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Introduction: Cancer patients have a high risk of severe COVID-19 and complications from it. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the conduction of clinical trials (CTs), there is a scarcity of data on CT participation among cancer patients. We aimed to describe the level of participation in a COVID-19 CT, willingness to participate, as well as trust in sources of information for CTs among persons with and without a previous cancer diagnosis in Puerto Rico. Method(s): Data collected from November 2021 to March 2022 from two cross-sectional studies were merged and used for analysis. Informed consent, telephone, face-to-face, and online interviews were conducted among participants >=18 years old living in Puerto Rico (n=987). Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis (Fisher's exact text and chi-squared test) was done to describe the outcomes of interest, overall and by cancer status. Result(s): Mean age of participants was 41+/-15.5 years. Most participants were women (71.3%), with an educational level greater than high school (89.5%) and with an annual family income below $20,000 (75.1%). Overall, 4.4% of participants (n=43) reported history of cancer diagnosis. Only 1.8% of the population reported to have participated in a COVID-19 CT to receive either a treatment or vaccine;stratifying by cancer, none of the cancer patients had participated in a COVID-19 CT, and only 1.9% of non-cancer patients participated. While 37.0% of the participants indicated being very willing to sign up for a CT assessing COVID-19 treatment, willingness was higher in cancer patients (55.8%) than among participants without cancer (36.1%). Regarding trust in sources of information for CTs, the level of trust ("a great deal/a fair amount") was higher for their physicians (87.6%), researchers (87.0%), the National Institute of Health (86.7%), their local clinics (82.9%), and a university hospital (82.7%), while it was lower for a pharmaceutical company (64.0%), and for friend, relative, or community leader (37.6%);no differences were observed by cancer status. Conclusion(s): While participation in COVID-19 CTs was extremely low in the study population, the willingness to participate was higher among cancer patients. Education on CTs and their availability are necessary to increase participation in this understudied group. Such efforts will enhance the representation of Hispanic and vulnerable populations, such as cancer patients, on COVID-19 CTs, and thus proper generalizability of study findings in the future.
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The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has led to radical lifestyle changes worldwide, particularly in the Republic of Bulgaria, and was a factor for global changes in economics, politics, healthcare and daily life. Aim(s): The aim of the study was to analyze the public attitudes, awareness and fears related to the COVID-19 disease in the Republic of Bulgaria. Material(s) and Method(s): The survey was conducted between August 1st, 2022 and September 1st, 2022 via an anonymous questionnaire consisting of 24 closed questions. A total of 1861 people, aged 18-69 years and older, took part in the survey after being selected randomly. The data were statistically processed via MS Excel. Result(s): The main source of information to the respondents on issues related to COVID-19 was the Internet (29,8%), followed by TV (26%) and the specialized website (Single information portal) - 15,9%. More than one-third (35,1%) of the respondents was afraid of getting infected and an equal share of participants reported that they have been infected with COVID-19. More than half of the respondents (52,5%) adhered to all the provisions of the governmental bodies related to limiting the COVID-19 pandemic. The most frequent symptom of post- COVID-19 syndrome was being easily fatigued (26,7%), followed by shortness of breath (13,4%) and persistent cough (11,6%). Conclusion(s): The survey could be useful in understanding what were the public attitudes, awareness and fears related to the COVID-19 disease in the Republic of Bulgaria during the pandemic.Copyright © 2023 D. Penchev et al., published by Sciendo.
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Background: Many patients affected by COVID-19 suffer from persistent symptoms after infection. Compared to biomedical mechanisms, psychosocial mechanisms have been less investigated. This study examined the association between trust in sources of information on COVID-19 and the burden of incident persistent symptoms. Method(s): A prospective study using data from the SAPRIS and SAPRIS-Serologie surveys nested in the French CONSTANCES cohort. Trust in medical doctors, government, scientists, journalists, and social media was measured between April 2020 and May 2020. The number of incident persistent symptoms lasting for at least two months was recorded. Psychological burden was measured with the somatic symptom disorder B criteria scale. Associations between trust in information sources and outcomes were examined with zero-inflated negative binomial regression and general linear models, adjusting for gender, age, education, income, self-rated health, SARS-CoV-2 serology tests, and self-reported COVID-19 Results: Among 20,985 participants, those with higher trust in government/journalists at baseline had fewer incident persistent symptoms at follow-up (estimate (SE): -0.21 (0.03), p < 0.001). Among 3372 participants (16.07%) who reported at least one symptom, those with higher trust in government/journalists and medical doctors/scientists had lower SSD-12 scores (-0.39 (0.17), p = 0.0219 and - 0.85 (0.24), p < 0.001, respectively), whereas higher trust in social media sources predicted higher SSD-12 scores in those with lower trust in government/journalists (0.90 (0.34), p = 0.008). These associations did not depend upon surrogate markers of past infection with SARS-CoV-2 Conclusion(s): Trust in information sources on COVID-19 should be tested as a target in the prevention of incident persistent symptoms.Copyright © 2023
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Introduction: Oral cancer is Colombia's 8th most common cancer, with an estimated survival rate of 52%. Lack of knowledge and awareness about oral cancer and its risk factors is associated with a delay in diagnosis. Objective(s): To evaluate adults' oral cancer knowledge through a phone survey in the context of the SARS-COV2 pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted by phone during the COVID-19 pandemic on 268 patients attending at the dental school of Universidad de Antioquia, years 2020-2021. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. Result(s): The mean age was 58.9 years. 58.6% of participants had heard about oral cancer. social media was the primary source of information for 42% of participants, and 96.7% considered the screening important. Most patients did not feel worried (54.5%), fearful (59.7%), or anxious (56.3%) in case they were submitted to a screening for early detection of oral cancer. Lower socioeconomic status and educational level are correlated with lower awareness of oral cancer. The dimensions of experience and attitude towards screening were not associated with sociodemographic variables. Conclusion(s): The knowledge of oral cancer is still poor and is related to low socioeconomic and educational levels. However, this association was not observed in the attitude and experience dimensions toward screening for oral cancer. Therefore, there seems to be a need for more educational programs about knowledge of oral cancer, especially in socially disadvantaged groups, considering that there are no barriers related to screening.
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The aim of this study was to determine the possible influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on dog ownership and anti-rabies vaccination practices in Metropolitan Lima (Peru), taking as a source of information the National Survey of Budgetary Programmes (ENAPRES) carried out by the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica (INEI) in the period 2017-2021. The proportion of respondents who owned at least one dog per household had an increasing trend, reaching the highest proportions in the pandemic years (2020: 47.5%;2021: 50.8%). The districts of Lima Sur and Lima Centro presented the highest (52.1-58%) and lowest (31.6-42.4%) proportion of respondents with dogs, respectively. According to the socioeconomic stratum (ESE), dog ownership had an inverse relationship (rs=-0.95), with a higher proportion in sector E (51.5-60.7%) and lower in sector A (32.5-43.1%). The proportion of vaccinated animals had a decreasing trend, reaching the lowest coverage during the pandemic years (2020: 84.8%;2021: 82.4%). The highest proportion of vaccinated dogs was found in Lima Centro (88.1-95.9%). According to ESE, the relationship was direct (rs=0.813). The highest proportion of vaccinated animals during the pre-pandemic and pandemic years occurred in ESE A (90.3-95%) and B (87.8-94.8%). In all the years of the study, the lowest proportions of vaccinated animals were in ESE E (75-80.2%). The study shows that dog ownership and rabies vaccination coverage were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The results can be used to assess the sanitary measures implemented to keep the capital free of urban rabies.Copyright © 2023 Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. All rights reserved.
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Objectives: COVID-19 posed profound challenges to nuclear medicine (NM) practice and education on an international scope. Initial lessons learned may be useful in understanding and optimizing dissemination of critical information during global disasters. To better understand the pandemic's initial manifold impact and responses that were in turn enacted, we systematically reviewed relevant articles published during the 2020 calendar year. Method(s): A librarian experienced in systematic reviews performed a rapid scoping review of the English language literature indexed in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science by crossing NM and COVID terms;445 citations were returned. Duplicate, extraneous, non-English and non-full text articles were excluded leaving 248 articles which were analyzed by origin, topic, design, and imaging details. Result(s): An array of topics, techniques, journals and countries of origin were encountered. 158 articles appeared in primary NMjournals, 26 appeared in generic radiology journals and 65 in non-imaging journals. Most frequent countries represented were USA (55), Italy (33), France (19) and UK (17), reflecting the hard-hit countries early during the pandemic. 118 clinical articles were case reports or small series of which 80 featured FDG-PET/CT. There were 36 observational studies. Among non-clinical topics, articles focused on safetymeasures (102), economics and recovery (23), remote reading (17) and education (8). There were 17 surveys. Society-based guidelines (47) and individual-group best practices (79) were published relating to cardiology (33), lung scintigraphy (12), andmultiple topics (48). Systematic (10) and narrative reviews (61) were less frequent than opinion articles (75). Frequent modalities discussed were FDG PET (156), nuclear cardiology (56) and lung scintigraphy (35). Conclusion(s): The medical literature has memorialized a robust response of information sharing during the initial challenges the COVID-19 pandemic relating to patient care, operations and education. Through scoping review, we have analyzed the nature of information disseminated. Opinions and single group best practices dominated the literature. Clinical reports during the first year were primarily case reports or small series, frequently FDG-PET/ CT. The nature of the literature matured as the year progressed, and sources of information broadened as the epidemic spread.
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Despite overwhelming evidence of vaccine effectiveness in preventing serious vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs), lack of confidence in vaccines is a major threat to the prevention and control of VPDs and antimicrobial resistance globally. Vaccine hesitancy and antimicrobial resistance are inter-related, with high levels of vaccination uptake being a vital pillar of antimicrobial stewardship. Parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic, another 'infodemic' of uncertainty, misunderstanding, lack of trust and loss of confidence in vaccines unfolded. While regulatory authorities are mandated to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of all approved vaccines, public confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness is compromised by social media reports, falsely blaming vaccines for serious adverse events following immunisation. Hence, transparent public communication and education on vaccine safety;the risk-benefit balance;and causality assessment outcomes, are essential. A key factor in this context is people's perception of risk, especially where the fear of vaccines has replaced the fear of a VPD. Understanding the factors driving vaccine hesitancy and moving people from the point of being hesitant to the point of accepting vaccination, requires collective multi-pronged strategies from all levels of society, including political, social, religious and educational role players. Targeted approaches should be evidence-based, context-specific, culturally sensitive and tailored for the community, integrating individual, social and environmental factors. While healthcare professionals are the public's most trusted source of information for vaccination decision- making, they are not immune against believing misinformation and developing vaccine hesitancy. Consequently, they must be empowered with the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence to respond appropriately to questions and persuade the public to demand vaccination for themselves and their children. This presentation will focus on strategies to build vaccine confidence and acceptance, promote trust in the healthcare system, and address fears about the consequences of vaccination, aimed at driving vaccine uptake and preventing antimicrobial resistance.Copyright © 2023
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Background: The Cystic Fibrosis Legal Information Hotline (CFLIH) provides information on legal issues affecting people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Since 1998, it has provided the CF community with confidential information on health insurance, Social Security, employment, and education. Method(s): The CFLIH tracks each call according to the age of the person with CF, the caller's relationship to the person with CF, and the subject matter of the call. Result(s): The CFLIH received 10 870 calls in 2021;63% were related to a person with CF aged 18 and older and 37% to a child younger than 18;55% were from a person with CF, 7% more than in 2020;and 22% of calls came from CF centers. Of the 2444 calls from CF centers, 95% were from nonphysician staff and 5% from physicians. Twenty-two percent were from a parent of a person with CF, and 1% of callers were the spouse or someone with another relationship to the person with CF. Fifty-seven percent of calls were related to Social Security benefits, 9% more than in 2020. These calls were evenly divided between Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance. Sixteen percent of calls were related to benefits and coverage under a private or public health benefit plan: 34% of these related to private health benefit plans and 66% related to public health benefit plans. Of the public benefit plans, 53% related to Medicare and 47% to Medicaid. Nine percent of calls were related to CF in primary, secondary, and higher education, 22% more than in 2020, and 18% were related to employment. Conclusion(s): Total calls in 2021 stabilized after a record high of 13 405 in 2020. The surge in calls that began in 2020 was driven by problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued into 2021. Calls in 2021 exceeded pre-pandemic levels. In 2021, calls related to Social Security were 9% higher than in 2020. The increase in Social Security calls is attributed to persons with CF becoming unable to work because of the progression of CF symptoms, many of whom are not eligible for CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy. Calls also increased from those whose health had improved with CFTR modulator therapy who sought information about maintaining Social Security or health insurance while returning to work. The increase in Social Security calls is also attributed to an increase in the number of Social Security beneficiaries undergoing reviews of their disability status by the Social Security Administration. Employment calls continued to be higher than pre-pandemic levels. Remote work during the pandemic tended to help workers with CF maintain employment. Return to in-person work raised concerns about workplace safety, reasonable accommodations, and other workplace issues. Loss of employment with reasonable accommodations for CF was a common experience. The CFLIH increased health equity by helping maintain health coverage for vulnerable members of the CF community, which avoids disruptions in coverage and care. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, the CFLIH continues to be a reliable source of information in obtaining Social Security benefits, health insurance, employment, and safe access to educationCopyright © 2022, European Cystic Fibrosis Society. All rights reserved
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Background: The COVID 19 pandemic saw many changes to the experience of lung cancer patients and their relatives, not least access to previously available information within hospitals, support centres or support groups. Many clinicians were unaware of the lack of access to information centres (often manned by volunteers) which had closed during the pandemic, closure of patient support groups and increased pressure on social media sites from worried and concerned relatives, no longer able to accompany their loved ones to clinical appointments in some areas. Highlighting the issue during a regular UK Clinical Expert Group meeting on lung cancer, contributions were sought from relevant members to identify what had changed and what could be done to support patients and their relatives in this new era. Aim(s): To collate different perspectives from nursing, relevant charities and patient advocate experience to report on the latest situation To suggest learning to help future communication and awareness within HCP community To work collectively to identify areas to improve future awareness and communication Methods: A paper was written by the CEG Patient representative and Roy Castle lung cancer foundation inviting comments from other CEG members. Contributions by email, relevant research links and other information sources were added to a revised paper for circulation to relevant contacts. Recommendation to assess any impact on communication methods and supportive information available during periods of change to ensure patients/relatives can still access relevant support using different media (e.g. phone, online, written information and any in-person support). Recognise that obtaining well written/lay information about many aspects of their situation (diagnostics, treatments, living with conditions) supports their patients mental and physical health. Disclosure: No significant relationships.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
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Introduction: Emerging evidence suggests an association between COVID-19 and the development of lung cancer and that those living with a lung disease may be more susceptible to persistent symptoms. Australia currently does not have an agreed definition of long-COVID, and as we transition to the endemic phase of COVID-19, we must gain a deeper understanding of the experience of Australians broadly, the influence on people living with lung disease and lung cancer, and prevalence and impact of on-going COVID-19 symptoms. To fill this evidence gap, Lung Foundation Australia surveyed Australians on their experience. Method or Implementation : An online mixed-methods survey was developed to capture the retrospective and current COVID-19 and long-COVID experiences of Australians. Questions focussed on the health system, COVID-19 symptoms, long term symptoms, immunisation, trust in the information provided by Governments, health professionals, and different sectors, and more. The survey was open for 3 weeks in July 2022, with recruitment through EDMs to existing networks, and paid promotion on social media. Results or Learnings : The survey received 2196 responses. Over 45% of respondents had a lung disease or lung cancer, offering a range of experiences and perspectives, including the unique and additional challenges. Health professionals were highly valued and recognised as a trusted source of information and support. Findings will be presented with a focus on those living with lung cancer. Contribution to policy, practice and/or research: This survey provides a unique insight into experiences of Australians, and the differences between people with a pre-existing lung disease versus the general population. The findings will be used to advocate for funding and policy action and guide the development of resources and support for individuals with long-COVID. Findings can also be used to guide general practice care, providing greater insight into opportunities (e.g., immunisation) and challenges (e.g., unclear information) remaining.
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Background: Young to middle-aged U.S. adults are burdened by the obesity, opioid, and COVID-19 epidemics. However, the ability to detect cardiovascular disease (CVD) manifestations of population-wide changes in risk factors within contemporary cohorts in young to middle adulthood is unknown. Objective(s): To assess inter-rater reliability of death certificate (DC), obituary, coroner/medical examiner (CME) autopsy report, and hospital record ion in young to middle adulthood. Setting(s): The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative school-based sample of 20,745 U.S. adolescents in grades 7-12 (1994-1995) followed for the last 26 years and aged 37-45 years in 2020. Method(s): We traced all participants, identified decedents, then collected DCs, obituaries, CME autopsy reports, and hospital records = 1 month before death dates. Among a random sample of 28 decedents and an oversample of 28 hospitalized decedents enriched 3:1 for CVD, two trained and certified staff used an electronic data entry system to data needed for outcome classification from the four information sources following standardized, item-by-item instructions. We measured item-specific reliability of categorical data ion as the agreement between ors (%) and prevalence- and bias-adjusted kappa coefficient (PABAK). We measured reliability of interval-scale data (e.g. creatinine;troponin;creatinine kinase;CK-MB;pro-BNP concentrations) as an intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Result(s): We identified 578 (2.8%) participants who were deceased through December 2020. Of those, 577 (99.8%) had high scoring National Death Index matches uniquely identifying decedents in 44 U.S. states. We collected and ed 531 (92%), 445 (77%), 178 (66%), and 95 (39%) of their DCs, obituaries, CME autopsy reports, and hospital records. CVD was the underlying cause of death in 10% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8%-13%) of decedents. Mean, item-specific agreement (95% CI) was 0.86 (0.84-0.89), 0.90 (0.87-0.93), 0.93 (0.92-0.95), and 0.94 (0.92-0.95) for each source. The corresponding mean, item-specific PABAK (95% CI) was 0.83 (0.80-0.86), 0.86 (0.83-0.90), 0.92 (0.90-0.94) and 0.91 (0.89-0.93). The mean, biomarker-specific ICC (95% CI) was 0.96 (0.95-0.98). Conclusion(s): Overall, CVD was a major cause of mortality and reliability of ion was excellent across a range of measures. Ongoing investigation of deaths, and as needed, targeted staff retraining and improvement of ion protocol will enable high quality studies of CVD emergence within this large, nationally representative U.S. cohort. Such studies will provide generalizable insight into the biological mechanisms underlying cardiovascular manifestations and thereby inform understanding of changing CVD burden in the U.S. population.
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Objective: The recently emerged coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared as a pandemic by the WHO in March 2020. The knowledge and awareness of the general populations about the modes of the disease transmission deemed extremely important in preventing the spread of COVID-19. This study aims to determine the knowledge and awareness of the Saudi population in Asir region towards the COVID-19. Design and Setting: A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted by recruiting 715 participants. A self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed to the participants that comprised several sections including the demographics, sources of medical information, acquaintance of mode of the virus transmission, diagnostics and preventive measures of the infection. Method(s): Data analysis was executed through SPSS program version 26. Result(s): Significant differences in the knowledge and attitude of Saudi population towards COVID-19 based on the differences in marital status (p=0.036), place of residence (p= 0.012), use of electronic devices (p =0.043), and sources of information (p <0.001) were observed. Non-significant variations in the average scores over the genders (p=0.616), age groups (p=0.252), educational level of parents (p=0.685), educational level of children (p=0.822), number of children (p=0.5), employment status (p=0.079), monthly income (p=0.339) and internet access (p =0.227) were noted. Conclusion(s): Although, the general knowledge and awareness about the different elements pertaining to COVID-19 among the population in the study area are satisfactory to assist in the control of the infection, more directive measures are to be implemented to improve that awareness.Copyright © 2023, Bahrain Medical Bulletin. All rights reserved.
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Objective: Studies have shown that individuals with disabilities participate in routine immunization programs less than individuals without any disabilities. This study was carried out to explore the attitudes of parents of children and adolescents aged 0-18 years with an intellectual disability towards vaccination before the COVID-19 pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): This descriptive study was conducted with the parents of 94 children and adolescents aged 0-18 years who were educated in a special training center in Izmir. Socio-demographic Questionnaire and Attitudes towards Vaccination Scale were used as data collection tools for the study. Attitudes towards Vaccine Scale has been developed by Cvjetkovic et al. Ethics approval was obtained from the Izmir Katip Celebi University Non-Invasive Clinical Research Ethics Committee, and institutional approval was obtained from the institution administration. Result(s): The rate of parents who stated that they believed that vaccines had serious side effects was 73.4%. The rate of families who had never been vaccinated and thought that the vaccines were ineffective was 14.9%. The parents' total ATVS median score was 43 and they displayed a moderately positive attitude. Those who believed that "vaccines have serious side effects" had the lowest median ATVS score (p< 0.005). Median ATVS scores of fully vaccinated parents were higher than those of the parents who did not have any vaccinations and who had incomplete vaccination, and they displayed a more positive attitude (p< 0.005). According to the parents' sources of information, ATVS scores were compared (p< 0.005), and the median ATVS scores of those who received information from healthcare personnel were higher than those of the parents who received information from other sources (p< 0.005). Conclusion(s): In this study, while 14.9% of the parents of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities reported that they did not get their children vaccinated, 85.1% got their children vaccinated. Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities have higher health risks due to various reasons such as the inadequacy of health protection and improvement programs, and therefore, they should be among the priority groups in immunization.Copyright © 2023 by Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunization Society.
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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the COVID-19 information-seeking behavior of the students in a developing country. This study also explores how the use of information sources changes over time by the students of a public university in Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachAn e-mail was sent along with an online questionnaire to 350 students in a public university in Bangladesh. After sending a couple of follow-up e-mails in May and June 2022, we got limited responses. Later in July, we distributed the same questionnaire in the printed form to the students in the seminar library, computer laboratory and in the classroom. Finally, we got back 270 responses, and the response rate was 77.14%. Pearson's correlation coefficient (effect size) and nonparametric test (Mann–Whitney U test) were used to see the differences in using information sources over times and overall understanding of choosing the COVID-19 information sources by the demographic variables.FindingsThis study found that the COVID-19 pandemic has made an increased demand for a variety of information, and the sources of information changes over time before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the students faced challenges while seeking COVID-19 information which mostly falls under the availability of mis–disinformation. Students used more social media tools during the COVID-19 than the pre-COVID-19 time, and there are some significant relationships found between the students' demographic variables and students' understanding of choosing the COVID-19 information sources.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is one of the first to analyze changes in information behavior patterns of students in a developing country and understand the challenges faced by the students during the pandemic.
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Background and Importance Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (PAXLOVID) is a recently approved drug to prevent progression in high-risk COVID-19-infected patients. Aim and Objectives To evaluate prescribing and dispensing of PAXLOVID and the proportion of patients with hospitalisation or death from any cause at 28 day. Material and Methods Descriptive, retrospective, observational study carried out between May and August 2022 in a secondlevel hospital. All patients with PAXLOVID prescription were selected. Sources of information were: electronic medical records and the prescription programme. The Variables analysed were: sex, age, risk factors, indications, interactions, dispensation (yes/no) and final treatment received. Risk factors were evaluated with our country's drug regulatory agency (DRA) recommendations to assesed the indication. Efficacy was assessed by the proportion of patients admitted to hospital and 28-day mortality. Results PAXLOVID was prescribed to 34 patients, 14 (41.2%) were women. The median age was 76.3 years old [RIQ 25.4]. Main indications for PAXLOVID were: to be undergoing treatment with myelotoxic chemotherapy (32.3%), corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants (29.4%);being over 80 years of age and presenting specific Risk factors (14.7%) and primary immunodeficiency (5.8%). 21 patients (61.8%) had some relevant interaction with their usual medication. The most frequent interactions were with statins (23.5%), analgesics (20.6%), oral anticoagulants (12%), antiarrhythmics (8.8%), antiplatelet drugs (5.8%), antidepressants (5.8%) and antidiarrhoeals (5.8%). After Validation by the Pharmacy Service, 11 patients (32.4%) did not receive PAXLOVID, 5 because they did not meet DRA criteria, 2 because their glomerular filtration rate was less than 30 ml/min and 4 because they had incompatible interactions. 4 patients finally received 3 days-remdesivir. Among patients who received PAXLOVID, 82.26% received full doses, with 4 patients (11.76%) requiring adjustment for renal impairment. 3 patients (13%) were hospitalised in the first month, none died. Conclusion and Relevance The main indications for which PAXLOVID was prescribed were patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or immunosuppressive treatments. Interactions with PAXLOVID were frequent and in some cases limited treatment. Validation by Pharmacy Service prevented a considerable number of patients from receiving PAXLOVID when it was no-indicated or when they had insurmountable interactions, also allowed patients to receive the dose adjusted for renal impairment. PAXLOVID was effective in avoiding hospital admission and mortality in the majority of patients.
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Background: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is especially important to understand why patients avoid or continuously postpone immunization. The authors aim to understand the impact of the increasingly active spread of anti-vaccine arguments of the vaccination opponents, as well as the general distrust in the pharmaceutical industry, science and healthcare professionals in patients with Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) and recurrent Angioedema (AE) in North Macedonia. Method(s): A total of 92 patients diagnosed with AE and 35 patients diagnosed with HAE underwent structured interview conducted during routine check-ups. Result(s): 52 of the AE patients and 10 of the HAE patients stated that they are indecisive or opposed to vaccination, mostly because of a generalized negative attitude towards vaccines. The patients often stated that their attitude is based on a personal or a family member's negative experience with vaccines (76.9% of AE and 60% of HAE patients opposed to vaccination). When asked about the basis of such opinion, the patients' answers were vague and unspecific. The majority stated that they do not recall the source of information, some speculated about possible role of vaccines in autism diagnosis of a close family member, allergies or other pediatric diseases caused by vaccines, despite the lack of proof of connection. Such examples can be explained with the human tendency to remember negative information, although they have read such information somewhere on the internet or social media with no reliable source or validation. Confirmation bias is the tendency of individuals to seek information that confirm their existing hypothesis, while avoiding explanations that do not fit in with their opinion. Because of this, the previously formed negative attitude towards vaccines, can cause any negative symptoms to be misinterpreted as vaccine side-effects, additionally reaffirming the negative attitude. 61.5% of AE and 70% of HAE patients opposing vaccination stated that they believe that vaccines lead to serious adverse events, do not protect the individuals and society from infective diseases and are not sufficiently tested prior to their use. Conclusion(s): In conclusion, the author considers that continuous education of patients is a key condition for an improved rate of COVID-19 immunization of HAE and AE patients.
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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness. The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is to be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol based rub frequently and not touching your face. The aim of the present study was assess the Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding of COVID-19: among rural population.Cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted on rural people A total of 200 participants hailing from rural areas were enrolled. Result(s): Most common source of information for the participants was through television (54.8%) and radio (49.2%). Only 77% claimed that they were using face mask and 72% claimed to be following social distancing. A large (60%) proportion of the participants did not know that COVID-19 could spread from asymptomatic patients. The mean (percentage) scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice were 21.26 (82%), 9.37 (92%), and 10.32 (86%), respectively. Education of participants was a key determinant for use of social distancing and face mask as a preventive tool. With increasing age, the practice of social distancing and the use of face mask were decreasing in our study. Conclusion(s): Television/Radio channels form an important source of information and need to be used more effectively to educate the people about the disease and create awareness about effective preventive measures. People need to be educated about the role of asymptomatic carriers in spreading the disease.Copyright © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.
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This study aims to analyze the care trajectories of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were hospitalized and are currently undergoing rehabilitation regarding their use of and access to the healthcare network (HN). An evaluative, qualitative study was carried out based on interviews with patients in the city of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The care trajectories were reconstructed at three different occasions that express their experiences with the healthcare and support network during the pandemic: prevention, support and diagnosis measures;hospitalization;post-COVID-19 care, rehabilitation and support. The results indicate that the main source of information about COVID-19 was TV newscasts. Preventive hygiene measures were the most widely adopted. The family was the main support network. There was no waiting time for admission to the municipal referral hospital. Hospitalization was very well evaluated in terms of user embracement, multidisciplinary care, virtual visits and daily contact between doctor and family members. A post-discharge "care vacuum" was identified, with no follow-up by primary health care (PHC) and other public services. Low-cost health insurance plans and private specialized post-COVID-19 services were frequently and spontaneously sought until the implementation of the rehabilitation service. In summary, solitary and discontinuous care trajectories of individuals and families shed light on several challenges to the health system, including guaranteed access to coordinated PHC and expanded offer of specialized public services and rehabilitation, aligned with the principles of humanized care, in addition to the maintenance of social support measures.Copyright © 2023 Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The evolving availability of health information on social media, regardless of its credibility, raises several questions about its impact on our health decisions and social behaviors, especially during health crises and in conflict settings where compliance with preventive measures and health guidelines is already a challenge due to socioeconomic factors. For these reasons, we assessed compliance with preventive measures and investigated the role of infodemic in people's non-compliance with COVID-19 containment measures in Yemen. To this purpose and to triangulate our data collection, we executed a mixed method approach in which raw aggregated data were taken and analyzed from multiple sources (COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports), then complemented and verified with In-depth interviews. Our results showed that the population in Yemen had relatively complied with the governmental containment measures at the beginning of the pandemic. However, containment measures were not supported by daily COVID-19 reports due to low transparency, which, together with misinformation and lack of access to reliable sources, has caused the population not to believe in COVID-19 and even practice social pressure on those who showed some compliance with the WHO guidelines. Those results indicate the importance of adopting an infodemic management approach in response to future outbreaks, particularly in conflict settings.
ABSTRACT
Some new norms need to be adapted due to COVID-19 pandemic period where people need to wear masks, wash their hands frequently, maintain social distancing, and avoid going out unless necessary. Therefore, educational institutions were closed to minimize the spread of COVID-19. As a result of this, online education was adapted to substitute face-to-face learning. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the Malaysian university students' adaptation to the new norms, knowledge and practices toward COVID-19, besides, their attitudes toward online learning. This study was conducted from January to February 2021 and included a sample of 500 Malaysian university students. For data collection, all students were asked to fill in a questionnaire that was developed based on previous literature, using Google Forms. 498 students completed the questionnaire (response rate 99.6%). Malaysian Ministry of Health was the main source (83.73%) that students refer to when looking for information on COVID-19. Only 40% of the participants had good overall knowledge about COVID-19;such knowledge was influenced by the students' field of study. The current practice towards COVID-19 was good only by 26.1% of participating students;such practice was influenced by the ethnic groups. Additionally, 60% of participated students agreed that COVID-19 can be successfully controlled. About one-third of participants had positive attitudes toward online learning. The major challenges facing students during online learning include distraction of the learning environment (80%), unstable internet connectivity (75%), lack of motivation (70%), limited technical skills (41%), and limited broadband data (34%). In conclusion, the knowledge and practice toward COVID-19 was good in less than half of Malaysian university students. Attitudes to the controlling of COVID- 19 were positive, while the attitudes toward online learning were neutral among most of the Malaysian university students. Challenges toward online learning are diverse and include both technical and student-related problems.Copyright © 2022 University of Baghdad - College of Pharmacy. All rights reserved.