Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34376474›Full record

ArticleClinical medicine (London, England)2021

Acute medical units during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-national exploratory study of impact and responses.

John Ty Soong, Audrey LA Wong, Imogen O'Connor, Milka Marinova, Dale Fisher, Derek Bell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical medicine (London, England), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. In response to crisis, is versatility a reward or a necessity.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2021
    Article
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.

John Ty SoongNational University Hospital, Singapore, assistant professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore, and honorary senior clinical lecturer, Imperial College London, London, UK John_Soong@nuhs.edu.sg.
Audrey LA WongNational University Hospital, Singapore, and assistant professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Imogen O'ConnorImperial College London, London, UK, and research assistant, Applied Research Collaboration Northwest London, UK.
Milka MarinovaImperial College London, London, UK.
Dale FisherNational University Hospital, Singapore, and professor of medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Derek BellImperial College London, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic represents one of the greatest ever challenges for healthcare. In the UK and beyond, acute medical units (AMUs) are the first point of assessment and care for the majority of medical inpatients. By their design and systems, they inevitably played an important role in the COVID-19 response but to date little has been published on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected how AMUs have reorganised their resources, processes and structure.

methodsThis retrospective study in August 2020 of 10 AMUs across Europe and Australasia used a standardised questionnaire to investigate existing practice and structure of AMUs, the national context of local hospital experience, changes to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic and views regarding future practice.

resultsChanges to AMU structure, process and organisation are described in two contexts: preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19 and adding value to the patient's acute care journey in the local context. We describe novel practices that have arisen and highlight areas of concern.

conclusionsThe AMUs were able to adapt to meet the demands of acute care delivery during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Operational planning and prioritisation of resources must be optimised to ensure sustainability of these services for future waves.

Indexed as

COVID-19PandemicsDelivery of Health CareHumansRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2AMUCOVID-19processesresponsestructures

Identifiers

PMID34376474
PMCPMC8439499

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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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.