COVID-19 resources: Other resources

Link: Gale Health and Wellness database
Password: hwrc

The IARS has convened a Scientific Advisory Board to curate the thousands of emerging peer-reviewed journal articles on COVID-19 and highlight those of greatest value to anesthesiologists, intensivists, related specialists, and investigators. The articles featured here are the result of extensive review and discussion among our panel of experts. Featured articles are openly available on their respective journal websites. Journal CME is available for selected articles.

ASM has also committed to making all of its COVID19 and coronavirus related publications, and the available data supporting them, immediately accessible in PubMed Central (PMC) and other public repositories.

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS

The resources on these pages are designed to help you have conversations about what matters most to your patients and their whānau. They are easily accessed, clear and consistent, and are based on sound principles, evidence and experience.

This dataset is intended to mobilize researchers to apply recent advances in natural language processing to generate new insights in support of the fight against this infectious disease. The corpus will be updated weekly as new research is published in peer-reviewed publications and archival services like bioRxiv, medRxiv, and others.

SSRN, Elsevier’s world-leading platform devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of early-stage research, is committed to making coronavirus-related research available immediately. Research on SSRN is free to download and upload. It is important to note that these papers have not benefited from the pivotal role of peer-review, which validates and improves the quality of final published journal articles.

Abstract
Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation.

Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28-2·40], p<0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65-3·22], p<0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3-5 versus grades 1-2 (2·35 [1·57-3·53], p<0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01-2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06-2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01-2·31], p=0·047).

Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery.

Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Abstract
Introduction: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused significant worldwide disruption. Although Australia and New Zealand have not been affected as much as some other countries, resuscitation may still pose a risk to health care workers and necessitates a change to our traditional approach. This consensus statement for adult cardiac arrest in the setting of COVID-19 has been produced by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and aligns with national and international recommendations.

Main recommendations: In a setting of low community transmission, most cardiac arrests are not due to COVID-19. Early defibrillation saves lives and is not considered an aerosol generating procedure. Compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation is thought to be a low risk procedure and can be safely initiated with the patient's mouth and nose covered. All other resuscitative procedures are considered aerosol generating and require the use of airborne personal protective equipment (PPE). It is important to balance the appropriateness of resuscitation against the risk of infection. Methods to reduce nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 include a physical barrier such as a towel or mask over the patient's mouth and nose, appropriate use of PPE, minimising the staff involved in resuscitation, and use of mechanical chest compression devices when available. If COVID-19 significantly affects hospital resource availability, the ethics of resource allocation must be considered.

Changes in management: The changes outlined in this document require a significant adaptation for many doctors, nurses and paramedics. It is critically important that all health care workers have regular PPE and advanced life support training, are able to access in situ simulation sessions, and receive extensive debriefing after actual resuscitations. This will ensure safe, timely and effective management of the patients with cardiac arrest in the COVID-19 era.

Summary
The Covid-19 pandemic is a source of anxiety for many clinicians. We studied the factors most related to front-line providers’ anxiety, and thereby developed effective responses, by surveying the clinical members of our department to better understand the effect of providing care during the pandemic on their self-reported levels of anxiety. While the strongest predictor of anxiety during the pandemic is a clinician's general tendency to feel anxious, another strong predictor is the culture of anxiety they observed in their colleagues around them related to the pandemic. Feeling like one’s work during the pandemic is valued by one’s immediate supervisor was associated with lower anxiety. Also, feeling like one has the necessary PPE to maintain safety and that one is in a psychologically safe environment were both related to a lower culture of anxiety, and as such indirectly related to lower state anxiety. In this paper, we provide a number of suggestions for reducing the anxiety felt during this anxiety-inducing crisis, as well as promoting the emotional well-being and effectiveness of our front-line providers in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. While the study was conducted among anesthesia providers, we believe its results are applicable to any front-line providers working in the high-stress Covid-19 environment.

This document provides guidance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendations in this document were developed with advice from the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce Infection Prevention and Control Panel (IPC).

COVID-19 symptoms can sometimes persist for months. The virus can damage the lungs, heart and brain, which increases the risk of long-term health problems.

Case definition and testing guidance for health practitioners based on expert advice from the Ministry of Health's Technical Advisory Group.

Guidance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in health and disability care settings.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is undertaking a post-market review of face masks included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). This page introduces the review and provides guidance for suppliers and users of face masks. For outcomes of the review, including a list of cancelled ARTG entries and non-compliance notices, see Post-market review of face masks: Cancelled ARTG entries and Non-compliance notices .

Rapid evidence checks are based on a simplified review method and may not be entirely exhaustive, but aim to provide a balanced assessment of what is already known about a specific problem or issue.
This brief has not been peer-reviewed and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement, nor is it an endorsed position of NSW Health.

Healthcare associated infection is one of the most common adverse events in health care worldwide. Up to 10 percent of patients admitted to modern hospitals in the developed world acquire one or more infections.

Excerpt
The emergence of a novel human coronavirus in late 2002 alarmed populations across the globe, elicited a massive public health response, gave rise to a multinational research network, gripped the news media, wreaked political havoc in China, and struck a blow to the tourism and travel industries of several countries. By the time this coronavirus, labeled SCoV, apparently receded from human hosts in July 2003, nearly 10 percent of more than 8,000 individuals who fit the probable case definition had died of the disease now known as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (World Health Organization [WHO], 2003a). Analyses of this epidemic could lead to improvements in the global community’s preparedness for and response to future global outbreaks of infectious disease. For these reasons, the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) Forum on Microbial Threats convened the workshop Learning from SARS: Preparing for the Next Disease Outbreak on September 30 and October 1, 2003. Participants discussed the emergence, detection, spread, and containment of SARS; political responses to the epidemic; its economic consequences; basic research on coronaviruses; preparations for a possible reemergence of SCoV; and lessons learned from the SARS epidemic that could shape responses to future microbial threats.

where there is sustained transmission of COVID-19, taking into account individual risk assessment for this new and emerging pathogen, NHS and independent sector

This is the first edition of guidance on infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies for use when infection with a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is suspected. It has been adapted from WHO’s Infection prevention and control during health care for probable or confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection,1 based on current knowledge of the situation in China and other countries where cases were identified and experiences with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV and MERS-CoV. 2

WHO will update these recommendations as new information becomes available.

This guidance is intended for healthcare workers (HCWs), healthcare managers and IPC teams at the facility level but it is also relevant for the national and district/provincial level. Full guidelines are available from WHO.2

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1 Infection prevention and control during health care for probable or confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection: interim guidance, updated October 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2019 (WHO/MERS/IPC/15.1 Rev. 1; https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/174652, accessed 17 January 2020).

2 Infection prevention and control of epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute respiratory infections in health care: WHO guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014 (hhttp://apps.who.int/iris/10665/112656, accessed 17 January 2020).

Overview
This publication is an update to the World Health Organization (WHO) interim guidelines Infection prevention and control of epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute respiratory diseases in health care (2007). These updated guidelines incorporate the emergency guidance given in the WHO publication Infection prevention and control during health care for confirmed, probable, or suspected cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection and influenza-like illness (2009). The revision was informed by both evidence that has emerged since the first edition was published and the practical lessons learnt during the influenza pandemic in 2009.

The WHO guidelines Infection prevention and control of epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute respiratory infections in health care provide recommendations, best practices and principles for non-pharmacological aspects of infection prevention and control (IPC) for acute respiratory infections (ARI) in health care, with special emphasis on ARI that can present as epidemics or pandemics. The guidelines are intended to help policy-makers, administrators and health-care workers to prioritize effective IPC measures.

The document also provides guidance on the application of basic IPC precautions, such as Standard Precautions, and on the importance of maintaining appropriate IPC measures in routine circumstances to strengthen a healthcare facility’s capacity to put them into practice during outbreaks. These measures should therefore be part of the hospital’s permanent IPC strategy.