Articles: pandemics.
-
Health care policymaking during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has questioned the precedent of restricting hospital visitors. We aimed to synthesize available data describing the resulting impact on patient, family/visitor, and health care provider well-being. We systematically reviewed articles from the World Health Organization COVID-19 Global Literature on Coronavirus Disease Database published between December 2019 through April 2021. ⋯ Critically ill patients were the most represented (12 out of 26 studies). Blanket hospital visitor policies were associated with failure to address the unique needs of patients, their visitors, and health care providers in various clinical environments. Overall, a patient-centered, thoughtful, and nuanced approach to hospital visitor policies is likely to benefit all stakeholders while minimizing potential harms.
-
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals did not allow caregiver visitation. Little is known about how caregivers' absence affected patients' care. ⋯ Hospital visitor restrictions significantly reduced caregivers' communication with patients' medical team, causing caregivers and patients emotional distress. Protocols that facilitate communication between caregivers and care teams may benefit caregivers who cannot be physically present at care facilities, including distance caregivers.
-
Observational Study
Patterns in the Pandemic: Disproportionate Patient Burdens Among Regional Hospitals.
To examine the distribution of hospitalized COVID-19 patients among adult acute care facilities in the Greater Philadelphia area and identify factors associated with hospitals carrying higher burdens of COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Substantial discrepancies in COVID-19 inpatient burdens existed among Philadelphia-region adult acute care facilities during the initial COVID-19 surge. Trauma center status, urban location, low household income, and high reliance on public insurance were associated with both higher COVID-19 burdens and longer periods of high occupancy. Improved data collection and centralized sharing of pandemic-specific data between health care facilities may improve resource balancing and patient care during current and future response efforts.
-
The COVID-19 pandemic‒related BMI gain and obesity prevalence changes in children have not been clearly elucidated, especially in China. This study aims to assess the impact of pandemic-related BMI and obesity prevalence change in Chinese children aged 8-12 years. ⋯ BMI gain increased among Chinese children aged 8-12 years during the pandemic. There is an urgent need to formulate effective public health policies to reduce the risk of pandemic-related childhood obesity.
-
The aim of this study is to evaluate the change in the number of EMS cases by comparing the lockdown period, the non-lockdown period, and the pre-pandemic period. ⋯ While the number of EMS cases decreased during the pandemic period, it decreased even more during the lockdown period. However, the number of calls increased significantly during the lockdown period, and the response times and talk times increased accordingly.