Providing tailored information and support through the Myeloma UK, Myeloma Infoline and Ask The Nurse services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Quinn SCM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7405472 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Background: The novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), which was first detected in Wuhan City, has now became a pandemic that affecting patients around the world. Particularly, the community patient population are at high risk of infection and are facing potential failure of proper medication use during the pandemic.Objective: To discuss community pharmacists' role and the content of pharmaceutical care (PC) during the novel coronavirus pandemic to promote effective prevention and control and safe drug use of the community patient population.Method: Collect and summarize the experience Chinese community pharmacies gained from providing pharmacy services during the COVID-19 outbreak, and taking patients' PC needs into consideration, analyze and discuss the methods and strategies that community pharmacies and pharmacists shall use to provide PC during the pandemic.Results: Community pharmacy management teams shall support PC services by providing adequate supply of COVID-19 related medications and preventative products, following environment regulations, and providing sufficient staff trainings. Pharmacists shall use various approaches to provide PC services in drug dispensing, consulting and referrals, chronic disease management, safe use of infusions, patient education, home care guidance and psychological support to promote the COVID-19 pandemic control and ensure safe medication use of community patients during the pandemic.Conclusion: PC services in communities during the COVID-19 shall possess different properties due to disease characteristics and related change in patients' need. Community pharmacies shall work as a strong supporter of patient's medication and protective equipment supply. Community pharmacists shall be prepared to provide skilled and effective PC services for community patient population to ensure medication safety and promote the overall COVID-19 pandemic control.
| S-EPMC7102520 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimCOVID-19 has widely impacted hospital services. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on Orthoptists and their clinical practice in the UK, Ireland, and Channel Islands.MethodsWe conducted a prospective survey-based cross-sectional study using an online survey aiming for coverage of orthoptic departments across the UK, Ireland, and Channel Islands. We circulated the online survey through the British and Irish Orthoptic Society that reaches over 95% of UK and Irish orthoptic services, and through social media and orthoptic research networks.ResultsThe survey response rate was 79%. The survey was completed by orthoptic departments, on average 10 days post lockdown. Many orthoptic services were cancelled/paused with remaining services largely reserved for emergency cases and urgent care. A substantial rise in tele-consultations was reported by 94%, which largely consisted of telephone and video calls and which was regarded generally as working well. Barriers to tele-consultations were mainly IT related but with concerns also raised regarding ethical and confidentiality issues. Shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) was reported by one third of departments along with issues relating to conflicting information about the use of PPE.ConclusionsWe have reported information on the changing face of orthoptic clinical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey has highlighted emerging tele-consultation practice and the importance of centralised profession-specific guidelines.
| S-EPMC7510392 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDue to regional, professional, and resource limitations, access to mental health care for Canada's Indigenous peoples can be difficult. Telemental health (TMH) offers the opportunity to provide care across vast distances and has been proven to be as effective as face-to-face services. To our knowledge, there has been no qualitative study exploring the experiences of TMH staff serving the Indigenous peoples in Northern Quebec, Canada; which is the purpose of this study.MethodsUsing a qualitative descriptive design, the entire staff of a TMH clinic was recruited, comprising of four psychiatrists and four support staff. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted through videoconferencing, and results were thematically analyzed.ResultsTo address the mental health gap in Northern communities, all psychiatrists believe in the necessity of in-person care and note the synergistic effect of combining in-person care and TMH services. This approach to care allows psychiatrists to maintain both an insider and outsider identity. However, if a patient's condition requires hospitalization, then the TMH staff face a new set of information sharing and communication challenges with the inpatient staff. TMH staff believe that the provision of culturally sensitive care to Northern patients at the inpatient unit is progressing; however, more work needs to be done. Despite the strong collegial atmosphere within the clinic and collective efforts to provide quality TMH services, all participants express a sense of frustration with the paper-based and scattered documentation system.ConclusionThe TMH team works in cohesion to offer TMH services to Indigenous peoples; yet, automatization is needed to improve the workflow efficiency within the clinic and collaboration with the Northern clinics. More research is needed on the functioning of TMH teams and the separate but important roles of each team member.
| S-EPMC7825224 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSight loss has wide ranging implications for an individual in terms of education, employment, mobility and mental health. Therefore there is a need for information and support to be provided in eye clinics at the point of diagnosis of sight threatening conditions, but these aspects of care are often missing from clinics. To meet these needs, some clinics employ an Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) but the position has yet to be widely implemented. The aims of this study were:(1) To evaluate the forms of advice and emotional support in eye clinics provided by ECLOs.(2) To determine the cost of the ECLO service per patient.MethodsMicro-costing was carried out using interviews, a survey and administrative data. The survey was completed by 18 of the 49 accredited ECLOs in the UK (37%) and provided information on the activities performed by ECLOs, numbers of patients seen per day, training costs incurred and the salary of the ECLOs.ResultsECLOs provided information about the services in eye clinics and the community, referral to social services, emotional support to patients and also other advice. The cost of an ECLO per patient per contact was £17.94 based on an average annual ECLO salary of £23,349.60 per year, reviewing on average 9.1 patients per day, in a 42 week year.ConclusionsThis study provides the first costing of support services in hospital eye clinics, providing a range of estimates to suit the circumstances of different clinics. The information can be used by local decision makers to estimate the cost of implementing an ECLO service.
| S-EPMC3842648 | biostudies-literature
Project description:During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when health systems were overwhelmed with surging hospitalizations and a novel virus, many ambulatory patients diagnosed with COVID-19 lacked guidance and support as they convalesced at home. This case report offers insight into the implementation of a telehealth service utilizing third- and fourth-year medical students to provide follow-up to ambulatory patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The service was evaluated using medical student surveys and retrospective chart review to assess the clinical and social needs of patients during the spring of 2020. Students assessed symptoms for 416 patients with COVID-19 from April 8 to May 20 and provided clinical information and resources. Eighteen percent of these patients sought higher levels of medical care, in part from student referrals. Three key implementation lessons from this experience that may be relevant for others include: 1) Vulnerable patient populations face unique stressors exacerbated by the pandemic and may benefit from intensive follow-up after COVID-19 diagnosis to address both medical and social needs; 2) Medical students can play value-added roles in providing patient education to prevent the spread of COVID-19, assisting patients with escalating care or resource connection, and providing emotional support to those who have lost loved ones; 3) Continuous re-assessment of the intervention was important to address evolving patient needs during the COVID-19 outbreak. Future work should focus on identifying high-risk patient populations and tailoring follow-up interventions to meet the unique needs of these patient populations.
| S-EPMC8758284 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere is an ongoing debate whether electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) should be advocated for smoking cessation. Because of this uncertainty, information about the use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation is usually not provided in governmental smoking cessation communications. However, there is an information need among smokers because despite this uncertainty, e-cigarettes are used by many smokers to reduce and quit tobacco smoking.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial that assesses the effect of providing tailored information about e-cigarettes compared to not providing this information on determinants of decision making and smoking reduction and abstinence. This information is provided in the context of a digital smoking cessation intervention.MethodsA randomized controlled trial with a 6-month follow-up period will be conducted among adult smokers motivated to quit smoking within 5 years. Participants will be 1:1 randomized into either the intervention condition or control condition. In this trial, which is grounded on the I-Change model, participants in both conditions will receive tailored feedback on attitude, social influence, preparatory plans, self-efficacy, and coping plans. Information on 6 clusters of smoking cessation methods (face-to-face counselling, eHealth interventions, telephone counselling, group-based programs, nicotine replacement therapy, and prescription medication) will be provided in both conditions. Smokers in the intervention condition will also receive detailed tailored information on e-cigarettes, while smokers in the control condition will not receive this information. The primary outcome measure will be the number of tobacco cigarettes smoked in the past 7 days. Secondary outcome measures will include 7-day point prevalence tobacco abstinence, 7-day point prevalence e-cigarette abstinence, and determinants of decision making (ie, knowledge and attitude regarding e-cigarettes). All outcomes will be self-assessed through web-based questionnaires.ResultsThis project is supported by a research grant of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu). Ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Review Committee Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Maastricht University (FHML-REC/2019/072). Recruitment began in March 2020 and was completed by July 2020. We enrolled 492 smokers in this study. The results are expected to be published in June 2021.ConclusionsThe experimental design of this study allows conclusions to be formed regarding the effects of tailored information about e-cigarettes on decision making and smoking behavior. Our findings can inform the development of future smoking cessation interventions.Trial registrationDutch Trial Register Trial NL8330; https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/8330.International registered report identifier (irrid)DERR1-10.2196/27088.
| S-EPMC8164120 | biostudies-literature
Project description:INTRODUCTION:The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March 2020. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on orthopaedic practice and training in the UK. METHODS:Surgeons throughout UK hospitals were asked to complete an electronic survey relating to orthopaedic practice and training in their hospital. The nationwide survey was conducted during the first peak of COVID-19 cases in the UK between 20 March 2020 and 20 April 2020. RESULTS:All 202 UK participants reported disruption to their daily practice. 91% reported all elective operating had been cancelled and trauma continued as normal in only 24% of cases. 70% reported disruption to trauma operating. Elective clinic capacity significantly reduced with no elective clinics running as normal. 55% reported their elective clinics completely cancelled, whilst 38% reported elective clinics running at a reduced capacity, with non-urgent appointments postponed. Only 9% of fracture clinics ran as normal, and 69% had a reduced service. 67% reported teaching and study leave cancelled. Significantly, 69% of participants felt the pandemic would result in a delay to completion of registrar training programmes. CONCLUSION:This is the first nationwide survey assessing the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 on UK orthopaedic practice and training, during the peak of the pandemic. It highlights the scale of the challenge ahead for the specialty, including during the recovery phase and post-recovery phase of the pandemic.
| S-EPMC7382703 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objective To monitor hospital activity for presentation, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases during the COVID-19) pandemic to inform on indirect effects. Methods Retrospective serial cross-sectional study in nine UK hospitals using hospital activity data from 28 October 2019 (pre-COVID-19) to 10 May 2020 (pre-easing of lockdown) and for the same weeks during 2018–2019. We analysed aggregate data for selected cardiovascular diseases before and during the epidemic. We produced an online visualisation tool to enable near real-time monitoring of trends. Results Across nine hospitals, total admissions and emergency department (ED) attendances decreased after lockdown (23 March 2020) by 57.9% (57.1%–58.6%) and 52.9% (52.2%–53.5%), respectively, compared with the previous year. Activity for cardiac, cerebrovascular and other vascular conditions started to decline 1–2 weeks before lockdown and fell by 31%–88% after lockdown, with the greatest reductions observed for coronary artery bypass grafts, carotid endarterectomy, aortic aneurysm repair and peripheral arterial disease procedures. Compared with before the first UK COVID-19 (31 January 2020), activity declined across diseases and specialties between the first case and lockdown (total ED attendances relative reduction (RR) 0.94, 0.93–0.95; total hospital admissions RR 0.96, 0.95–0.97) and after lockdown (attendances RR 0.63, 0.62–0.64; admissions RR 0.59, 0.57–0.60). There was limited recovery towards usual levels of some activities from mid-April 2020. Conclusions Substantial reductions in total and cardiovascular activities are likely to contribute to a major burden of indirect effects of the pandemic, suggesting they should be monitored and mitigated urgently.
| S-EPMC7536637 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC7450918 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo estimate the cost of resources required to implement a set of Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) as recommended by the Institute of Medicine.Study designA stochastic simulation model was used to generate probability distributions of input and output costs across 11 FPHS domains. We used an implementation attainment scale to estimate costs of fully implementing FPHS.Data collection/extraction methodsWe use data collected from a diverse cohort of 19 public health agencies located in three states that implemented the FPHS cost estimation methodology in their agencies during 2014-2015.Principal findingsThe average agency incurred costs of $48 per capita implementing FPHS at their current attainment levels with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 16 percent. Achieving full FPHS implementation would require $82 per capita (CV=19 percent), indicating an estimated resource gap of $34 per capita.ConclusionsSubstantial variation in costs exists across communities in resources currently devoted to implementing FPHS, with even larger variation in resources needed for full attainment. Reducing geographic inequities in FPHS may require novel financing mechanisms and delivery models that allow health agencies to have robust roles within the health system and realize a minimum package of public health services for the nation.
| S-EPMC6056592 | biostudies-literature