Clinical features, diagnosis, and management of COVID-19 vaccine-associated Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is a rare and serious ocular adverse reaction following COVID-19 vaccination. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical features, diagnosis and management of COVID-19 vaccine-associated VKH disease. Case reports of VKH disease after COVID-19 vaccination were collected up to February 11, 2023 for retrospective analysis. Twenty-one patients (9 males and 12 females) were included, with a median age of 45 years (range 19-78), from three main regions, Asia (12/21), the Mediterranean region (4/21), and South America (5/21). Fourteen patients developed symptoms after the first dose of the vaccine, and 8 after the second dose. Vaccines included mRNA vaccine (10 cases), virus vector vaccine (6 cases), and inactivated vaccine (5 cases). The average time interval from vaccination to onset of symptoms was 7.5 days (range 12 hours to 4 weeks). All 21 patients experienced visual impairment after vaccination, with 20 cases involving both eyes. Sixteen patients showed symptoms of meningitis. Serous retinal detachment was observed in 16 patients, choroidal thickening was observed in 14, aqueous cell in 9, and subretinal fluid in 6. CSF pleocytosis was detected in 7 patients and skin symptoms were found in 3 patients. All patients received corticosteroid therapy, and 8 also received immunosuppressive agents. All patients recovered well, with a mean recovery time of 2 months. Early diagnosis and early treatment are crucial to the prognosis of patients with VKH after vaccination with COVID-19 vaccine. The risk of vaccination against COVID-19 in patients with a history of VKH disease should be evaluated clinically.

Corrigendum: Definition of the immune parameters related to COVID-19 severity.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.850846.].

Remote Clinical Quality Management of Endovascular Care

To assess the effectiveness of remote clinical quality management of endovascular Aim care. The system of clinical quality management of medical care in myocardial infarction (MI) including the quality of remote control of endovascular care was developed and introduced into the health care system of the Moscow Region as a part of the comprehensive study in 2008-2020. The number of people under the study was 8375. The ground for assessing the effectiveness of remote clinical management in 2019-2020 was the health care system of megapolis. Based on the analysis of 2966 endovascular procedures protocols, the treatment tactics effectiveness of intraoperative decisions was studied after an emergency coronary angiography (ECA) had been performed by interventional cardiologists. The Methods system of remote clinical quality management of endovascular care included a complex of audiovisual communications, computer system processes, mentoring and the algorithm for making an intraoperative decision. The effectiveness of remote clinical quality management of endovascular care was investigated on the number of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in MI, mortality of patients with MI in the Regional vascular center in 2019-2020. The T-criteria was used to assess the reliability. The material statistical processing was carried out in the Statistica 6.0 package calculating adequate statistical indicators and their reliability at p<=0.005. Ratio PCI/ECA in 2019, January-March 2020 counted up to 48.95%. In April-December 2020 it increased up to 71.6% (p<0.001). The frequency of performing Results PCI increased by 1.46 times (p<0.001). Hospital mortality from MI decreased during the following period 2019, April-December 2020 from 9.7% to 8.2% (p = 0.005). Remote clinical management based on telemedicine and mentoring process Conclusion technologies contributes to improving the quality of endovascular care in MI.Copyright © 2021 Angles. All rights reserved.

Diagnosis and Clinical Management of COVID-19 Infection in Adults: Operational Recommendations of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (2023).

With the adjustment of China's COVID-19 policies and measures, the treatment of infected patients, especially the severe and critically ill patients, has become the focus of all medical staff at this stage. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Peking Union Medical College Hospital has accumulated rich experience in this field. Based on the updated international evidence-based knowledge, the multidisciplinary expert group of COVID-19 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital has compiled a set of operational recommendations. Adhering to the evidence-based, concise, and clinically operable principles, these recommendations for diagnosis and treatment integrate the latest research evidence. For clinical issues that lack evidence, certain recommendations are given based on the frontline clinical working experience and expert opinions. The purpose is to enhance medical staff's understanding of COVID-19 infection and its critical illness and improve patient care.Copyright © 2023, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. All rights reserved.

Clinical-epidemiological profile of patients with covid-19 admitted to a university hospital reference

Objective: To characterize the epidemiological profile of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in a referral emergency unit in northern Paraná;analyze the profile of patients affected by COVID-19 regarding gender, color/race, age, marital status, origin and type of referral;measure the average length of hospital stay, from the date of admission of the patient until discharge, determine the percentage of the main hospital outcomes. Method: It was field research with a quantitative, observational, unicentric, descriptive, exploratory and retrospective approach, carried out at the University Hospital of the State University of Londrina, located in the north of the Paraná. The study population consisted of data from 2,800 patients admitted and hospitalized with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 in the Emergency Room of the hospital in question, according to records of the epidemiology center and Medical and Statistical Archive Service, from January 2021 to July 2021. Results: It was observed that most of those affected were male, had a white color, were single and were between 58 and 67 years old. The mean length of hospitalization was 16 days. The Mobile Emergency Care Service obtained the highest referral records and the discharge and death outcomes had very close values. Conclusion: It is concluded that the second wave of COVID-19 was devastating in all segments, reflecting the change in the age profile of those affected, the increase in hospitalization rates, high mortality rates and the close relationship between the hospitalization period and the evolution to death © COPYRIGHT Servicio de Publicaciones - Universidad de Murcia

Current Concepts in the Diagnosis and Management of Adult Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia: Our Personal View.

Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired blood disorder that causes a reduction in circulating platelets with the potential for bleeding. The incidence of ITP is slightly higher in adults and affects more women than men until 60 years, when males are more affected. Despite advances in basic science, primary ITP remains a diagnosis of exclusion. The disease is heterogeneous in its clinical behavior and response to treatment. This reflects the complex underlying pathophysiology, which remains ill-understood. Platelet destruction plays a role in thrombocytopenia, but underproduction is also a major contributing factor. Active ITP is a proinflammatory autoimmune disease involving abnormalities within the T and B regulatory cell compartments, along with several other immunological abnormalities. Over the last several years, there has been a shift from using immunosuppressive therapies for ITP towards approved treatments, such as thrombopoietin receptor agonists. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has hastened this management shift, with thrombopoietin receptor agonists becoming the predominant second-line treatment. A greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms has led to the development of several targeted therapies, some of which have been approved, with others still undergoing clinical development. Here we outline our view of the disease, including our opinion about the major diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. We also discuss our management of adult ITP and our placement of the various available therapies.

Bacterial Co-Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance in Patients Hospitalized with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 Pneumonia in Kazakhstan.

Our study was carried out to characterize respiratory tract microbiota in patients with "COVID-like pneumonia" in Kazakhstan and analyze differences between COVID-19 positive and negative groups. Sputum samples were collected from hospitalized patients, ≥18 years old, in the three cities in Kazakhstan with the highest COVID-19 burden in July 2020. Isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion. We used SPSS 26 and MedCalc 19 for statistical analysis. Among 209 patients with pneumonia, the median age was 62 years and 55% were male. RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases were found in 40% of patients, and 46% had a bacterial co-infection. Co-infection was not associated with SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test results, but antibiotic use was. The most frequent bacteria were Klebsiella pneumoniae (23%), Escherichia coli (12%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (11%). Notably, 68% of Klebsiella pneumoniae had phenotypic evidence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in disk diffusion assays, 87% of Acinetobacter baumannii exhibited resistance to beta-lactams, and >50% of E. coli strains had evidence of ESBL production and 64% were resistant to fluoroquinolones. Patients with a bacterial co-infection had a higher proportion of severe disease than those without a co-infection. The results reinforce the importance of using appropriate targeted antibiotics and effective infection control practices to prevent the spread of resistant nosocomial infections.

The continuing evolution of a cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship ECHO: A second year of implementation.

INTRODUCTION: An estimated 39,010 Indiana residents were diagnosed with cancer in 2021. To address the cancer burden, Project ECHO (Extension Community Healthcare Outcomes) was launched in 2019 in Indiana to build specialty healthcare capacity among non-specialists. Due to positive outcomes from the pilot year, the Cancer Prevention, Screening, and Survivorship ECHO was implemented for a second year. The purpose of this study was to measure the participation and regional impact of this ECHO. METHODS: ECHO sessions occurred twice monthly from October 2020 to October 2021. Changes were implemented in response to feedback from the pilot year, including making the curriculum more practical for learners and adding accreditation opportunities. Participant information and feedback was extracted from electronic surveys for review. RESULTS: There were 24 ECHO sessions with 213 unique participants, increased from 140 unique participants in the pilot year. An average of 23.5 individuals attended each session, increased from 15.5 individuals per session. Enrolled participants served in a diverse set of roles and represented 247 zip codes, 30 Indiana counties, and 32 states across the United States, each of which increased from the pilot year. DISCUSSION: In this second year, this ECHO expanded to reach more participants with increased attendance and a more diverse distribution of roles within healthcare, which may be attributed to feedback-driven curriculum design. Cancer care is multi-disciplinary, with health educators, nurses, and administrators, each acting within the cancer care continuum. As a result, this ECHO has been adapted to serve an increasingly broad distribution of professionals. CONCLUSION: The second year of the Cancer Prevention, Screening, and Survivorship ECHO displayed increased overall enrollment and participation, greater diversity among participant roles, and a wider reach across Indiana and the United States.

Inverse association between blood pressure and pulse oximetry accuracy: an observational study in patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.

BACKGROUND: Pulse oximeters are a standard non-invasive tool to measure blood oxygen levels, and are used in multiple healthcare settings. It is important to understand the factors affecting their accuracy to be able to use them optimally and safely. This analysis aimed to explore the association of the measurement error of pulse oximeters with systolic BP, diastolic BP and heart rate (HR) within ranges of values commonly observed in clinical practice. METHODS: The study design was a retrospective observational study of all patients admitted to a large teaching hospital with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection from February 2020 to December 2021. Data on systolic and diastolic BPs and HR levels were available from the same time period as the pulse oximetry measurements. RESULTS: Data were available for 3420 patients with 5927 observations of blood oxygen saturations as measured by pulse oximetry and ABG sampling within 30 min. The difference in oxygen saturation using the paired pulse oximetry and arterial oxygen saturation difference measurements was inversely associated with systolic BP, increasing by 0.02% with each mm Hg decrease in systolic BP (95% CI 0.00% to 0.03%) over a range of 80-180 mm Hg. Inverse associations were also observed between the error for oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry and with both diastolic BP (+0.03%; 95% CI 0.00% to 0.05%) and HR (+0.04%; 95% CI 0.02% to 0.06% for each unit decrease in the HR). CONCLUSIONS: Care needs to be taken in interpreting pulse oximetry measurements in patients with lower systolic and diastolic BPs, and HRs, as oxygen saturation is overestimated as BP and HR decrease. Confirmation of the oxygen saturation with an ABG may be appropriate in some clinical scenarios.

Computational framework to understand the clinical stages of COVID-19 and visualization of time course for various treatment strategies.

Coronavirus disease 2019 is known to be regulated by multiple factors such as delayed immune response, impaired T cell activation, and elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Clinical management of the disease remains challenging due to interplay of various factors as drug candidates may elicit different responses depending on the staging of the disease. In this context, we propose a computational framework which provides insights into the interaction between viral infection and immune response in lung epithelial cells, with an aim of predicting optimal treatment strategies based on infection severity. First, we formulate the model for visualizing the nonlinear dynamics during the disease progression considering the role of T cells, macrophages and proinflammatory cytokines. Here, we show that the model is capable of emulating the dynamic and static data trends of viral load, T cell, macrophage levels, interleukin (IL)-6 and TNF-α levels. Second, we demonstrate the ability of the framework to capture the dynamics corresponding to mild, moderate, severe, and critical condition. Our result shows that, at late phase (>15 days), severity of disease is directly proportional to pro-inflammatory cytokine IL6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels and inversely proportional to the number of T cells. Finally, the simulation framework was used to assess the effect of drug administration time as well as efficacy of single or multiple drugs on patients. The major contribution of the proposed framework is to utilize the infection progression model for clinical management and administration of drugs inhibiting virus replication and cytokine levels as well as immunosuppressant drugs at various stages of the disease.

Mitigation Measures to Control the Expected Mpox Outbreak in a Developing Country-Pakistani Scenario.

Mpox (previously named Monkeypox) is one of the neglected viral infectious diseases that remained silent for a long period before finally emerging as a threat to the healthcare system in endemic regions of the world in recent years. It has been mostly centered in African countries but has now been reported in other non-endemic regions as well. While keeping a strict eye on COVID pandemic handling, there is a need to remain concerned and alert about viral threats such as Mpox infections in the future. This situation has altered the healthcare system of endemic regions, including Pakistan, to stay vigilant against the expected Mpox outbreaks in the coming months. Though no specific cases have been reported in Pakistan, the healthcare system needs to take mitigation measures to tackle an expected threat before it arrives. This is important in order to avoid another major shock to the health care system of Pakistan. Moreover, since no specific treatment is available for Mpox, we can only rely upon mitigation measures, involving preventive and treatment strategies devised around some already in-use antiviral agents against Mpox viruses. Moreover, there is an imperative need to proactively prepare the healthcare system against Mpox outbreaks, spread awareness, and involve the public in a participatory approach to stay well prepared against any such infection. Moreover, there is a need to utilize financial sources, aids, and funds wisely, to create awareness in the public about such expected healthcare outbreaks in the future.

Management in the care of people living with hiv in primary health care / Gestión en la atención a personas con vih en la atención primaria de la salud / Gestão no cuidado às pessoas com hiv na atenção primária à saúde

ABSTRACT Objective to understand the best management practices in the health care provided to people living with HIV in Primary Health Care services from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. Method a qualitative research study anchored in the Constructivist Grounded Theory. The study participants were nurses and managers involved with management practices in the care provided to people living with HIV in the municipality. The data were collected between July and September 2020 from intensive interviews with 12 nurses in four Basic Health Units and with five managers of the Municipal Health Department, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, totaling 17 participants. Data collection and analysis took place concomitantly, following the initial and focused coding phases. Results this resulted in the phenomenon entitled "Unveiling the best management practices in the care provided to people living with HIV related to decentralized, shared and evidence-based care", supported by three categories that point to decentralization of the clinical management of the HIV infection to Primary Health Care in Florianópolis, to instrumentalization and training of professionals to manage the infection through the use of scientific evidence, and to the care practices developed in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion decentralization of care for people living with HIV to Primary Health Care was presented as the foundation of the best practices, supported by teamwork and evidence-based clinical management.

RESUMEN Objetivo comprender las mejores prácticas de gestión de la atención médica provista a personas que viven con VIH en los servicios de Atención Primaria de la Salud de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. Método investigación cualitativa, basada en la Teoría Fundamentada en los Datos constructivista. Los participantes del estudio fueron enfermeros y gerentes con participación en las prácticas de gestión de la atención provista a personas que viven con VIH en el municipio. Los datos se recolectaron entre julio y septiembre de 2020 a partir de entrevistas intensivas con 12 enfermeros en cuatro Unidades Básicas de Salud y con cinco gerentes de la Secretaría Municipal de Salud de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil, totalizando 17 participantes. La recolección y el análisis de los datos tuvieron lugar simultáneamente, para luego desarrollar las fases de codificación inicial y focalizada. Resultados se arribó al fenómeno llamado "Revelando las mejores prácticas de gestión de la atención provista a personas que viven con VIH relacionadas con la asistencia descentralizada, compartida y basada en evidencias", sustentado por tres categorías que apuntan a la descentralización del manejo clínico de la infección por VIH al ámbito de la Atención Primaria de la Salud en Florianópolis, a la instrumentalización y capacitación de los profesionales para el manejo de la infección aplicando evidencias científicas, y a las prácticas de atención desarrolladas frente a la pandemia de COVID-19. Conclusión la descentralización de la atención provista a personas que viven con VIH al ámbito de la Atención Primaria de la Salud se presentó como la base de las mejores prácticas, sustentadas en el trabajo en equipo y el manejo clínico basado en evidencias.

RESUMO Objetivo compreender as melhores práticas de gestão no cuidado à saúde das pessoas que vivem com HIV em serviços de Atenção Primária à Saúde em Florianópolis, Santa Catarina. Método pesquisa qualitativa, ancorada na teoria fundamentada nos dados construtivista. Os participantes do estudo foram enfermeiros e gestores envolvidos com as práticas de gestão no cuidado às pessoas que vivem com HIV no município. Os dados foram coletados entre julho e setembro de 2020, a partir de entrevistas intensivas com 12 enfermeiros, em quatro Unidades Básicas de Saúde e cinco gestores da Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, de Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil, totalizando 17 participantes. A coleta e análise dos dados ocorreram de forma concomitante, seguindo as fases de codificação inicial e focalizada. Resultados chegou-se ao fenômeno intitulado "Desvelando as melhores práticas de gestão no cuidado às pessoas que vivem com HIV relacionadas com o cuidado descentralizado, compartilhado e baseado em evidências," sustentado por três categorias que apontam para a descentralização do manejo clínico da infecção por HIV para a Atenção Primária à Saúde em Florianópolis, a instrumentalização e treinamento dos profissionais para o manejo da infecção mediante o uso de evidências científicas e as práticas de cuidado desenvolvidas frente à pandemia de Covid-19. Conclusão a descentralização do cuidado às pessoas que vivem com HIV para a Atenção Primária à Saúde foi apresentada como alicerce das melhores práticas, amparadas no trabalho em equipe e manejo clínico baseado em evidências.

Drug-induced liver injury in COVID-19 treatment: Incidence, mechanisms and clinical management.

The COVID-19 outbreak triggered a serious and potentially lethal pandemic, resulting in massive health and economic losses worldwide. The most common clinical manifestations of COVID-19 patients are pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, with a variety of complications. Multiple organ failure and damage, ultimately leading to patient death, are possible as a result of medication combinations, and this is exemplified by DILI. We hope to summarize DILI caused by the antiviral drugs favipiravir, remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, and hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients in this review. The incidence of liver injury in the treatment of COVID-19 patients was searched on PubMed to investigate DILI cases. The cumulative prevalence of acute liver injury was 23.7% (16.1%-33.1%). We discuss the frequency of these events, potential mechanisms, and new insights into surveillance strategies. Furthermore, we also describe medication recommendations aimed at preserving DILI caused by treatment in COVID-19 patients.

COVID-19 impact on the emergency and hospitalization of a tertiary hospital. Management lessons learned.

INTRODUCTION: The objective is to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pediatric emergencies and hospital admissions. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of patients treated in a tertiary hospital, from March 14 to April 26, 2020, compared to the same period of the previous 3 years. RESULTS: A notable overall reduction in emergency room visits and admissions is observed in all pediatric areas, maintaining care in neonatology and scheduled admissions in oncology. DISCUSSION: The reduction in global activity in pediatric emergencies is not only explained by the decrease in contagious diseases. The decrease in inadequate demand and inappropriate income may have contributed. The availability of pediatric beds would make the reduction of programmed surgical activity unnecessary and would allow the redistribution of resources to areas with greater healthcare pressure.

Antibiotics Use in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Literature Review.

The issue of bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients has received increasing attention among scientists. Antibiotics were widely prescribed during the early phase of the pandemic. We performed a literature review to assess the reasons, evidence and practices on the use of antibiotics in COVID-19 in- and outpatients. Published articles providing data on antibiotics use in COVID-19 patients were identified through computerized literature searches on the MEDLINE and SCOPUS databases. Searching the MEDLINE database, the following search terms were adopted: ((antibiotic) AND (COVID-19)). Searching the SCOPUS database, the following search terms were used: ((antibiotic treatment) AND (COVID-19)). The risk of bias in the included studies was not assessed. Both quantitative and qualitative information were summarized by means of textual descriptions. Five-hundred-ninety-three studies were identified, published from January 2020 to 30 October 2022. Thirty-six studies were included in this systematic review. Of the 36 included studies, 32 studies were on the use of antibiotics in COVID-19 inpatients and 4 on antibiotic use in COVID-19 outpatients. Apart from the studies identified and included in the review, the main recommendations on antibiotic treatment from 5 guidelines for the clinical management of COVID-19 were also summarized in a separate paragraph. Antibiotics should not be prescribed during COVID-19 unless there is a strong clinical suspicion of bacterial coinfection or superinfection.

Clinical Management for Hospitalization of Patients with COVID-19 and Resolution Capacity Functionality in I-4 Facilities - Contumaza-Cajamarca Health Network, 2021

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems were forced to adapt their intra- and extra-hospital processes through mechanisms of articulation, integration, and coordination between the organic units of public and private institutions, configuring a single national health system. In this sense, the objective of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between clinical management for the hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 and resolution capacity functionality in a Health Network. A hypothetical deductive method was used with a descriptive-correlational analysis with a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 150 health care workers (100%). The selection was conducted in 3 level I-4 facilities of the Contumaza-Cajamarca Health Network, Peru, 2021. The dependent variable was resolution capacity functionality, and the independent variable was clinical management for the hospitalization of patients with COVID-19. The results suggest an average level both in clinical management and in resolution capacity functionality and the transport dimension in 45.3%, extending a significant relationship (p < 0.05) with Rho = 0.755 and Rho = 0.251, respectively.

Preparing for pandemics: a systematic review of pandemic influenza clinical management guidelines.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of evidence-based clinical decision-making. Clinical management guidelines (CMGs) may help reduce morbidity and mortality by improving the quality of clinical decisions. This systematic review aims to evaluate the availability, inclusivity, and quality of pandemic influenza CMGs, to identify gaps that can be addressed to strengthen pandemic preparedness in this area. METHODS: Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, TRIP (Turning Research Into Practice), and Guideline Central were searched systematically from January 2008 to 23rd June 2022, complemented by a grey literature search till 16th June 2022. Pandemic influenza CMGs including supportive care or empirical treatment recommendations were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data from the included studies and assessed their quality using AGREE II (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation). The findings are presented narratively. RESULTS: Forty-eight CMGs were included. They were produced in high- (42%, 20/48), upper-middle- (40%, 19/48), and lower-middle (8%, 4/48) income countries, or by international organisations (10%, 5/48). Most CMGs (81%, 39/48) were over 5 years old. Guidelines included treatment recommendations for children (75%, 36/48), pregnant women (54%, 26/48), people with immunosuppression (33%, 16/48), and older adults (29%, 14/48). Many CMGs were of low quality (median overall score: 3 out of 7 (range 1-7). All recommended oseltamivir; recommendations for other neuraminidase inhibitors and supportive care were limited and at times contradictory. Only 56% (27/48) and 27% (13/48) addressed oxygen and fluid therapy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data highlights the limited availability of up-to-date pandemic influenza CMGs globally. Of those identified, many were limited in scope and quality and several lacked recommendations for specific at-risk populations. Recommendations on supportive care, the mainstay of treatment, were limited and heterogeneous. The most recent guideline highlighted that the evidence-base to support antiviral treatment recommendations is still limited. There is an urgent need for trials into treatment and supportive care strategies including for different risk populations. New evidence should be incorporated into globally accessible guidelines, to benefit patient outcomes. A 'living guideline' framework is recommended and further research into guideline implementation in different resourced settings, particularly low- and middle-income countries.

A COVID-19 Clinical Management Committee to Standardize Care in a 2-Hospital System

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for hospital medical staffs worldwide due to high volumes of patients acutely ill with novel syndromes and prevailing uncertainty regarding optimum supportive and therapeutic interventions. Additionally, the response to this crisis was driven by a plethora of nontraditional information sources, such as email chains, websites, non-peer-reviewed preprints, and press releases. Care patterns became idiosyncratic and often incorporated unproven interventions driven by these nontraditional information sources. This report evaluates the efforts of a health system to create and empower a multidisciplinary committee to develop, implement, and monitor evidence-based, standardized protocols for patients with COVID-19. Method(s): This report describes the composition of the committee, its scope, and its important interactions with the health system pharmacy and therapeutics committee, research teams, and other work groups planning other aspects of COVID-19 management. It illustrates how the committee was used to demonstrate for trainees the process and value of critically examining evidence, even in a chaotic environment. Result(s): Data show successful interventions in reducing excessive ordering of certain laboratory tests, reduction of nonrecommended therapies, and rapid uptake of evidence-based or guidelines-supported interventions. Conclusion(s): A multidisciplinary committee dedicated solely to planning, implementing, and monitoring standard approaches that eventually became evidence-based decision-making led to an improved focus on treatment options and outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Data presented illustrate the attainable success of a committee that is both adaptable and suitable for similar emergencies in the future. Copyright © 2022 Turner White Communications Inc.. All rights reserved.

Experiences to date with the logistical management of long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine.

The logistical management of an injectable therapy for the treatment of HIV can be expensive, time consuming, frustrating and riddled with barriers. In this Commentary, we describe our experiences to date with acquiring, storing, handling, administering and billing for long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine through four scenarios, each of which have presented their own unique obstacles and learning curves. At the time of writing, we have successfully transitioned four patients from the CUSTOMIZE trial to long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine. In doing so, we encountered a variety of barriers to acquiring, handling and administering the medication for both insured and uninsured patients; it is expensive, on a limited number of insurance formularies, and often requires a prior authorization from the provider. Cold-chain handling of the injectable therapy, along with individual patient characteristics, present barriers to management and administration of this therapy. Whilst a seemingly very attractive option for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults, long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine present a variety of challenges to pharmacists, providers and clinic staff on how to obtain it for and administer it to the patient. We plan to continue documenting our experiences, progress and successes, or lack thereof, in order to fine-tune our process and share with others.