COVID‐19 among health care workers and their impact on the health care system in a teaching hospital in Pakistan : a cross sectional observational study

Background and Aims: Health care workers (HCWs) are thought to be high‐risk population for acquiring coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). The COVID‐19 emergence has had a profound effect on healthcare system. We sought to investigate the COVID‐19 among HCWs and their effects on the healthcare system.Methods: A cross sectional observational study was conducted at Timergara teaching hospital. The study included HCWs with positive real time polymerase chain reaction (Q‐PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2). The study duration was from April to September, 2020. The demographic profile of each recruited subject was collected through structured interview. The patient's admissions to hospital were collected for the 5 months before (October 2019–February 2020) and 5 months after lockdown (March–July 2020).Results: A total of 72 out of 689 (10%) HCWs were tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, of whom 83% were front‐liners. The majority were male (72%), with comorbidities (14%) and no mortality. The structured interview of all participants showed that the healthcare setting was the major possible source of infection (97%). The patient admissions into the hospital were reduced by 42% during lockdown than prelockdown period. The patients admission was significantly decreased in the medical ward during lockdown (60% decrease; p < 0.01) with slightly similar trends in other departments.Conclusion: In conclusion, we found increased risk of COVID‐19 for front‐line HCWs. Lack of mortality was the favorable outcome. Lack of replacing the infected HCWs possibly explained the marked decrease in hospital admissions, and potential inadequate healthcare delivery during the lockdown. Understanding SARS‐CoV‐2 among HCWs and their impact on health‐care system will be crucial for countries under COVID‐19 crises or in case of future pandemic to deliver proper health services.peer-reviewe

A Healer's Uncertain State of Mind in COVID-19 Pandemic

Current plight of COVID-19 in developing countries entails uncertain prognosis, impending severe shortages of resources for testing and treatment and inadequate safety measure for health care providers. The imposition of unfamiliar public health measures that may infringe on personal freedoms, large and growing financial losses, and conflicting messages from authorities are among the other major stressors that undoubtedly will contribute to widespread emotional distress and increased risk for mental fatigue associated with COVID-19.</p

The primary caregiver&amp;rsquo;s stress: its correlation with the chronological and diagnostic age of children with autism spectrum disorder

Background and Objective: Autism is a neurodevelopmental and heterogeneous disorder that affects people of all ages; also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nurturing these children puts a tremendous burden on the primary caregivers. It may be due to some compelling reasons, including existential concerns to unknown etiology of autism and lack of understanding of its nature. The aim of the study was to evaluate the stress level in the primary caregivers and its relationship with child&rsquo;s chronological and diagnosis age. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 96 primary caregivers (mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents) of children diagnosed with ASD reporting at government and non-government institutes of Lahore city. The childhood autism rating scale was used to confirm the diagnosis of autistic children. The parent stress scale was used to evaluate stress levels in primary caregivers.Results: The mean age of the autistic children was 5.1 &plusmn; 2.5 years, while the mean age at the time of diagnosis was 3.2 &plusmn; 1.1 years. The mean stress score was recorded as 52.3 &plusmn; 7.3, with the range of 36.0-70.0. No correlation (r = 0.015) was observed between stress score of primary caregivers and duration after diagnosis of autism in these children. However, negative associations (r = -0.044) were seen between primary caregiver&rsquo;s stress and child&rsquo;s chronological age.Conclusion: The majority of primary caregivers indicated bearing a significant level of stress, especially in managing the child in earlier years after diagnosis. Appropriate education, counseling, and rehabilitation services may play an important role in reducing the anxiety and stress over time in caregivers as the child&rsquo;s age increases.</p

Emotional and behavioral problems and coping strategies among adolescent orphans

Background and objective: Rising incidence of mental health problems is a serious issue all over the world. Adolescents living in orphanages are at a particular risk as they have numerous challenges in their life and coping with them requires adequate life skills. This study aims to assess the emotional and behavioral issues and the coping strategies adopted by adolescent orphans in Pakistan.Methods: This cross-sectional study comprises 109 adolescent orphans living in different orphanages. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for evaluating the emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) was used while KIDCOPE scale was adopted to assess the coping strategies.Results: About 34.9% of orphans fell in an abnormal range of EBP and 22.9% were in the borderline zone. The most prevalent problem was conduct (25.7%) followed by peer problems (24.8%), emotional instability (18.3%), hyperactivity (17.4%), and prosocial behavior (11%). A significant and positive correlation was observed between peer problems and maladaptive strategies (r = 0.191, p = 0.047) and between prosocial behavior and adaptive strategies (r = 0.294, p = 0.002).Conclusion: Orphans residing in orphanages suffer from behavioral and emotional problems and are using maladaptive coping strategies. It is highly suggestive to monitor and maintain an optimal psychological health of this vulnerable population in our country.&nbsp;</p

COVID‐19 among health care workers and their impact on the health care system in a teaching hospital in Pakistan: A cross sectional observational study

Abstract Background and Aims Health care workers (HCWs) are thought to be high‐risk population for acquiring coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). The COVID‐19 emergence has had a profound effect on healthcare system. We sought to investigate the COVID‐19 among HCWs and their effects on the healthcare system. Methods A cross sectional observational study was conducted at Timergara teaching hospital. The study included HCWs with positive real time polymerase chain reaction (Q‐PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2). The study duration was from April to September, 2020. The demographic profile of each recruited subject was collected through structured interview. The patient's admissions to hospital were collected for the 5 months before (October 2019–February 2020) and 5 months after lockdown (March–July 2020). Results A total of 72 out of 689 (10%) HCWs were tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, of whom 83% were front‐liners. The majority were male (72%), with comorbidities (14%) and no mortality. The structured interview of all participants showed that the healthcare setting was the major possible source of infection (97%). The patient admissions into the hospital were reduced by 42% during lockdown than prelockdown period. The patients admission was significantly decreased in the medical ward during lockdown (60% decrease; p < 0.01) with slightly similar trends in other departments. Conclusion In conclusion, we found increased risk of COVID‐19 for front‐line HCWs. Lack of mortality was the favorable outcome. Lack of replacing the infected HCWs possibly explained the marked decrease in hospital admissions, and potential inadequate healthcare delivery during the lockdown. Understanding SARS‐CoV‐2 among HCWs and their impact on health‐care system will be crucial for countries under COVID‐19 crises or in case of future pandemic to deliver proper health services