scholarly journals Priorities, Barriers, and Facilitators towards International Guidelines for the Delivery of Supportive Clinical Care during an Ebola Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Claude Battista ◽  
Christine Loignon ◽  
Lynda Benhadj ◽  
Elysee Nouvet ◽  
Srinivas Murthy ◽  
...  

During the Ebola outbreak, mortality reduction was attributed to multiple improvements in supportive care delivered in Ebola treatment units (ETUs). We aimed to identify high-priority supportive care measures, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to their implementation, for patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of key stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 West African EVD outbreak. Out of 57 email invitations, 44 responses were received, and 29 respondents completed the survey. The respondents listed insufficient numbers of health workers (23/29, 79%), improper tools for the documentation of clinical data (n = 22/28, 79%), insufficient material resources (n = 22/29, 76%), and unadapted personal protective equipment (n = 20/28, 71%) as the main barriers to the provision of supportive care in ETUs. Facilitators to the provision of supportive care included team camaraderie (n in agreement = 25/28, 89%), ability to speak the local language (22/28, 79%), and having treatment protocols in place (22/28, 79%). This survey highlights a consensus across various stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 EVD outbreak on a limited number of high-priority supportive care interventions for clinical practice guidelines. Identified barriers and facilitators further inform the application of guidelines.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himiede W. Wilson ◽  
Maame Amo-Addae ◽  
Ernest Kenu ◽  
Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi ◽  
Donne K. Ameme ◽  
...  

Introduction. An increased number of survivors have emerged from the 2014 West African Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic. Post-Ebola Syndrome (PES) is a group of physical and psychological symptoms affecting EVD survivors. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PES among EVD survivors in Montserrado County, Liberia. Method. A cross-sectional study design was conducted to determine the prevalence of PES, types, onset, and duration among survivors. Survivors in Montserrado County were recruited using multistage sampling methods. Quantitative data was collected using semistructured questionnaire. Variables were collected on EVD survivors demographics, pre- and post-Ebola health history. Result. Prevalence of Post-Ebola Syndrome was estimated to be 90% (242/268). PES was experienced by 67% (162/242) females. PES occurred mainly in the adult population between ages 25-34, 35% (84/242). The commonest symptoms were reported from the following systems of the human body: neurological system (eyes problem, headache, sleep disorder, and unusual tiredness) and musculoskeletal system (abdominal pain, chest pain, and joints pains). The onset of PES occurred between the first 1-12 weeks after being discharged from a treatment unit. Conclusion. Prevalence of PES is high. Clinical care for survivors should be strengthened.


Author(s):  
Emmanuel O Amoo ◽  
Gbolahan A. Oni ◽  
Aize Obayan ◽  
Amos Alao ◽  
Olujide Adekeye ◽  
...  

Background: The study assessed men’s role in the preparedness against emerging pandemic of Ebola Virus Disease in Ogun State, Nigeria. It examined the changes in men’s hygiene practices as response to the news of the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease. Methods: The data were extracted from a 2015 Cross-Sectional Survey on wellness, knowledge, attitude and practices towards the control and prevention of Ebola Virus Disease. The respondents (466 male) in the main survey were selected using simple random sampling technique within two enumeration areas (EAs). Results: The results revealed high level of knowledge of EVD but over 70% were not aware of centre for EVD treatment, 60.2% believed they are not susceptible to EVD. The practice of handshaking reduced, eating of hunted animals decreased only marginally by 6.9% and washing with soap increased by 4%. Conclusion: The study provides helpful information for public health policy especially in terms of behavioral risk factors that are prone to Ebola virus infections or other communicable diseases. It emphasises regular hand washing with soap and sanitizing agents and recommended that availability of treatment centres and vaccines that can enhance effective response in curtailing further health emergencies.


F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Baimba Koroma ◽  
Dena Javadi ◽  
Katrina Hann ◽  
Anthony D Harries ◽  
Francis Smart ◽  
...  

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. During infectious disease outbreaks, such as the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa from 2014-2015, the health system is often strained, and diagnosis, management and care of NCDs may be compromised. This study assessed numbers and distribution of NCDs in all health facilities in the Western-Area District, Sierra Leone, in the post-Ebola period (June–December 2015) comparing findings with the pre-Ebola (June–December 2013) and Ebola outbreak (June–December 2014) periods. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using secondary data from routine records of aggregate monthly NCD reports. Data were analysed using Open EPI and comparisons were made between the post-Ebola and pre-Ebola/Ebola periods using the chi-square test. Results: There were 10,011 people reported with NCDs during the three six-month periods, with 6194 (62%) presenting at peripheral health units (PHU). Reported NCDs decreased during Ebola and increased post-Ebola, but did not recover to pre-Ebola levels. Hypertension cases remained fairly constant throughout being mainly managed at PHU. Numbers with diabetes mellitus generally stayed the same except for a significant post-Ebola increase in tertiary hospitals. Small numbers were reported with mental health disorders across all facilities in all time periods. Conclusion: NCD reporting is recovering in the immediate post-Ebola period. Decentralization of NCD care is welcome and is an effective strategy for management as evidenced by hypertension. To be successful, this must be supported by strengthening other elements of the health system such as training of health workers, robust information and referral systems and reliable medicine supply chains.


F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 795
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Baimba Koroma ◽  
Dena Javadi ◽  
Katrina Hann ◽  
Anthony D Harries ◽  
Francis Smart ◽  
...  

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. During infectious disease outbreaks, such as the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa from 2014-2015, the health system is often strained, and diagnosis, management and care of NCDs may be compromised. This study assessed numbers and distribution of NCDs in all health facilities in the Western-Area District, Sierra Leone, in the post-Ebola period (June–December 2015) comparing findings with the pre-Ebola (June–December 2013) and Ebola outbreak (June–December 2014) periods. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using secondary data from routine records of aggregate monthly NCD reports. Data were analysed using Open EPI and comparisons were made between the post-Ebola and pre-Ebola/Ebola periods using the chi square test. Results: There were 10,011 people reported with NCDs during the three six-month periods, with 6194 (62%) presenting at peripheral health units (PHU). Reported NCDs decreased during Ebola and increased post-Ebola, but did not recover to pre-Ebola levels. Hypertension cases remained fairly constant throughout being mainly managed at PHU. Numbers with diabetes mellitus generally stayed the same except for a significant post-Ebola increase in tertiary hospitals. Small numbers were reported with mental health disorders across all facilities in all time periods. Conclusion: NCD reporting is recovering in the immediate post-Ebola period. Decentralization of NCD care is welcome and is an effective strategy for management as evidenced by hypertension. To be successful, this must be supported by strengthening other elements of the health system such as training of health workers, robust information and referral systems and reliable medicine supply chains.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. e0008872
Author(s):  
Olushayo Oluseun Olu ◽  
Richard Lako ◽  
Sudhir Bunga ◽  
Kibebu Berta ◽  
Matthew Kol ◽  
...  

South Sudan implemented Ebola virus disease preparedness interventions aiming at preventing and rapidly containing any importation of the virus from the Democratic Republic of Congo starting from August 2018. One of these interventions was a surveillance system which included an Ebola alert management system. This study analyzed the performance of this system. A descriptive cross-sectional study of the Ebola virus disease alerts which were reported in South Sudan from August 2018 to November 2019 was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methods. As of 30 November 2019, a total of 107 alerts had been detected in the country out of which 51 (47.7%) met the case definition and were investigated with blood samples collected for laboratory confirmation. Most (81%) of the investigated alerts were South Sudanese nationals. The alerts were identified by health workers (53.1%) at health facilities, at the community (20.4%) and by screeners at the points of entry (12.2%). Most of the investigated alerts were detected from the high-risk states of Gbudwe (46.9%), Jubek (16.3%) and Torit (10.2%). The investigated alerts commonly presented with fever, bleeding, headache and vomiting. The median timeliness for deployment of Rapid Response Team was less than one day and significantly different between the 6-month time periods (K-W = 7.7567; df = 2; p = 0.0024) from 2018 to 2019. Strengths of the alert management system included existence of a dedicated national alert hotline, case definition for alerts and rapid response teams while the weaknesses were occasional inability to access the alert toll-free hotline and lack of transport for deployment of the rapid response teams which often constrain quick response. This study demonstrates that the Ebola virus disease alert management system in South Sudan was fully functional despite the associated challenges and provides evidence to further improve Ebola preparedness in the country.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Modupe R Akinyinka ◽  
Omowunmi Q Bakare ◽  
Esther O Oluwole ◽  
Babatunde A Odugbemi

Background: The Ebola virus disease outbreak that ravaged parts of West Africa has been described as the most severe acute public health emergency seen in modern times. Hand washing was promoted among other measures for infection prevention. Objective: This study assessed the awareness of Ebola virus disease and hand-washing practices among Lagos residents, southwest Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used. A total of 1982 respondents aged 18 ⩾ years were selected using a multi stage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered, pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection between August and November 2015. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22, with level of significance set at 0.05. Results: Almost all (97.3%) respondents were aware of Ebola virus disease, with over half of respondents having heard about it from television. A majority of 1890 (95.4%) respondents were aware of the importance of hand washing in disease prevention. Similarly, high proportions of respondents were aware they should wash their hands after an outing, toilet use, touching pets, before and after meals, while 1628 (82.1%) of respondents knew to wash their hands after a hand shake. However, less than half of respondents (38.8%) always washed their hands after handshakes. Discussion: A majority of respondents surveyed were aware of Ebola virus disease and hand washing, but the practice of hand washing, which is key in prevention of infection, lagged behind the knowledge of the respondents.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Darling Weah ◽  
John S. Doedeh ◽  
Samson Q. Wiah ◽  
Emmanuel Nyema ◽  
Siafa Lombeh ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroductionDuring the flare-ups of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Liberia, Sinoe County reactivated the multi-sectorial EVD control strategy in order to be ready to respond to the eventual reintroduction of cases.This paper describes the impacts of the interventions implemented in Sinoe County during the last flare-up in Monrovia, from April 1 to June 9, 2016, using the resources provided during the original outbreak that ended one year back.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive study to describe the key interventions implemented in Sinoe County, the capacity available, the implications for the reactivation of the multi-sectoral EVD control strategy, and the results of the same. We also conducted a cross-sectional study to analyze the impact of the interventions on the surveillance and on infection prevention and control (IPC).ResultsThe attrition of the staff trained during the original outbreak was low, and most of the supplies, equipment, and infrastructure from the original outbreak remained available.With an additional US$1755, improvements were observed in the IPC indicators of triage, which increased from a mean of 60% during the first assessment to 77% (P=0.002). Additionally, personal/staff training improved from 78% to 89% (P=0.04).The percentage of EVD death alerts per expected deaths investigated increased from 26% to 63% (P<0.0001).DiscussionThe small attrition of the trained staff and the availability of most of the supplies, equipment, and infrastructure made the reactivation of the multi-sectoral EVD control strategy fast and affordable. The improvement of the EVD surveillance was possibly affected by the community engagement activities, awareness and mentoring of the health workers, and improved availability of clinicians in the facilities during the flare-up. The community engagement may contribute to the report of community-based events, specifically community deaths. The mentoring of the staff during the supportive supervisions also contributed to improve the IPC indicators.


Author(s):  
Hassan Rezaeipandari ◽  
Vali Bahrevar ◽  
Alireza Babaei Mazreno ◽  
Zohreh Rahaei ◽  
Saeedeh Zare Jamalabadi ◽  
...  

Introduction: Ebola is a viral infection with a high mortality risk and health workers are considered as an at-risk group. The main aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitude of health workers about Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Yazd city, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 110 health workers in health centres of Yazd city, Iran in 2015, who were selected by cluster random sampling method. The tool for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire including demographic information as well as knowledge and attitude questions about EVD with confirmed validity and reliability. Data were analysed by statistical tests of Student’s T-test, Chi-square, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The mean score of the participants' knowledge and attitude were 25.16± 3.58 (range 0-46) and 46.59±4.05 (range 13-65), respectively. More than half of the health workers did not know transmission routes of EVD. However, 59.6% of them were aware that the one way to prevent the disease was to avoid contact with an infected person. A significant correlation was also found between knowledge and attitude scores (P< 0.001, r= 0.384). Conclusion: Since knowledge of the health workers was at the moderate level, training courses and interventional programs are recommended for health care workers especially about transmission routes and signs of EVD to increase the Knowledge and attitude of the participants


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 1017-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateusz M Plucinski ◽  
Timothée Guilavogui ◽  
Sidibe Sidikiba ◽  
Nouman Diakité ◽  
Souleymane Diakité ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document