Articles: pandemics.
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Annals of family medicine · May 2020
COVID-19: Notes From the Front Line, Singapore's Primary Health Care Perspective.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly progressing global pandemic against which nations are struggling for containment. Singapore is known to have promptly instituted aggressive public health and containment measures. A key pillar sustaining this is the response of its primary health care network. ⋯ There are best practices for early isolation and containment of suspect cases while protecting health care workers and limiting cross infections that are transferable across nations. We describe our framework for how our primary care clinics respond to this pandemic in the hope others may find solutions to their unique needs. Moving forward, there is a pressing need for more studies to enhance our understanding of the response of primary care during these public health crises.
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Complement Ther Clin Pract · May 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety and sleep quality in patients with COVID-19.
Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) will experience high levels of anxiety and low sleep quality due to isolation treatment. Some sleep-improving drugs may inhibit the respiratory system and worsen the condition. Prolonged bedside instruction may increase the risk of medical infections. ⋯ Progressive muscle relaxation as an auxiliary method can reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality in patients with COVID-19.
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Kaohsiung J Med Sci · May 2020
Infection control measures of a Taiwanese hospital to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.
The World Health Organization announced the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic on 12 March 2020. Although being in proximity to China, the original epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, Taiwan has maintained a low number of COVID-19 cases despite its close social ties and heavy traffic between Taiwan and China. Containment strategies executed by the Taiwanese government have attracted global attention. ⋯ Herein, we present infection control measures that can be adopted in hospital settings that were executed in a Taiwanese hospital to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, including emergency preparedness and responses from the hospital administration, education, surveillance, patient flow arrangement, the partition of hospital zones, and the prevention of a systemic shutdown by using the "divided cabin, divided flow" strategy. The measures implemented by a Taiwan hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic may not be universally applicable in every hospital. Nonetheless, the presented infection control methods have been practically executed and can be referenced or modified to fit each hospital's unique condition.
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On the 18th of March 2020, the Malaysia government declared a movement control order (MCO) due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Although the majority of patients presented with respiratory-related symptoms, COVID-19 patients may present atypically with neurological manifestations and may even have an increased risk of stroke. ⋯ The guide comprises of prehospital stroke awareness, hyperacute stroke care, stroke care unit and intensive care unit admission, post-stroke rehabilitation and secondary prevention practice. We urge continuous initiative to provide the best stroke care possible and ensure adequate safety for both patients and the stroke care team.
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The Lancet. Public health · May 2020
The effect of control strategies to reduce social mixing on outcomes of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China: a modelling study.
In December, 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus, emerged in Wuhan, China. Since then, the city of Wuhan has taken unprecedented measures in response to the outbreak, including extended school and workplace closures. We aimed to estimate the effects of physical distancing measures on the progression of the COVID-19 epidemic, hoping to provide some insights for the rest of the world. ⋯ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institute for Health Research, Wellcome Trust, and Health Data Research UK.