Comprehensive Safety Guidelines for Doctors and Healthcare Workers during COVID-19

A Novel Deep Convolutional Neural Network Model to Monitor People following Guidelines to Avoid COVID-19

Journal of Sensors ◽

10.1155/2020/8856801 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Irfan Uddin ◽

Syed Atif Ali Shah ◽

Mahmoud Ahmad Al-Khasawneh

Keyword(s):

Law Enforcement ◽

Medical Community ◽

Shopping Malls ◽

Law Enforcement Agencies ◽

Deep Convolutional Neural Networks ◽

Intelligent Monitoring ◽

High Exposure ◽

Novel Technique ◽

The Government ◽

Safety Guidelines

COVID-19, a deadly disease that originated in Wuhan, China, has resulted in a global outbreak. Patients infected with the causative virus SARS-CoV-2 are placed in quarantine, so the virus does not spread. The medical community has not discovered any vaccine that can be immediately used on patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The only method discovered so far to protect people from this virus is keeping a distance from other people, wearing masks and gloves, as well as regularly washing and sanitizing hands. Government and law enforcement agencies are involved in banning the movement of people in different cities, to control the spread and monitor people following the guidelines of the CDC. But it is not possible for the government to monitor all places, such as shopping malls, hospitals, government offices, and banks, and guide people to follow the safety guidelines. In this paper, a novel technique is developed that can guide people to protect themselves from someone who has high exposure to the virus or has symptoms of COVID-19, such as having fever and coughing. Different deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) models are implemented to test the proposed technique. The proposed intelligent monitoring system can be used as a complementary tool to be installed at different places and automatically monitor people adopting the safety guidelines. With these precautionary measurements, humans will be able to win this fight against COVID-19.

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Hand Hygiene: Do we follow it seriously?

Journal of Pathology of Nepal ◽

10.3126/jpn.v6i12.16256 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (12) ◽

Author(s):

R Baral

Keyword(s):

Hand Hygiene ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Role Model ◽

Healthcare Facility ◽

Hand Washing ◽

Medical Community ◽

Resistant Bacteria ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Hygiene Compliance ◽

Major Factors

The importance of hand hygiene was highlighted in the nineteenth century during the first trial done by Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, an obstetrician practicing in Vienna, now known as an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures. He was able to reduce maternal mortality rate in his hospital by 90% by just applying the protocol of washing hands in chlorinated lime solution before examining the patients. Semmelweis's hypothesis was largely ignored, rejected, or ridiculed. He was dismissed from the hospital for political reasons and harassed by the medical community in Vienna, being eventually forced to move to Budapest. Semmelweis's practice earned widespread acceptance, when Louise Pasteur confirmed the germ theory and Joseph Lister, pioneered antiseptic surgery. Lister practiced and operated using hygienic methods with great success.There are many national and international guidelines which emphasize the practice of hand hygiene in reducing the incidence of hospital acquired infections (HAI). With all the evidence of decreasing the HAIs the practice of hand hygiene compliance should have been a 100% in all healthcare facilities. However, various studies done in different countries show that the compliance of hand hygiene amongst the healthcare workers is not satisfactory, ranging only 40 to 50% even in the developed nations.Why Not?Inaccessible hand washing facilities: This is one of the major factors due to which the compliance to wash hands is compromised.Wearing Gloves: The misconception amongst the healthcare workers that wearing gloves will prevent transmission of germs is another major factor.Scepticism about the value of hand hygiene: CMEs, lectures, demonstrations and evidence based studies on hand hygiene should be kept in top priority to disseminate the knowledge which will reduce the scepticism.Lack of concept of IPAC, motivation and role model: Many healthcare centres do not have IPAC committee; hence the concept of IPAC is not present in these facilities. If a healthcare worker is not motivated to wash hands she/he will never do it. This is a human behaviour.Being a physician: Last but the most important point is: Do the physicians, the leaders in any healthcare facilities practice correct hand hygiene?Yes to Hand Hygiene:Widely accessible hand washing facilities or Alcohol based hand rub.Multifaceted approach to improve the hand hygiene like CME, training, feedback.Financial incentives, praises from the administrative level.Reminders like posters and pamphlets in the workplace to wash hands.In an era of multi-resistant bacteria, it is now time to implement national IPAC guidelines, create IPAC committees in every healthcare facility, and organize more trainings, CMEs and demonstrations to all healthcare workers. If these measures are not taken in time we may have the MDR organisms engulfing our wards which will definitely increase the healthcare cost as well as morbidity and mortality.

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Violence against healthcare personnel in India: Covid-19 prompts stricter laws

Medico-Legal Journal ◽

10.1177/00258172211006276 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002581722110062

Author(s):

Matthew A Manoj ◽

Jagadish Rao Padubidri ◽

JSRG Saran ◽

Sowmya J Rao ◽

B Suresh Kumar Shetty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Medical Community ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

The Past ◽

Occupational Violence ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Government ◽

Epidemic Diseases

During the past 10 years, the “Prevention of Violence Against Medicare Persons and Institutions Act” has failed to achieve its object. With the advent of the pandemic, stricter measures were taken and on 22 April 2020, all acts of violence against healthcare personnel confronting the Covid-19 pandemic became “cognizable and non-bailable offences” by means of the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, a direct statement from the Government of India that there would be zero tolerance for violence against its health care workers. The Amendment aims to fill gaps in the previous law which did not protect healthcare workers against occupational violence at the workplace and at home. The amendment of the Ordinance will have a positive impact on the medical community which is much needed, particularly during the pandemic.

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A Comparison of the Level of Acceptance and Hesitancy towards the Influenza Vaccine and the Forthcoming COVID-19 Vaccine in the Medical Community

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9050475 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 475

Author(s):

Magdalena Grochowska ◽

Aleksandra Ratajczak ◽

Gabriela Zdunek ◽

Aleksander Adamiec ◽

Paweł Waszkiewicz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Influenza Vaccine ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Medical Community ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Allied Health Professionals ◽

Public Opinion Surveys ◽

Influenza Vaccinations ◽

To Receive ◽

Global Population ◽

Preliminary Description

Despite research conducted worldwide, there is no treatment specifically targeting SARS-CoV-2 infection with efficacy proven by randomized controlled trials. A chance for a breakthrough is vaccinating most of the global population. Public opinion surveys on vaccine hesitancy prompted our team to investigate Polish healthcare workers’ (HCWs) attitudes towards the SARS-CoV-2 and influenza vaccinations. In-person and online surveys of HCWs: doctors, nurses, medical students, and other allied health professionals (n = 419) were conducted between 14 September 2020 and 5 November 2020. In our study, 68.7% of respondents would like to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations would persuade 86.3% of hesitant and those who would refuse to be vaccinated. 3.1% of all respondents claimed that no argument would convince them to get vaccinated. 61.6% of respondents declared a willingness to receive an influenza vaccination, of which 83.3% were also inclined to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Although most respondents—62.5% (262/419) indicated they trusted in the influenza vaccine more, more respondents intended to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the 2020/2021 season. The study is limited by its nonrandom sample of HCWs but provides a preliminary description of attitudes towards SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

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Safety Recommendations for Evaluation and Surgery of the Head and Neck during the COVID-19 Pandemic

10.20944/preprints202003.0430.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Babak Givi ◽

Bradley A. Schiff ◽

Steven B. Chinn ◽

Daniel Clayburgh ◽

N. Gopalkrishna Iyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Close Contact ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Work Force ◽

Aerodigestive Tract ◽

Medical Community ◽

Upper Aerodigestive Tract ◽

Levels Of Care ◽

Risk Of Exposure ◽

Safety Recommendations

Importance: The rapidly expanding 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) has challenged the medical community to an unprecedented degree. Physicians and healthcare workers are at added risk of exposure and infection during the course of the patient care. Due to the rapid spread of this disease through respiratory droplets, healthcare providers such as otolaryngologists-head & neck surgeons who come in close contact with the upper aerodigestive tract during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are particularly at risk. Here we present a set of safety recommendations based on our review of literature and communications with physicians with first-hand knowledge of safety procedures during the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic.Observations: A high number of healthcare providers were infected during the first phase of the pandemic in Wuhan province. Subsequently, by adopting strict safety precautions, other regions were able to achieve high levels of safety for healthcare providers without jeopardizing the care of patients. We reviewed the most common procedures related to the examination and treatment of upper aerodigestive tract diseases. Each category was reviewed based on the potential risk imposed to healthcare workers. Specific recommendations were made, based on the literature, when available, or consensus best practices. Specific safety recommendations were made for performing tracheostomy in COVID-19 patients. Conclusions and Relevance: Preserving highly skilled healthcare work force is a top priority for any community and healthcare system. Based on the experience of healthcare systems in Asia and Europe, by following strict safety guidelines, the risk of exposure and infection of healthcare providers could be significantly reduced, while providing high levels of care. The provided recommendations could be used as broad guidance for all healthcare workers who are involved with the care of COVID-19 patients.

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‘We are not the virus’: stigmatization and discrimination against frontline health workers

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdab031 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jeff Clyde G Corpuz

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

International Travel ◽

Travel History ◽

The Public ◽

Stigma And Discrimination ◽

Frontline Health Workers ◽

Philippine Government ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽

Safety Guidelines

Abstract During the current COVID-19 pandemic, several forms of stigma and discrimination have been reported worldwide mainly from toward Asian descent, those with international travel history, and frontline health workers. In response to the situation of stigmatization and discrimination against frontline healthcare workers, the author proposes several ways on how the public and the Philippine government might create safety guidelines by revisiting the international and local laws. Thus, there is an urgent need to end the stigma, discrimination and other forms of inhumane treatment against our frontline health workers. They are not the virus.

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Addressing Future Epidemics: Historical Human Rights Lessons from the AIDS Pandemic

Pathogens and Immunity ◽

10.20411/pai.v1i1.60 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ambar Mehta ◽

Thomas C. Quinn

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Human Rights ◽

High Risk ◽

Federal Government ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

The United States ◽

Medical Community ◽

Policy Makers ◽

The Public ◽

Aids Pandemic

Introduction: The Ebola epidemic in West Africa sparked many ethical and polarizing public health questions on how to adequately control transmission of the virus. These deliberations had and will continue to influence patients, healthcare workers, public perceptions of disease, and governmental responses. Such extensive and potential ramifications warranted an analysis of prior epidemics to sufficiently inform policy makers and prepare them and other authorities for future epidemics. We analyzed how the general public, medical institutions, federal government, and patients themselves responded during the early stages of the AIDS pandemic in two different countries and cultures, the United States and India.Discussion: Our analysis identified four key findings pertaining to the human rights of patients and healthcare workers and to the crucial roles of the government and medical community. The first demands that authoritative officials acknowledge the presence of high-risk behaviors and properly educate the public without stigmatizing groups of individuals. For this task, the medical community and federal government must form and display to the public a respectful and collaborative partnership towards battling the epidemic. These two synergistic endeavors will then allow appropriate officials to implement effective, yet civil, interventions for limiting transmission. Finally, the same officials must ensure that their interventions maintain the human rights of high-risk populations and of healthcare workers.Conclusions: Applying these findings to future epidemics of infectious diseases can aid policy makers in navigating complicated ethical and public health questions, and help prevent them from repeating past mistakes in handling epidemics.

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Nutrition in obesity: Target criteria and monitoring of weight loss

Terapevticheskii arkhiv ◽

10.17116/terarkh201688699-104 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 88 (10) ◽

pp. 99-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I V Samorodskaya ◽

E V Bolotova

Keyword(s):

Weight Loss ◽

Clinical Guidelines ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Medical Community ◽

Complex Nature ◽

Optimal Diet ◽

The Status ◽

Professional Capacity ◽

The Impact ◽

Legislative Decision

The review paper gives in details the current clinical guidelines for evaluation of the impact of nutrition on the correction of increased body mass index (BMI) and obesity, an overview of the efficacy of specific commercial diets, target criteria for weight loss, and monitoring the status of a patient who participates in a weight loss program. The current clinical guidelines suggest that today there is no optimal diet in terms of its impact on the correction of overweight and further maintenance of the weight loss achieved. There is a need for both the improvement of the professional capacity of healthcare workers in advising patients about nutrition and the population’s awareness about the principles of a healthy diet. The complex nature of the problem requires that a medical community should interact closely with politicians to make a legislative decision on a number of issues relating to healthy eating.

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