Articles: pandemics.
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Critical care medicine · May 2022
Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Moral Distress Among Nurses and Physicians in Spanish ICUs.
To assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on moral distress (MD) among healthcare professionals (HCPs) (physicians and nurses) in Spanish ICUs. ⋯ MD has increased among ICU HCPs in Spain during COVID-19 pandemic. Physicians reported higher MD levels than nurses in the prepandemic period, whereas both HCPs groups reported similar MD levels in the pandemic period. Strategies are needed and should be implemented to mitigate MD among HCPs.
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Therapeutic presence is one of the fundamental skills that palliative care providers have to offer. The COVID-19 pandemic has created many barriers to connection that impact the way providers practice. This narrative piece about a remote cross-country palliative care encounter offers reflections on creating therapeutic presence amidst the current pandemic.
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Healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly those from ethnic minority groups, have been shown to be at disproportionately higher risk of infection with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) compared to the general population. However, there is insufficient evidence on how demographic and occupational factors influence infection risk among ethnic minority HCWs. ⋯ We identified key sociodemographic and occupational risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among UK HCWs, and have determined factors that might contribute to a disproportionate odds of infection in HCWs from Black ethnic groups. These findings demonstrate the importance of social and occupational factors in driving ethnic disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, and should inform policies, including targeted vaccination strategies and risk assessments aimed at protecting HCWs in future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Multicenter Study
Multicentric analysis of the perceptions and knowledge of digital health amongst undergraduate medical students.
Digital health (DH) is continuously evolving by use of information and communications technology to improve healthcare provision, thereby reshaping systems and clinical practices. Recent studies identified an overwhelming lack of awareness of DH within the profession. This study aimed to analyse student perceptions and knowledge of DH to assess confidence in its use to develop greater DH awareness and literacy. ⋯ There is an important requirement to address the lack of knowledge and exposure of students to DH, particularly as the world targets the COVID-19 pandemic. DH is forming the basis of the 'new normal' in healthcare, however the full potential of DH cannot be achieved unless there is an increase in its teaching incorporated into medical school curricula.
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The effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in humanitarian contexts are not well understood. Specific vulnerabilities in such settings raised concerns about the ability to respond and maintain essential health services. This study describes the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps in Jordan (population: 37,932 and 79,034, respectively) and evaluates changes in routine health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ COVID-19 transmission was lower in camps than outside of camps. Refugees may have been affected from external transmission, rather than driving it. Various types of health services were affected differently, but disruptions appear to have been limited in the 2 camps compared to other noncamp settings. These insights into Jordan's refugee camps during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for follow-up research to investigate how infection susceptibility evolved over time, as well as which mitigation strategies were more successful and accepted.