Family Medicine Commons^™

Covid-19 Proactive Disease Management Using Covid Virtual Hospital In A Rural Community, Gandhari Loomis, Regina Rhodes, Ed Bujold, Golnosh Sharafsaleh, Ellen Collett, Mark Irwin, Elizabeth W. Staton, John M. Westfall

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: A community teaching hospital serving a rural population established an intensive “hospital at home” program for patients with COVID-19 utilizing disease risk stratification and pulse oximeter readings to dictate nurse and clinician contact. Herein, we report patient outcomes and provider experiences resulting from this “virtual” approach to triaging pandemic care.

Methods: COVID-19-positive patients appropriate for outpatient management were enrolled in our COVID Virtual Hospital (CVH). Patients received pulse oximeters and instructions for home monitoring of vital signs. CVH nurses contacted the patient within 12–48 hours. The primary care provider was alerted of the patient’s diagnosis and held a virtual …

Prevalence And Impact Of Gastrointestinal Manifestations In Covid-19 Patients: A Systematic Review, Bassam Hossain, Shoreh Qazi, Sumair Ahmad, Atif Saleem, Amanke Oranu, Fahad Malik

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Background and Objective: The aim of this study is to systematically analyze and summarize the implications of COVID-19 on the digestive system by quantitatively evaluating the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, anorexia. reported in COVID-19 cases. We simultaneously investigated other variables to determine the association of such symptoms in COVID-19 patients which can potentially influence the disease prognosis and outcome. This systematic review presents an updated literature on the issue as it requires more scientific discussion in order to better inform the medical community and authorities so that appropriate measures can be taken …

How Did The Dietary Habits Of Patients With Chronic Medical Conditions Change During Covid-19?, Sahil K. Patel, Adarsh Gupta

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: Previous studies have examined the changes in the dietary habits of general populations during the COVID-19 pandemic but have not focused on specific populations such as those with chronic medical conditions (CMCs). Prior to major vaccination efforts, 96.1% of deaths were attributed to patients with preexisting CMCs, thus it is important to examine how this population has endured changes.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify differences in dietary habits, lifestyle habits, and food attitudes between those with CMCs compared to the populations without chronic medical conditions (non-CMCs) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: An …

A Multimodal Approach To Decreasing Hesitancy And Increasing Uptake Of The Covid-19 Vaccine In The Family Care Setting, Meghan Zwierzynski

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Since December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has swept across the world, infecting and killing millions of people, making it one of the worst pandemics in history (WHO, 2021). However, the rates of confirmed cases and deaths have slowed since the discovery of the COVID-19 vaccine. The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to decrease vaccine hesitancy and increase uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine in the family care setting. The Iowa Model-Revised (Iowa Model Collaborative, 2017) is a practical, effective multi-step change process that acted as a guide for the EBP project. A review of literature showed …

Reflections Of An Earliest Established Screening And Testing Facility For Covid-19 In The Largest Metropolis, Pakistan, Fatima Kanwal, Karishma Kanhya Lal, Asra Qureshi

Department of Family Medicine

As the world struggles to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, this article talks about the experience and findings of the first COVID-19 screening facility in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Department of Family Medicine at Aga Khan University (AKU) took initiative where COVID-19 screening of stable patients first began in a dedicated area. Since testing kits were limited and community spread had not started, nurses would screen every walk-in patient based on the presence of fever, cough, travel history and exposure to COVID-19 positive patient in the last 14 days, and advise swab testing if indicated. Out of …

Sports Medicine Update For The Pcp, Jeremy D. Close, Md

Department of Family & Community Medicine Presentations and Grand Rounds

No abstract provided.

Social Isolation: Impact On Physical And Mental Health, Alexa Waters, Md

Department of Family & Community Medicine Presentations and Grand Rounds

Learning Objectives

• Review the impact of social isolation and loneliness on important aspects of health and well-being, with a focus on older adults
• Review risk and protective factors for social isolation and loneliness
• Discuss how the health care system and primary care physicians can better identify and address social isolation
• Briefly highlight interventions to enhance social connectedness and reduce loneliness

Outline

• Background
• Impacts of social isolation and loneliness on health and well-being
• Risk and protective factors for social isolation and loneliness
• Role of the health system and primary care in addressing social isolation and loneliness
• Cases throughout

Dry Eye: Patient Education, Mark Oet

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Recent literature has shown increased incidence of dry eye and eye strain symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic, coinciding with an increase in screen time for almost all populations. This project aims to address this observation at a community level by creating a patient-friendly education pamphlet for Newtown Primary Care about dry eye and digital ocular strain based on American Academy of Ophthalmology guidelines.

Journal Club, Zeynep Uzumcu, Md

Department of Family & Community Medicine Presentations and Grand Rounds

Outline

• Review coronavirus life-cycle
• Review mechanism of action of remdesivir
• Review previous research on remdesivir
• Close reading of article - Methods - Results - Discussion
• Future research
• Implications for our practice