Knowledge Practice Gap Among Nurses Towards COVID-19 Patients' Dead Body Care in a Tertiary Care Hospital

COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2 is a global pandemic that presents a serious challenge from many angles for healthcare professionals. The virus causes a potentially fatal disease that is easily transmitted among patients and caregivers, hence specific dead body care is required for such patients. Our study was conducted to identify knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 dead body care among hospital nursing personnel. A cross sectional survey-based study was performed involving 282 nurses who worked in COVID-19 units during data collection from July 2020 to September 2020. The online structured questionnaire was based on world health organization guidelines, institutional infection control protocols, and course material regarding emerging respiratory diseases including COVID-19. We found that work experience in the COVID-19 unit had a significant impact on knowledge and practice regarding COVID-19 dead body care. Similarly, we observed that training improved the knowledge and practice of nursing personnel regarding dead body care. Good knowledge, attitude, and practice were observed in experienced and trained nurses (p-value <0.005). No significant changes were observed with age, gender, and education qualification. Overall knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 dead body care were moderate to good. Adequate training among nurses should prevent the transmission of disease due to occupational exposure.Copyright © 2023, Science Publications. All rights reserved.

SARS-CoV-2 Transmission from Virus-Infected Dead Hamsters.

Although it has been 2.5 years since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began, the transmissibility of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from a dead infected body remains unclear, and in Japan, bereaved family members are often not allowed to view in person a loved one who has died from COVID-19. In this study, we analyzed the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from a dead body using a hamster model. We also analyzed the effect of "angel care"--in which the pharynx, nostrils, and rectum are plugged--and embalming on reducing transmissibility from dead bodies. We found that SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted from the bodies of animals that had died within a few days of infection; however, angel care and embalming were effective in preventing transmission from the dead bodies. These results suggest that protection from infection is essential when in contact with a SARS-CoV-2-infected dead body and that sealing the cavities of a dead body is an important infection control step if embalming is not performed. IMPORTANCE We found that SARS-CoV-2 could be transmitted from a dead body, presumably via postmortem gases. However, we also found that postmortem care, such as plugging the pharynx, nostrils, and rectum or embalming the corpse, could prevent transmission from the dead body. These results indicate that protection from infection is essential when handling infected corpses and that appropriate care of SARS-CoV-2-infected corpses is important.

Dead Bodies - A Potential Source of Infection for COVID -19

The recent Covid-19 pandemic has raised a lot of questions regarding the mode of transmission of the virus. The rapid spread across the globe has compelled researchers to focus on this issue. Theories claiming droplet transmission, fbmites as well as airborne transmission have cropped up. The primary concern for the autopsy surgeons is whether the dead bodies harbor the virus and if so for how long. The present study was undertaken to find out the possibility of the virus being isolated from the human cadavers by testing at specified intervals after death. Out of the 74 cases examined, 59.5% of cases tested positive 1 day after death and 20.5% were still positive 5 days after death. The diflerence between males and females was not significant. The age of the subjects in our study ranged from 20 days to 90 years. The results of the study clearly indicate that the virus persists in the human cadavers for a sufficient period of time to act as a potential source of infection. Adequate precautionary measures while packing the body and autopsy examination are of utmost essential to prevent the spread of the disease among the dead body handlers and the family members while performing the last rites © 2022. Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine.All Rights Reserved.

COVID-19: Dead Body Management

The pandemic of COVID-19 has posed many challenges to the medical fraternity and those involved in handling dead bodies. The challenge of dead body management has been devastating to humankind due to the enormous numbers of dead bodies in this pandemic. People get panicked while dealing with the dead bodies having infection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 [SARS- CoV-2]. Deaths occurred in such big numbers that facilities were outnumbered by the magnitude of deaths. The idea of writing this paper is the concise dissemination of knowledge about the safety of the persons involved in dealing with the dead bodies so that proper preventive measures can be taken, and that too in such a manner so that the respect for the dead body or dignity of the dead body is not compromised. Forensic pathologists are to deal with post-mortem examination cases that pose special hazards as they are more exposed to infection e.g., coming in contact with body fluids and aerosol formed during post-mortem examination. Now there is a gradual change from a panic reaction to the scientific disposal of the dead bodies thus giving proper dignity to the dead body. The scenario has changed from no autopsy in such cases to autopsy after taking proper precautions under the national guidelines. © 2022

GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING DEAD BODY OF A COVID-19 PATIENT

As the number of positive cases for the novel Coronavirus continues to increase, so do the deaths associated with it. There exists a theoretical risk of infection during handling of the dead bodies and standard infection control practices should be followed when handling such bodies. The government has allowed both the burial and cremation as per the faith. However there is a standard procedure that all health workers and family members need to adhere to. This article highlights some of the guidelines recommended for managing dead bodies of COVID-19 patients. © 2020, Indian Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved.

I dressed her up in her best dress: The experiences of the dead body for bereaved relatives in the context of palliative care

Critical exploration of family members' experience of the body of their deceased relative after a death in palliative care have been limited. To address this gap, we drew on semi-structured interviews at 6 months post loss with 58 family members bereaved after a death in palliative care, as part of a larger, longitudinal study conducted between 2016 and 2018. Narrative thematic analysis elucidated themes within and across participants' accounts of their experiences of the body. Social constructionist perspectives underpin recognition of the processes of grieving family members. Within an overarching theme of social meanings of the dead, five themes pertained to individual, relational, and contextual dimensions of interactions with the body, including: a dual sense of the body still holding the person and as just a body;family's experiences of the body both at home and in formal care settings;expectations around the right amount of time to be with and leave the body. Accounts also revealed their sense of knowing or not knowing what to do with the dead and elements of preparation of the body and management of the family and body by professional caregivers, with differences for deaths at home and deaths in formal settings. Findings highlight the importance of facilitating family and individual preferences, and options around care, place, and time with the body. Focus on support from clinical and social work staff, is warranted to enable provision of informed choice and support for families to engage with the body. Challenges related to COVID-19 are discussed.

A review of the management and safe handling of bodies in cases involving COVID-19.

Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, China, reported a cluster of cases of 'pneumonia of unknown aetiology' in Wuhan, Hubei province in late 2019. The causative organism was eventually identified as a novel coronavirus. Subsequently, the disease spread to more provinces in China, then the rest of the world, and the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic. The virus was named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease was termed COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease). Since then, an increasing number of people have succumbed to this infectious disease. High contagiousness and rapid spread of the disease has been a matter of concern, as it may overburden healthcare systems. Hence, it is vital to implement strict infection prevention and control measures to curb the spread of the disease. This article reviews the guidelines available for the handling of bodies of deceased persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and for their safe disposal. It also provides a summary of recommendations for conducting autopsies in cases where COVID-19 is suspected.

COVID-19 and Mass Fatality Management: A Public Health Challenge.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious question over preparedness to deal with mass fatality. The current trend shows that there would be more bodies than the capacity and resources to handle them. The international agencies have alerted governments that the number of deaths may overwhelm the local capacity to handle dead bodies properly. Mass fatality management and planning are important to respecting the dignity of the deceased and surviving family. Inadequate capacity to deal with dead bodies may affect the psychological well-being of survivors which may result in distress to families and community.

COVID-19: Lessons in laboratory medicine, pathology, and autopsy.

Because coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is relatively new, health-care organizations and researchers have been publishing guidelines and recommendations to help health-care providers proceed safely with various aspects of disease management and investigation. Most of the published papers have addressed clinical presentation, diagnostic tests, mitigation measures, and hospital preparedness. Pathological and laboratory issues, including autopsy procedures and the handling of dead bodies, have not yet been well characterized. We reviewed the recent literature for guidelines and reports related to COVID-19 and anatomic pathology, specifically laboratory services, the handling of dead bodies, the conduct of autopsies, and postmortem pathological investigations, to synthesize relevant knowledge to ensure that clinicians are aware of the most recent recommendations for precautions and safety measures, and to support the development of standards in health-care facilities.

Dead body management amidst global pandemic of Covid-19.

Covid-19 has reached almost all the nations in the world. More and more people are dying from it and in some countries, even the army has been called upon to help dispose of the dead as there is a shortage of coffins, and undertakers are overwhelmed. Therefore, it is essential to have measures in place to contain the spread of infection while handling dead bodies. In view of this, different guidelines and protocols have been proposed bearing in mind the limited information we have about the virus. This review article sets them out for better reference.