Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33531094›Full record

ArticleEpidemiology and infection2021

Challenge of forecasting demand of medical resources and supplies during a pandemic: A comparative evaluation of three surge calculators for COVID-19.

A Kamar, N Maalouf, E Hitti, G El Eid, H Isma'eel, I H Elhajj

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epidemiology and infection, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

A KamarVascular Medicine Program, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
N MaaloufMaroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
E HittiDepartment of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
G El EidDepartment of Emergency Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
H Isma'eelVascular Medicine Program, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
I H ElhajjVascular Medicine Program, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.ORCID 0000-0002-6461-4699

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic, there has been a public health debate concerning medical resources and supplies including hospital beds, intensive care units (ICU), ventilators and protective personal equipment (PPE). Forecasting COVID-19 dissemination has played a key role in informing healthcare professionals and governments on how to manage overburdened healthcare systems. However, forecasting during the pandemic remained challenging and sometimes highly controversial. Here, we highlight this challenge by performing a comparative evaluation for the estimations obtained from three COVID-19 surge calculators under different social distancing approaches, taking Lebanon as a case study. Despite discrepancies in estimations, the three surge calculators used herein agree that there will be a relative shortage in the capacity of medical resources and a significant surge in PPE demand if the social distancing policy is removed. Our results underscore the importance of implementing containment interventions including social distancing in alleviating the demand for medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the absence of any medication or vaccine. The paper also highlights the value of employing several models in surge planning.

Indexed as

COVID-19Delivery of Health CareForecastingLebanonPandemicsPersonal Protective EquipmentCOVID-19forecastingLebanonPPEsurge calculator

Identifiers

PMID33531094
PMCPMC7925989

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.