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In confronting the sudden epidemic of COVID-19, China and other countries have been under great deal of pressure to block virus transmission and reduce death cases. Fangcang shelter hospital, which is converted from large-scale public venue, is proposed and proven to be an effective way for administering medical care and social isolation. This paper presents the practice in information technology support for a Fangcang shelter hospital in Wuhan, China. The experiences include the deployment strategy of IT infrastructure, the redesign of function modules in the hospital information system (HIS), equipment maintenance and medical staff training. The deployment strategy and HIS modules have ensured smoothness and efficiency of clinical work. The team established a quick response mechanism and adhered to the principle of nosocomial infection control. Deployment of network and modification of HIS was finished in the 48 hours before patient admittance. A repair hotline and remote support for equipment and software were available whenever medical workers met with any questions. No engineer ever entered the contaminated areas and no one was infected by the coronavirus during the hospital operation. Up to now, Fangcang shelter hospital is adopted by many regions around the world facing the collapse of their medical systems. This valuable experience in informatization construction and service in Wuhan may help participators involving in Fangcang shelter hospital get better information technology support, and find more practical interventions to fight the epidemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/therapy , Emergency Shelter/organization & administration , Hospitals, Special/organization & administration , Mobile Health Units/organization & administration , Patient Isolation/statistics & numerical data , COVID-19/epidemiology , China , Emergencies , Facility Design and Construction , Hospitals, Isolation , Humans , Information Technology , Risk FactorsSubject(s)
COVID-19 , Neurosurgery , Developing Countries , Hospitals, General , Humans , Indonesia/epidemiology , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Neurosurgery , Developing Countries , Hospitals, General , Humans , Indonesia/epidemiology , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
AIMS: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) increase mortality risk from coronavirus infection (COVID-19). There are also concerns that the pandemic has affected supply and demand of acute cardiovascular care. We estimated excess mortality in specific CVDs, both 'direct', through infection, and 'indirect', through changes in healthcare. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used (i) national mortality data for England and Wales to investigate trends in non-COVID-19 and CVD excess deaths; (ii) routine data from hospitals in England (n = 2), Italy (n = 1), and China (n = 5) to assess indirect pandemic effects on referral, diagnosis, and treatment services for CVD; and (iii) population-based electronic health records from 3 862 012 individuals in England to investigate pre- and post-COVID-19 mortality for people with incident and prevalent CVD. We incorporated pre-COVID-19 risk (by age, sex, and comorbidities), estimated population COVID-19 prevalence, and estimated relative risk (RR) of mortality in those with CVD and COVID-19 compared with CVD and non-infected (RR: 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0).Mortality data suggest indirect effects on CVD will be delayed rather than contemporaneous (peak RR 1.14). CVD service activity decreased by 60-100% compared with pre-pandemic levels in eight hospitals across China, Italy, and England. In China, activity remained below pre-COVID-19 levels for 2-3 months even after easing lockdown and is still reduced in Italy and England. For total CVD (incident and prevalent), at 10% COVID-19 prevalence, we estimated direct impact of 31 205 and 62 410 excess deaths in England (RR 1.5 and 2.0, respectively), and indirect effect of 49 932 to 99 865 deaths. CONCLUSION: Supply and demand for CVD services have dramatically reduced across countries with potential for substantial, but avoidable, excess mortality during and after the pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Cardiovascular Diseases , Cardiovascular Diseases/diagnosis , Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology , Communicable Disease Control , Humans , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Spikes in the demand for blood components represent a substantial challenge to transfusion services. Simple metrics for characterizing volatility in blood components within the hospital transfusion service have not been established. METHODS: We measured the volatility of demand for blood services at a large academic urban general hospital over a 6-month period from July 2019 to December 2019 prior to the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. RESULTS: Among 4416 consecutive hours assessed, there were 693 h (16%) with spikes in demand for blood components with a mean (sd) of 3.8 (2.7) spikes/day. Spikes in demand were frequently clustered. The median number of hours between spikes differed by shift (6 h for days; 3 h for evenings; 3 h for nights). The percentage of shift hours with demand spikes also differed (9% day; 19% evening; 18% night). During the study, 32,447 components were distributed to 19,431 patients. Of these, 11,819 components (36%) were distributed during hours of peak demand. Hours with a simultaneous spike in both component demand and patient demand occurred in 5% of hours or approximately once each day. CONCLUSION: Demand for transfusion services was highly volatile in an unpredictable fashion. We provide an approach that could be used to benchmark spikes in demand for blood services at hospitals. Consideration of the frequency, unpredictability, and magnitude of spikes in demand may be relevant for hemovigilance programs and for strategies to determine the laboratory staffing needed for good patient care.
Subject(s)
Blood Component Transfusion/statistics & numerical data , COVID-19/therapy , Workforce/statistics & numerical data , Blood Safety , Blood Transfusion/statistics & numerical data , COVID-19/complications , Hospitals , Humans , Time Factors , VolatilizationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the outpatient advance care planning (ACP) services provided by veterans hospitals in Taiwan. METHODS: This study adopted a retrospective data analysis. We investigated ACP services provided by 15 veterans hospitals in Taiwan from 2019 to June 2020. We also conducted a statistical analysis on the ACP services provided by the Taipei Veterans General Hospital. RESULTS: From 2019 to June 2020, 15 veterans hospitals in Taiwan provided ACP services to 2493 individuals. The outpatient ACP services declined significantly after January 2020, decreasing from a national average of 206.2 ± 29.2 declarants per month to 106.2 ± 30.8 declarants per month in the 6 months immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (p < 0.001). From the official implementation of the ACP in January 2019 to the end of June 2020, a total of 1126 declarants accepted ACP services at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital. When the COVID-19 pandemic was prevalent, the declarants who received ACP services were younger (i.e., 60.1 ± 15.2 vs 65.5 ± 16.3 years; p < 0.001). After the variables had been adjusted, the changes in the characteristics of the declarants receiving ACP services when the COVID-19 pandemic was prevalent were as follows: a significant increase in the percentage of hospital staff receiving ACP services (odds ratio [OR]: 5.460, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.378-12.536); An increase in the percentage of declarants who paid for the ACP services received at their own expense (OR: 3.417, 95% CI: 1.591-7.339); and an increase in the percentage of declarants who received the consultations with three or more people (OR: 2.017, 95% CI: 1.278-3.182). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 severely changed outpatient ACP services provided by hospitals. The results obtained by this study offer valuable insight regarding the provision of outpatient ACP services.
Subject(s)
Advance Care Planning , COVID-19/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Hospitals, Veterans , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Taiwan/epidemiologyABSTRACT
AIMS: It was predicted internationally that transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) would be vital during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. We therefore, designed a study to report the demand for TTE in two large District General Hospitals during the rise in the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the UK. A primary clinical outcome of 30-day mortality was also assessed. METHODS: The TTE service across two hospitals was reconfigured to maximise access to inpatient scanning. All TTEs of suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients over a 3-week period were included in the study. All patients were followed up until at least day 30 after their scan at which point the primary clinical outcome of mortality was recorded. Comparative analysis based on mortality was conducted for all TTE results, biochemical markers and demographics. RESULTS: 27 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 had a TTE within the inclusion window. Mortality comparative analysis showed the deceased group were significantly older (mean 68.4, SD 11.9 vs 60.5, SD 13.0, p=0.03) and more commonly reported fatigue in their presenting symptoms (29.6% vs 71.4%, p=0.01). No other differences were identified in the demographic or biochemical data. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction was noted in 7.4% of patients and right ventricular impairment or dilation was seen in 18.5% patients. TTE results were not significantly different in mortality comparative analysis. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates an achievable approach to TTE services when under increased pressure. Data analysis supports the limited available data suggesting right ventricular abnormalities are the most commonly identified echocardiographic change in SARS-CoV-2 patients. No association can be demonstrated between mortality and TTE results.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/mortality , Cardiovascular Diseases/mortality , Echocardiography/methods , Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Biomarkers/blood , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/diagnostic imaging , COVID-19/virology , Cardiovascular Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Cardiovascular Diseases/physiopathology , Cardiovascular Diseases/virology , Echocardiography/statistics & numerical data , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , United Kingdom/epidemiology , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/diagnostic imaging , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/epidemiology , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/physiopathology , Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/diagnostic imaging , Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/epidemiology , Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/physiopathologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a profound impact on global healthcare. Shortages in staff, operating theatre space and intensive care beds has led to a significant reduction in the provision of surgical care. Even vascular surgery, often insulated from resource scarcity due to its status as an urgent specialty, has limited capacity due to the pandemic. Furthermore, many vascular surgical patients are elderly with multiple comorbidities putting them at increased risk of COVID-19 and its complications. There is an urgent need to investigate the impact on patients presenting to vascular surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The COvid-19 Vascular sERvice (COVER) study has been designed to investigate the worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vascular surgery, at both service provision and individual patient level. COVER is running as a collaborative study through the Vascular and Endovascular Research Network (VERN), an independent, international vascular research collaborative with the support of numerous national and international organisations). The study has 3 'Tiers': Tier 1 is a survey of vascular surgeons to capture longitudinal changes to the provision of vascular services within their hospital; Tier 2 captures data on vascular and endovascular procedures performed during the pandemic; and Tier 3 will capture any deviations to patient management strategies from pre-pandemic best practice. Data submission and collection will be electronic using online survey tools (Tier 1: SurveyMonkey® for service provision data) and encrypted data capture forms (Tiers 2 and 3: REDCap® for patient level data). Tier 1 data will undergo real-time serial analysis to determine longitudinal changes in practice, with country-specific analyses also performed. The analysis of Tier 2 and Tier 3 data will occur on completion of the study as per the pre-specified statistical analysis plan.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Endovascular Procedures/statistics & numerical data , Health Impact Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Internet , Operating Rooms/statistics & numerical data , SARS-CoV-2 , Specialties, Surgical/statistics & numerical data , Surgeons , Surveys and Questionnaires , Vascular Surgical Procedures/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a disastrous effect on the health-care delivery system, of mainly pregnancy-related healthcare. In order to fill the information gap in the scientific literature and in response to the limited evidence in the country, this study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antenatal care utilization among pregnant women attending public facilities in Northeast Ethiopia. Therefore, the result will be beneficial to design strategies for prioritizing maternal healthcare even with the COVID-19 pandemic period. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2 to August 30, 2020 among pregnant women attending ANC services at public hospitals in Northeast Ethiopia. Thus, a total of 389 women were included in the study with a simple random sampling technique. The bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression models were employed to identify factors significantly associated with ANC utilization. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% CI was estimated to show the strength of association. Finally, a P-value of <0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of antenatal care utilization. RESULTS: Overall, 114 (29.3%) pregnant women had fully utilized antenatal care services during the pandemic period. Mother age ≥35 years (AOR=11.79, 95% CI=1.18- 117.8), secondary education and above (AOR=4.74, 95% CI=1.04- 21.61), history of stillbirth before recent pregnancy (AOR=0.007, 95% CI=0.001-0.12), interruption and diversion of services due to COVID-19 response (AOR=0.675, 95% CI=0.142-0.742), fear of COVID-19 (AOR=0.13, 95% CI=0.06-0.31), and lack of transport access (AOR=4.15, 95% CI=1.04-16.54) were predictors of full antenatal care service utilization. CONCLUSION: Three of every ten pregnant women who attended the obstetric outpatient clinics have fully utilized the antenatal care services. Encouraging women's educational status, prioritizing maternal health services during COVID-19, and improving the quality of ANC service should be emphasized more.
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INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has challenged healthcare systems worldwide. Some countries collapsed under surge conditions, while others (such as Malta) showed resilience. Public health measures in Malta quickly reined in COVID-19 spread. This review summarizes pandemic preparedness measures in Malta and the impact on routine services. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using Google, Google Scholar and PubMed and by reviewing Maltese online newspapers. A comprehensive summary of internal operations conducted at Mater Dei Hospital (MDH) was made available. RESULTS: A hospital 'Incident Command Group' was set up to plan an optimal COVID-19 response strategy. A 'rapid response team' was also created to cater for the logistics and management of supplies. A 'COVID-19 Emergency Operation Centre' simulated different COVID-19 scenarios. All elective services were suspended and all staff were mandatorily trained in wearing personal protective equipment. Staff were also retrained in the care of COVID-19 patients. In preparation for potential admission surges, MDH underwent rapid expansion of normal and intensive care beds. Swabbing was ramped up to one of the highest national rates worldwide. The cost for hospital COVID-19 preparedness exceeded 100 million for Malta's half a million population. CONCLUSION: Malta and its sole acute hospital coped well with the first wave with 680 cases and 9 deaths. The increased ability to deal with COVID-19 (a principally respiratory pathogen) will serve well for the anticipated combined annual influenza and the COVID-19 second wave this coming winter.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Hospitals, Public/organization & administration , Humans , Malta/epidemiology , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: the current COVID-19 pandemic has occasioned the increased adoption of telemedicine. This study reports the uptake and trend of a new teleconsultation service in a Tanzanian hospital. METHODS: this is a retrospective observational study that profiled requests for teleconsultations and uptake of the service between April 1, 2020, and June 30, 2020. RESULTS: two hundred and eighteen telephone inquiries were received over the 3 months. One hundred and sixteen (53.2%) individuals followed through with the teleconsultations. Paediatric (38.8%) and Internal medicine (32.8%) were the subspecialties with the highest number of teleconsultations. In a frame of 3 months, teleconsultation uptake was highest in May and lowest in June. CONCLUSION: there was a steady rise and a rapid fall in requests and uptake of teleconsultation services over the period under evaluation. Lack of insurance coverage for teleconsultations was a significant barrier. We propose a re-education and reiteration of the benefits of telemedicine to all stakeholders. This is important for the current era and beyond.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/therapy , Delivery of Health Care/trends , Remote Consultation/statistics & numerical data , SARS-CoV-2 , Tertiary Care Centers , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Retrospective Studies , Tanzania/epidemiologyABSTRACT
AIMS: The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of COVID-19 on spine surgery services in a district general hospital in England in order to understand the spinal service provisions that may be required during a pandemic. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was undertaken between 17 March 2020 and 30 April 2020 and compared with retrospective data from same time period in 2019. We compared the number of patients requiring acute hospital admission or orthopaedic referrals and indications of referrals from our admission sheets and obtained operative data from our theatre software. RESULTS: Between 17 March to 30 April 2020, there were 48 acute spine referrals as compared to 68 acute referrals during the same time period last year. In the 2019 period, 69% (47/68) of cases referred to the on-call team presented with back pain, radiculopathy or myelopathy compared to 43% (21/48) in the 2020 period. Almost 20% (14/68) of spine referrals consisted of spine trauma as compared to 35% (17/48) this year. There were no confirmed cases of cauda equine last year during this time. Overall, 150 spine cases were carried out during this time period last year, and 261 spine elective cases were cancelled since 17 March 2020. RECOMMENDATIONS: We recommend following steps can be helpful to deal with similar situations or new pandemics in future:24 hours on-call spine service during the pandemic.Clinical criteria in place to prioritize urgent spinal cases.Pre-screening spine patients before elective operating.Start of separate specialist trauma list for patients needing urgent surgeries. CONCLUSION: This paper highlights the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in a district general hospital of England. We demonstrate a decrease in hospital attendances of spine pathologies, despite an increase in emergency spine operations.Cite this article: Bone Joint Open 2020;1-6:281-286.
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PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The novel corona virus (SARS-CoV2) has been demonstrated to cause acute kidney injury due to direct cellular toxicity as well as due to a variety of autoimmune glomerular diseases. The concept of a surge of infected patients resulting in an overwhelming number of critical patients has been a central concern in healthcare planning during the COVID-19 era. RECENT FINDINGS: One crucial question remains as to how to manage patients with end stage renal disease and acute kidney injury in case of a massive surge of critically ill infected patients. Some publications address practical and ingenious solutions for just such a surge of need for renal replacement therapy. We present a plan for using a blood pump, readily available dialysis filter, and a prefilter and postfilter replacement fluid set up. This is in conjunction with multiple intravenous pumps to develop a simple hemofiltration apparatus. SUMMARY: The current set up may be a readily available option for use in critical situations where the need for renal replacement therapy outstrips the capacity of traditional hemodialysis services in a hospital or region.
Subject(s)
Acute Kidney Injury/therapy , COVID-19/epidemiology , Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy , Disasters , Hemodiafiltration , SARS-CoV-2 , Acute Kidney Injury/etiology , COVID-19/complications , HumansABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the outpatient advance care planning (ACP) services provided by veterans hospitals in Taiwan. METHODS: This study adopted a retrospective data analysis. We investigated ACP services provided by 15 veterans hospitals in Taiwan from 2019 to June 2020. We also conducted a statistical analysis on the ACP services provided by the Taipei Veterans General Hospital. RESULTS: From 2019 to June 2020, 15 veterans hospitals in Taiwan provided ACP services to 2493 individuals. The outpatient ACP services declined significantly after January 2020, decreasing from a national average of 206.2 ± 29.2 declarants per month to 106.2 ± 30.8 declarants per month in the 6 months immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak (p < 0.001). From the official implementation of the ACP in January 2019 to the end of June 2020, a total of 1126 declarants accepted ACP services at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital. When the COVID-19 pandemic was prevalent, the declarants who received ACP services were younger (i.e., 60.1 ± 15.2 vs 65.5 ± 16.3 years; p < 0.001). After the variables had been adjusted, the changes in the characteristics of the declarants receiving ACP services when the COVID-19 pandemic was prevalent were as follows: a significant increase in the percentage of hospital staff receiving ACP services (odds ratio [OR]: 5.460, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.378-12.536); An increase in the percentage of declarants who paid for the ACP services received at their own expense (OR: 3.417, 95% CI: 1.591-7.339); and an increase in the percentage of declarants who received the consultations with three or more people (OR: 2.017, 95% CI: 1.278-3.182). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 severely changed outpatient ACP services provided by hospitals. The results obtained by this study offer valuable insight regarding the provision of outpatient ACP services.
Subject(s)
Advance Care Planning , COVID-19/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Hospitals, Veterans , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Taiwan/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Service redevelopment has taken place across the NHS in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At North Bristol NHS Trust, six vulnerable medical staff in non-patient facing roles set up a virtual advice service called 'Ask the Medical Reg'. This service aimed to provide senior medical support to inpatient and community teams for general medical and COVID-19-related queries. Here we outline the structure of our service and present data from the first 4 weeks of operation. We describe how the service has supported both junior doctors working within the hospital and GPs and paramedics, helping with complex decisions to prevent unnecessary admissions.
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PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has potential to disrupt and burden the mental health care system, and to magnify inequalities experienced by mental health service users. METHODS: We investigated staff reports regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in its early weeks on mental health care and mental health service users in the UK using a mixed methods online survey. Recruitment channels included professional associations and networks, charities, and social media. Quantitative findings were reported with descriptive statistics, and content analysis conducted for qualitative data. RESULTS: 2,180 staff from a range of sectors, professions, and specialties participated. Immediate infection control concerns were highly salient for inpatient staff, new ways of working for community staff. Multiple rapid adaptations and innovations in response to the crisis were described, especially remote working. This was cautiously welcomed but found successful in only some clinical situations. Staff had specific concerns about many groups of service users, including people whose conditions are exacerbated by pandemic anxieties and social disruptions; people experiencing loneliness, domestic abuse and family conflict; those unable to understand and follow social distancing requirements; and those who cannot engage with remote care. CONCLUSION: This overview of staff concerns and experiences in the early COVID-19 pandemic suggests directions for further research and service development: we suggest that how to combine infection control and a therapeutic environment in hospital, and how to achieve effective and targeted tele-health implementation in the community, should be priorities. The limitations of our convenience sample must be noted.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Mental Health Services , Humans , Mental Health , Pandemics , SARS-CoV-2 , United Kingdom/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Fragility hip fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK. The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to restrictions on trauma services in several hospitals with potential operating delays and unintended negative outcomes. This local study describes the impact of operative pathway changes on clinical outcomes of patients undergoing fragility hip fracture surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A single centre, retrospective analysis was performed for all patients who presented with fragility hip fractures for operative management between the 23rd March and 29th April 2020. RESULTS: Thirty four patients met the inclusion criteria for analysis. The median patient age was 88 years old, with a median inpatient stay of 8 days. Three patients died prior to being operated on. Forty eight percent of patients were operated on within the national 36 hour target. The 30 day all-cause mortality from the date of presentation of injury was 20%. DISCUSSION: Our study demonstrates that the pandemic and changes to operating pathways has had a sizeable impact on the hip fracture service with delays in surgery and an increase in the 30 day mortality. These disruptions to surgical operating systems are likely to continue, with potential ongoing unintended negative consequences as demonstrated in this study. We believe that a focus on solving logistical issues including availability of sufficient operating theatre capacity, redeployment of staff, early multidisciplinary input and counselling patients on the increased outcome risks will help to mitigate risks posed to this vulnerable patient population during these periods.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Hip Fractures/epidemiology , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data , Hip Fractures/mortality , Hip Fractures/surgery , Humans , Male , Retrospective Studies , United Kingdom/epidemiologyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Considering health professionals among high-risk individuals, we aimed to evaluate their knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the health professionals (medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, hospital technicians and technologists) providing services at seven hospitals of Punjab province of Pakistan. A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate knowledge, attitude and practices regarding COVID-19. RESULTS: All of the participants (N = 429) reported that they were aware of COVID-19 and social media was the major source (65%) of this information. Mean knowledge score was 12 ± 2.1, with 75.5% of participants having satisfactory knowledge. Doctors were found to have significantly better knowledge scores than the other health professionals (p = 0.001). Mean attitude score was 8.0 ± 1.2, with a wide majority of health professionals (86.5%) having positive attitudes. Regarding preventive practices, around 64% reported of always covering nose and mouth with a tissue paper during sneezing or coughing and nearly 65% disposed of the dirty tissue paper in trash bin. Only 40% of the participants reported that 'if they do not have tissue, they cough or sneeze into upper sleeves'. Around 45% reported that they used face mask during their working hours in hospitals nowadays. Mean practice score was 23.3 ± 3.6, with 73.4% of health professionals having satisfactory practices. CONCLUSIONS: The overall COVID-19 related KAP of Pakistani health professionals are satisfactory, however some misperceptions and malpractices uncovered in the present study must be addressed to effectively combat COVID-19.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Personnel , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral , Adult , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pakistan , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to examine the anxiety status of the frontline clinical nurses in the designated hospitals for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan and to analyze the influencing factors, to provide data for psychologic nursing.This study used a cross-sectional survey design and convenience sampling. The questionnaires were completed by 176 frontline clinical nurses. Anxiety was determined using the Hamilton anxiety scale. General data were collected using a survey. Correlation analyses were used.Among the 176 frontline nurses, 77.3% (136/176) had anxiety. The anxiety scores of the frontline clinical nurse fighting COVID-19 were 17.1â±â8.1. Anxiety symptoms, mild to moderate anxiety symptoms, and severe anxiety symptoms were found in 27.3%, 25%, and 25% of the nurses, respectively. Sex, age, marital status, length of service, and clinical working time against COVID-19 were associated with anxiety (Pâ<â.05).The frontline nurses working in the designated hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19 in Wuhan had serious anxiety. Sex, age, length of service, and clinical working time against COVID-19 were associated with anxiety in those nurses. Psychologic care guidance, counseling, and social support should be provided to the nurses to reduce their physical and mental burden. Nursing human resources in each province should be adjusted according to each province's reality.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/epidemiology , Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/psychology , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Occupational Diseases/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/psychology , Adult , Anxiety/psychology , COVID-19 , China/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Occupational Diseases/psychology , Pandemics , Risk Factors , SARS-CoV-2 , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic affecting many countries worldwide. Given the increasing incidence especially in elderly and individuals with comorbid conditions, it is advised by health authorities to stay home if possible, maintain social distancing and stay away from those who are sick or could be infected. Patients with comorbidities especially cardiovascular disease are at higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 and have worse prognosis. Among efforts to safely manage warfarin patients during this pandemic, we introduced a hospital drive-up anticoagulation testing service. This service can reduce the risk of exposure of anticoagulation patients to COVID-19 by reducing the contact time with the different personnel at the hospital and by maintaining those patients at a safe distance from others.