National Medical Journal of India最新文献

Background Hand sanitizer (HS) has been increasingly used during the Covid-19 pandemic. We compared the telephonic calls received by the National Poisons Information Centre (NPIC), New Delhi, India, related to its unsafe exposure and inappropriate use during the lockdown and prelockdown periods. Methods We analysed and compared telephonic call records of 3 months of pre-lockdown and 3 months of the lockdown and HS-related calls in different age groups and zones during these periods. Results The centre received 4000 calls; of these 1583 (40%) were related to household products of which only 63 (4%) were related to HS. There was an 8-fold increase in the number of calls received at the NPIC during the lockdown compared to the pre-lockdown period seeking medical attention following unsafe exposure or inappropriate use of HS. More calls were received from the south and north zones and, in the majority of these cases, HS was ingested accidentally. In some cases, HS was ingested intentionally for suicide during the lockdown. Conclusions Our study shows that unsafe exposure of HS is common under conditions of stress as seen during the lockdown period of the Covid-19 pandemic. It should be kept out of reach of small children. Further, providing psychological help and counselling to older age groups under conditions of stress are important issues of concern.

Background Persistence of symptoms following Covid-19 infection has now been recognized as an upcoming public health crisis. Understanding these persistent symptoms and quantifying them is vital in planning care for these patients. Studies from India estimating the magnitude of these persistent symptoms are scarce. We aimed to estimate the proportion of symptoms that persist among patients who have recovered from Covid-19 infection. Methods We conducted this descriptive study among 114 individuals after they recovered from Covid-19 infection. Participants diagnosed as Covid-positive at a tertiary care centre were included in the study. Data were collected from the participants through an online platform. Frequency and proportion of various persistent symptoms were estimated. Analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Results The mean (SD) age of the study participants was 35.5 (15.7) years. Women comprised 62.3% (n=71) of the population. Persistent symptoms were reported by 66 (57.9%; 95% CI 53.07-62.72) participants. The most common symptoms reported were fatigue (n=45, 39.5%) and joint pain (n=23, 20.2%). Those who required hospitalization for longer duration were found to be more associated with having persistent symptoms (p=0.018). Conclusion A sizable proportion of individuals had persistent symptoms after recovering from Covid-19 infection. Health facilities should be equipped to address these emerging issues.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is an evolving disease with newly generated evidence related to the clinical management of Covid-19 patients. We aimed to compare two online learning schedules for disseminating new cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines in terms of knowledge gain and acceptability among nurses. Methods In a prospective randomized controlled study, 61 nurses trained in comprehensive cardiopulmonary life support (CCLS) were randomized to synchronous (n=31) and asynchronous learning groups (n= 30). The enhanced training module on CPR (ETMCPR) prepared by a team of experts was used to impart training to the nurses. Baseline data and pre-intervention knowledge of participants were collected using a structured demographic sheet and knowledge questionnaire (25 items) in a google form. Nurses in the synchronous group were provided training using ETMCPR through a licensed Zoom platform, while the nurses in the asynchronous group had access to the uploaded ETMCPR module in the e-learning platform. At the end of the intervention, the knowledge of the nurses was assessed along with their acceptability to the online learning schedule. Results Both schedules of online learning were effective in improving the knowledge scores of the nurses (11.93 [3.26] v. 21.15 [1.90], p=0.01 and 11.71 [3.12] v. 20.32 [1.71], p=0.01). The mean acceptability scores of nurses in the asynchronous group were statistically lower than in the synchronous group (38.93 [2.50] v. 42.5 [3.08], p=0.007). Conclusion Both synchronous and asynchronous schedules of online learning were effective in disseminating updated CPR guidelines; however, nurses in the synchronous group were more satisfied with the learning schedule.

Background From the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, studies have observed an increased prevalence of psychological symptoms in the general population and healthcare providers. We studied the prevalence of psychological symptoms among the latter. Methods We did this study using a self-administered questionnaire among healthcare providers across India who were involved in caring/treating patients. The questionnaire collected information on demographics, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and semi-structured questions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Results A total of 612 healthcare providers participated in the study; 254 were doctors of various specialties and 358 were nursing care-providers. According to the DASS-21 assessment, the prevalence of depression was 12.4%, anxiety was 19.1% and stress was 10.8%. The prevalence of psychological problems was more among nursing staff compared to doctors (depression risk ratio [RR] 2.4, anxiety RR 1.73 and stress RR 2.93) and they were equal among both genders (depression RR 1.05, anxiety RR 1.06 and stress RR 1.21). Conclusions Our study shows that there is a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among healthcare providers, particularly among nursing care-providers. We suggest psychological interventions to nursing care-providers and also those who are vulnerable among doctors, to improve their mental health status.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) infection not only affects the respiratory system but also induces coagulation abnormalities and thrombosis. We report a middle-aged woman who presented during the Covid-19 pandemic with sudden-onset acute left upper limb ischaemia of short duration, with no history of dry cough, breathlessness or fever, and tested positive on TrueNAT for SARS-CoV-2. Later, she developed deep venous thrombosis of the right lower limb during isolation in the hospital.