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Introduction: Patients who have recovered from acute COVID-19 continue to have persistent respiratory symptoms and we established Post-COVID respiratory clinic (PCRC) to evaluate them. Method(s): This is a retrospective study of patients who had presented to the PCRC. Full pulmonary function test and chest radiography were done and the images were scored for severity using radiographic assessment of lung edema(RALE) & Yasin score. Result(s): One hundred patients presented after a mean duration of 9 weeks after the acute illness. The most common symptom was dyspnoea in 55% of the patients. There was good correlation of Chest Xray scores with the lung function. Comparison of clinical, radiologic and lung function parameters showed that more patients presenting in PCR clinic with dyspnoea had dyspnoea during acute COVID-19 compared to those without dyspnoea. There was no correlation of dyspnoea with lung function parameters and Chest Xray scores. Conclusion(s): Dyspnoea is the commonest symptom in post-COVID-19 patients and it has no correlation to lung function parameters and Chest Xray abnormalities.
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BACKGROUND: Building on a distinguished history of community medicine training, public health programs have been expanding in India in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought additional attention to the importance of public health programs and the need for a strong workforce. This paper aims to assess the current capacity for public health education and training in India and provide recommendations for improved approaches to meet current and future public health needs. METHODS: We conducted a desk review of public health training programs via extensive internet searches, literature reviews, and expert faculty consultations. Among those programs, we purposively selected faculty members to participate in in-depth interviews. We developed summary statistics based on the desk review. For qualitative analysis, we utilized a combination of deductive and inductive coding to identify key themes and systematically reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of each theme. RESULTS: The desk review captured 59 institutions offering public health training across India. The majority of training programs were graduate level degrees including Master of Public Health and Master of Science degrees. Key factors impacting these programs included collaborations, mentorship, curriculum standardization, tuition and funding, and student demand for public health education and careers. Collaborations and mentorship were highly valued but varied in quality across institutions. Curricula lacked standardization but also contained substantial flexibility and innovation as a result. Public sector programs were perceived to be affordable though fees and stipends varied across institutions. Further development of career opportunities in public health is needed. CONCLUSION: Public health education and training in India have a strong foothold. There are numerous opportunities for continued expansion and strengthening of this field, to support a robust multi-disciplinary public health workforce that will contribute towards achieving the sustainable development goals.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Students, Public Health , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Curriculum , India , Pandemics , Public Health/educationABSTRACT
World is suffering from a pandemic situation due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) since December 2019. In this emergency, everyone at individual/country/global level is trying to contribute at their best with their available knowledge and resources. However, more and more research and developmental activities are going on but, the reality is far away for a grass-root level health professional. They rely on the indirect sources, that is, published or unpublished literature, social media, internet etc. Many a time, these sources may share an unrealistic or false positive/negative information. Our study was intended to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices related to COVID-19 among the healthcare professionals of different levels. We conducted an online survey after the initiation of the first lockdown in India. Our research team in consultation with the subject experts designed a mix method-based study tool and shared it by sending emails to 1,200 participants. A total of 180 respondents participated in the online survey of which 34% were government health professionals and 24% were working with a research/academic institution. All participants were between 23 and 74 years age group (mean 39 years). Participants shared their views on first, knowledge about symptoms, preventive measures and treatment options for COVID-19. Second, on attitude towards handling COVID-19 pandemic using social distancing, following lockdown and travel advisory, etc. Third, on the practice of non-pharmaceutical measures to prevent COVID-19. We found that the social media platform acted as one of the most important platforms for awareness generation regarding COVID-19 but it was also generating stigma among people. Till the time of the survey, there is still a dearth of knowledge about social distancing and what it means, especially physical distance of 1–3 metres and correct usage of mask in different situations. Various important issues pertaining to infant feeding practices, mother and childcare and disposal of dead bodies of COVID infected persons require deliberations and awareness. © 2022 SAGE Publications.
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Today's generation wants everything easier, faster and automatic. During this corona pandemic, health and safety of each and every individual, either who is traveling through flights or working at an airport is a big issue. Usually, when we go to an airport, we go through many checks, and before boarding the flight, the security check-in, our luggage bags are counted and tagged by the person working at the counter of the airport. The luggage bags are put on the conveyor belt and the person working at the counter has to count the luggage bags by himself, he has to stick the tags on the luggage bags. None of the airports provides the facility of automatic counting of the luggage bags and sticking tags on them. And during this COVID-19 pandemic, we should avoid touching maximum things. This research paper provides a new technique for the same and that in a smart way. In this research, we are providing a novel approach to create an automatic system which will help to make the airport a smart one with IOT sensors and devices. Smart Airport also provides the counting of the luggage bags, tagging of the luggage bags, checking the presence of metallic objects in the luggage bags in a single embedded system. This approach will help the human society in maintaining social distancing and help them to save their time. © 2021 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The current outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a pandemic. All COVID-19-affected countries in the world are implementing containment interventions and trying their best to fight against the disease to halt the further spread of the infection and to reduce mortality. The public health workforce and healthcare staff in clinical settings are playing a crucial role in the early detection of cases, contact tracing and treatment of patients. The availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and their consistent, proper use by healthcare providers and public health professionals is a crucial factor in combating any infectious disease in a crisis. The requirement of PPE has exponentially increased, as more and more countries are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid spread of the pandemic has created a temporary shortage of PPE in many countries, including India. The lack of PPE has affected the morale of healthcare workers (HCWs) and other frontline warriors in fighting the coronavirus disease, as more than 22,000 health workers in 56 countries have suffered from COVID-19. Some of them have succumbed to it across all countries, including India (WHO). We have reviewed the available literature to understand the challenges in ensuring adequate availability and consistent use of PPE and the strategies for the rational use of PPE in India. Our study reveals that India has responded swiftly to enhance the accessibility of PPE and put in place strategies for the judicious use of PPE to reduce the incidence of the COVID-19 infection to a bare minimum in healthcare settings. In the present article, we report the current status of COVID-19 among HCWs. We have reviewed the challenges and the surge strategies adopted by India to produce or procure good-quality PPE and supply it to all service delivery points in adequate quantities.