Proper disinfection using adequate disinfecting agents will be necessary for infection control strategies against COVID-19. However, limited guidance exists on effective surface disinfectants or best practices for their use against SARS-CoV-2. We outlined a process of fully characterizing over 350 products on the EPA List N, including pH, method of delivery, indication for equipment sterilization, and purchase availability. We then developed a streamlined set of guidelines to help rapidly evaluate and select suitable disinfectants from List N, including practicality, efficacy, safety, and cost/availability. This resource guides the evaluation of ideal disinfectants amidst practical considerations posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
Our understanding of chronic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis (AD), could benefit from the ability to rapidly collect patient-reported, longitudinal data from a large population.
Objective
This study aimed to determine whether a smartphone app can be used to collect demographic and longitudinal symptom data and recognize prescribing patterns and affordability of medications to study the burden of AD.
Methods
We collected data using the myEczema smartphone app between July 2017 and April 2018. The data were de-identified and analyzed.
Results
A total of 519 users (94.2%) completed the initial demographic survey. The majority of users were female (n = 387; 70.2%) and Caucasian (n = 358; 65.0%). A total of 335 users (60.8%) had at least a university degree and were employed (n = 348; 63.1%). A total of 189 users (29.2%) reported difficulty affording their medications, and 363 users (65.9%) took advantage of the itch score recording feature. Finally, 184 users (33.4%) logged their treatments, with the highest number of users (65.2%) listing topical steroids as one of their treatments.
Limitations
The operating platform was limited to iPhones, and the results were subject to reporting bias.
Conclusion
A smartphone-based research app can be used to rapidly collect patient-reported data to study the burden of AD and to highlight the prescribing patterns and affordability of medications.
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