scholarly journals Lessons from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2003 Pandemic as Evidence to Advocate for Stroke Public Education During the Current Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 538-542
Author(s):  
Tessa Riandini ◽  
Kelvin Bryan Tan ◽  
Deidre Anne De Silva
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Inpatient Admission ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Stroke Outcomes ◽  
Admission Data ◽  
Time Series Plot ◽  
Death Data ◽  
Related Mortality

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is affecting hospital admissions of stroke patients. This, in turn, will reduce the use of proven stroke treatments, which will result in poorer stroke outcomes. We examined local stroke admissions before, during, and after the 2003 outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (these periods being defined in both the Singapore and worldwide contexts), to extrapolate stroke admission patterns in Singapore during the current COVID-19 crisis. Materials and Methods: National inpatient admission data from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore, and death data from the Registry of Births and Deaths (RBD), Singapore, were analysed. Trends of local stroke admissions and stroke-related mortality pre-SARS, during SARS, and post-SARS periods, both in the Singapore and worldwide contexts, were analysed using time series plot in monthly time units. Differences between periods were presented as percentage change between: (1) SARS and pre-SARS periods, and (2) post-SARS and SARS periods and compared using two-sample t-tests. Results: There was a 19% decline in stroke admissions into all local hospitals during the Singapore SARS period (P = 0.002) and a 13% reduction during the worldwide SARS period (P = 0.006). Stroke admissions increased by 18% after the Singapore SARS period was over (P = 0.003) and rose by a further 8% when the worldwide SARS period ended (P = 0.046). Stroke-related mortality remained stable throughout. Conclusions: During the SARS pandemic, there was a reduction in the number of stroke admissions, and this was apparent during both the local SARS and worldwide SARS outbreak periods. We should take appropriate steps through public education to minimise the expected reduced stroke admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, inferred from the findings during the SARS pandemic. Key words: Care-seeking behaviour, COVID-19, Inpatient admission, Pandemic, SARS

scholarly journals The impact of lockdown on pediatric ED visits and hospital admissions during the COVID19 pandemic: a multicenter analysis and review of the literature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthijs D. Kruizinga ◽  
Daphne Peeters ◽  
Mirjam van Veen ◽  
Marlies van Houten ◽  
Jantien Wieringa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Pediatric Emergency ◽  
Pediatric Care ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Admission Data ◽  
Multicenter Analysis ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has enormous impact on society and healthcare. Countries imposed lockdowns, which were followed by a reduction in care utilization. The aims of this study were to quantify the effects of lockdown on pediatric care in the Netherlands, to elucidate the cause of the observed reduction in pediatric emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions, and to summarize the literature regarding the effects of lockdown on pediatric care worldwide. ED visits and hospital admission data of 8 general hospitals in the Netherlands between January 2016 and June 2020 were summarized per diagnosis group (communicable infections, noncommunicable infections, (probable) infection-related, and noninfectious). The effects of lockdown were quantified with a linear mixed effects model. A literature review regarding the effect of lockdowns on pediatric clinical care was performed. In total, 126,198 ED visits and 47,648 admissions were registered in the study period. The estimated reduction in general pediatric care was 59% and 56% for ED visits and admissions, respectively. The largest reduction was observed for communicable infections (ED visits: 76%; admissions: 77%), whereas the reduction in noninfectious diagnoses was smaller (ED visits 36%; admissions: 37%). Similar reductions were reported worldwide, with decreases of 30–89% for ED visits and 19–73% for admissions.Conclusion: Pediatric ED utilization and hospitalization during lockdown were decreased in the Netherlands and other countries, which can largely be attributed to a decrease in communicable infectious diseases. Care utilization for other conditions was decreased as well, which may indicate that care avoidance during a pandemic is significant. What is Known:• The COVID-19 pandemic had enormous impact on society.• Countries imposed lockdowns to curb transmission rates, which were followed by a reduction in care utilization worldwide. What is New:• The Dutch lockdown caused a significant decrease in pediatric ED utilization and hospitalization, especially in ED visits and hospital admissions because of infections that were not caused by SARS-CoV-2.• Care utilization for noninfectious diagnoses was decreased as well, which may indicate that pediatric care avoidance during a pandemic is significant.

scholarly journals Global effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the rate of acute coronary syndrome admissions: a comprehensive review of published literature

Open Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e001645
Author(s):  
Ayman Helal ◽  
Lamis Shahin ◽  
Mahmoud Abdelsalam ◽  
Mokhtar Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Acute Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Absolute Risk ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Absolute Risk Reduction ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Global Effect ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Admission Data ◽  
St Elevation

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems across the world. The rate of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) admissions during the pandemic has varied significantly.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the pandemic on ACS hospital admissions and to determine whether this is related to the number of COVID-19 cases in each country.MethodSearch engines including PubMed, Embase, Ovid and Google Scholar were searched from December 2019 to the 15 September 2020 to identify studies reporting ACS admission data during COVID-19 pandemic months in 2020 compared with 2019 admissions.ResultsA total of 40 studies were included in this multistudy analysis. They demonstrated a 28.1% reduction in the rate of admission with ACS during the COVID-19 pandemic period compared with the same period in 2019 (total of 28 613 patients in 2020 vs 39 225 in 2019). There was a significant correlation between the absolute risk reduction in the total number of ACS cases and the number of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 population (Pearson correlation=0.361 (p=0.028)). However, the correlation was not significant for each of the ACS subgroups: non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) (p=0.508), STEMI (p=0883) and unstable angina (p=0.175).ConclusionThere was a significant reduction in the rate of ACS admission during the COVID-19 pandemic period compared with the same period in 2019 with a significant correlation with COVID-19 prevalence.

scholarly journals Analysis of Covid-19 Hospital Admissions in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. E202141
Author(s):  
Oryna Detsyk ◽  
Natalia Fedorkiv ◽  
Olha Burak ◽  
Roksolana Kaluzhna
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
City Hospital ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Admission Data ◽  
Elderly Males ◽  
Primary Determinant ◽  
Time Frames

The Covid-19 pandemic has a substantial impact on socioeconomic, political, demographic, and other aspects of life. Effective healthcare is, however, a primary determinant of successful fighting against Covid-19. The analysis of local healthcare indicators serves as a source for estimating pandemic magnitude and the adaptation of healthcare at a national level. In this study, the rates of Covid-19 hospital admissions to the Ivano-Frankivsk City Hospital, Ukraine, from April 2020 to May 2021 were analysed. All cases were grouped by age, sex, and the type of admission; data were analyzed monthly and seasonally. The peaks of hospital admissions were observed in November 2020 and March 2021; however, the highest mortality rates were seen from August to November 2020. The analysis of age- and sex-disaggregated Covid-19 mortality data showed the predominance of elderly males (61.9%, 66.6 ± 3.9 years) over females (38.1%, 71.8 ± 2.3 years). The ratio of hospital admissions was unstable: the percentage of emergency, GP-referred and self-referred admissions was similar from April to May 2020; however, GP-referred admissions prevailed, and the number of self-referral patients decreased twice between March and May 2021. In conclusions, the trends in hospital admissions were similar to those reported in other studies. However, the differences in time frames and socio-demographic characteristics were observed that highlights the importance of considering regional, social and geographic aspects of the population when improving the capacity of healthcare system and establishing effective preventive measures against the pandemic at the local level.

scholarly journals Estimating the burden of SARS-CoV-2 in France

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 369 (6500) ◽  
pp. 208-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Salje ◽  
Cécile Tran Kiem ◽  
Noémie Lefrancq ◽  
Noémie Courtejoie ◽  
Paolo Bosetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Credible Interval ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Infected Population ◽  
Population Immunity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Death Data

France has been heavily affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and went into lockdown on 17 March 2020. Using models applied to hospital and death data, we estimate the impact of the lockdown and current population immunity. We find that 2.9% of infected individuals are hospitalized and 0.5% of those infected die (95% credible interval: 0.3 to 0.9%), ranging from 0.001% in those under 20 years of age to 8.3% in those 80 years of age or older. Across all ages, men are more likely to be hospitalized, enter intensive care, and die than women. The lockdown reduced the reproductive number from 2.90 to 0.67 (77% reduction). By 11 May 2020, when interventions are scheduled to be eased, we project that 3.5 million people (range: 2.1 million to 6.0 million), or 5.3% of the population (range: 3.3 to 9.3%), will have been infected. Population immunity appears to be insufficient to avoid a second wave if all control measures are released at the end of the lockdown.

Trauma-related mortality of patients with severe psychiatric disorders: population-based study from the French national hospital database

2019 ◽  
Vol 217 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-574
Author(s):  
Guillaume Fond ◽  
Vanessa Pauly ◽  
Thierry Bege ◽  
Veronica Orleans ◽  
David Braunstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnosis ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Survival Prognosis ◽  
Trauma Severity ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Related Mortality

BackgroundMost research on mortality in people with severe psychiatric disorders has focused on natural causes of death. Little is known about trauma-related mortality, although bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have been associated with increased risk of self-administered injury and road accidents.AimsTo determine if 30-day in-patient mortality from traumatic injury was increased in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia compared with those without psychiatric disorders.MethodA French national 2016 database of 144 058 hospital admissions for trauma was explored. Patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were selected and matched with mentally healthy controls in a 1:3 ratio according to age, gender, social deprivation and region of residence. We collected the following data: sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, trauma severity characteristics and trauma circumstances. Study outcome was 30-day in-patient mortality.ResultsThe study included 1059 people with bipolar disorder, 1575 people with schizophrenia and their respective controls (n = 3177 and n = 4725). The 30-day mortality was 5.7% in bipolar disorder, 5.1% in schizophrenia and 3.3 and 3.8% in the controls, respectively. Only bipolar disorder was associated with increased mortality in univariate analyses. This association remained significant after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities but not after adjustment for trauma severity. Self-administered injuries were associated with increased mortality independent of the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis.ConclusionsPatients with bipolar disorder are at higher risk of 30-day mortality, probably through increased trauma severity. A self-administered injury is predictive of a poor survival prognosis regardless of psychiatric diagnosis.

scholarly journals Differences in hospital admissions practices following self-harm and their influence on population-level comparisons of self-harm rates in South London: an observational study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e032906
Author(s):  
C Polling ◽  
Ioannis Bakolis ◽  
Matthew Hotopf ◽  
Stephani L. Hatch
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Population Level ◽  
City Centre ◽  
Spatial Patterning ◽  
Patient Demographics ◽  
Admission Data ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Hospital Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

ObjectivesTo compare the proportions of emergency department (ED) attendances following self-harm that result in admission between hospitals, examine whether differences are explained by severity of harm and examine the impact on spatial variation in self-harm rates of using ED attendance data versus admissions data.SettingA dataset of ED attendances and admissions with self-harm to four hospitals in South East London, 2009–2016 was created using linked electronic patient record data and administrative Hospital Episode Statistics.DesignProportions admitted following ED attendance and length of stay were compared. Variation and spatial patterning of age and sex standardised, spatially smoothed, self-harm rates by small area using attendance and admission data were compared and the association with distance travelled to hospital tested.ResultsThere were 20 750 ED attendances with self-harm, 7614 (37%) resulted in admission. Proportion admitted varied substantially between hospitals with a risk ratio of 2.45 (95% CI 2.30 to 2.61) comparing most and least likely to admit. This was not altered by adjustment for patient demographics, deprivation and type of self-harm. Hospitals which admitted more had a higher proportion of admissions lasting less than 24 hours (54% of all admissions at highest admitting hospital vs 35% at lowest). A previously demonstrated pattern of lower rates of self-harm admission closer to the city centre was reduced when ED attendance rates were used to represent self-harm. This was not altered when distance travelled to hospital was adjusted for.ConclusionsHospitals vary substantially in likelihood of admission after ED presentation with self-harm and this is likely due to the differences in hospital practices rather than in the patient population or severity of self-harm seen. Public health policy that directs resources based on self-harm admissions data could exacerbate existing health inequalities in inner-city areas where these data may underestimate rates relative to other areas.

scholarly journals Do patients who die from an alcohol-related condition ‘drift’ into areas of greater deprivation? Alcohol-related mortality and health selection theory in Scotland

2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Pulford ◽  
Ruth Gordon ◽  
Lesley Graham ◽  
James Lewsey ◽  
Gerry McCartney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Area Deprivation ◽  
Downward Mobility ◽  
Health Selection ◽  
Related Condition ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Initial Area ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Index Of Multiple Deprivation ◽  
Related Mortality

BackgroundHealth selection has been proposed to explain the patterning of alcohol-related mortality by area deprivation. This study investigated whether persons who die from alcohol-related conditions are more likely to experience social drift than those who die from other causes.MethodsDeaths recorded in Scotland (2013, >21 years) were coded as ‘alcohol-related’ or ‘other’ and by deprivation decile of residence at death. Acute hospital admissions data from 1996 to 2012 were used to provide premortality deprivation data. χ² tests estimated the difference between observed and expected alcohol-related deaths by first Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) decile and type of death. Logistic regression models were fitted using type of death as the outcome of interest and change in SIMD decile as the exposure of interest.ResultsOf 47 012 deaths, 1458 were alcohol-related. Upward and downward mobility was observed for both types of death. An estimated 31 more deaths than expected were classified ‘alcohol-related’ among cases whose deprivation score decreased, while 204 more deaths than expected were classified ‘alcohol-related’ among cases whose initial deprivation ranking was in the four most deprived deciles. Becoming more deprived and first deprivation category were both associated with increased odds of type of death being alcohol-related after adjusting for confounders.ConclusionThis study suggests that health selection appears to contribute less to the deprivation gradient in alcohol-related mortality in Scotland than an individual’s initial area deprivation category.

scholarly journals Trajectories of Suffering in the Last Year of Life Among Patients With a Solid Metastatic Cancer

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Chetna Malhotra ◽  
Rahul Malhotra ◽  
Filipinas Bundoc ◽  
Irene Teo ◽  
Semra Ozdemir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Healthcare Costs ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Multivariable Models ◽  
Hospital Days ◽  
Death Data

Background: Reducing suffering at the end of life is important. Doing so requires a comprehensive understanding of the course of suffering for patients with cancer during their last year of life. This study describes trajectories of psychological, spiritual, physical, and functional suffering in the last year of life among patients with a solid metastatic cancer. Patients and Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 600 patients with a solid metastatic cancer between July 2016 and December 2019 in Singapore. We assessed patients’ psychological, spiritual, physical, and functional suffering every 3 months until death. Data from the last year of life of 345 decedents were analyzed. We used group-based multitrajectory modeling to delineate trajectories of suffering during the last year of a patient’s life. Results: We identified 5 trajectories representing suffering: (1) persistently low (47% of the sample); (2) slowly increasing (14%); (3) predominantly spiritual (21%); (4) rapidly increasing (12%); and (5) persistently high (6%). Compared with patients with primary or less education, those with secondary (high school) (odds ratio [OR], 3.49; 95% CI, 1.05–11.59) education were more likely to have rapidly increasing versus persistently low suffering. In multivariable models adjusting for potential confounders, compared with patients with persistently low suffering, those with rapidly increasing suffering had more hospital admissions (β=0.24; 95% CI, 0.00–0.47) and hospital days (β=0.40; 95% CI, 0.04–0.75) during the last year of life. Those with persistently high suffering had more hospital days (β=0.70; 95% CI, 0.23–1.17). Conclusions: The course of suffering during the last year of life among patients with cancer is variable and related to patients’ hospitalizations. Understanding this variation can facilitate clinical decisions to minimize suffering and reduce healthcare costs at the end of life.

scholarly journals Estimating the Burden of SARS-CoV-2 among the Rohingya Refugees

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun A Truelove ◽  
Sonia A Hegde ◽  
Lori Niehaus ◽  
Natalya Kostandova ◽  
Chiara Altare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Mixed Approach ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Death Data

Background Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, substantial concern has surrounded its impact among the Rohingya refugees living in the Kutupalong-Balukhali refugee camps in Bangladesh. Early modeling work projected a massive outbreak was likely after an introduction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into the camps. Despite this, only 317 laboratory-confirmed cases and 10 deaths were reported through October 2020. While these official numbers portray a situation where the virus has been largely controlled, other sources contradict this, suggesting the low reported numbers to be a result of limited care seeking and testing, highlighting a population not willing to seek care or be tested. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence estimates from similar a timeframe in India (57%) and Bangladesh (74%) further sow doubt that transmission had been controlled. Here we explore multiple data sources to understand the plausibility of a much larger SARS-CoV-2 outbreak among the Rohingya refugees. Methods We used a mixed approach to analyze SARS-CoV-2 transmission using multiple available datasets. Using data from reported testing, cases, and deaths from the World Health Organization (WHO) and from WHO's Emergency Warning, Alert, and Response System, we characterized the probabilities of care seeking, testing, and being positive if tested. Unofficial death data, including reported pre-death symptoms, come from a community-based mortality survey conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM),) in addition to community health worker reported deaths. We developed a probabilistic inference framework, drawing on these data sources, to explore three scenarios of what might have happened among the Rohingya refugees. Results Among the 144 survey-identified deaths, 48 were consistent with suspected COVID-19. These deaths were consistent with viral exposures during Ramadan, a period of increased social contacts, and coincided with a spike in reported cases and testing positivity in June 2020. The age profile of suspected COVID-19 deaths mirrored that expected. Through the probability framework, we find that under each scenario, a substantial outbreak likely occurred, though the cumulative size and timing vary considerably. In conjunction with the reported and suspected deaths, the data suggest a large outbreak could have occurred early during spring 2020. Furthermore, while many mild and asymptomatic infections likely occurred, death data analyzed suggest there may have been significant unreported mortality. Conclusions With the high population density, inability to home isolate adequately, and limited personal protective equipment, infection prevention and control in the Rohingya population is extremely challenging. Despite the low reported numbers of cases and deaths, our results suggest an early large-scale outbreak is consistent with multiple sources of data, particularly when accounting for limited care seeking behavior and low infection severity among this young population. While the currently available data do not allow us to estimate the precise incidence, these results indicate substantial unrecognized SARS-CoV-2 transmission may have occurred in these camps. However, until serological testing provides more conclusive evidence, we are only able to speculate about the extent of transmission among the Rohingya.

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