in exogenous activation of cardiac adenosine A1 due to the structural similarity between adenosine and GS-441524. The prolonged half-life of GS-441524 can result in sustained activation of adenosine A1 receptors. In this study, we used molecular modeling of adenosine, GS-441524 and the adenosine A1 receptor to assess the potential mechanistic association of the proposed mechanism. Methods: Adenosine and GS-441524 structures were acquired from the PubChem database. Ligand docking was carried out using UCSF Chimera. Models were chosen based on greatest binding affinity and minimum root mean square deviation. Figures of resulting structural models were prepared using UCSF Chimera or PyMOL 2.3.5. Results: By modeling the interaction between the A1 G protein complex and both adenosine and GS-441524, we found that the proposed mechanism of exogenous A1 receptor activation is feasible based on docking compatibility. Conclusion: The proposed mechanism of exogenous cardiac A1 receptor activation from bioaccumulation of GS-441524 as a cause of observed cardiac conduction abnormalities with the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 is viable. Further studies are needed to assess causality.

Remdesivir-induced conduction abnormalities: A molecular model-based explanation.

Purpose: Remdesivir use in COVID-19 is associated with cardiac conduction abnormalities from unclear mechanisms. A proposed mechanism is the bioaccumulation of the intermediate metabolite GS-441524 resulting in exogenous activation of cardiac adenosine A1 due to the structural similarity between adenosine and GS-441524. The prolonged half-life of GS-441524 can result in sustained activation of adenosine A1 receptors. In this study, we used molecular modeling of adenosine, GS-441524 and the adenosine A1 receptor to assess the potential mechanistic association of the proposed mechanism. Methods: Adenosine and GS-441524 structures were acquired from the PubChem database. Ligand docking was carried out using UCSF Chimera. Models were chosen based on greatest binding affinity and minimum root mean square deviation. Figures of resulting structural models were prepared using UCSF Chimera or PyMOL 2.3.5. Results: By modeling the interaction between the A1 G protein complex and both adenosine and GS-441524, we found that the proposed mechanism of exogenous A1 receptor activation is feasible based on docking compatibility. Conclusion: The proposed mechanism of exogenous cardiac A1 receptor activation from bioaccumulation of GS-441524 as a cause of observed cardiac conduction abnormalities with the use of remdesivir in COVID-19 is viable. Further studies are needed to assess causality.

Alcohol-Based Sanitizers: An Effective Means for Preventing the Spread of Contagious Viral Diseases Including COVID-19

The global community is struggling with the highly contagious COVID-19. Returning to "normal life" now poses risks, and the use of appropriate protective measures has become necessary to continue daily life and protect public health. The main protective measures to prevent transmission of COVID-19 are masks, soaps and disinfectants. Because coronavirus is a "lipid-enveloped virus", it is very sensitive to lipid-dissolving chemicals and can therefore be effectively removed by washing hands sufficiently with soap and water. However, using an alcohol-based disinfectant is a more viable option for outdoor use. Alcohol-based disinfectants are inexpensive, immediately effective, easy to use and better tolerated by the skin compared to other disinfectants. WHO recommends disinfectants containing 75% isopropanol or 80% ethanol as highly effective in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2-virus. The current review discusses the role of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) in preventing the spread of viruses, their side effects on human health, and suggests the use of alcohol-based sanitizers as potentially effective in combating the current epidemic. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] Die Weltgemeinschaft kämpft mit dem hochansteckenden COVID-19. Die Rückkehr zu einem „normalen Leben" birgt nun Risiken, und die Anwendung geeigneter Schutzmaßnahmen ist notwendig geworden, um das tägliche Leben weiterzuführen und die öffentliche Gesundheit zu schützen. Die wichtigsten Schutzmaßnahmen zur Verhinderung der Übertragung von COVID-19 sind Masken, Seifen und Desinfektionsmittel. Da das Coronavirus ein „lipidumhülltes Virus" ist, reagiert es sehr empfindlich auf lipidauflösende Chemikalien und kann daher durch ausreichendes Waschen der Hände mit Wasser und Seife effektiv entfernt werden. Die Verwendung eines Desinfektionsmittels auf Alkoholbasis ist jedoch eine praktikablere Option für den Einsatz im Freien. Desinfektionsmittel auf Alkoholbasis sind preiswert, sofort wirksam, einfach anzuwenden und werden im Vergleich zu anderen Desinfektionsmitteln besser von der Haut vertragen. Die WHO empfiehlt Desinfektionsmitteln mit 75% Isopropanol oder 80% Ethanol als hochwirksam bei der Inaktivierung des SARS-CoV-2-Virus. Die aktuelle Übersichtsarbeit diskutiert die Rolle von alkoholbasierten Händedesinfektionsmitteln bei der Verhinderung der Ausbreitung von Viren, ihre Nebenwirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit und schlägt die Verwendung von alkoholbasierten Desinfektionsmitteln als potenziell wirksam bei der Bekämpfung der aktuellen Epidemie vor. (German) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Tenside Surfactants Detergents is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Timing of venous thromboembolism diagnosis in hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The reported incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in COVID-19 patients varies widely depending on patient populations sampled and has been predominately studied in hospitalized patients. The goal of this study was to assess the evolving burden of COVID-19 and the timing of associated VTE events in a systems-wide cohort. METHODS: COVID-19 PCR positive hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients ≥18 years of age tested between 1/1/2020 through 12/31/2020 were retrospectively analyzed using electronic medical records from multiple states across the Mayo Clinic enterprise. Radiology reports within 90 days before and after confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis were examined for VTE outcomes using validated Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms. RESULTS: A 29-fold increased rate of VTE compared to the pre-COVID-19 period was noted during the first week following the first positive COVID-19 test (RR: 29.39; 95% CI 21.77-40.03). The rate of VTE steadily decreased and returned to baseline by the 6th week. Among 366 VTE events, most occurred during (n = 243, 66.3%) or after (n = 111, 30.3%) initial hospitalization. Only 11 VTE events were identified in patients who did not require hospitalization (3.0% of total VTE events). VTE and mortality increased with advancing age with a pronounced increased each decade in older patients. CONCLUSION: We observed a profoundly increased risk of VTE within the first week after positive testing for COVID-19 that returned to baseline levels after 6 weeks. VTE events occurred almost exclusively in patients who were hospitalized, with the majority of VTE events identified within the first days of hospitalization.

Thromboinflammatory Biomarkers in COVID-19: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 17,052 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in thromboinflammatory biomarkers between patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection/death and mild infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, EBSCO, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases were searched for studies comparing thromboinflammatory biomarkers in COVID-19 among patients with severe COVID-19 disease or death (severe/nonsurvivors) and those with nonsevere disease or survivors (nonsevere/survivors) from January 1, 2020, through July 11, 2020. Inclusion criteria were (1) hospitalized patients 18 years or older comparing severe/nonsurvivors vs nonsevere/survivors and (2) biomarkers of inflammation and/or thrombosis. A random-effects model was used to estimate the weighted mean difference (WMD) between the 2 groups of COVID-19 severity. RESULTS: We included 75 studies with 17,052 patients. The severe/nonsurvivor group was older, had a greater proportion of men, and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, cardiac or cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, malignancy, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thromboinflammatory biomarkers were significantly higher in patients with severe disease, including D-dimer (WMD, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.71; I 2 =83.85%), fibrinogen (WMD, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.67; I 2 =61.88%; P<.001), C-reactive protein (CRP) (WMD, 35.74; 95% CI, 30.16 to 41.31; I 2 =85.27%), high-sensitivity CRP (WMD, 62.68; 95% CI, 45.27 to 80.09; I 2 =0%), interleukin 6 (WMD, 22.81; 95% CI, 17.90 to 27.72; I 2 =90.42%), and ferritin (WMD, 506.15; 95% CI, 356.24 to 656.06; I 2 =52.02%). Moderate to significant heterogeneity was observed for all parameters (I 2 > 25%). Subanalysis based on disease severity, mortality, and geographic region of the studies revealed similar inferences. CONCLUSION: Thromboinflammatory biomarkers (D-dimer, fibrinogen, CRP, high-sensitivity CRP, ferritin, and interleukin 6) and marker of end-organ damage (high-sensitivity troponin I) are associated with increased severity and mortality in COVID-19 infection.

Macrovascular Thrombotic Events in a Mayo Clinic Enterprise-Wide Sample of Hospitalized COVID-19-Positive Compared With COVID-19-Negative Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the difference in the rate of thromboembolic complications between hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-positive compared with COVID-19-negative patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adult patients hospitalized from January 1, 2020, through May 8, 2020, who had COVID-19 testing by polymerase chain reaction assay were identified through electronic health records across multiple hospitals in the Mayo Clinic enterprise. Thrombotic outcomes (venous and arterial) were identified from the hospital problem list. RESULTS: We identified 3790 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 testing across 19 hospitals, 102 of whom had positive test results. The median age was lower in the COVID-positive patients (62 vs 67 years; P=.03). The median duration of hospitalization was longer in COVID-positive patients (8.5 vs 4 days; P<.001) and more required intensive care unit care (56.9% [58 of 102] vs 26.8% [987 of 3688]; P<.001). Comorbidities, including atrial fibrillation/flutter, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and malignancy, were observed less frequently with COVID-positive admissions. Any venous thromboembolism was identified in 2.9% of COVID-positive patients (3 of 102) and 4.6% of COVID-negative patients (168 of 3688). The frequency of venous and arterial events was not different between the groups. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for COVID-positive-patients for any venous thromboembolism was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.19 to 2.02). A multivariable logistic regression model evaluated death within 30 days of hospital discharge; neither COVID positivity (adjusted OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.54 to 2.34) nor thromboembolism (adjusted OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.32) was associated with death. CONCLUSION: Early experience in patients with COVID-19 across multiple academic and regional hospitals representing different US regions demonstrates a lower than previously reported incidence of thrombotic events. This incidence was not higher than a contemporary COVID-negative hospitalized comparator.