Managing a surgical unit using google drive - a feasibility study

Background: Managing a surgical unit can be a daunting task. Being a consultant in a teaching hospital only adds to the challenge. One of the main challenges in running a unit is to have an effective channel of communication between the various members of the surgical team. Many medical errors have their origin in the lapse of communication. We are living in the era of telecommunication explosion where we have access to innumerable instruments of communications, all converged into a single device - “The Smart phone”. In this article we present the various challenges that are faced by a surgical unit and how a simple free to use software can be used to overcome some of those challenges.Methods: Electronic patient management software was created with the google drive software which is free to use. It was used to prepare various documents involved in the management of a surgical unit such as operation theatre list, Operation notes, Discharge summary and the team members were given a questionnaire regarding the ease of use of the software. The average time taken and the data usage for each of the activities were calculated.Results: A total of 30 residents and interns who worked in the unit during the study period answered the questionnaire. All the members of the team adapted favourably to this system. The cost involved and the data usage are minimal.Conclusions: It is feasible to use google drive as a patient management system by a surgical unit to organise work. This system is efficient, secure and cost effective

A case control study of possible additional risk factors for chronic alcoholic pancreatitis

Background: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterised by irreversible damage to pancreas leading to endocrine and exocrine insufficiency with considerable morbidity. Etiopathogenesis is multifactorial with interplay between genetics & environmental toxins. Alcoholism is more commonly associated with chronic pancreatitis. But it is not very clear why only certain proportion of the alcoholics develop pancreatitis. So this study was conducted to find the possible additional risk factors involved in alcoholic pancreatitis.Methods: A total of 30 patients with alcoholic pancreatitis from a tertiary care hospital in Pondicherry, India were enrolled and compared with age matched alcoholics without pancreatitis. The diagnostic criteria for alcoholism were based on diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) criteria IV of alcohol consumption >80gms/day for a period of 5 years or more and chronic pancreatitis was based on significant clinical findings and positive ultrasound findings of pancreatitis. Questions regarding additional risk factors of pancreatitis like smoking, blood group and Diabetes mellitus were asked and recorded using the standard questionnaire.Results: Smoking history was noted in 73% of cases and 63.4% of controls. Non O blood group was noted in 56.6% of cases and 46.6% of controls. 10% of cases and 6.6% of controls gave history of diabetes before the development of pancreatitis. The additional risk factors were almost similar in both the groups and there was no statistical difference.Conclusions: It was concluded that there is no statistically significant additional risk factors for chronic alcoholic pancreatitis noted in present study and a study with a large sample size for an extended period is recommended

Managing a surgical unit using google drive - a feasibility study

Background: Managing a surgical unit can be a daunting task. Being a consultant in a teaching hospital only adds to the challenge. One of the main challenges in running a unit is to have an effective channel of communication between the various members of the surgical team. Many medical errors have their origin in the lapse of communication. We are living in the era of telecommunication explosion where we have access to innumerable instruments of communications, all converged into a single device - “The Smart phone”. In this article we present the various challenges that are faced by a surgical unit and how a simple free to use software can be used to overcome some of those challenges.Methods: Electronic patient management software was created with the google drive software which is free to use. It was used to prepare various documents involved in the management of a surgical unit such as operation theatre list, Operation notes, Discharge summary and the team members were given a questionnaire regarding the ease of use of the software. The average time taken and the data usage for each of the activities were calculated.Results: A total of 30 residents and interns who worked in the unit during the study period answered the questionnaire. All the members of the team adapted favourably to this system. The cost involved and the data usage are minimal.Conclusions: It is feasible to use google drive as a patient management system by a surgical unit to organise work. This system is efficient, secure and cost effective

A case control study of possible additional risk factors for chronic alcoholic pancreatitis

Background: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterised by irreversible damage to pancreas leading to endocrine and exocrine insufficiency with considerable morbidity. Etiopathogenesis is multifactorial with interplay between genetics & environmental toxins. Alcoholism is more commonly associated with chronic pancreatitis. But it is not very clear why only certain proportion of the alcoholics develop pancreatitis. So this study was conducted to find the possible additional risk factors involved in alcoholic pancreatitis.Methods: A total of 30 patients with alcoholic pancreatitis from a tertiary care hospital in Pondicherry, India were enrolled and compared with age matched alcoholics without pancreatitis. The diagnostic criteria for alcoholism were based on diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) criteria IV of alcohol consumption >80gms/day for a period of 5 years or more and chronic pancreatitis was based on significant clinical findings and positive ultrasound findings of pancreatitis. Questions regarding additional risk factors of pancreatitis like smoking, blood group and Diabetes mellitus were asked and recorded using the standard questionnaire.Results: Smoking history was noted in 73% of cases and 63.4% of controls. Non O blood group was noted in 56.6% of cases and 46.6% of controls. 10% of cases and 6.6% of controls gave history of diabetes before the development of pancreatitis. The additional risk factors were almost similar in both the groups and there was no statistical difference.Conclusions: It was concluded that there is no statistically significant additional risk factors for chronic alcoholic pancreatitis noted in present study and a study with a large sample size for an extended period is recommended

Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Sequelae among Previously Hospitalised Patients due to COVID-19 and its Association with Computed Tomography Chest Severity: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease primarily characterised by respiratory symptoms. While respiratory symptoms initially predominated during the pandemic, there has been an increase in Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations in the later phase. Moreover, reports have highlighted the presence of chronic GI symptoms following COVID-19 infection. Aim: To determine the prevalence of GI sequelae after COVID-19 hospitalisation and its association with Computed Tomography (CT) chest severity scores. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted at a COVID-19 designated tertiary care hospital, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, India, from April 2022 to December 2022. Patients admitted with COVID-19 illness between January 2021 and June 2021 were included in the study. Socio-demographic details, CT chest severity scores, and chronic GI symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, etc.) were collected from patients’ medical records and through telephonic interviews. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 Qualitative variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. The association of CT severity with GI symptoms was assessed using the Chi-square test, with a p-value of <0.05 considered significant. Results: A total of 1,903 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Among the participants, 1142 (60%) were males and 761 (40%) were females. The majority of patients belonged to the age group of 41-60 years, followed by 21-40 years. The mean age of the patients was 48.88±1.72 years. The prevalence of chronic GI symptoms was observed in 26% of patients, with 36.6% experiencing abdominal pain and 19.6% having gastroesophageal reflux. Diarrhoea was reported by 15.8% of patients. Patients with severe CT severity scores showed a lower prevalence of GI symptoms. Conclusion: Chronic GI symptoms were observed in nearly onefourth of the patients hospitalised for COVID-19. Interestingly, patients with severe CT chest severity scores exhibited a lower prevalence of GI symptoms. Further experimental studies are needed to understand the pathogenesis of GI symptoms and their association with CT severity, which could contribute to the development of effective treatment strategies