Background Living conditions in homeless shelters facilitate the transmission of COVID-19. Social determinants and pre-existing health conditions place homeless people at increased risk of severe disease. Described outbreaks in homeless shelters resulted in high proportions of infected residents and staff members. In addition to other infection prevention strategies, regular shelter-wide (universal) testing for COVID-19 may be valuable, depending on the level of community transmission and when resources permit. Methods This was a prospective feasibility cohort study to evaluate universal testing for COVID-19 at a homeless shelter with 106 beds in Berlin, Germany. Co-researchers were recruited from the shelter staff. A PCR analysis of saliva or self-collected nasal/oral swab was performed weekly over a period of 3 weeks in July 2020. Acceptability and implementation barriers were analyzed by process evaluation using mixed methods including evaluation sheets, focus group discussion and a structured questionnaire. Results Ninety-three out of 124 (75%) residents were approached to participate in the study. Fifty-one out of the 93 residents (54.8%) gave written informed consent; thus 41.1% (51 out of 124) of all residents were included in the study. Among these, high retention rates (88.9–93.6%) of a weekly respiratory specimen were reached, but repeated collection attempts, as well as assistance were required. Around 48 person-hours were necessary for the sample collection including the preparation of materials. A self-collected nasal/oral swab was considered easier and more hygienic to collect than a saliva specimen. No resident was tested positive by RT-PCR. Language barriers were the main reason for non-participation. Flexibility of sample collection schedules, the use of video and audio materials, and concise written information were the main recommendations of the co-researchers for future implementation. Conclusions Voluntary universal testing for COVID-19 is feasible in homeless shelters. Universal testing of high-risk facilities will require flexible approaches, considering the level of the community transmission, the available resources, and the local recommendations. Lack of human resources and laboratory capacity may be a major barrier for implementation of universal testing, requiring adapted approaches compared to standard individual testing. Assisted self-collection of specimens and barrier free communication may facilitate implementation in homeless shelters. Program planning must consider homeless people’s needs and life situation, and guarantee confidentiality and autonomy.
Background: Living conditions in homeless shelters may facilitate the transmission of COVID-19. Social determinants and pre-existing health conditions place homeless people at increased risk of severe disease. Described outbreaks in homeless shelters resulted in high proportions of infected residents and staff members. In addition to other infection prevention strategies, regular shelter-wide (universal) testing for COVID-19 may be valuable, depending on the level of community transmission and when resources permit. Methods: This was a prospective feasibility cohort study to evaluate universal testing for COVID-19 at a homeless shelter with 106 beds in Berlin, Germany. Co-researchers were recruited from the shelter staff. A PCR analysis of saliva or self-collected nasal/oral swab was performed weekly over a period of 3 weeks in July 2020. Acceptability and implementation barriers were analyzed by process evaluation using mixed methods including evaluation sheets, focus group discussion and a structured questionnaire. Results: Ninety-three out of 124 (75%) residents were approached to participate in the study. Fifty-one out of the 93 residents (54.8%) gave written informed consent. High retention rates (88.9% - 93.6%) of a weekly respiratory specimen were reached, but repeated collection attempts, as well as assistance were required. A self-collected nasal/oral swab was considered easier and more hygienic to collect than a saliva specimen. No resident was tested positive. Language barriers were the main reason for non-participation. Flexibility of sample collection schedules, the use of video and audio materials, and concise written information were the main recommendations of the co-researchers for future implementation. Conclusion: Voluntary universal testing for COVID-19 is feasible in homeless shelters. Universal testing of high-risk facilities will require flexible approaches, considering the level of the community transmission, the available resources, and the local recommendations. Lack of human resources and laboratory capacity may be a major barrier for implementation of universal testing, requiring adapted approaches compared to standard individual testing. Assisted self-collection of specimens and barrier free communication may facilitate implementation in homeless shelters. Program planning must consider needs and life situation of homeless people, and guarantee confidentiality and autonomy.
Background Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (CIEDs) are an important tool for detecting Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in implanted patients. However AF burden values and notifications emitted by the manufacturer's platforms are not directly related to the standard classification of AF types (paroxysmal, persistent or permanent) that are used in daily practice. Moreover, AF alerts represent the most frequent notifications for implanted patients resulting in a time-consuming review for healthcare professionals. Purpose This study intends to compare the manufacturers' atrial burden related notifications in remotely monitored (RM) patients to the detection of clinically significant events with a new proprietary algorithm. Methods From 2017 to 2020, all RM patients from 57 centers with daily atrial burden measurements available for at least 30 days and at least one atrial burden related alert were enrolled. All atrial burden related alerts emitted by the manufacturers' platforms were compared to the following clinically significant events (based on the standard classification) detected by a new proprietary algorithm: “1st recorded AT/AF episode”, “paroxysmal AF”, “increasing paroxysmal AF”, “persistent AF”, and “end of persistent AF”. Results This multicentric retrospective study analyzed, between 01/2017 and 10/2020, 2 463 RM patients with a Biotronik, Boston Scientific or Medtronic CIED (implantable defibrillator, pacemaker or implantable loop recorder), with a mean follow-up of 490 days [33–1386]. A total of 22 345 manufacturers' atrial burden related alerts were emitted while only 4 826 clinically significant events were detected by the algorithm: 1770 “1st recorded AT/AF episode”, 620 “Paroxysmal AF”, 252 “Increasing paroxysmal AF”, 1373 “Persistent AF”, and 811 “End of persistent AF”. These clinically significant events represent only 22% of the total number of atrial burden related alerts emitted by the manufacturers' platforms. Conclusion A new AF alert algorithm could have the potential to identify clinically significant AF status change in remotely monitored implanted patients while reducing the total number of alerts generated and thus the review burden for healthcare professionals. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.
IntroductionPeople experiencing homelessness (PEH) are disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For many PEH it is impossible to isolate due to the lack of permanent housing. Therefore, an isolation facility for SARS-CoV-2 positive PEH was opened in Berlin, Germany, in May 2020, offering medical care, opioid and alcohol substitution therapy and social services. This study aimed to assess the needs of the admitted patients and requirements of the facility.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective patient record study carried out in the isolation facility for PEH in Berlin, from December 2020 to June 2021. We extracted demographic and clinical data including observed psychological distress from records of all PEH tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. Data on duration and completion of isolation and the use of the facilities’ services were analyzed. The association of patients’ characteristics with the completion of isolation was assessed by Student’s t-test or Fisher’s exact test.ResultsA total of 139 patients were included in the study (89% male, mean age 45 years, 41% with comorbidities, 41% non-German speakers). 81% of patients were symptomatic (median duration 5 days, range 1–26). The median length of stay at the facility was 14 days (range 2–41). Among the patients, 80% had non-COVID-19 related medical conditions, 46% required alcohol substitution and 17% opioid substitution therapy. Three patients were hospitalized due to low oxygen saturation. No deaths occurred. Psychological distress was observed in 20%, and social support services were used by 65% of PEH. The majority (82%) completed the required isolation period according to the health authority’s order. We did not observe a statistically significant association between completion of the isolation period and sociodemographic characteristics.ConclusionThe specialized facility allowed PEH a high compliance with completion of the isolation period. Medical care, opioid and alcohol substitution, psychological care, language mediation and social support are essential components to address the specific needs of PEH. Besides contributing to infection prevention and control, isolation facilities may allow better access to medical care for SARS-CoV-2 infected PEH with possibly positive effects on the disease course.
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