Articles: pandemics.
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Front Public Health · Jan 2020
Comparative StudyReduced Rate of Inpatient Hospital Admissions in 18 German University Hospitals During the COVID-19 Lockdown.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused strains on health systems worldwide disrupting routine hospital services for all non-COVID patients. Within this retrospective study, we analyzed inpatient hospital admissions across 18 German university hospitals during the 2020 lockdown period compared to 2018. Patients admitted to hospital between January 1 and May 31, 2020 and the corresponding periods in 2018 and 2019 were included in this study. ⋯ In summary, our study shows that the university hospital admission rates in Germany were substantially reduced following the national COVID-19 lockdown. These included critical care or emergency conditions in which deferral is expected to impair clinical outcomes. Future studies are needed to delineate how appropriate medical care of critically ill patients can be maintained during a pandemic.
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The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has caused shortages of life-sustaining medical resources, and future waves of the virus may cause further scarcity. The Yale New Haven Health System developed a triage protocol to allocate scarce medical resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the primary goal of saving the most lives possible, and a secondary goal of making triage assessments and decisions consistent, transparent, and fair. ⋯ We conclude with a review of the limitations of our protocol and the lessons learned. We hope that a robust public discussion of such protocols and the ethical challenges that they raise will result in the fairest possible processes, less need for triage, and more lives saved during future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and similar public health emergencies.
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Multicenter Study
Maternal perception of masking in children as a preventive strategy for COVID-19 in Nigeria: A multicentre study.
The use of face masks by children for the prevention of COVID 19 is still controversial, especially with regards to who should wear the face mask and at what age. ⋯ Maternal perception of masking in children as an appropriate strategy for preventing COVID-19 is adjudged low in this study. Right perception is significantly enhanced by maternal educational status, employment and marital status.