Annals of medicine and surgery (2012)
-
Ann Med Surg (Lond) · Jul 2020
ReviewNovel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection: What a doctor on the frontline needs to know.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a zoonotic respiratory infection originating from Wuhan, China. Rapidly spreading from Wuhan to all inhabited continents of the world, the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2019. Infected patients present with fever and cough; radiological features include bilateral infiltrates on chest x-ray and computed tomography scanning. ⋯ A number of drugs, both new and old, are currently in clinical trials and being used on an experimental basis in clinical practice. The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest worldwide public health crisis of a generation, and has led to seismic political, economic and social changes. This review provides an overview of COVID-19 for junior doctors who find themselves on a new frontline of healthcare.
-
Ann Med Surg (Lond) · Jul 2020
ReviewEthics for surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic, review article.
The Covid-19 pandemic is a devastating global healthcare emergency with seismic impact on how modern surgical services function. Surgeons worry, that whilst healthcare-resources are directed against the pandemic, double effect may predict these benevolent public health efforts will cause unintended maleficent effects through delays to surgical treatment. Surgeons will make many challenging ethical judgements during this pandemic, here we conduct a narrative review of how medical ethics may help us make the best available choices. ⋯ Surgeons will face many decisions which shall challenge those ethical principles during the pandemic, and wisdom from medical ethics can guide surgeons, to do the right thing, make best available choices, and get the best available outcome for patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. The practice of surgery is distinguished by good judgement in the face of uncertainty, we must strive to do the right thing, advocate for our patients, and be honest in the face of uncertainty. Medical Ethics can guide us to make the best available choices for our patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, afterwards, we must emerge wiser having learnt lessons and rebuilding trust in surgical care.
-
Ann Med Surg (Lond) · Jul 2020
ReviewChallenges amid COVID-19 times - Review of the changing practices in a clinical chemistry laboratory from a developing country.
Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time. Compared with its neighbors China and Iran, which were rated as epi-centers of the outbreak, Pakistan has lower standards of health care, unstable economy and dearth of financial resources to tackle the outbreak. ⋯ It highlights the challenges faced and the appropriate responses to ensure the provision of diagnostic facilities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, the lessons acquired and necessary preparations for the post crisis situation are also incorporated.