Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34865592›Full record

ArticleExpert review of anti-infective therapy2022

Hydroxychloroquine as pre-exposure prophylaxis against COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers: a prospective cohort study.

Akshay Rao, Sundar Kumar Veluswamy, Banashankari Gunjiganur Shankarappa, Rithika Manjunatha Reddy, Nethravathi Umesh, Lissy John, Lysamma Mathew, Naresh Shetty

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Expert review of anti-infective therapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 41% of its field
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 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. 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

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Akshay RaoDepartment of Internal Medicine, MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bengaluru, India.ORCID 0000-0002-4111-5424
Sundar Kumar VeluswamyDepartment of Physiotherapy, MS Ramaiah Medical College.ORCID 0000-0003-2241-6229
Banashankari Gunjiganur ShankarappaDepartment of Microbiology, MS Ramaiah Medical College.
Rithika Manjunatha ReddyMedical student, MS Ramaiah Medical College Bengaluru, India.
Nethravathi UmeshOffice of Nursing Superintendent, MS Ramaiah Medical College Hospital Bengaluru, India.
Lissy JohnOffice of Nursing Superintendent, MS Ramaiah Medical College Hospital Bengaluru, India.
Lysamma MathewOffice of Nursing Superintendent, MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, Bengaluru, India.
Naresh ShettyCaring for the Caregivers Surveillance System, MS Ramaiah Medical College Hospitals.
M.S. Ramaiah Medical College · INHealth Net · USM S Ramaiah Memorial Hospital · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHydroxychloroquine had attracted significant attention in the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic but current recommendations do not support its use. However, the evidence against its use as pre-exposure prophylaxis have been of low to moderate quality and have been limited by high risk of bias.

methodsFollowing institutional ethics committee approval, healthcare workers (n = 1294) completing their first week-long COVID in-patient duty, subsequent institutional quarantine and RT-PCR testing for COVID-19 infection were included for this prospective cohort study. Demographic data, hydroxychloroquine usage and related adverse effects were captured through a 'Caring for the Caregivers' surveillance system. A chi-Square test of independence was used to determine the effect of hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis.

resultsAmong the 1294 participants (age: 31 ± 7 years, 61% women), 273 (21.1%) healthcare workers used hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis as per Indian Council of Medical Research recommendations and 83/1294 (6.4%) tested positive after their duty. There was no significant difference in COVID-19 incidence between those on hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis and those not on it (5.9% vs 6.6%, χ

conclusionThis study demonstrated no benefit of hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis and provides quality evidence against its use in COVID-19 prevention.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 Drug TreatmentPre-Exposure ProphylaxisAdultCOVID-19 TestingFemaleHealth PersonnelHumansHydroxychloroquineMalePandemicsPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Young AdultHydroxychloroquineChemopreventionCOVID-19drug-related side effects and adverse reactionshealth personnelhydroxychloroquine

Identifiers

PMID34865592
PMCPMC8726004
OpenAlexW4200547413

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.