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Content ArticleAt the beginning of the pandemic, there was an important question to resolve: is coronavirus “airborne”? If it was, then this meant that the virus could transmit through the air from person to person, even over long distances, in indoor environments. We now know the answer is yes. In the 19th century diseases such as cholera and typhoid taught us the importance of water quality – coronavirus in the 21st century should provide that same realisation on the importance of air quality. Ideally, all indoor environments where people congregate should be fitted with modern, efficient ventilation systems that flush out potentially contaminated air and replace it with fresh, clean air continually. This would prevent the build-up of virus-containing aerosols and reduce the likelihood of transmission of covid-19 and other diseases such as influenza. With energy costs rising, it is vitally important to find methods of preventing virus transmission that are safe, quick to implement and affordable, writes Dr Alice Bunn in this HSJ article.
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Content ArticleDr John Campbell, a retired A&E nurse, discusses the current news, research and evidence on COVID-19 in the US and UK, the new coronavirus cases linked to mink farms, and free supplies of vitamin D to care home residents and clinically extremely vulnerable people in England.
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Content ArticleHealthcare workers and their families account for 17% of hospital admissions for COVID-19 in the working age population (18-65 years), finds new research published in the BMJ. Shah et al. assessed the risk of hospital admission for COVID-19 among patient facing and non-patient facing healthcare workers and their household members. The study revealed that healthcare workers in patient-facing roles were around three times more likely to be hospitalised with the virus than the general population. The authors call for an urgent focus on how COVID-19 spreads around hospitals to prevent a similar toll in future waves of the pandemic. They also call for hospitals to consider re-deploying staff with vulnerable family members away from high-risk zones.
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Content ArticleA new report from Healthwatch and the British Red Cross looks at how well the new hospital discharge policy is working for patients, carers and healthcare professionals. In March 2020, the Government introduced a new hospital discharge policy to help the NHS free up beds by getting people out of hospital quickly. This meant anyone who may need out-of-hospital support to help them recover would now have their needs assessed after being discharged, rather than in hospital. How has the new policy affected people's experience of leaving hospital? Healthwatch and the British Red Cross spoke to over 500 patients and carers and conducted 47 in-depth interviews with health and care professionals involved in the hospital discharge process. The research shows significant numbers of people are not receiving follow-up support after being discharged from hospital under new policy, leading to unmet needs.
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Content ArticleA study of more than a half-million people in India who were exposed to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 suggests that the virus’ continued spread is driven by only a small percentage of those who become infected. Furthermore, children and young adults were found to be potentially much more important to transmitting the virus — especially within households — than previous studies have identified, according to a paper by Laxminarayan et al. in the journal Science. Lead researcher Ramanan Laxminarayan, a senior research scholar in PEI, said that the paper is the first large study to capture the extraordinary extent to which SARS-CoV-2 hinges on “superspreading,” in which a small percentage of the infected population passes the virus on to more people. The researchers found that 71% of infected individuals did not infect any of their contacts, while a mere 8% of infected individuals accounted for 60% of new infections. “Our study presents the largest empirical demonstration of superspreading that we are aware of in any infectious disease,” Laxminarayan said. “Superspreading events are the rule rather than the exception when one is looking at the spread of COVID-19, both in India and likely in all affected places.”
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Content ArticleThis Independent SAGE report provides its own guidance on the measures needed to avoid another national lockdown. "We are in a crisis. Infections and hospital admissions are rapidly increasing. The testing system has broken down and it will be weeks before it is sorted. If nothing changes, there will come a point soon when the situation is so far out of control that the only possible response will be a second national lockdown and our lives will be completely disrupted once again. No one wants thisto happen. We can avoid it if we take urgent action. We must take action immediately to regain control of the pandemic and drive down infections now. We must implement immediately a comprehensive plan including rebuilding our broken test and trace system. And we must all - government, employers and public alike – take responsibility for our own part in making this plan work." Independent SAGE is a group of scientists who are working together to provide independent scientific advice to the UK government and public on how to minimise deaths and support Britain’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
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Content ArticleA research study with 20,000 people found people who read the advice in Germ Defence are less likely to catch viruses. If they do become ill, the illness is likely to be less severe. Germ Defence has been developed by health experts in UK universities.
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Content Article
Vaccination centres: minimising the risks to vulnerable people
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
Jane Carthey, Human Factors and Patient Safety Specialist, shares her reflections on COVID-19 vaccination centres and the risk they may present for covid transmission. -
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The cost of uncoordinated responses to COVID-19
lzipperer posted an article in Data, research and statistics
This blog post from Aral and Eckles highlights a study done at the Social Analytics Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) examining the impact of the uncoordinated responses to COVID-19 across the United States. The blog links to the original study and other related materials. -
Content ArticleDesperate times offer opportunities for the light to come streaming in. Currently, we are seeing that light in the outpouring of support and love for health and care staff across the world during this pandemic. In the UK, a large proportion of those staff come from ethnic minorities and some are dying at a much higher rate than white staff. The same is true in the general population. The authors of this article, published by the Kings Fund, take a look at the statistics and ask 'what are we to do now?'
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Covid-19: Information Centre
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Coronavirus (COVID-19)
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Below is a list of key websites for anyone looking to access up-to-date information and guidance on the coronavirus pandemic. -
Content ArticleSingle-use N95 respirators are critical to protect staff and patients from airborne infections, but shortages may occur during disease outbreaks and other crisis situations. Wearing an N95 respirator for hours at a time (i.e. extended wear) or reusing a respirator several times (i.e., donning and doffing between uses) are practices used to ease shortages. The potential risks and benefits of these practices may vary greatly across locations and may evolve rapidly during a crisis. This report’s conclusions are not intended as a practice endorsement or call to action. Rather, this report is intended to provide practical guidance on the potential risks and benefits that clinical centers should consider during decision making about N95 respirator reuse or extended use. ECRI is a US-based organisation.
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Content ArticleRespiratory infections can be transmitted through droplets of different sizes: when the droplet particles are >5-10 μm in diameter they are referred to as respiratory droplets and when they are <5μm in diameter they are referred to as droplet nuclei. According to current evidence, COVID-19 virus is primarily transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes. In an analysis of 75,465 COVID-19 cases in China, airborne transmission was not reported.
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Content ArticleThis lecture, presented to staff at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust on 26 March 2020, gives an overview of the coronavirus, transmission, symptoms and treatment of the virus. Martin Kiernan qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 1984, and obtained a Master in Public Health in 1997. He currently works as a Nurse Consultant where he is responsible for the infection prevention and control programme for an integrated healthcare provider NHS Trust covering acute and primary care. He manages a team of two specialist nurses, a surveillance nurse, a healthcare assistant and an information officer. A significant part of his clinical duties includes assessment and application of policies and guidelines to ensure optimal clinical practice.
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Content ArticleThe emergence in December 2019 of COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus, and its subsequent spread around the world, led the World Health Organisation to declare a pandemic on March 11, 2020: the first to be caused by a coronavirus . The virus appears to have originated in bats, with spread to humans likely mediated by an intermediate mammalian. This paper by Dr Nicole Le Saux, discusses the current epidemiology for COVID 19 in children.
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Content ArticleSara Albolina and Giulia Dagliana share the lessons learned from Italy and provide valuable guidance in this podcast shared on the Project Patient Care website. The podcast has been widely circulated among US healthcare provider organisations, patient advocates, and government organisations.
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Content ArticleGovernments are taking a wide range of measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) aims to record these unfolding responses in a rigorous, consistent way across countries and across time.
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Content ArticleIn this letter, published by the International Society for Quality Health Care, Dr Francesco Venneri shares his experience of the response to COVID-19 in Italy from the perspective of his involvement as both a clinical risk manager and as an emergency front line worker.
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Content ArticleDuring the COVID-19 pandemic it is important to reduce the variation in individual ward/service/organisational practices and try as much as possible to adopt a shared, safe standard for staff looking after ward patients. SPACES (Sharing Patient Assessments Cuts Exposure for Staff) is a standardised approach to the management of ward care. It is based on the principles of 'maximum patient contact, minimum staff exposure'. SPACES can help keep staff safe and reduce PPE use. It is for everyone working on a ward with suspected or proven COVID-19 cases, and particularly for multi-professional teams. Attached is more information and a poster for the ward area.
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Content ArticleBetween 25-30 April 2020, three nurses working at Waitakere Hospital, New Zealand tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). In the week prior to testing positive, the nurses had been working on a ward caring for a group of elderly patients with COVID-19. The patients were from an aged residential care (ARC) facility in West Auckland.
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Content ArticleThis infographic designed by Public Health England shows how to remove personal protective equipment safely.
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Content ArticleThis inforgraphic by Public Health England shows the correct order to put on personal protective equipment .
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Content ArticleFor the next few months this series of BMJ podcasts, Talk Evidence, is going to focus on the coronavirus pandemic. There is an enormous amount of uncertainty about the disease, what the symptoms are, fatality rate, treatment options, things we shouldn't be doing. Talk Evidence is going to try to get away from the headlines and talk about what we need to know, to hopefully give listeners some insight into these issues.
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Content Article
Midwifery during COVID-19: A personal account
Anonymous posted an article in Blogs
I am a case loading midwife, working during the coronavirus pandemic. This is my personal account of what we are doing in my area to keep our women and ourselves safe, and the barriers we are facing.- Posted
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Content ArticleRosie Hughes has tested positive for the coronavirus that has killed so many of her patients. In her candid blog, published in the Guardian, she talks about her experiences, fear and the guilt she feels.
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