Articles: covid-19.
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To evaluate an intervention (a film and electronic leaflet) disseminated via text message by general practices to promote COVID-19 preventative behaviours in Black and South Asian communities. ⋯ Interventions targeting ethnic minorities in the UK need to acknowledge the heterogeneity of experience and circumstances of the target group so that people feel that the intervention is relevant to them.
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Rapid identification of individuals with acute respiratory infections is crucial for preventing nosocomial infections. For rapid diagnosis, especially in EDs, lateral flow devices (LFDs) are a convenient, inexpensive option with a rapid turnaround. Several 'multiplex' LFDs (M-LFDs) now exist, testing for multiple pathogens from a single swab sample. We evaluated the real-world performance of M-LFD versus PCR testing in detecting influenza A, B and SARS-CoV-2) in the ED setting. ⋯ The real-world performance of SureScreen M-LFD was consistent with laboratory evaluation and achieved a high sensitivity for individuals with high viral concentration, most likely to be infectious. Given the representative UK population sample, results could be generalised for use in other settings.
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The NHS App launched in 2019 as the 'digital front door' to the National Health Service in England with core features including General Practitioner (GP) appointment booking, repeat prescriptions, patient access to records and, later on, COVID-19 vaccination certification. Similar patient portals have been adopted in different formats and with variable levels of success. In this longitudinal study (2021-2023) we examined how the NHS App became implemented in the pandemic context and beyond. ⋯ ISRCTN72729780.
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Survivorship after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) critical illness may be associated with important long-term sequelae, but little is known regarding mental health outcomes. ⋯ As compared to survival after critical illness from non-COVID-19 pneumonia, survival after COVID-19 critical illness was not associated with increased risk of the composite outcome of new mental health diagnosis, but was associated with elevated risk for new mood, anxiety, or related disorders.