Dolores Álvaro Álvarez, head of section of the Pneumology Service of the Hospital de Móstoles.
When Covid-19 arrived, we had to restructure hospital circuits. This is what Dolores Álvaro Álvarez, head of section of the Pulmonology Service of the Hospital of Móstoles in his presentation ‘Activity of a Pneumology Service in a second-level hospital in the time of Covid-19’ during the Interhospital Conference on Pulmonology of this center, held at the headquarters of Medical Writingsponsored by the Neumomadrid Foundation and in collaboration with GSK and Oximesa Nippon Gases.
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Activity of a Pulmonology service in a second level hospital in the time of Covid-19. |
“It was one uncertain situation, with a life-threatening viral illness. We professionals did not know how to diagnose it or how it replicated, there was no specific treatment and protective equipment began to be lackingAlvaro pointed out.
In this situation, Pulmonology and Internal Medicine Hospital of Móstoles had to “join forces” to adapt to the reality that the coronavirus had brought and jointly attend to these patients. This integration marked ‘a before and an after’ in managing the pandemic. “We needed to centralize the work, since both specialties treated patients with common symptoms. In addition, we were a small service with seven doctors“, he stated.
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Álvaro: “The integration had benefits in the clinical decision-making of covid patients” |
“The integration was a very positive experience that had benefits in clinical decision makingin the cohesion between doctors and in personal growth”, he added.
The head of the Pneumology section recalled the early 2020 timeline. In this sense, he pointed out that the first patient with this pathology who was in the Hospital de Móstoles was transferred on February 28, 2020, but it was the March 6 when the first person entered diagnosed. “The hospital floors began to colonize with Covid-19 patients, which increased day by day,” she pointed out.
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“Nearly 3,000 calls were made to find out the evolution of Covid-19 patients” |
Organization of the Hospital de Móstoles during Covid-19
Álvaro continued his speech pointing out the changes that took place in the centre. Along these lines, he explained that from March to May hospital consultations suspended, clinical sessions, teaching meetings or student training. All this to focus on the Covid-19 patient carewhich required more and more professionals.
As reported, to achieve the maximum efficiency and organizationevery day in the morning the head of Internal Medicine of the Hospital of Móstoles, Víctor Moreno Cuerda, directed a meeting where available professionals were valued –since many became ill and had to take sick leave-, the patients and their location –because they entered and left the ICU-. At the end of the day, another meeting was held where the data on the pandemic was reported, the hospital situation and strategies to follow, that “sometimes they changed that same day several times”.
Likewise, Álvaro has highlighted the work of the rest of professionals from other departments who did a ‘mirror function’ to see all the Covid-19 patients and the Geriatrics Service, which was in charge of care for the elderly who were in residences and “reported their clinical situation and evolution”.
Lastly, he highlighted the importance of the optional group dedicated to call patients to see how they evolved. “Nearly 3,000 calls were made,” she concluded.
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