Early detection of anaemia in primary care with haemoglobinometry: ANHEMOG clinical trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Detecting, treating and monitoring anaemia has a functional, social and economic impact on patients' quality of life and the health system, since inadequate monitoring can lead to more accident & emergency visits and hospitalizations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact in the patient clinical outcomes of using haemoglobinometry to early detect anaemia in patients with chronic anaemia in primary care. METHODS: Randomized controlled trial Capillary haemoglobin will be measured using a haemoglobinometer on a monthly basis in the intervention group. In the control group, the protocol currently in force at the primary care centre will be followed and venous haemoglobin will be measured. Any cases of anaemia detected in either group will be referred to the transfusion circuit of the reference hospital. DISCUSION: The results will shed light on the impact of the intervention on the volume of hospitalizations and accident & emergency (A&E) visits due to anaemia, as well as patients' quality of life. Chronic and repeated bouts of anaemia are detected late, thus leading to decompensation in chronic diseases and, in turn, more A&E visits and hospitalizations. The intervention should improve these outcomes since treatment could be performed without delay. Improving response times would decrease decompensation in chronic diseases, as well as A&E visits and hospitalizations, and improve quality of life. The primary care nurse case manager will perform the intervention, which should improve existing fragmentation between different care levels. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04757909. Registered 17 February 2021. Retrospectively registered.

Risk factors for mortality of residents in nursing homes with Covid-19: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundNursing homes have shown remarkably high Covid-19 incidence and mortality. We aimed to explore the contribution of structural factors of nursing home facilities and the surrounding district to all-cause and Covid-19-related deaths during a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we investigated the risk factors of Covid-19 mortality at the facility level in nursing homes in Catalonia (North-East Spain). The investigated factors included characteristics of the residents (age, gender, comorbidities, and complexity and/or advanced disease), structural features of the nursing home (total number of residents, residents who return home during the pandemic, and capacity for pandemic response, based on an ad hoc score of availability of twelve essential items for implementing preventive measures), and sociodemographic profile of the catchment district (household income, population density, and population incidence of Covid-19). Study endpoints included all-cause death and Covid-19-related death (either PCR-confirmed or clinical suspicion). FindingsThe analysis included 167 nursing homes that provide long-term care to 8,716 residents. Between March 1 and June 1, 2020, 1,629 deaths were reported in these nursing homes; 1,089 (66{square}9%) of them were Covid-19-confirmed. The multivariable regression showed a higher risk of death associated with a higher percentage of complex patients (HR 1{square}09; 95%CI 1{square}05-1{square}12 per 10% increase) or those with advanced diseases (1{square}13; 1{square}07-1{square}19), lower capacity for implementing preventive measures (1{square}08; 1{square}05-1{square}10 per 1-point increase), and districts with a higher incidence of Covid-19 (2{square}98; 2{square}53-3{square}50 per 1000 cases/100,000 population increase). A higher population density of the catchment area was a protective factor (0{square}60; 0{square}50-0{square}72 per log10 people/Km2 increase). InterpretationPresence of residents with complex/advance disease, low capacity for pandemic response and location in areas with high incidence of Covid-19 are risk factors for Covid-19 mortality in nursing homes and may help policymakers to prioritize preventative interventions for pandemic containment. FundingCrowdfunding campaign YoMeCorono (https://www.yomecorono.com/), and Generalitat de Catalunya. Research in contextO_ST_ABSEvidence before this studyC_ST_ABSWe searched PubMed for studies exploring the management of Covid-19 in long-term care settings. The search was performed on May 1, 2020, and included the keywords "Covid-19", "nursing home", "long term care", and "skilled nursing facility" with no language restriction. In addition to descriptive reports of Covid-19 mortality in the long-term care setting, we found studies providing evidence on the influence of age and comorbidities to mortality at the individual level. Some authors reported comparisons in the incidence and mortality of Covid-19 between facilities and country areas, and suggested the characteristics of each area/facility that may explain differences in mortality. However, we found no published works specifically investigating the contribution of structural features of the facility and sociodemographic characteristics of the area to explaining differences in Covid-19 mortality among long-term care facilities. Added value of this studyThis is the first analysis of risk of mortality at a facility level of residents with Covid-19 in nursing homes. We enrolled up to 167 nursing homes providing long-term care to 8,716 residents and we actively identified risk factors for Covid-19 mortality at the facility level. We found that nursing homes with lower capacity for pandemic response, and located in districts with a higher incidence of Covid-19 had significantly higher risks of Covid-19 mortality. The percentage of complex and/or advanced disease patients was also a risk factor. Implications of all the available evidenceOur findings provide policymakers with critical information to prioritize long-term care facilities at higher risk when deploying preventative interventions to minimize mortality in this setting. The association between mortality within the nursing home and Covid-19 incidence in the catchment area reinforces the importance of preventing the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into facilities. Nursing homes with limited capacity to implement containment measures should be prioritized when deploying preventative interventions for minimizing Covid-19 mortality in long-term care facilities.