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Showing results for tags 'Pandemic'.
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Content ArticleThe Health Services Learning Hub is a dynamic new knowledge platform that will support cross country learning in maintaining essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the post-pandemic recovery phase. The Health Services Learning Hub supports implementation of the World Health Organization's operational guidance on maintaining essential health services.
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Content ArticleThis report by the Health and Social Care Commons Select Committee looks at the catastrophic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on patients waiting for NHS care and outlines the findings of the Select Committee's inquiry. Waiting lists are at their highest since records began, and the 5.8 million patients waiting to start treatment in September 2021 may be only the tip of the iceberg, with missing patients meaning that the true waiting list could be as high as 13 million. The report highlights the need to carefully plan how to tackle the elective care backlog. It outlines the risks involved, including the danger of prioritising areas that are well suited to numerical targets to the detriment of other areas of care, such as mental health, general practice and community services. It also highlights that the challenges the NHS faces are greater than just tackling elective care. With a record number of 999 calls and waiting times in emergency departments at record levels, work to tackle the backlog is being threatened by pressure on emergency care.
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Content ArticleThis poster from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) provides information for midwives and midwife support workers on appropriate PPE for different scenarios in maternity care. It covers what to wear in different stages of care in both hospital and community settings if a patient has, or does not have, confirmed or suspected Covid-19.
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Content Article
My career of treating patients has ended (4 July 2019)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
A harrowing account from an anonymous physician on why he and colleagues are leaving the medical profession. -
Content ArticleIn this interview with the journal International Politics and Society, Brendan Delaney, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London discusses the impact of Long Covid on individuals and society. He describes his own experience of Long Covid, which rendered him unable to work for months, and highlights that we should not be surprised by the prevalence of Long Covid, as all epidemics result in long-term illness for many people. He draws attention to parts of the political system 'not believing in' Long Covid and highlights the damage caused by psychologising the condition. Finally, he points to the need for more research to better understand Long Covid symptoms.
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Content ArticleWhen COVID-19 struck, many doctors helped out by willingly changing the way they worked. The BMJ hears some of their stories, including from Michael Farquhar, Paediatric sleep consultant at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, and Alice Findlay, Retired former emergency medicine consultant at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust.
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Content ArticleNHS England has set out 10 priorities for the 2022-23 financial year in its annual planning guidance. NHSE chief executive Amanda Pritchard makes clear in the introduction that many of its goals remain contingent on covid, stating: ”The objectives set out in this document are based on a scenario where covid-19 returns to a low level and we are able to make significant progress in the first part of next year.”
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Content ArticleRed eyes, ringing ears, sensitivity to light, trouble hearing: although a loss of taste and smell have become well-known sensory symptoms of COVID, accumulating research suggests that vision and hearing are also frequent targets of SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes the disease.
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Content ArticleThe UK government and devolved administrations, along with the emergency services and other local responders, have clear responsibilities for identifying, assessing, preparing for and responding to emergencies, as well as supporting affected communities to recover. The government has risk management processes in place that aim to identify risks, to ensure that plans are drawn up to mitigate risks and prepare for shocks, and to prevent risks from being overlooked despite short-term pressures. Cabinet Office guidance states that preparedness is the preparation of plans that are flexible enough both to address known risks and to provide a starting point for handling unforeseen events. This report sets out the facts on: the government’s approach to risk management and emergency planning the actions the government took to identify the risk of a pandemic like COVID-19 the actions the government took to prepare for a pandemic like COVID-19 recent developments. The report sets out central government’s risk analysis, planning, and mitigation strategies prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of drawing out wider learning for the government’s overall risk management approach.
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Content ArticleThis World Health Organization (WHO) policy brief takes stock of how digital health tools have been used during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to review what has happened, assess how uptake and use of these tools has been facilitated, identify issues that are emerging, and learn lessons for the longer term to support the sustained use of digital health tools.
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Content ArticleIt is particularly important that severely immunosuppressed people receive their booster given the new dominant Omicron variant. However, this is causing some difficulties as the system does not currently distinguish between a third primary dose and a booster. This update from the Royal College of Physicians provides guidance for doctors on identifying severely immunosuppressed patients who are eligible for a booster vaccine, having already had a third primary dose.
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Content ArticleThis toolkit published by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) aims to support healthcare professionals to consider and manage risks associated with the transmission of respiratory infections, specifically Covid-19. It is designed to aid local decision making about the level of personal protective equipment (PPE) required to protect healthcare professionals while at work.
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Content ArticleIn this opinion piece in The Guardian, Gabriel Scally, professor of public health and member of the Independent Sage committee, argues that the government's response to Covid-19 relies on personal responsibility rather than public health measures. He highlights that this will not be adequate to get the pandemic under control. The author states that a public health-focused response should have three pillars: prevention, vaccination and control, but at the moment the government is using just one of these. He draws attention to the issue of resources being wasted on handwashing and sanitisation, when Covid-19 is primarily airborne, and argues that funding should be redirected to investing in ventilation improvements and promoting the use of more effective face coverings. He also highlights the failure of contact tracing in the UK, and calls for renewed efforts to develop a comprehensive public health response in light of the new Omicron strain.
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Content ArticleThe Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) has launched an oxygen safety campaign aimed at people working at patient bedsides within hospitals. They have consulted with clinicians, fire safety experts and a wide range of allied professional bodies to design the campaign, which has been launched in response to the anticipated national surge in hospital patients as a result of the Omicron variant. Inevitably, the use of oxygen will be very high and issues such as oxygen leakage can cause major fire risks.
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Content ArticleWhen the pandemic began, many nations’ emergency stockpiles came into the spotlight—and were found wanting. Twenty months later, Jane Feinmann asks what happened, and if procurement has got any better.
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Content ArticleThis report, published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the United States, presents findings from a review of 5,500 patient safety records in which the Covid-19 public health emergency was included as part of the description of the event or unsafe condition. It forms part of a series of Network of Patient Safety Databases Data Spotlight reports.
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Content ArticleThe COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a source of stress and have important mental health implications for all persons but may have unique implications for men. In addition to the risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19, the rising COVID-19 death toll, ongoing economic uncertainty, loneliness from social distancing, and other changes to our lifestyles make up the perfect recipe for a decline in mental health. In June 2020, men reported slightly lower rates of anxiety than women, but had higher rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. As of September 2020, men sought mental health care at a higher rate than women for family and relationships, with year-over-year visits up 5.5 times and total virtual mental health care visits monthly growth in 2020 was up 79% since January. Because men are not a homogeneous group, it is important to implement strategies for groups of men that may have particularly unique needs. In this paper, Ellison et al. discuss considerations for intervening in men’s mental health during and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including current technology-based cyberpsychology options.
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Content Article
Long Covid: The hidden iceberg of Covid-19
Dr Shruthi posted an article in Blogs
In the wake of new variants and the relentless spread of Covid-19, understanding the complex nature of Long Covid is crucial. In this article, I aim to present useful information on the risk factors, plausible pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment of Long Covid. The obscure nature of Long Covid is a conundrum both for doctors and patients. To mitigate the burden of Long Covid, early identification of disease signs, appropriate treatment and timely access to rehabilitation care is vital. I believe that strengthening the 4 Rs (Reporting, Recognition, Rehabilitation and Research) through close collaboration between government organisations, pharmaceutical industries, patients and health care providers could reduce the impact of Long Covid. -
Content Article
COVID Nursing and PTSD (December 2021)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
In an article for the Patient Safety Journal, Cassandra Alexander, a nurse, shares what it is like on the front lines and the toll it has taken on her mental health—a deeply personal and painful story, yet a traumatic experience shared by many nurses around the United States. -
Content ArticleA post on Doctors in Unite website argue that COVID-19 guidelines are fundamentally flawed and not fit for purpose, putting health care workers and patients at serious risk. IPC authorities are increasingly isolated in their view that COVID-19 is spread by droplets and not through the air, a position which is directly contradicted now by official government policy. This article takes a more detailed look at the issues, which demonstrates how unscientific, out of touch and indeed hazardous the guidelines are for health workers and patients.
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Content ArticleReal-time training during global emergencies is critical for effective preparedness and response. The WHO COVID-19 channel provides learning resources for health professionals, decision-makers and the public for the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As the outbreak continues to evolve, new resources will be added and existing courses will be updated to best reflect the changing context.
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Content ArticleThis quick guide from Royal College of Occupational Therapists outline the unique role of occupational therapists in supporting adults to manage and recover from Long Covid. They have been written for occupational therapists working in specialist Long Covid services and in other acute, primary, secondary and community settings. The guides will also be useful for service managers and commissioners responsible for planning and delivering specialist Long Covid services, and for parents, carers and families of people affected by Long Covid. See also their guide for children with Long Covid.
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Content Article
We catch up with a regular contributor to the hub, theatre nurse Kathy Nabbie, to discuss how she is continuing to ensure patient's are kept safe in theatre, the challenges of COVID-19 and what else we can do to improve safety in the theatre. Kathy was a theatre sister for breast oncoplastic surgery and a practice development lead in a London private hospital group up until August 2017. She now works as a locum theatre bank scrub nurse practitioner and once a week as a non-medical surgical first assistant. She also works for an insourcing company on weekends around the country to help with the backlog of NHS patients who need surgery or treatment in clinics. -
Content ArticleThis leaflet by the Royal College of Midwives provides information for patients on how to prepare for a home visit from a midwife. It covers steps that patients should take to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19 including handwashing, wearing a face mask and reducing the number of people in the room.
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Content Article‘Health systems recovery’ is a term used to describe the process of restoring and improving the functions of a health system that have been exposed to a shock or public health emergency, such as natural disaster, conflict, or a disease outbreak. This paper from Matthew Neilson and Sheila Leatherman discusses what quality in recovery look like.
