Physician's hesitancy in treating COVID-19 patients and its associated occupational risk factors in Indonesia: an online cross-sectional survey.

This cross-sectional survey aims to investigate physician hesitancy in treating COVID-19 patients in Indonesia, particularly among those who have already contracted the disease, along with associated occupational risk factors. The study involved distributing a questionnaire to physicians across the country, using contact information from the Indonesian Physician Association database. The results show that out of the 383 participants, 25.6% experienced moderate symptoms of COVID-19, and 2.9% required critical care. The study found that 20.3% of physicians demonstrated hesitancy to treat suspected, probable, or confirmed COVID-19 patients. Interestingly, older physicians and those with less experience in treating COVID-19 patients were found to have a higher hesitancy rate, while specialist trainees and those working in public hospitals demonstrated the lowest hesitancy. These findings highlight the significant hesitancy among physicians who have suffered from COVID-19 and underline the need for management and policymakers to take further action to address this issue. Understanding the effects and benefits of physician hesitancy in treating COVID-19 patients is crucial for ensuring the effective delivery of healthcare services during pandemics like COVID-19.

Diagnostic Model of COVID-19 Infection Based on the Combination of Clinical Symptoms, Chest Radiography and Laboratory Test.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is an infection caused by SARS-COV 2.For screening the patient, Rapid antigen for COVID-19 is used with a high diagnostic value. However, there are still some cases of false-negative even with clinical symptoms suggesting COVID-19. Undetected COVID-19 patients certainly will increase  transmission. A simple and practical diagnostic model, using determining factors, is required to guide physicians through a quicker decision making process, especially when deciding the need for the isolation rooms for patients with COVID-like symptoms. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted at CiptoMangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta.History of contact with COVID-19, clinical symptoms, laboratory examination, and chest radiograph data were taken from medical records. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the effect sizes of patient factors on the diagnostic results.ROCcurve and Hosmer-Lemeshow calibration was used to make the scoring. RESULTS: There were 187 patients with the majority of subjects in the age group < 60 years old. The selected variables in this scoring systemwere contact history,fever/history of fever, dyspnea with respiratory rate >20 breaths/minute, leucocyte ≤ 10.000 cells/mLand typical chest radiography. The area under the curve for this model was 0,777 (CI95% (0,706-0,847), P<0,001). The probability was 82% with a cut-off point ≥ 4. CONCLUSION: Determinant models based on the combination of contact history, presence or history of fever, dyspnea, leucocyte count ≤ 10.000 cells/mL and typical chest radiography provides good accuracy to aid physicians in managing isolation room needs for patients with suspected COVID-19.

COVID-19 Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis: A Case Series.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a worldwide pandemic with several problems, one of which is the lack of definitive treatment. COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA), the presence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in COVID-19 patients, is one of the concerning secondary infections associated with higher mortality and worse clinical outcomes. Diagnosing CAPA may be challenging due to the possible absence of classic host factors and clinical symptoms or obscured radiological findings. We described two CAPA cases, which were suspected due to persistent respiratory failure despite standard treatment of COVID-19 with additional therapies and antimicrobial agents for secondary infections, eventually diagnosed with serum galactomannan testing. Clinical conditions of both patients improved significantly after the administration of voriconazole. This case series emphasizes the importance of being aware of clinical suspicions indicating CAPA followed by galactomannan testing as a relatively fast, noninvasive test for its diagnosis, which leads to appropriate antifungal treatment.

Effectiveness of Convalescent Plasma Therapy in Treating COVID-19: an Evidence-based Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Convalescent plasma is a potentially beneficial, tolerable, and available additional treatment option for COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate whether the administration of convalescent plasma therapy leads to improved clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients compared to standard medical therapy. METHODS: We conducted a search of Pubmed, Cochrane, and EBSCO for studies assessing the clinical question using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Selected studies were critically appraised, and the results were summarized. RESULTS: A meta-analysis of 10 randomized clinical trials (RCTs), an RCT, a case-control clinical study were selected and assessed. Only the case-control clinical study showed that convalescent plasma administration improved the clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19, including all-cause mortality, hospital length of stay, and the need for mechanical ventilation. On the contrary, the other two studies of a higher level of evidence showed no significant clinical outcome improvement with convalescent plasma therapy. CONCLUSION: The effectiveness of convalescent plasma therapy in improving clinical outcomes of patients with COVID-19 was still inconclusive due to several study limitations and other possible causes.