Current Questions Under Review

March 19, 2020

• What is the evidence for healthcare workers continuing to work at the clinical front line when pregnant?
• Aside from masks, what is the efficacy of additional protective measures in preventing COVID-type respiratory illnesses in primary care staff?
• What’s best, tight asthma control using inhaled corticosteroids to reduce the inflammatory response (usual treatment) or do high doses of inhaled corticosteroids predispose to more severe pneumonitis with covid19?
• Does Vitamin C reduce the duration and symptoms of COVID-19
• What evidence is there for smoking and smoking cessation in ARI?
• What is the current advice for people on immunosuppressants? This is being reviewed in the context of discontinuing treatments for people with chronic respiratory issues
• What is the evidence for CRP and D-dimer as prognostic markers in COVID-19
• What is the prevalence of different COVID symptoms at time of presentation in the community, and what is the PPV / NPV of the different symptoms (by system – respiratory, GI.. – or specific symptom – eg coryza vs cough)
• Does viral shedding reduce severity of outcomes?
• SUMMARY: Effectiveness and safety of antiviral or antibody treatments for coronavirus
• Effective measures to reduce spread of COVID-19 in care homes
• What population groups/comorbid conditions could we prioritise, treat and manage in the primary care setting to keep well and reduce non-COVID admissions to hospital?
• Stopping immunosuppressants during COVID-19 infection in people with chronic respiratory health problems
• Links between pollution and severity of illness
• What clinical markers or scoring systems can be used to help in diagnosis or assessment of severity of COVID-19 infection
• What is the incidence of anosmia in COVID and is it a poor prognostic symptom?
• What features of covid-19 that can be clinically assessed are important to inform a decision about admission?
• In patients of COVID-19, what are the symptoms and clinical features of mild and moderate cases?
• Managing physical symptoms of anxiety in people with COVID-19
• When and in what circumstances do we palliate elderly/frail patients at home?
• Should healthcare professionals distance themselves at home from family to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission?
• What is the efficacy of ‘armour-lite’ personal protective equipment (PPE) as offered to UK primary care staff in the context of COVID-19
• What counts as an aerosol generating procedure (AGP) and how consistent and evidence-based is current guidance?
• What are the challenges associated with re-use and extended use of PPE equipment in the context of COVID-19?
• Review of guidelines: what infection control practices should be used in primary care in the context of COVID (includes general practice, community pharmacies, dental, optometry) & Review of guidelines: what infection control practices should be used in non-healthcare settings relevant to primary care?
• What forms of non-standard PPE are there (e.g. home-made masks) and what is the evidence of their efficacy?
• What is the evidence that NEWS2 adds value in the assessment of which patients to send to hospital in the COVID crisis?
• Practical tips for clinicians helping patients with COVID-related anxiety/distress