COVID-somnia: Sleep disturbance among Indian nurses during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Sleep is vital for every aspect of human life. Inadequate sleep has a massive negative impact on health and work. There is very limited information about the impact of COVID-19 on the sleep disturbance of health-care workers. In our current study, we aim to find answers to certain questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep patterns on nurses working in COVID care area. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 305 health-care workers who were purposively enrolled for this study. The study was conducted at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India, from April to June 2021. An e-survey method was used to collect data. A questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, queries about sleep disturbances, and the patient health questionnaire-9 scale to assess anxiety among participants are among the research tools. Results: Mean age of health-care workers was 26.3 years (SD = 6.3). Most of them were women (81%) with a bachelor's degree in nursing (62%), nursing interns (46%), and married (71%). The majority of nurses (85%) were not infected with COVID and were given suitable personal protective equipment (46%) in the hospital. The majority of participants (45%) got 6-8 h of sleep per night did not receive any sleep therapy (90%). The most of participants (42%) reported that they did not enjoy performing activities and were under moderate stress (15.4). Conclusion: Health-care workers are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic with limited and almost hackneyed resources. Healthy sleep is everyone's right. The current situation of the pandemic has a great impact on the psychological health of frontline health-care workers by affecting their professional performance.

Clinical profile of COVID-19 patients and their length of stay: Tertiary care hospital experience.

Background: SARSCoV-2, a coronavirus that causes COVID-19, is spreading rapidly. By the middle of August-2021, it has affected over 3 million confirmed cases in India. The main aim of this study was to examine the clinical profile of COVID-19 patients and their length of stay during treatment in a hospital. Materials and Methods: It was a hospital-based retrospective study conducted by using a total enumeration technique in July-August 2021 at Nehru Hospital, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in India. The present study was conducted on 72 COVID-19 patients who took treatment in 4C and 5C wards. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data, which included bio-demographic factors and questions about their treatment and length of stay. Results: The majority of the 72 COVID-19 positive patients were men (62%), belonged to the age group of 41-60 years (35%), had SpO2 levels ranging from 91%-95% (45%), and received room air O2 therapy (63%) during their treatment in the hospital. Female patients had a longer length of stay (7.33 days), patients under the age of 20 years had the longest hospital stay (11.5 days), patients with SpO2 less than 70% had the longest hospital stay (8 days), and patients who received oxygen using a non-rebreathing mask had the longest hospital stay (11 days). Conclusion: To avoid panic situations, regular admission and discharge of patients was essential due to the considerable increase in cases during the second wave. Patient length of stay was reduced as a consequence of collaboration and cooperation among all physicians, residents, staff nurses, and paramedics, with the goal of discharging the patient after a room air trial and follow up if needed.

Telemedicine as an unexpected catalyst during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Telemedicine that also known as the practice of medicine at a distance whereby information technology is used to ensure the delivery of medical care services. Telemedicine is not a new concept in the world and India.Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) started telemedicine in India during year 2001 as a pilot project and in year 2005 Ministry of Health and family welfare started full time program of telemedicine by connecting all major health institutions. Telemedicine is connecting people across border and culture. The need-based changes are coming in telemedicine sectors such as smart apps, involvement of private sector players and high intensity internet connections reaching to rural areas and difficult demographic locations. During Covid-19 pandemic telemedicine benefited people by supplying health information and consultation without breaching them without breeching physical contact restrictions. The ease of access to telemedicine applications, its low cost, and the lack of infrastructure requirements propelled to become the top choice in these dayswhere physical distancingconsidered the aforementioned, thus we can conclude that telemedicine is promising tool.

Let's talk about mucormycosis emergency with COVID-19: Invest in future.

Despite recent breakthroughs in the detection and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic, mucormycosis is a serious infection with a high death rate. It is a filamentous fungal infection from the zygomycetes class of order mucorales. It is a fatal fungal infection with a 50% or higher overall fatality rate. Mucormycosis is a fungal infection caused by mucor, which is a mold that can be found in soil, rotting fruits, and vegetables. It can primarily affect the brain, lungs, and sinuses. It is very much fatal in patients with diabetes or who are highly immunocompromised such as patients with cancer. In addition to more than 50% mortality rate, surgical intervention may require necrotic tissue removal, which leads to severely disfiguring surgery.

Quality of Life of People with Cancer in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: A Systematic Review.

Background: The recent pandemic of COVID-19 caused havoc on the health system globally and raised a lot of questions and issues. Treatment for cancer is an emergency that cannot be taken back, particularly in an era of global pandemics. Cancer treatment mainly includes chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and palliative care, and because of the pandemic, all of these treatments are affected. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a potential effect on the quality of life and mental health of patients as well as health workers. Objective: This systematic review was intended to discuss the quality of life of people with cancer in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic in India in the light of the best available facts. Methods: An extensive literature search was done on PubMed, Medline, Embase, Clinical Key and Google Scholar databases till 3rd Feb 2021. Out of 1455 research articles, 06 research articles were included in this systematic review. Results: The results showed that cancer treatment delivery was as per standard safety protocol and the best treatment decisions were made by scheduling and setting priority. Till data, no direct research was conducted on the Indian continent to assess the quality of life of cancer patients in the COVID-19 era. The effect on the quality of life of cancer patients is very large and needs to be explored more by further research. Issues to be discussed with health care administrators and policy makers further. The tele-oncology method of cancer care delivery to patients is another rational option which is applicable as well. Conclusion: This systematic review demonstrated up-to-date evidence regarding the quality of life of cancer patients in the COVID-19 era in India. No research has been done to assess the quality of life of cancer patients. Still, the area is unrevealed, but evidence from other global studies indicates an altered quality of life for cancer patients. To maintain quality of life, cancer physicians should make evidence-based decisions and incorporate multidisciplinary management into decision making.

Strategy to prevent infection from Covid-19 among security officers of tertiary care centre: A preexperimental study.

BACKGROUND: The extensive spread of Covid-19 pandemic globally became the main cause of concern for everyone, including security officers working in a health care setting. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of instructional module for Covid-19 prevention among hospital security officers. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A preexperimental study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital from North India. A total of 344 security officers were selected by the convenient sampling technique. A self-structured knowledge and practice questionnaires and instructional module were developed based on the guidelines released by World Health Organization, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Knowledge and practice were pretested, followed by the implementation of a video cum discussion instructional module for Covid-19 prevention. A posttest of knowledge and practice assessment was done after 7 days by using the same questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to compute and analyse the data. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 29.5 ± 2.25; mos participants (75%) were male security officers. Knowledge and practice scores improved after the implementation of instructional module as mean scores of pretest to mean posttest scores had shown a significant difference (P = 0.00). In practice, instructional module was significantly effective, except for touching hair again and again, as it could be a source of covid-19 infection. CONCLUSION: This study finding highlights the significance of training security officers about the prevention of Covid-19.

Immunity boosting measures: A gateway toward preventive measure for coronavirus disease 2019

According to CDC serological test includes severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibodies checking and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction diagnostic panel in which upper and lower respiratory specimens are required. [8] GENERAL ADVICE The WHO's general advice for preventing infection includes avoiding close contact those suffering from acute respiratory infections, wash their hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water before touching the eyes, face, and mouth after potential touching of associated areas of infected environment/person, avoiding contact with wild/ farm animals. Warm water mixed with honey or lemon juice again offers advantages in healing a sore throat, relieving cough, and throat infections. [...]it is effective against all microorganisms.

Rapid Workforce Development to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience From a Tertiary Health Care Centre in North India.

Introduction During a large-scale disease outbreak, one needs to respond to the situation quickly towards capacity building, by identifying areas that require training and planning a workable strategy and implementing it. There are limited studies focused on fast-track workforce creation under challenging circumstances that demand mandatory social distancing and discouragement of gatherings. This study was conducted to analyze the planning process and implementation of fast-track training during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and evaluate its effectiveness in building a rapid, skilled, and massive workforce. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate rapid preparedness training delivered from March to June 2020, based on documents and data regarding the process, planning, and implementation for large-scale capacity building. Pre-test and post-test scores were compared to assess the effectiveness of training. The number of personnel trained was evaluated to determine the efficiency of the training program. Data on COVID-19 among health care workers (HCWs) were analyzed. Results The Advanced Center of Continuous Professional Development acted as the central facility, quickly responding to the situation. A total of 327 training sessions were conducted, including 76 online sessions with 153 instructors. The capacity-building of 2,706 individuals (913 clinicians and 1,793 nurses, paramedics, and non-medical staff) was achieved through multiple parallel sessions on general precautionary measures and specialized skills within four months. The rate of hospital staff infected with COVID-19 was found to be 0.01% over five months. Conclusions A fast-track, efficient, large-scale workforce can be created through a central facility even under challenging circumstances which restrict gatherings and require physical distancing. A training action plan for disease outbreaks would be a useful resource to tackle such medical emergencies affecting substantial populations in future.