Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2020
Walk-Through Screening Center for COVID-19: an Accessible and Efficient Screening System in a Pandemic Situation.
With the ongoing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of individuals that need to be tested for COVID-19 has been rapidly increasing. A walk-through (WT) screening center using negative pressure booths that is inspired by the biosafety cabinet has been designed and implemented in Korea for easy screening of COVID-19 and for safe and efficient consultation for patients with fever or respiratory symptoms. Here, we present the overall concept, advantages, and limitations of the COVID-19 WT screening center. ⋯ However, there is a risk of cross-infection at each stage of screening treatment, including the booths, and adverse reactions with disinfection of the booths. These limitations can be overcome using mobile technology and increasing the number of booths to reduce congestion inside the center, reducing booth volume for sufficient and rapid ventilation, and using an effective, harmless, and certified environmental disinfectant. A WT center can be implemented in other institutions and countries and modified depending on local needs to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2020
A Brief Telephone Severity Scoring System and Therapeutic Living Centers Solved Acute Hospital-Bed Shortage during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Daegu, Korea.
With the epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, the number of infected patients was rapidly increasing in Daegu, Korea. With a maximum of 741 new patients per day in the city as of February 29, 2020, hospital-bed shortage was a great challenge to the local healthcare system. We developed and applied a remote brief severity scoring system, administered by telephone for assigning priority for hospitalization and arranging for facility isolation ("therapeutic living centers") for the patients starting on February 29, 2020. ⋯ Only 81 cases (2.67%) were transferred to hospitals after facility isolation. We think that this brief severity scoring system for COVID-19 worked safely to solve the hospital-bed shortage. Telephone scoring of the severity of disease and therapeutic living centers could be very useful in overcoming the shortage of hospital-beds that occurs during outbreaks of infectious diseases.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2020
Relationship between Use of Rehabilitation Resources and ICU Readmission and ER Visits in ICU Survivors: the Korean ICU National Data Study 2008-2015.
Despite the increasing importance of rehabilitation for critically ill patients, there is little information regarding how rehabilitation therapy is utilized in clinical practice. Our objectives were to evaluate the implementation rate of rehabilitation therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and to investigate the effects of rehabilitation therapy on outcomes. ⋯ In this nationwide cohort study in Korea, only 17% of all ICU patients received rehabilitation therapy. However, rehabilitation is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of 30-day ICU readmission and ER visit.