Becker's Hospital Review

70 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Healthcare workers confront toll of pandemic: 5 quotes from the front lines By Kelly Gooch P hysicians, nurses and emergency medical tech- nicians are now dealing with the physical, men- tal and emotional effects from their experiences on the front lines of the pandemic. ey have faced unprecedented circumstances: fight- ing a virus that is new and unpredictable, witnessing patients battle illness in isolation and worrying about potentially infecting their own family members. Many of these healthcare workers told The Washington Post they are feeling lost, alone and unable to sleep fol- lowing their experiences. Here are five quotes from the newspaper's interviews: 1. Brian Smith, paramedic for the Jersey City (N.J.) Medical Center: "I'll start sobbing, and I will have to gather myself because I can't let my kids see me like that. A lot of times, I'll scamper into the bathroom and clean myself up and see what they are doing. PTSD is no joke." 2. Brittani Holsbeke, a nurse at Beaumont Hospital in Farmington Hills, Mich.: "Certain moments trig- ger something that makes me really sad. I can be at home and be totally fine, and at bedtime, all of a sud- den, sobs and anxiety kick in." 3. Christian Plaza, a nurse practitioner in Newburgh, N.Y., who returned to work to consult with patients virtually aer becoming infected with COVID-19, said his illness provided "a whole new level of insight" in terms of the anxiety COVID-19 patients experience. 4. Audrey Chun, MD, a physician in the geriatrics department of Mount Sinai Hospital (New York City): "ere's been so much profound loss. You have to try to find positives even through that death and sadness. … To celebrate their lives and remember who they were as people." 5. Marc Ayoub, MD, a resident physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst hospital (New York City): "Everything was happening so quickly. Every- one was dying so quickly. We had to go from one death to another and the next. I was imagining it happening to my family and being in a situation like that." n Steroid could reduce COVID-19 deaths: 4 things to know By Katie Adams A U.K.-led study posited the steroid dexamethasone could be a life-saving treatment for patients with severe COVID-19, ac- cording to STAT. Here are four key details: 1. Dexamethasone is an inexpensive, on-the-shelf steroid used to treat conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and certain cancers. 2. The study, called RECOVERY, randomly prescribed 2,104 COVID-19 patients 6 milligrams of dexamethasone daily, which they took intra- venously or by mouth. They were compared to 4,321 patients who re- ceived only standard care. 3. Dexamethasone reduced the death rate by 35 percent in patients who needed to be on a ventilator and 20 percent in patients who needed oxygen but not a ventilator. 4. The study did not find dexamethasone to be statistically beneficial in patients who did not require oxygen. n Resistant meningococcal strain circulating US, CDC warns By Mackenzie Bean T he CDC has warned healthcare providers about a new resistant strain of Neisseria meningitidis, which causes meningococcal disease. Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening infection of the brain and spinal cord or bloodstream. The infection is usually treated with penicillin or ciprofloxacin. The antibiotics are also used for prophylaxis in people who've had close contact with the infected patient. However, the CDC has detected 11 meningococcal cases that occurred in nine states between 2019 and 2020 in which isolates contained a gene and mutations associated with resistance to these antibiotics. Another 22 cases reported from 2013-20 con- tained the gene associated with penicillin resistance, but did not have mutations associated with ciprofloxacin resistance, accord- ing to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published June 19. The agency is urging clinicians to conduct antibiotic susceptibility testing before switching from empirical treatment to penicillin or am- picillin for patients with meningococcal disease. n

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