Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Sep 2020
Assessing Socioeconomic Vulnerabilities Related to COVID-19 Risk in India: A State-Level Analysis.
There is a paucity of scientific analysis that has examined spatial heterogeneities in the socioeconomic vulnerabilities related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risk and potential mitigation strategies at the sub-national level in India. The present study examined the demographic, socioeconomic, and health system-related vulnerabilities shaping COVID-19 risk across 36 states and union territories in India. ⋯ This study emphasizes that concerted socially inclusive policy action and sustained livelihood/economic support for the most vulnerable population groups is critical to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Sep 2020
Optimizing Scarce Resource Allocation During COVID-19: Rapid Creation of a Regional Health-Care Coalition and Triage Teams in San Diego County, California.
Successful management of an event where health-care needs exceed regional health-care capacity requires coordinated strategies for scarce resource allocation. Publications for rapid development, training, and coordination of regional hospital triage teams to manage the allocation of scarce resources during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are lacking. Over a period of 3 weeks, over 100 clinicians, ethicists, leaders, and public health authorities convened virtually to achieve consensus on how best to save the most lives possible and share resources. ⋯ Because many cities are facing COVID-19 surges, we share a process for successful rapid formation of health-care care coalitions, Crisis Standard of Care, and training of Triage Teams. Incorporation of continuous process improvement and methods for communication is essential for successful implementation. Use of our regional health-care coalition communications, incident command system, and the crisis care committee helped mitigate crisis care in the San Diego and Imperial County region as COVID-19 cases surged and scarce resource collaborative decisions were required.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Sep 2020
Impact of a Physician Clinical Support Supervisor in Supporting Patients and Families, Staff, and the Health-Care System During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV2), became a pandemic, hospitals activated Hospital Incident Command Systems (HICS). At our institution, we included a role of Physician Clinical Support Supervisor (PCSS) in the HICS structure. ⋯ Through efficient daily 2-way communication between frontline providers, HICS, and hospital leadership, the PCSS role facilitated rapid change and improved support for frontline staff, patients and families, and the health-care system. We recommend including the role of PCSS in HICS structure in the event of future pandemics or other crises.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Sep 2020
Social Network Analysis of COVID-19 Public Discourse on Twitter: Implications for Risk Communication.
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the use of social network analysis to understand public discourse on Twitter around the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We examined different network properties that might affect the successful dissemination by and adoption of public health messages from public health officials and health agencies. ⋯ Looking at basic metrics might create a misleading picture of the effectiveness of risk communication efforts on social media if not analyzed within the context of the larger network. Social network analysis of conversations on social media should be an integral part of how public health officials and agencies plan, monitor, and evaluate risk communication efforts.
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Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Sep 2020
Why May COVID-19 Overwhelm Low-Income Countries Like Pakistan?
Since the coronavirus disease 2019, called COVID-19, has overwhelmed the high-income countries with ample resources and established health-care system, we argue that there are plausible concerns why it may devastate the low-income countries like Pakistan. Focusing on Pakistan, we highlight the underlying reasons, eg, demographic features, ineffective health-care system, economic and political inequalities, corruption, and socio-cultural characteristics, that create fertile grounds for COVID-19 to overwhelm low-income countries. ⋯ The study concludes that the country may make appropriate and possibly effective short-term preparedness measures to halt or slow the transmission of the virus, and deal with its current implications as well as it may pay significant attention to long-term measures to deal effectively with COVID-19's longer-term effects. These measures will help them, including Pakistan, to deal appropriately with a similar future critical event.