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British Journal of Anaesthesia Nov 2023Critical care was established partially in response to a polio epidemic in the 1950s. In the intervening 70 yr, several epidemics and pandemics have placed critical care... (Review)
Review
Critical care was established partially in response to a polio epidemic in the 1950s. In the intervening 70 yr, several epidemics and pandemics have placed critical care and allied services under extreme pressure. Pandemics cause wholesale changes to accepted standards of practice, require reallocation and retargeting of resources and goals of care. In addition to clinical acumen, mounting an effective critical care response to a pandemic requires local, national, and international coordination in a diverse array of fields from research collaboration and governance to organisation of critical care networks and applied biomedical ethics in the eventuality of triage situations. This review provides an introduction to an array of topics that pertain to different states of pandemic acuity: interpandemic preparedness, alert, surge activity, recovery and relapse through the literature and experience of recent pandemics including COVID-19, H1N1, Ebola, and SARS.
Topics: Humans; Pandemics; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; COVID-19; Critical Care; Triage
PubMed: 37689541
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.07.026 -
Sociology of Health & Illness Jul 2023The pandemic has heightened anxieties, impacted mental health and threatened to create an overwhelming sense of existential dread. We recognise the material ways in...
The pandemic has heightened anxieties, impacted mental health and threatened to create an overwhelming sense of existential dread. We recognise the material ways in which disabled people have been differentially impacted by Covid-19 and make a case for understanding the affective dimensions of the pandemic. We develop a theoretical approach - cutting across medical sociology and critical disability studies - that understands affect as a social, cultural, relational and psychopolitical phenomenon. We introduce a public engagement project that took place in March and April of 2020 that garnered blogspots from around the world to capture the pandemic's impact on the lives of disabled people. Our data analysis reveals three key affective themes: fragility, anxiety and affirmation. To understand the emotional impacts of Covid-19 upon the lives of disabled people we embed critical analyses of affect in the dual processes of disablism and ableism: the dis/ability complex. We conclude by considering how we might conceive of a post-pandemic recovery that places the health and well-being of disabled people at the centre of proceedings.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Pandemics; Emotions; Mental Health; Sociology, Medical
PubMed: 35652519
DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13483 -
Sleep Health Oct 2020
Topics: History, 20th Century; Humans; Paintings; Pandemics; Sleep
PubMed: 32893158
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2020.08.003 -
European Journal of Public Health Nov 2022
Topics: Humans; Pandemics
PubMed: 36250806
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckac151 -
Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... Aug 2021
Topics: Education, Medical; Education, Medical, Undergraduate; Humans; Pandemics
PubMed: 34423931
DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.21.0548 -
BMJ Global Health Nov 2023Negotiations are underway at the WHO for a legally binding instrument for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. As seen in the International Health... (Review)
Review
Negotiations are underway at the WHO for a legally binding instrument for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. As seen in the International Health Regulations, however, countries signing up to an agreement is no guarantee of its effective implementation. We, therefore, investigated the potential design features of an accountability framework for the proposed pandemic agreement that could promote countries' compliance with it. We reviewed the governance of a number of international institutions and conducted over 40 interviews with stakeholders and experts to investigate how the pandemic agreement could be governed.We found that enforcement mechanisms are a key feature for promoting the compliance of countries with the obligations they sign up for under international agreements but that they are inconsistently applied. It is difficult to design enforcement mechanisms that successfully avoid inflicting unintended harm and, so, we found that enforcement mechanisms generally rely on soft political levers rather than hard legal ones to promote compliance. Identifying reliable information on states' behaviour with regard to their legal obligations requires using a diverse range of information, including civil society and intergovernmental organisations, and maintaining legal, financial, and political independence.We, therefore, propose that there should be an independent mechanism to monitor states' compliance with and reporting on the pandemic agreement. It would mainly triangulate a diverse range of pre-existing information and have the authority to receive confidential reports and seek further information from states. It would report to a high-level political body to promote compliance with the pandemic agreement.
Topics: Humans; Pandemics; International Health Regulations
PubMed: 37931937
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013348 -
The Medical Clinics of North America Nov 2022In late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 caused the greatest global health crisis in a century, impacting all aspects of society. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved throughout 2020 and... (Review)
Review
In late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 caused the greatest global health crisis in a century, impacting all aspects of society. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolved throughout 2020 and 2021, multiple variants emerged, contributing to multiple surges in cases of COVID-19 worldwide. In 2021, highly effective vaccines became available, although the pandemic continues into 2022. There has been tremendous expansion of basic, translational, and clinical knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 since the pandemic's onset. Treatment options have been rapidly explored, attempting to repurpose preexisting medications in tandem with development and evaluation of novel agents. Care of the seriously ill patient is examined.
Topics: Humans; SARS-CoV-2; Pandemics; COVID-19; Global Health
PubMed: 36280338
DOI: 10.1016/j.mcna.2022.08.002 -
Nature Ecology & Evolution Sep 2020The importance of biodiversity protection for disease prevention is now obvious from evolutionary, ecological and economic angles.
The importance of biodiversity protection for disease prevention is now obvious from evolutionary, ecological and economic angles.
Topics: Pandemics
PubMed: 32814873
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01304-z -
MAbs 2022The intense international focus on the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to use a wide array of novel tools to carry out scientific studies on the...
The intense international focus on the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to use a wide array of novel tools to carry out scientific studies on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The value of these comparative studies extends far beyond their consequences for SARS-CoV-2, providing broad implications for health-related science. Here we specifically discuss the impacts of these comparisons on advances in vaccines, the analysis of host humoral immunity, and antibody discovery. As an extension, we also discuss potential synergies between these areas. CoVIC: The Coronavirus Immunotherapeutic Consortium; EUA: Emergency Use Authorization.
Topics: Antibodies, Viral; COVID-19; Humans; Immunity, Humoral; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 36253351
DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2133666 -
Pain Management Nursing : Official... Feb 2022
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Pain Management; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 35093236
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2021.12.001