Articles: pandemics.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2023
Prone Positioning in Patients With COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.
Patients critically ill with COVID-19 develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and may undergo prone positioning. ⋯ This retrospective review found greater improvement in oxygenation in the COVID-19 ARDS group than in the non-COVID-19 ARDS group. This finding may be attributed to the assertive prone positioning protocol during the pandemic and teams whose skills and training were likely enhanced by the pandemic demand. Prone positioning did not affect intensive care unit length of stay or intubation days in either group.
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Spirometry services to diagnose and monitor lung disease in primary care were identified as a priority in the NHS Long Term Plan, and are restarting post-COVID-19 pandemic in England; however, evidence regarding best practice is limited. ⋯ Stakeholders highlighted historic challenges and the damaging effects of the pandemic contributing to inequity in provision of spirometry, which must be addressed. Overall, stakeholders were positive about the potential of AI to support clinicians in quality assessment and interpretation of spirometry. However, it was evident that validation of the software must be sufficiently robust for clinicians and healthcare commissioners to have trust in the process.
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Suicidal ideation (SI) serves as an important predictor of suicide. The prevalence of SI has increased following the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with SI after the pandemic in the Kerman province. ⋯ The high prevalence of SI is concerning, and it is essential to remain vigilant regarding its health and social consequences as the pandemic continues. Therefore, it is imperative to provide enhanced mental health services, particularly targeting at-risk groups.
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Critical care medicine · Dec 2023
Measuring the Impact of ICU Strain on Mortality, After-Hours Discharge, Discharge Delay, Interhospital Transfer, and Readmission in Australia With the Activity Index.
ICU resource strain leads to adverse patient outcomes. Simple, well-validated measures of ICU strain are lacking. Our objective was to assess whether the "Activity index," an indicator developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, was a valid measure of ICU strain. ⋯ The Activity index is a simple and valid measure that identifies ICUs in which increasing strain leads to progressively worse patient outcomes.