Evidence based practice a viable tool to manage the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors

  • Syeda Mehwish Department of Dentistry, Karachi Medical and Dental College Karachi, Pakistan
  • Sheharyar Khan Department of Medicine, Baqai Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Erum Choudry Indus Hospital Research Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Syed Uzair Mahmood Indus Hospital Research Centre, Karachi, Pakistan
  • Aisha Yaqub Mulla Department of Dentistry, Karachi Medical and Dental College Karachi, Pakistan
  • Salma Zahir Imam Department of Medicine, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20203412

Keywords:

COVID-19, Corona virus, Evidence-based practice, SARS-Cov2

Abstract

Evidence based practice is the steps taken for precaution, treatment and intervention of a disease that is dictated by the previous studies. The data collected by the predecessors who observed the initiation, progression and the termination or cure of a disease would be the guidance to future treatment. Years of trials and tests are done to determine the timeline of a disease and its termination, along with the effects that it leaves behind in long term. These facts and figures are important evidence to the future treatments. The idea of evidence based practice was coined in the late 1970s. It dictates that the care of patients done based on the evidence provided by the previous studies results in better recovery of the patients and less load on the healthcare system. This system is supposed to be efficient and provide the basic guidelines for the healthcare workers with a concrete basis for their work. The patients treated under evidence based practice ideally have a higher chance of survival than those who are treated without it. COVID-19 being a new disease has lack of previously accumulated evidence to support any treatment regimen that can ease the symptoms. Most of the treatments are based on recent trials and tests which are helping but in a limited scope.

References

Harris C, Carson G, Nair H. An evidence-based framework for priority clinical research questions for COVID-19. J Glob Health. 2020;10(1):011001.

Nicole W. Coronavirus cancellations show evidence-based decisions are rare during epidemics. Available at: https:// www. theverge. com/ 2020/2/14/21136819/coronavirus-mwc-meetings-canceling -face-masks-evidence-risk. Accessed on 12 February 2020.

Trisha G. Evidence based medicine: a moment in crisis. BMJ. 2014;348:3725.

Peeri NC, Shrestha N, Rahman MS, Zaki R. The SARS, MERS and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemics, the newest and biggest global health threats: what lessons have we learned? Int J Epidemiol. 2020;22:33.

Simonsen L, Taylor RJ, Viboud C, Miller MA, Jackson LA. Mortality benefits of influenza vaccination in elderly people: an ongoing controversy. Lancet Infect Dis. 2007;7(10):658-66.

Worldometer. Available at: Worldometer. com.Https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/italy/. Accessed on 26 March 2020.

Epidemiology working group for NCIP epidemic response, Chinese center for disease control and prevention. The epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in China. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2020;41(2):145-51.

Zhou P, Yang XL, Wang XG, Hu B, Zhang L, Zhang W. A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin. Nature. 2020;4(87):71-9.

Majority of coronavirus cases are mild. Available at: https://www.statista.com/chart/20856/coronavirus-case-severity-in-china/. Accessed on 12 April 2020.

Centers for disease control. Available at: https:// www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/COVID-data/ covidview/index.html. Accessed on 26 April 2020.

Guan WJ, Ni ZY, Hu Y, Liang W, Ou C. Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:1708-20.

Singhal T. A review of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Indian J Pediatr. 2020;7:281-6.

Young and middle-aged people, barely sick with COVID-19, are dying of strokes. Available at: https:// www.washington post.com/health/2020/04/

/strokes-coronavirus-young-patients/. Accessed on 5 April 2020.

Lovren F, Py O. Angiotensin converting enzyme-2 confers endothelial protection and attenuates atherosclerosis. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2008;45(6):82-9.

Mao L, Chao MW. Neurological manifestations of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective case series study. The Lancet. 2020;65:102-9.

Mohd HA, Tawfiq JA, Memish ZA. Middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) origin and animal reservoir. Virol. 2016;76:92-9.

Rothe C, Schunk M, Sothmann P, Bretzel G. Transmission of 2019-ncov infection from an asymptomatic contact in Germany. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:970-1.

Epidemiology working group for NCIP epidemic response, Chinese center for disease control and prevention. (2020). The epidemiological characteristics of an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) China, 2020. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2020;41(2):145-51.

Wu, Chi Y, Sung C, Jiun Y. The outbreak of COVID-19: an overview. J Chinese Med. 2020;83(3):217-20.

Rothan HA, Byrareddy SN. The epidemiology and pathogenesis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. J Autoimmunity. 2020;53:44-9.

Anderson RM, Heesterbeek H, Klinkenberg D. How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic? The Lancet. 2020;43:39-42.

Prem K, Liu Y, Russell TW. The effect of control strategies to reduce social mixing on outcomes of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China: a modelling study. Lancet. 2020;5(5):261-70.

Wong J, Goh QY, Tan Z, Lie SA, Tay YC, Ng SY. Preparing for a COVID-19 pandemic: a review of operating room outbreak response measures in a large tertiary hospital in Singapore. Canadian J Anesthesia. 2020;8:75-9.

Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J. A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020;65:97-105.

Holland M, Zaloga DJ, Friderici CS. COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) for the emergency physician. Visual J Emerg Med. 2020;7:76-83.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Available at https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/ counterterrorism- and- emerging-threats/ coronavirus-disease-2019-COVID-19. Accessed on 27 April 2020.

Vrieze JD. Can a century-old TB vaccine steel the immune system against the new coronavirus? Available at: https:// www. sciencemag. org/news/ 2020/03/can-century-old-tb-vaccine-steel-immune-system-against-new-coronavirus. Accessed on 3 May 2020.

Luke TC. Passive immunotherapy for influenza and other serious infections. Crit Care Med. 2010;7:65-9.

Xue J, Moyer A, Peng B, Wu J, Hannafon BN, Ding WQ. Chloroquine is a zinc ionophore. Plos One. 2014;65:765.

Canada warns against chloroquine use as coronavirus treatment. Available at: https://www. Thenews .com. pk /print/650407-canada-warns -against-chloroquine-use-as-coronavirus-treatment. Accessed on 27 April 2020.

Tocilizumab (Actemra) for COVID-19 coronavirus treatment. Available at https://www medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?Articlekey=230014. Accessed on 27 April 2020.

Cennimo R, David J. What is the role of the IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab (Actemra) in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? Mediscape. 2020.

FDA approves phase III clinical trial of tocilizumab for COVID-19 pneumonia. Slater, Hannah. 2020, MH life sciences. Available at: https:// www.cancernetwork.com/view/fda-approves-phase-iii-clinical-trial-tocilizumab-covid-19-pneumonia. Accessed on 27 April 2020.

Antiparasitic drug ivermectin reduces coronavirus fatality rate. Available at: https:/ /mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200425/p2a/00m/0na/007000c. Accessed on 27 April 2020.

Mass treatment with ivermectin: an underutilized public health strategy. WHO bulletin.

Caoa YC, Denga Q. Remdesivir for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causing. Travel Medi Infect Dis. 2020;34:43-9.

Rastogi A, Akintorin SM, Bez ML, Morales P, Pildes RS. A controlled trial of dexamethasone to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in surfactant-treated infants. Pediatrics. 1996;98(2):204-10.

WangY. Remdesivir in adults with severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. The Lancet. 2020;5:87-94.

NIH guidelines emphasise lack of evidence for COVID-19 treatments. Available at: https:// mapmedtech. com/ 2020/ 04/nih -guidelines-emphasise-lack-of -evidence- for- covid- 19-treatments/. Accessed on 27 April 2020.

Sun P, Lu X, Xu C. Understanding of COVID‐19 based on current evidence. J Med Virol. 2020;92:548-51.

Downloads

Published

2020-07-24

How to Cite

Mehwish, S., Khan, S., Choudry, E., Mahmood, S. U., Mulla, A. Y., & Imam, S. Z. (2020). Evidence based practice a viable tool to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 7(8), 3267–3272. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20203412

Issue

Section

Review Articles