Project description:To understand and analyse the global impact of COVID-19 on outpatient services, inpatient care, elective surgery, and perioperative colorectal cancer care, a DElayed COloRectal cancer surgery (DECOR-19) survey was conducted in collaboration with numerous international colorectal societies with the objective of obtaining several learning points from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our colorectal cancer patients which will assist us in the ongoing management of our colorectal cancer patients and to provide us safe oncological pathways for future outbreaks.
Project description:AbstractThis study examined changes in psychotropic medication use associated with the early months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Using Kaiser Permanente Northern California electronic health records, the authors identified adult patients with fills for psychotropic medications and a non-psychotropic comparator (statins) in the 13 weeks before and after the first-known COVID-19-related death in California (March 4, 2020). Generalized estimating equations were used to derive relative risk ratios (RRR) for medication fills compared with the prior year. Analyses were stratified by new and continued fills and patient characteristics. Among 2,405,824 patients, the mean (SD) age was 49.8 (17.9) years; 52.9% were female; 47.9% identified as White; 8.0% and 7.9% had anxiety and depression disorder diagnoses, respectively. Accounting for secular trends, in the 13 weeks following March 4, 2020, there were increased fills for trazodone (RRR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.04), decreased fills for benzodiazepines (RRR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.94, 0.96) and hypnotics (RRR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.96, 0.99), and stable fills for antidepressants (RRR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.99, 1.00). Relative rates of new fills decreased across most medication classes and continued fills either remained stable or demonstrated non-clinically significant decreases. Patients aged ≥65 years demonstrated decreased fills for most medication classes. In the first 13 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, fills for most psychotropic medications remained constant or showed small changes relative to the previous year. Continued (compared with new) fills accounted for observed increases in some medication classes. Older adults demonstrated decreased fills of most medications.
Project description:Secondary bacterial infections and bacterial coinfections are an important complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), leading to antibiotic overuse and increased rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this literature review, we summarize the reported rates of secondary bacterial infections and bacterial coinfections in patients with COVID-19, the impact on patient outcomes, the antibiotic treatment approaches employed, and the resistance patterns observed. The reported data suggest that although the incidence of secondary bacterial infections or bacterial coinfections is relatively low, they are associated with worse outcomes such as prolonged hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilator use, and increased mortality. Interestingly, antibiotic prescription rates are typically higher than secondary bacterial and bacterial coinfection rates, and reports of AMR are common. These findings highlight the need for an improved understanding of secondary bacterial and bacterial coinfection in patients with COVID-19, as well as improved treatment options, to mitigate inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and AMR.
Project description:Objective:To assess the level of anxiety among doctors during COVID-19 pandemic and the associated risk factors. Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted from 30th April to 16th May, 2020 in Karachi, Pakistan. The data was collected via an online web-based questionnaire. Questionnaire was used to assess anxiety level using GAD-7 scale among health-care professionals and the risk factors playing role in it. Results:One hundred and fifty-one doctors participated in our study. Out of these 151 participants, 69 (45.7%) had mild, 22 (14.6%) had moderate, and 5 (3.3%) had severe symptoms of anxiety, whereas the remaining 55 (36.4%) had no anxiety according to GAD-7 scale. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] GAD-7 scale scores are 6.0 [3.00-9.00]. Females showed more severe degrees of measurement of anxiety symptoms than males. Doctors dealing with COVID-19 patients showed higher level of anxiety as compared to the doctors who were not dealing with COVID-19 patients, having a significant difference (U = 9.697, p = 0.008). One hundred and forty-one (93.4%) participants were concerned about being exposed to COVID-19 at work and 112 (74.2 %) thought they have inadequate protective equipment for safety. Conclusions:During COVID-19 pandemic, doctors exhibited different grades of anxiety. In order for healthcare workers to perform to the best of their capability, certain guidelines and interventions are needed.
Project description:Due to COVID 19 (Corona virus disease)pandemic, majority of surgeries, including surgery for cancer patients got delayed across the globe. Surgeries were limited to emergency set up only. At our institute we tried to perform colorectal cancer surgeries through out the pandemic, albeit in less numbers, as we thought cancer in itself is an emergency setting. we are planning to analyse the prospectively managed database of this particular group of patients over a period of last six 6 months and look out at 30 day post operative morbidity and mortality. Besides we will try to analyse the implications of our decision to carry on with cancer surgeries in terms of number of health care workers who got infected while being involved in primary care of these patients.
Project description:At the peak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, hand hygiene audits indicated decreased compliance in a 12-bed critical care (CC) area with ventilated COVID-19 patients, where staff used personal protective equipment (PPE), including sessional use of long-sleeved gowns in accordance with the recommendations of Public Health England. There was also a cluster of three central venous catheter (CVC) infections along with increases in the number of patients from whom enteric Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) were isolated from sterile sites. Environmental sampling of near-patient surfaces and frequently touched sites demonstrated that 11.5% of areas were contaminated with enteric GNB in the COVID-19 CC area, compared with 2.6% and 2.7% in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 general wards, respectively. Following a risk assessment, hospital policy was changed to replace long-sleeved gowns with short-sleeved gowns. The CC unit underwent enhanced cleaning with hypochlorite-based disinfectant and was resampled 8 days later. On resampling, no GNB were isolated from the CC unit. Following this change in PPE, hand hygiene compliance returned to baseline standards and no further CVC infections were identified. Staff reported a preference for short-sleeved gowns. No evidence currently exists that PPE beyond that recommended for pandemic influenza (respiratory protection plus standard PPE) adds to the protection of healthcare workers (HCWs) from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. Long-sleeved gowns prevent HCWs performing hand hygiene effectively. While it is imperative that HCWs are adequately protected, protection of patients from infection hazards is equally important. Further studies are necessary to establish risks from PPE to inform a review of current guidance.
Project description:BackgroundWe investigated for change in blood stream infections (BSI) with Enterobacterales, coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS), Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus during the first UK wave of SARS-CoV-2 across five London hospitals.MethodsA retrospective multicentre ecological analysis was undertaken evaluating all blood cultures taken from adults from 01 April 2017 to 30 April 2020 across five acute hospitals in London. Linear trend analysis and ARIMA models allowing for seasonality were used to look for significant variation.ResultsOne hundred nineteen thousand five hundred eighty-four blood cultures were included. At the height of the UK SARS-CoV-2 first wave in April 2020, Enterobacterales bacteraemias were at an historic low across two London trusts (63/3814, 1.65%), whilst all CoNS BSI were at an historic high (173/3814, 4.25%). This differed significantly for both Enterobacterales (p = 0.013), CoNS central line associated BSIs (CLABSI) (p < 0.01) and CoNS non-CLABSI (p < 0.01), when compared with prior periods, even allowing for seasonal variation. S. pneumoniae (p = 0.631) and S. aureus (p = 0.617) BSI did not vary significant throughout the study period.ConclusionsSignificantly fewer than expected Enterobacterales BSI occurred during the UK peak of the COVID-19 pandemic; identifying potential causes, including potential unintended consequences of national self-isolation public health messaging, is essential. High rates of CoNS BSI, with evidence of increased CLABSI, but also likely contamination associated with increased use of personal protective equipment, may result in inappropriate antimicrobial use and indicates a clear area for intervention during further waves.