ABSTRACT
BackgroundThe mental health of medical students is notoriously poor, and with the additional challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been greater concern for the wellbeing of the current cohort. This cross-sectional study investigates the impact of coping strategies used by Australian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health improvement, including exercise, using social media, and connecting with family and friends. MethodsAn anonymous questionnaire was shared with medical students from all years via Facebook and General Practice Students Networks’ communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of a variety of lockdown coping strategies utilised by participants was assessed using SPSS.ResultsThere were 321 participants in this study, 69.6% of whom were females, 54.9% in their pre-clinical years, and 70.5% between the ages of 18-24. The results showed that nearly 80% of participants credited their mental health improvement to peri-lockdown strategies. The logistic regression analysis demonstrated that reading (non-medical books) and spending more time with family were the most notable peri-lockdown strategies associated with mental health improvement. Interestingly, some coping strategies made some participants more “demotivated” and were in fact more “addictive” which “took away from study time”, especially video games, TV series and movies. ConclusionIn quantitatively and qualitatively illustrating the impact of peri-lockdown coping strategies, we hope that medical faculties and mental health support networks within medicine may more appropriately tailor support and resources for students, not only in this time of hardship, but also for the many challenges ahead of all medical students. More specifically, medical faculty leads could explore the possible implementation of small reminders in the course curriculum, i.e. at the end of lecture and study material, to remind students to take breaks from studying, through reading and/or spending more time with family.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic threatens to overwhelm the capacity of a vulnerable healthcare system in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Sufficient training of healthcare workers (HCWs) in managing COVID-19 and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential in allowing oPt to mount a credible response to the crisis.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated online questionnaire between March 30, 2020 and April 12, 2020. Primary outcomes were availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness in oPt for COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary outcome was regional and hospital differences in oPt in terms of availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness.Results: Of 138 respondents, only 38 HCWs (27.5%) always had access to facemasks and 15 (10.9%) for isolation gowns. Most HCWs did not find eye protection (n=128, 92.8%), N95 respirators (n=132, 95.7%), and face shields (n=127, 92%) always available. Compared to HCWs in West Bank, those in the Gaza Strip were significantly less likely to have access to alcohol sanitizers (p=0.03) and gloves (p <0.001). On average, governmental hospitals were significantly less likely to have all appropriate PPE than non-governmental institutions (p = 0.001). Only 16 (11.6%) surveyed felt confident in dealing with a potential COVID-19 case, 57 (41.3%) having received any COVID-19-related training, and 57 (41.3%) not having a local hospital protocol. Conclusion: HCWs in oPt are underprepared and severely lacking adequate PPE provision. The lack of PPE provision will exacerbate spread of COVID-19 and deepen the crisis, whilst putting HCWs at risk.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , COVID-19ABSTRACT
Objectives: To determine the extent and nature of changes in utilisation of healthcare services during COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Systematic review Eligibility: Eligible studies compared utilisation of services during COVID-19 pandemic to at least one comparable period in prior years. Services included visits, admissions, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Studies were excluded if from single-centres or studied only COVID-19 patients. Data sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register, and pre-prints were searched, without language restrictions, until August 10, using detailed searches with key concepts including COVID-19, health services and impact. Data analysis: Risk of bias was assessed by adapting ROBINS-I and Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care tool. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics, graphical figures, and narrative synthesis. Outcome measures: Primary outcome was change in service utilisation between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Secondary outcome was the change in proportions of users of healthcare services with milder or more severe illness (e.g. triage scores). Results: 3097 unique references were identified, and 81 studies across 20 countries included, reporting on >11 million services pre-pandemic and 6.9 million during pandemic. For the primary outcome, there were 143 estimates of changes, with a median 37% reduction in services overall (interquartile range -51% to -20%), comprising median reductions for visits of 42%(-53% to -32%), admissions, 28%(-40% to -17%), diagnostics, 31%(-53% to -24%), and for therapeutics, 30%(-57% to -19%). Among 35 studies reporting secondary outcomes, there were 60 estimates, with 27(45%) reporting larger reductions in utilisation among people with a milder spectrum of illness, and 33 (55%) reporting no change. Conclusions: Healthcare utilisation decreased by about a third during the pandemic, with considerable variation, and with greater reductions among people with less severe illness. While addressing unmet need remains a priority, studies of health impacts of reductions may help health-systems prioritise higher-value care in the post-pandemic recovery. Funding, Study registration: No funding was required. PROSPERO: CRD42020203729
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic threatens to overwhelm the capacity of a vulnerable healthcare system in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Sufficient training of healthcare workers (HCWs) in managing COVID-19 and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential in allowing oPt to mount a credible response to the crisis.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated online questionnaire between March 30, 2020 and April 12, 2020. Primary outcomes were availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness in oPt for COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary outcome was regional and hospital differences in oPt in terms of availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness.Results: Of 138 respondents, only 38 HCWs (27.5%) always had access to facemasks and 15 (10.9%) for isolation gowns. Most HCWs did not find eye protection (n=128, 92.8%), N95 respirators (n=132, 95.7%), and face shields (n=127, 92%) always available. Compared to HCWs in West Bank, those in the Gaza Strip were significantly less likely to have access to alcohol sanitizers (p=0.03) and gloves (p <0.001). On average, governmental hospitals were significantly less likely to have all appropriate PPE than non-governmental institutions (p = 0.001). Only 16 (11.6%) surveyed felt confident in dealing with a potential COVID-19 case, 57 (41.3%) having received any COVID-19-related training, and 57 (41.3%) not having a local hospital protocol.Conclusion: HCWs in oPt are underprepared and severely lacking adequate PPE provision. The lack of PPE provision will exacerbate spread of COVID-19 and deepen the crisis, whilst putting HCWs at risk.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic threatens to overwhelm the capacity of the vulnerable healthcare system in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Sufficient training of healthcare workers (HCWs) in how to manage COVID-19 and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to enable them to do so will be key tools in allowing oPt to mount a credible response to the crisis.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated online questionnaire. Data collection occurred between March 30, 2020 and April 12, 2020. The primary outcomes were availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness in oPt for COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary outcome was the regional and hospital differences in oPt in terms of availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness.Results Of 138 respondents, only 38 HCWs (27.5%) always had access to facemasks when needed and 15 (10.9%) for isolation gowns. The vast majority of HCWs did not find eye protection (n = 128, 92.8%), N95 respirators (n = 132, 95.7%), and face shields (n = 127, 92%) always available. Compared to HCWs in West Bank, those in the Gaza Strip were significantly less likely to have access to alcohol sanitizers (p = 0.026) and gloves (p < 0.001). On average, governmental hospitals were significantly less likely to have all appropriate PPE measures than non-governmental institutions (p = 0.001). As for preparedness, only 16 (11.6%) surveyed felt confident in dealing with a potential COVID-19 case. With 57 (41.3%) having received any COVID-19 related training and 57 (41.3%) not having a local hospital protocol.Conclusion HCWs in oPt are underprepared and severely lacking adequate PPE provision. The lack of local protocols, and training has left HCWs confidence exceedingly low. The lack of PPE provision will exacerbate spread of COVID-19 and deepen the crisis, whilst putting HCWs at risk.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic threatens to overwhelm the capacity of the vulnerable healthcare system in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Sufficient training of healthcare workers (HCWs) in how to manage COVID-19 and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to enable them to do so will be key tools in allowing oPt to mount a credible response to the crisis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated online questionnaire. Data collection occurred between March 30, 2020 and April 12, 2020. The primary outcomes were the availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness in oPt for COVID-19 pandemic and the secondary outcome was regional and hospital differences in oPt in terms of PPE availability and HCWs preparedness. Results: Of 138 respondents, only 38 HCWs (27.5%) always had access to facemasks when needed and 15 (10.9%) for isolation gowns. The vast majority of HCWs did not find eye protection (n=128, 92.8%), N95 respirators (n=132, 95.7%), and face shields (n=127, 92%) always available. Compared to HCWs in West Bank, those in the Gaza Strip were significantly less likely to have access to alcohol sanitizers (p=0.026) and gloves (p <0.001). On average, governmental hospitals were significantly less likely to have all appropriate PPE measures than non-governmental institutions (p = 0.001). As for preparedness, only 16 (11.6%) surveyed felt confident in dealing with a potential COVID-19 case. With 57 (41.3%) having received any COVID-19 related training and 57 (41.3%) not having a local hospital protocol. Conclusion: HCWs in oPt are underprepared and severely lacking adequate PPE provision. The lack of local protocols and training has left HCWs' confidence exceedingly low. The lack of PPE provision will exacerbate the spread of COVID-19 and deepen the crisis, whilst putting HCWs at risk.