Online Symptoms Self-Assessment During Covid-19 Pandemic: an Analysis of a Covid-19 Portal Responses from Canada.

Abstract Background: Covid-19 case was first identified in Canada on January 25, 2020, on a Toronto resident who had travelled to Wuhan China, and not long after, the WHO declared the viral infection a pandemic. Ontario health West created an online self-assessment portal that allowed individuals in the health region and adjourning areas to report any covid related symptoms.Method: Record level data obtained the Ontario Health West self-assessment portal were analyzed. Descriptive statistics using charts and graphs were used to characterize the distribution of responses to the portal. In-depth analysis using correlation, lead-lag analysis, and trend comparison with actual Public Health Canada covid-19 cases for the region were also conducted.Results: A total of 34,144 distinct responses were recorded on the portal between April 10 and July 29, 2020, with 1,250 (3.7%) responding positively to one of the emergency symptoms questions. Trend analysis showed a peak portal response in May 2020 with a smaller rise subsequently in July 2020, coinciding with actual covid-19 peak in the region. The five most reported symptoms on the portal were sore throat (17.2%), headache (12.9%), fatigue (12.3%), digestive problems (12.2%) and cough (9.1%). For four sub-regions, trend of self-report on the portal positively lagged actual public health covid-19 cases, while for one sub-region, the trend positively led the actual public health covid-19 cases for the area.Conclusion: We found correlation between online covid-19 self- assessment data and the confirmed covid-19 cases in the Southwestern region of Ontario. Trends in the covid-19 associated emergency symptoms reported on the portal also tracked confirmed covid-19 cases in the community. Peak response to the portal coincided with the peak volume of confirmed cases in Ontario during the first wave of covid-19 pandemic in Canada, suggesting some consistency between the experiences of portal users and patterns of COVID-19 illness in the community. The portal was a useful tool at the person-level because it provided guidance to individuals about how to access appropriate health services according to the symptoms that they reported and connected them with primary care, reducing unnecessary visit to health facilities for covid-19 related care.

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Online Symptoms Self-Assessment During Covid-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of a Covid-19 Portal Responses from Canada.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1072047/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Bonaventure Egbujie ◽

Krizia Francisco ◽

Mohamed Alarakhia ◽

John P Hirdes

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Self Report ◽

Assessment Data ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Peak Response ◽

Level Data ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Health Canada

Abstract BackgroundCovid-19 case was first identified in Canada on January 25, 2020, on a Toronto resident who had travelled to Wuhan China, and not long after, the WHO declared the viral infection a pandemic. Ontario health West created an online self-assessment portal that allowed individuals in the health region and adjourning areas to report any covid related symptoms.MethodRecord level data obtained the Ontario Health West self-assessment portal were analyzed. Descriptive statistics using charts and graphs were used to characterize the distribution of responses to the portal. In-depth analysis using correlation, lead-lag analysis, and trend comparison with actual Public Health Canada covid-19 cases for the region were also conducted.ResultsA total of 34,144 distinct responses were recorded on the portal between April 10 and July 29, 2020, with 1,250 (3.7%) responding positively to one of the emergency symptoms questions. Trend analysis showed a peak portal response in May 2020 with a smaller rise subsequently in July 2020, coinciding with actual covid-19 peak in the region. The five most reported symptoms on the portal were sore throat (17.2%), headache (12.9%), fatigue (12.3%), digestive problems (12.2%) and cough (9.1%). For four sub-regions, trend of self-report on the portal positively lagged actual public health covid-19 cases, while for one sub-region, the trend positively led the actual public health covid-19 cases for the area.ConclusionWe found correlation between online covid-19 self- assessment data and the confirmed covid-19 cases in the Southwestern region of Ontario. Trends in the covid-19 associated emergency symptoms reported on the portal also tracked confirmed covid-19 cases in the community. Peak response to the portal coincided with the peak volume of confirmed cases in Ontario during the first wave of covid-19 pandemic in Canada7, suggesting some consistency between the experiences of portal users and patterns of COVID-19 illness in the community. The portal was a useful tool at the person-level because it provided guidance to individuals about how to access appropriate health services according to the symptoms that they reported and connected them with primary care, reducing unnecessary visit to health facilities for covid-19 related care.

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Trends and variation in antidepressant prescribing in English primary care

BJGP Open ◽

10.3399/bjgpo.2021.0020 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. BJGPO.2021.0020

Author(s):

Paul Bogowicz ◽

Helen J Curtis ◽

Alex J Walker ◽

Philip Cowen ◽

John Geddes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Marked Variation ◽

Substantial Variation ◽

National Guidelines ◽

Level Data ◽

Prescribing Behaviour ◽

Treatment Sequencing

BackgroundAntidepressants are commonly prescribed. There are clear national guidelines in relation to treatment sequencing. The study examined trends and variation in antidepressant prescribing across English primary care.AimTo examine trends and variation in antidepressant prescribing in England, with a focus on: monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs); paroxetine; and dosulepin and trimipramine.Design & settingRetrospective longitudinal study using national and practice level data on antidepressant items prescribed per year (1998–2018) and per month (2010–2019).MethodClass- and drug-specific proportions were calculated at national and practice levels. Descriptive statistics were generated, percentile charts and maps were plotted, and conducted logistic regression analysis was conducted.ResultsAntidepressant prescriptions more than tripled between 1998 and 2018, from 377 items per 1000 population to 1266 per 1000. MAOI prescribing fell substantially, from 0.7% of all antidepressant items in 1998 to 0.1% in 2018. There was marked variation between practices in past year prescribing of paroxetine (median practice proportion [MPP] = 1.7%, interdecile range [IDR] = 0.7% to 3.3%) and dosulepin (MPP = 0.7%, IDR = 0% to 1.9%), but less for trimipramine (MPP = 0%, IDR = 0% to 0.2%).ConclusionRapid growth and substantial variation in antidepressant prescribing behaviour was found between practices. The causes could be explored using mixed-methods research. Interventions to reduce prescribing of specific antidepressants, such as dosulepin, could include review prompts, alerts at the time of prescribing, and clinician feedback through tools like OpenPrescribing.net.

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Emergency preparedness of families of children with developmental disabilities: What public health and safety emergency planners need to know

Journal of Emergency Management ◽

10.5055/jem.2015.0213 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Susan Wolf-Fordham, JD ◽

Carol Curtin, MSW ◽

Melissa Maslin, MEd ◽

Linda Bandini, PhD ◽

Charles D. Hamad, PhD

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Developmental Disabilities ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Self Report ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Disaster Impacts ◽

Training And Support ◽

Public Health And Safety ◽

Children With Developmental Disabilities

Objective: To assess the emergency preparedness knowledge, behaviors, and training needs of families of children with developmental disabilities (DD).Design: An online survey.Participants: A sample of 314 self-selecting US parents/guardians of children with DD, aged birth-21 years.Main outcome measures: 1) Preparedness self-assessment; 2) self-report regarding the extent to which families followed 11 specific preparedness action steps derived from publicly available preparedness guides; and 3) parent training and support needs. Results: Although most participants assessed themselves to be somewhat to moderately well prepared, even those who reported being “very well prepared” had taken fewer than half of 11 recommended action steps. Most participants expressed a need for preparedness support; virtually all the respondents felt that training was either important or very important.Conclusions: Children with disabilities are known to be particularly vulnerable to negative disaster impacts. Overall, parents in this study appeared under-prepared to meet family disaster needs, although they recognized its importance. The results suggest opportunities and methods for public health and safety planning, education and outreach to parents of children with DD who would benefit from targeted training such as information and skill building to develop effective family preparedness plans and connections to local emergency management and responders.

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Self-Reported Antimicrobial Stewardship Practices in Primary Care Using the TARGET Antibiotics Self-Assessment Tool

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics9050253 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 253

Author(s):

Leah Ffion Jones ◽

Neville Quinton Verlander ◽

Donna Marie Lecky ◽

Sabeen Altaf ◽

Dirk Pilat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Self Report ◽

Antibiotic Prescribing ◽

Clinical Coding ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Microsoft Excel ◽

Information Leaflets ◽

Primary Care Clinicians

The self-assessment tool (SAT) is a 16-question self-report of antimicrobial stewardship practices in primary care, available in the TARGET (Treat Antibiotics Responsibly, Guidance Education and Tools) Antibiotics Toolkit. This study analysed responses to the SAT and compared them to previous SAT data (2014–2016). Data from June 2016 to September 2019 were anonymised and analysed using Microsoft Excel and STATA 15. Clinicians reported engaging in positive antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices including using antibiotic guidance to inform treatment decisions (98%, 98% 2014–2016), discussing antibiotic prescribing within the practice (73%, 67% 2014–2016), using patient-facing resources (94%, 71% 2014–2016), conducting antibiotic audits in the last two years (98%, 45% 2014–2016), keeping written records and action plans (81%, 62% 2014–2016), using back-up prescribing (99%, 94% 2014–2016) and using clinical coding (80%, 75% 2014–2016). Areas for improvement include developing strategies to avoid patients reconsulting to obtain antibiotics (45%, 33% 2014–2016), undertaking infection-related learning (37%, 29% 2014–2016), ensuring all temporary prescribers have access to antibiotic guidance (55%, 63% 2014–2016) and making patient information leaflets easily available during consultations (31%). The findings offer a unique insight into AMS in primary care over time. The SAT gives primary care clinicians and commissioners an opportunity to reflect on their AMS and learning.

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Emergency preparedness of families of children with developmental disabilities: What public health and safety emergency planners need to know

American Journal of Recreation Therapy ◽

10.5055/ajrt.2014.0083 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 28

Author(s):

Susan Wolf-Fordham, JD ◽

Carol Curtin, MSW ◽

Melissa Maslin, MEd ◽

Linda Bandini, PhD ◽

Charles D. Hamad, PhD

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Developmental Disabilities ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Self Report ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Disaster Impacts ◽

Training And Support ◽

Public Health And Safety ◽

Children With Developmental Disabilities

Objective: To assess the emergency preparedness knowledge, behaviors, and training needs of families of children with developmental disabilities (DD).Design: An online survey.Participants: A sample of 314 self-selecting US parents/guardians of children with DD, aged birth-21 years.Main outcome measures: 1) Preparedness self-assessment; 2) self-report regarding the extent to which families followed 11 specific preparedness action steps derived from publicly available preparedness guides; and 3) parent training and support needs.Results: Although most participants assessed themselves to be somewhat to moderately well prepared, even those who reported being “very well prepared” had taken fewer than half of 11 recommended action steps. Most participants expressed a need for preparedness support; virtually all the respondents felt that training was either important or very important.Conclusions: Children with disabilities are known to be particularly vulnerable to negative disaster impacts. Overall, parents in this study appeared under-prepared to meet family disaster needs, although they recognized its importance. The results suggest opportunities and methods for public health and safety planning, education and outreach to parents of children with DD who would benefit from targeted training such as information and skill building to develop effective family preparedness plans and connections to local emergency management and responders.

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