Journal of family medicine and primary care
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J Family Med Prim Care · Dec 2020
Continuum of care for non-communicable diseases during COVID-19 pandemic in rural India: A mixed methods study.
COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in disruption to routine health services delivery as strict lockdowns were implemented in India and health workforce redeployed for COVID-19 focused responses. We assess the perceptions about COVID-19, the impact of the lockdown on access to health services and continuum of care for Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among a cohort of adults in rural India. ⋯ Our finding implies the need for the future guidelines on adaptation of telehealth approaches within health systems to maintain the continuum of care, digital health tools to facilitate the patient's appointments including virtual follow-up visits for those with NCDs coupled with regular engagement by frontline healthcare workers at the local levels, evidence informed public health messaging taking into consideration the social and behavioural aspect and uninterrupted essential primary healthcare services.
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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the world to undergo an unprecedented change in a short period. Personal protective equipment such as the face mask or face cover has become a daily necessity. Moreover, since some states and countries have made the use of face covers or face masks compulsory, one cannot ignore or afford to have a wrong or incomplete awareness about face masks. ⋯ The use of different types of masks has been assigned according to the risk of exposure and should be therefore judiciously used. As this is a novel disease, the guidelines are changing every day and one needs to be updated with correct information so that one can protect themselves and their families from this extreme level of the crisis faced by the world now. The use of face covers or masks should not be discouraged as there has been substantial evidence that its use can help reduce the spread of infection. "Mass masking" along with hand hygiene and social distancing are the only effective recommended measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
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J Family Med Prim Care · Sep 2020
ReviewProtecting Indian health workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rapidly growing rate of infection among health workers during the current COVID-19 pandemic, is posing a serious challenge to global health systems. Lately, India is also witnessing an intensifying COVID-19 disease burden and its impact on health workers. This paper aims to discuss the challenges to health worker protection in India and the possible ways forward. ⋯ India must take timely measures in rapid manufacturing and procurement of essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure adequate stockpiling to meet the rising demands. Comprehensive and repeated training with sharply focussed content including usage of PPE kits as well as active surveillance of adherence to recommended protocol are critical in protecting health workers especially the primary care physicians and frontline health staff from the deadly COVID-19 infection. The provision of psychological and financial support for health workers and their families is absolutely critical in building trust and dedicated work efforts by the health workforce for a continuous fight against the deadly disease.
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J Family Med Prim Care · Sep 2020
Prevalence of COVID-19-related anxiety among healthcare workers: A cross-sectional study.
COVID-19 was labeled as a pandemic in March 2020. Healthcare workers (HCW) are confronting great mental stressors in coping with the crisis. In Saudi Arabia, research on the psychological effect of COVID-19 on HCW is lacking. ⋯ During early COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety disorder among HCW was noticeable. Being a female, living with family members, and having a family history of COVID-19 increased the risk for anxiety disorder.