The assessment of patients who are unwell with COVID-19 or other causes presents a significant challenge for GPs and clinicians working in primary care. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the AHSN Network held a joint webinar looking at the role of oximetry and other physiology in that assessment on Wednesday 29 April 2020.
This webinar was led by:
- Dr Jonathan Leach, RCGP Honorary Secretary and COVID Lead
- Dr Alison Tavaré, Primary Care Clinical Lead at West of England AHSN
- Dr Simon Stockley, RCGP Lead for Acute Deterioration and Sepsis.
You can watch a recording of the webinar here and download the presentation.
The Royal College of General Practitioners COVID-19 Resource Hub has more information, including the flow chart shown in the presentation.
Here is an overview of the webinar content:
- Clinical features of COVID-19
- Importance of oximetry in COVID
- Clinical judgement and physiology in patient assessment
- Role of NEWS2 in general practice and care homes
- Remote oximetry in the assessment and management of COVID disease in the community
Further resources
You can read two recently published papers in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) on using the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) to identify pre-hospital patients who are most unwell.
Wessex and the West of England Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) and West Hampshire CCG, funded by Health Education England, collaborated to produce a series of free videos and e-learning materials to support staff working in care homes to care for residents who are at risk of deterioration. You can watch the films and read more about ‘soft signs’ of deterioration.
Follow this link for more information on patient safety during COVID-19.
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