Below please find a summary and link(s) of new coronavirus-related content published today in Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries below are not intended to substitute for the full article as a source of information. A collection of coronavirus-related content is free to the public at http://go.annals.org/coronavirus.
1. Epidemiology of and Risk Factors for Coronavirus Infection in Health Care Workers: A Living Rapid Review
Researchers from the Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center and Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon studied multiple databases, including the WHO (World Health Organization) Database of Publications on Coronavirus Disease to assess the burden of coronavirus infections, including SARS-CoV-2 on health care workers. They found that health care workers experience significant burdens from infections, but their risk for infection was decreased with use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control training. Certain exposures, such as involvement in intubations, direct contact with infected patients, or contact with bodily secretions, were associated with increased risk of infection. Read the full text: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M20-1632.
2. Keeping Up With Emerging Evidence in (Almost) Real Time
An accompanying editorial by the editors of Annals of Internal Medicine discusses the unique challenges of publishing up-to-the-minute research during the COVID-19 pandemic and the journal's commitment to doing so. One strategy involves systematic reviews that are rapid and living. A rapid review simplifies some components of the review process to produce information in a timely manner and a living review commits to ongoing evidence review and synthesis at prespecified intervals. The promise of this approach is relevant now more than ever. Read the full text: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M20-2627.
Media contacts: A PDF for this article is not yet available. Please click the link to read full text. The lead author, Roger Chou, MD, can be reached through Erik Robinson at robineri@ohsu.edu. The lead editorialist, Christine Laine, MD, MPH, and the Annals editors can be reached through Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org.
3. Health Care Supply Chains: COVID-19 Challenges and Pressing Actions The supply chain for U.S. health care is really five different supply chains - pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment (PPE), medical devices, medical supplies, and blood - and each one has its own problems and opportunities for improvement. The author from the University of Pittsburgh explains the implications of COVID-19 on this system and what can be done to ensure that our supply chains support health care providers. Read the full text: http://annals.org/aim/article/doi/10.7326/M20-1326.
Media contacts: A PDF for this article is not yet available. Please click the link to read full text. The lead author, Prakash Mirchandani, MBA, PhD, please contact Kimberly Barlow at kbarlow@pitt.edu.
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Journal
Annals of Internal Medicine