Efficiency rating of SG Diagnostics COVID-19 antigen rapid test kit.

Aim: Rapid detection is crucial in complementing vaccination to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Materials & methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs (n = 213) and oropharyngeal swabs (n = 98) were tested. with the antigen rapid test kit. Results: Overall sensitivity (97.96%), specificity (100.00%) and coincidence rate (98.71%) were high, which translated into a positive predictive value of 100.00% and a negative predictive value of 96.64%. Conclusion: Antigen rapid tests have a great potential for screening in different settings to deliver results with high sensitivity and specificity.

This study evaluated SG Diagnostics COVID-19 antigen rapid test kit. The overall sensitivity, specificity and coincidence rate were found very high with SG Diagnostics COVID-19 antigen rapid test kit performing better.

Protecting hospitals from SARS-CoV-2 infection: A review-based comprehensive strategy for COVID-19 prevention and control.

SUMMARY: SARS-CoV-2-related infection can determine hospital-acquired infections among patients and healthcare workers. Aim of this paper was to review the literature for developing a strategy for protecting healthcare workers, patients, and visitors by COVID-19 hospital infection. A critical and rapid revision of the literature and international standards and Regulations on this topic allowed us to propose an evidencebased strategy in the framework of the workplace risk assessment for preventing nosocomial COVID-19 outbreaks. The virus' high transmissibility, the high prevalence of asymptomatic carriers and false-negative Covid-19 rates on naso- and oropharingeal swabs, put hospitals at high-risk of COVID-19 outbreaks. A comprehensive strategy based on standard precautions, administrative, environmental, and engineering controls, a screening protocol for patients on their admission to hospital, and a testing-based strategy for HCWs within health surveillance programs may prevent the onset of hospital outbreaks, which are a threat to community, patients and HCWs, compromising the sustainability of healthcare facilities.

Measuring burnout syndrome requires reliable and standardized measures

Keywords: Burnout syndrome;burnout measure;emergency healthcare workers;Maslach Burnout Inventory;occupational health EN Burnout syndrome burnout measure emergency healthcare workers Maslach Burnout Inventory occupational health 325 326 2 08/25/22 20220901 NES 220901 Dear Editor in Chief, We have appreciated the paper by Zakaria et al. showing a high prevalence of burnout syndrome (BOS) among emergency healthcare workers (HCWs) in Malaysia during COVID-19 pandemic.[1] This finding is certainly in line with the literature as high levels of stress, fear, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorders among emergency and frontline HCWs during the COVID-19 have resulted in high levels of BOS and turnover intention.[2] However, the instrument (i.e. the "Burnout Questionnaire Form") used by Zakaria et al. for measuring BOS raises some concerns. Burnout syndrome, burnout measure, emergency healthcare workers, Maslach Burnout Inventory, occupational health This latter focuses on six "Areas of Worklife" (AWS) and could be used in combination with the MBI for conducting among HCWs analyses of association between their burnout profile and job-related factors. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine is the property of Sage Publications Inc. 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.)

Point-of-care testing as the future of pre-hospital emergency medicine: an overview

Point-of-care testing (POCT) plays an increasingly important role in pre-emergency medicine by ensuring that patient's continuum of care is commenced before arrival at health facilities. Given the benefits of POCT during the COVID-19 pandemic, this commentary described the advantages and disadvantages of POCT, and its current practices in pre-hospital emergency medicine. Point-of-care tests are easy to operate, cost-effective, and yield quick and accurate response, but are posed with challenges such as safety errors, poor adherence to quality control standards, and inspection errors. To optimize the benefits of POCT in pre-emergency medicine, it is required that regular trainings are conducted for POCT operators, and total compliance to POCT handling and management guidelines should be considered by each POCT operator. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Signa Vitae is the property of Pharmamed Mado Ltd. 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.)

Coping with the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: implications for an improved outbreak response.

The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has commenced. To avert increase in cases and avert preventable deaths, community engagement strategies such as the promotion of vaccination, voluntary testing and debunking of COVID-19-related rumors need to be undertaken.

Coronavirus disease 2019: the second wave in Italy

PurposeThis paper describes how Italy addressed the first Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wave and analyzes the possible causes of the current second wave.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive analysis of critical points and differences in the containment strategies between the first and the second waves in Italy.FindingsItaly's strict lockdown has been credited with getting the initial major outbreak under control. Furthermore, the way Italy handled the first wave was considered a lesson for other countries. On the contrary, a decentralized and highly bureaucratic political system with low coordination and political conflicts between government, regions and stakeholders led to a relaxation of individual health behaviors, poor and conflicting communication to the general public, poor management of the public transport and the reopening of schools and companies after the summer, that in turn generated the second wave, which is showing signs of becoming worse than the first.Originality/valueThis is a commentary piece.

Severity of respiratory failure at admission and in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19: a prospective observational multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 causes lung parenchymal and endothelial damage that lead to hypoxic acute respiratory failure (hARF). The influence of hARF severity on patients' outcomes is still poorly understood. DESIGN: Observational, prospective, multicentre study. SETTING: Three academic hospitals in Milan (Italy) involving three respiratory high dependency units and three general wards. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive adult hospitalised patients with a virologically confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Patients aged <18 years or unable to provide informed consent were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: Anthropometrical, clinical characteristics and blood biomarkers were assessed within the first 24 hours from admission. hARF was graded as follows: severe (partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (PaO2/FiO2) <100 mm Hg); moderate (PaO2/FiO2 101-200 mm Hg); mild (PaO2/FiO2 201-300 mm Hg) and normal (PaO2/FiO2 >300 mm Hg). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the assessment of clinical characteristics and in-hospital mortality based on the severity of respiratory failure. Secondary outcomes were intubation rate and application of continuous positive airway pressure during hospital stay. RESULTS: 412 patients were enrolled (280 males, 68%). Median (IQR) age was 66 (55-76) years with a PaO2/FiO2 at admission of 262 (140-343) mm Hg. 50.2% had a cardiovascular disease. Prevalence of mild, moderate and severe hARF was 24.4%, 21.9% and 15.5%, respectively. In-hospital mortality proportionally increased with increasing impairment of gas exchange (p<0.001). The only independent risk factors for mortality were age ≥65 years (HR 3.41; 95% CI 2.00 to 5.78, p<0.0001), PaO2/FiO2 ratio ≤200 mm Hg (HR 3.57; 95% CI 2.20 to 5.77, p<0.0001) and respiratory failure at admission (HR 3.58; 95% CI 1.05 to 12.18, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: A moderate-to-severe impairment in PaO2/FiO2 was independently associated with a threefold increase in risk of in-hospital mortality. Severity of respiratory failure is useful to identify patients at higher risk of mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04307459.