Organization of a Hospital Ward Aimed at Admitting Patients with SARS-CoV-2: An Economic and Epidemiological Perspective

The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic requires dynamic action on the part of the entire health care system to provide infected patients whose condition requires hospitalization with access to appropriate medical care and infrastructure, including oxygen devices and ventilators. The demand for specialized inpatient care has increased rapidly and in many areas exceeds the resources available to date. Individual hospitals must make investment and organizational decisions to increase their capacity to handle patients with SARS-CoV-2. The aim of the article is to present the organizational and investment steps taken to establish and maintain an infectious hospital ward as well as the clinical and financial consequences of this decision. The study was conducted in a hospital ward that was launched at the end of October 2020 to care for patients with SARS-CoV-2. A case study method was used. The department was characterized taking into account its importance for: (1) the regional level of health coverage of the population, (2) the organization of the hospital’s activities, (3) the financial and economic situation of the hospital

The relationship between antibiotic therapy in early childhood and the symptoms of allergy in children aged 6–8 years — the questionnaire study results

Introduction: Studies based on the ISAAC questionnaire suggest a correlation between the use of antibiotics and the prevalence of asthma and allergy in children aged 6-7 years. The number of courses of antibiotic therapy is an important factor. Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the use of antibiotics during the fi rst years of life and the prevalence of allergy and asthma among children (aged 6-8 years) in the urban population of Poland. Materials and Methods: A survey-based study with a self-completed questionnaire. The respondents were parents of children aged 6-8 years living in Warszawa, Poland. 1461 completed questionnaires were collected. Results: Asthma was declared in 4.3% of the children. Wheezing and/or sibilant rhonchi within 12 months before the study was observed in 13.5% of the cases. Asthma medication was taken by 21.8% of the children. Allergic rhinitis was declared in 18.7% of the children. Problems with sneezing, rhinorrhea, and nasal congestion not associated with cold or fever were observed in 40.7% of the children. The a nalysis of the odds ratios between the use of antibiotics and the symptoms of allergic diseases revealed a clear correlation. The highest odds ratio was observed between the completion of over three courses of antibiotic therapy prior to the age of 12 months and the declaration of one of the following: asthma (OR = 5.59, 95% CI: 2.6-12.01), wheezing and/or sibilant rhonchi (OR = 4.68, 95% CI: 3.01-7.27) and taking medicines for breathlessness (OR = 5.12, 95% CI: 3.42-7.68). Conclusions: There is a direct relationship between antibiotic use in the fi rst 3 years of life and asthma and allergy symptoms in children aged 6-8 years old

Adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis using mobile technology. The MASK Study

Background: Mobile technology may help to better understand the adherence to treatment. MASK-rhinitis (Mobile Airways Sentinel NetworK for allergic rhinitis) is a patient-centred ICT system. A mobile phone app (the Allergy Diary) central to MASK is available in 22 countries. Objectives: To assess the adherence to treatment in allergic rhinitis patients using the Allergy Diary App. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out on all users who filled in the Allergy Diary from 1 January 2016 to 1 August 2017. Secondary adherence was assessed by using the modified Medication Possession Ratio (MPR) and the Proportion of days covered (PDC) approach. Results: A total of 12 143 users were registered. A total of 6 949 users reported at least one VAS data recording. Among them, 1 887 users reported ≥7 VAS data. About 1 195 subjects were included in the analysis of adherence. One hundred and thirty-six (11.28%) users were adherent (MPR ≥70% and PDC ≤1.25), 51 (4.23%) were partly adherent (MPR ≥70% and PDC = 1.50) and 176 (14.60%) were switchers. On the other hand, 832 (69.05%) users were non-adherent to medications (MPR <70%). Of those, the largest group was non-adherent to medications and the time interval was increased in 442 (36.68%) users. Conclusion and clinical relevance: Adherence to treatment is low. The relative efficacy of continuous vs on-demand treatment for allergic rhinitis symptoms is still a matter of debate. This study shows an approach for measuring retrospective adherence based on a mobile app. This also represents a novel approach for analysing medication-taking behaviour in a real-world setting