scholarly journals Operational considerations for peritoneal dialysis management during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhikai Yang ◽  
Jie Dong
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Peritoneal Dialysis ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Clinic Management ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Remote Patient

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus—severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is spread from human to human and has resulted in a global pandemic, posing a disastrous public health risk worldwide. Patients with chronic kidney disease, especially those on dialysis, are considered to be at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 due to their immunocompromised status and frail condition. The home treatment setting of peritoneal dialysis (PD) has advantages in terms of implementing self-care when routine hospital visits and social activities are restricted, thus greatly reducing exposure of PD patients to the virus. Methods and Results We outline general operational considerations in PD management during the COVID-19 pandemic, including precautionary measures for PD patients and healthcare staff. Precautionary measures for PD patients include education on prevention of, and screening for, COVID-19, preclinic screening, in-clinic management, meticulous remote patient management and special hospitalization arrangements. The diagnosis and treatment of PD patients with COVID-19 are discussed. Precautionary measures for PD staff include continuous education on, and training in, COVID-19, exposure history surveillance and self-monitoring for COVID-19 among healthcare personnel, appropriate personal protective equipment and hand hygiene, organization of medical activities and staffing, and adequate environment cleaning. Conclusions This is a battle of the entire human society against the novel coronavirus. Integrated teamwork among healthcare providers, supported by society as a whole, is needed as part of the ongoing public health response to try to slow the spread of COVID-19.

scholarly journals A Second Pandemic: Mental Health Spillover From the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 340-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen R. Choi ◽  
MarySue V. Heilemann ◽  
Alex Fauer ◽  
Meredith Mead
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Nurse Leaders ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Mental Wellness ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Global Health Challenge

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created an unprecedented global health challenge. There is risk that the outbreak will create a “second pandemic” of mental health crises in health systems and communities. Thus, a comprehensive public health response to the pandemic must include (a) attention to the psychological aspects of hospitalization for patients, families, and staff affected by COVID-19; (b) planning for emergency and acute psychiatric patient care if hospitals become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients; and (c) innovations for providing mental health care in communities while social distancing is required and health system resources are strained. Nurses and nurse leaders must anticipate these mental health challenges, assist with preparedness in health systems and communities, and advocate for a coordinated response to promote mental wellness and resilience.

scholarly journals MicrobeTrace: Retooling Molecular Epidemiology for Rapid Public Health Response

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellsworth M. Campbell ◽  
Anthony Boyles ◽  
Anupama Shankar ◽  
Jay Kim ◽  
Sergey Knyazev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Molecular Epidemiology ◽  
Spanning Trees ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Novel Approach

AbstractMotivationOutbreak investigations use data from interviews, healthcare providers, laboratories and surveillance systems. However, integrated use of data from multiple sources requires a patchwork of software that present challenges in usability, interoperability, confidentiality, and cost. Rapid integration, visualization and analysis of data from multiple sources can guide effective public health interventions.ResultsWe developed MicrobeTrace to facilitate rapid public health responses by overcoming barriers to data integration and exploration in molecular epidemiology. Using publicly available HIV sequences and other data, we demonstrate the analysis of viral genetic distance networks and introduce a novel approach to minimum spanning trees that simplifies results. We also illustrate the potential utility of MicrobeTrace in support of contact tracing by analyzing and displaying data from an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea in early 2020.Availability and ImplementationMicrobeTrace is a web-based, client-side, JavaScript application (https://microbetrace.cdc.gov) that runs in Chromium-based browsers and remains fully-operational without an internet connection. MicrobeTrace is developed and actively maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The source code is available at https://github.com/cdcgov/[email protected]

scholarly journals Social Factors Associated With Adherence to Preventive Behaviors Related to COVID-19 Among Rural and Semi-urban Communities in Western Maharashtra, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhas P. Shewale ◽  
Suvarna Sanjay Sane ◽  
Dhammasagar Dnyaneshwar Ujagare ◽  
Rais Patel ◽  
Sudipto Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Behavior Change ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Actual Behavior ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
The Government

Background: To control the transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, the Government of India (GoI) had taken stringent precautionary measures during the lockdown period. This study aimed to explore determinants affecting adherence to protective measures against COVID-19 infection among rural and semi-urban settings of Maharashtra, India.Methods: A cross-sectional telephonic survey among 1,016 adults from randomly selected households was conducted between June 5 and July 16, 2020. The data were explored for knowledge, awareness, practices related to protective measures, and self-risk perception. Socio-demographic and attitudinal correlates of failure to use protective measures against COVID-19 were measured.Results: In the survey, 72% of the participants were men. The mean age was 46 years (SD: 13.8). The main source of information was television (91%); however, information from healthcare providers (65%) and mass media announcements (49%) was trustworthy. Washing hands immediately with soap after returning from outdoors was reported by 95% of the respondents, always using a mask while outdoors by 94%, never attended social gatherings by 91%, always using hand sanitizer while outside by 77%, and 68% of the respondents followed all protective measures. The knowledge score [mean score 20.3 (SD: 2.4) out of 24] was independently associated with the risk of not using protective measures, with each unit increase in knowledge score, the risk of not using protective measures reduced by 16%. No source of income was independently associated with not using protective measures [AOR 1.5 95% CI (1.01–2.3)].Conclusions: The COVID-19 public health interventions and behavior change communication strategies should be specifically directed towards the low socio-economic populations through trusted sources. The association between knowledge and practices demonstrates the importance of accurate public health communication to optimally follow preventive measures, such as structural interventions to address poverty and employment policies to address the unemployment crisis are required. Surveillance activity is needed to understand the actual behavior change among the population.

scholarly journals MicrobeTrace: Retooling molecular epidemiology for rapid public health response

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. e1009300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellsworth M. Campbell ◽  
Anthony Boyles ◽  
Anupama Shankar ◽  
Jay Kim ◽  
Sergey Knyazev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Molecular Epidemiology ◽  
Spanning Trees ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Novel Approach

Outbreak investigations use data from interviews, healthcare providers, laboratories and surveillance systems. However, integrated use of data from multiple sources requires a patchwork of software that present challenges in usability, interoperability, confidentiality, and cost. Rapid integration, visualization and analysis of data from multiple sources can guide effective public health interventions. We developed MicrobeTrace to facilitate rapid public health responses by overcoming barriers to data integration and exploration in molecular epidemiology. MicrobeTrace is a web-based, client-side, JavaScript application (https://microbetrace.cdc.gov) that runs in Chromium-based browsers and remains fully operational without an internet connection. Using publicly available data, we demonstrate the analysis of viral genetic distance networks and introduce a novel approach to minimum spanning trees that simplifies results. We also illustrate the potential utility of MicrobeTrace in support of contact tracing by analyzing and displaying data from an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in South Korea in early 2020. MicrobeTrace is developed and actively maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Users can email [email protected] for support. The source code is available at https://github.com/cdcgov/microbetrace.

Sero−Epidemiological Survey On The Impact Of Smoking On Sars−Cov−2 Infection And Covid−19 Outcomes − The Troina Study Protocol (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Polosa ◽  
Venera Tomaselli ◽  
Pietro Ferrara ◽  
Alba C. Romeo ◽  
Sonja Rust ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Epidemiological Survey ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Serum Cotinine ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED After the global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), research has highlighted several aspects of the pandemic, focusing on clinical features and risk factors associated with infection and disease severity. However, emerging results on the role of smoking in SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility or Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes are conflicting, and their robustness remains uncertain. In this context, this study aims at quantifying the proportion of SARS-CoV-S antibody seroprevalence, studying the changes in antibody levels over time, and analyzing the association between the biochemically verified smoking status and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The research design involves a 6-month prospective cohort study with serial sampling of the same individuals. Each participant will be surveyed about their demographics and COVID-19-related information, and blood sampling will be collected upon recruitment and at specified follow-up time points (namely, after 8 and 24 weeks). Blood samples will be screened for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies and serum cotinine, being the latter the principal metabolite of nicotine, which will be used to assess participants’ smoking status. Discussion: Overall, we expect to find a higher prevalence of antibodies in individuals at high-risk for viral exposure (i.e., healthcare personnel or other essential workers), according to previous literature, and to refine current estimates on the association between smoking status and SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. The added value of this research is that the current smoking status of the population to be studied will be biochemically verified, in order to avoid the bias associated with self-reported smoking status. As such, the results from this survey may provide actionable metric to study the role of smoking in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 outcomes, and therefore implement the most appropriate public health measures to control the pandemic. Results may also serve as a reference for future clinical research and the methodology could be exploited in public health sectors and policies.

scholarly journals Knowledge, perception and practices regarding novel coronavirus among sample of Ghanaian healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1072
Author(s):  
Dorcas Serwaa ◽  
Anthony Baffour Appiah ◽  
Richard Wodag-Seme ◽  
Charles Nkansah ◽  
Selasie Ahiatrogah
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Background: Healthcare workers’ have increased risk of contracting the deadly COVID-19 pandemic due to their exposures to infected persons and their specimens. Ghana, like many other countries, has felt the devastating effects of this virus; it was therefore prudent to assess the levels of knowledge, perception and practice of Ghanaian healthcare providers on the current pandemic.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study enlisted 979 healthcare workers’ in Ghana from 1st Apr to 20th Nov, 2020, via self-reported questionnaire. SPSS version 22.0 was used for the analysis. Responses were summarized using frequency and proportions. A chi-square test was utilized to test for association at significant level of p <0.05.Results: Out of the 979 healthcare workers recruited, 56.4% had good knowledge and 59.5% displayed good perception on the novel COVID-19 while 63.1% of them effectively practiced the expected precautionary measures. Age (p=0.001), gender (p=0.034) and profession (p<0.001) significantly affected the practice of precautionary measure among the health personnel. The respondents’ perceptions towards the pandemic were significantly linked to their age (p<0.001), gender (p=0.043), profession (p<0.001), type of occupation (p=0.001) and source of information (p=0.006). Also, knowledge significantly related to good practices but did not influence the perception of HCWs.Conclusions: The current study identifies that more than half of HCWs in Ghana have sufficient knowledge, perception, and practice of precautionary measures; however, it elucidates some significant concerns about the knowledge gap in this COVID-19 outbreak. There is an obvious need for progressive in-service training programs for the health workers to broaden their scopes on the risks and preventive measures. 

scholarly journals COVID-19 Global Pandemic Planning: Decontamination and Reuse Processes for N95 Respirators

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas J Perkins ◽  
Steven Villescas ◽  
Terry H. Wu ◽  
Timothy Muller ◽  
Steven Bradfute ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Room ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Environmental Controls ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
N95 Respirators

ABSTRACTCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was first identified as a cluster of respiratory illness in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019, and has rapidly spread across the globe to greater than 200 countries. Healthcare providers are at an increased risk for contracting the disease due to occupational exposure and require appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including N95 respirators. The rapid worldwide spread of high numbers of COVID-19 cases has facilitated the need for a substantial supply of PPE that is largely unavailable in many settings, thereby creating critical shortages. Creative solutions for the decontamination and safe reuse of PPE to protect our frontline healthcare personnel are essential. Here, we describe the development of a process that began in late February 2020 for selecting and implementing the use of hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) as viable method to reprocess N95 respirators. Since pre-existing HPV decontamination chambers were not available, we optimized the sterilization process in an operating room after experiencing initial challenges in other environments. Details are provided about the prioritization and implementation of processes for collection and storage, pre-processing, HPV decontamination, and post-processing of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Important lessons learned from this experience include, developing an adequate reserve of PPE for effective reprocessing and distribution, and identifying a suitable location with optimal environmental controls (i.e., operating room). Collectively, information presented here provides a framework for other institutions considering decontamination procedures for N95 respirators.

Abstract 111: Outcomes for Patients Receiving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation During Novel Coronavirus Outbreak in The United States

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Sheth ◽  
Habeeb F Kazimuddin ◽  
Douglas McElroy ◽  
Aniruddha Singh
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spontaneous Circulation ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Introduction: Since the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., the CDC and AHA have introduced new CPR guidelines involving increased precautions for protecting healthcare providers from infection. These precautions have been widely adopted for both known and potential COVID+ patients despite debate over increased strain on CPR providers and potentially inferior outcomes. In order to bridge the knowledge gap surrounding safe, effective CPR practices in the presence of COVID-19, patient outcomes for codes performed in our medical center since March 2020 were compared to those of the same time last year. Methods: A total of 94 hospital codes across 80 patients were included. Age, BMI, and code duration were tested for significant differences in means between groups using ANOVA, with pairwise comparisons done using Tukey’s HSD test. Discrete variables were tested for significant differences among groups using chi-square association tests. Results: Groups were well matched on patient characteristics. There were no significant differences in age, comorbidities, or rhythm type among groups. COVID+ patients had significantly higher BMI than non-COVID patients. Code duration was significantly greater in the COVID+ group. However, there was no significant difference in code survival; 5 of 10 COVID+ patients (50%) survived the code event, compared to 54 of 84 (64%) non-COVID patients. Only 1 of 10 (10%) COVID+ patients was discharged alive vs. 18 of 71 non-COVID patients (25%); while not significant, this difference is perhaps worthy of further attention. Conclusions: Patient outcomes between 2019 and 2020 were comparable, indicating that extra precautions taken by healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 outbreak are not degrading the quality of CPR administered. However, COVID+ patients had significantly longer code durations than non-COVID patients in both years, suggesting a greater difficulty in restoring spontaneous circulation in the virus group.

scholarly journals Sentinel Case of COVID-19 at Fort Stewart, GA in a National Guard Soldier Participating in Annual Training: A Case Report

2020 ◽  
Vol 185 (11-12) ◽  
pp. e2158-e2161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D Kline ◽  
Andrew E Donovan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
National Guard ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract For healthcare providers, specifically military and federal public health personnel, prompt and accurate diagnosis and isolation of SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus patients provide a two-fold benefit: (1) directing appropriate treatment to the infected patient as early as possible in the progression of the disease to increase survival rates and minimize the devastating sequelae following recovery and remission of symptoms; (2) provide critical information requirements that enable commanders and public health officials to best synchronize policy, regulations, and troop movement restrictions while best allocating scarce resources in the delicate balance of risk mitigation versus mission readiness. Simple personal protective measures and robust testing and quarantine procedures, instituted and enforced aggressively by senior leaders, physicians, and healthcare professionals at all levels are an essential aspect of the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic that will determine the success or failure of the overall effort. As consideration, the authors respectfully submit this vignette of the first confirmed positive COVID-19 case presenting to the Emergency Department at Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart, Georgia.

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