Articles: coronavirus, sars-cov-2, pandemics, and covid-19.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2025
Improving hospital palliative care between COVID-19 waves: A retrospective cohort study.
A specialist palliative care service in an acute hospital characterized care patterns during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were delayed referrals for minoritized ethnic groups. COVID-19 treatments (dexamethasone, anticoagulation, remdesivir) alongside service changes were introduced in the second wave. ⋯ Our findings have the potential to inform strategies that improve palliative care response and equity beyond COVID-19, and in future pandemics or crises.
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This is a retrospective study that examines the risk of non-COVID-19 respiratory infection (RI)-related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations among autistic adults. The study compares these findings to non-autistic adults using the 2018 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. ⋯ Individuals with autism were more likely to experience emergency department visits and hospitalizations because of respiratory infections than individuals without autism. Amid growing evidence of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the autistic population, the study findings highlight a broader, pre-existing burden of respiratory infections among adults with autism in the U.S. that extend beyond the recent pandemic.
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In the U.S., rural areas experience higher rates of adverse maternal health outcomes, but little data exists on rural/urban differences in pregnancy-associated deaths (PAD, all deaths during pregnancy and postpartum) or rural/urban differences in those deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Rural areas experience a high burden of pregnancy-associated death, and this inequity was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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In many COVID-19 survivors, symptoms continue for a long time. This study aims to examine the relationship between the long-term effects of COVID-19, levels of anxiety and depression, and suicidal ideation with sociodemographic factors and symptoms. A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients who came for control at least 3 months after having COVID-19 disease, in the stable period, and still have symptoms after COVID-19. ⋯ Both BAS and BDS scores were significantly higher in people with suicidality compared to others, and long-term symptoms were found to be statistically associated with this situation. Depression and anxiety are common in cases of long COVID. It is important for healthcare professionals to be aware of these potential mental health consequences, especially suicidality, and to provide appropriate support and interventions for individuals with long COVID.
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Review Comparative Study
Comparability of control and comparison groups in studies assessing long COVID.
Awareness of long coronavirus disease (COVID) began primarily through media and social media sources, which eventually led to the development of various definitions based on methodologies of varying quality. We sought to characterize comparison groups in long COVID studies and evaluate comparability of the different groups. ⋯ Long COVID studies in high-impact journals primarily examine symptoms and risk factors of long COVID; often lack an adequate comparison group and often do not control for potential confounders. Our results suggest that standardized definitions for long COVID, which are often based on data from uncontrolled and potentially biased studies, should be reviewed to ensure that they are based on objective data.