Finding a way in daily clinical practice during Covid‐19 pandemic

• Published in: European Journal of Clinical Investigation 2020-06
• Main Authors: Twickler, Marcel B, Regieli, Jakub J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• DOI: 10.1111/eci.13329

Since some months, the Covid‐19 pandemic changed our world drastically. At the start of the pandemic, in a single week, our medical communities, both in primary care , nursing homes, as in secondary and tertiary facilities have been forced to stop all regular clinical care and to shift towards hospital care that was ultimately restricted to Covid‐19 related disease. The clinical presentation of Covid‐19 occurred predominantly in the elderly patients (most > 65 years old) displaying a respiratory disability, and in a small proportion among them displayed a respiratory failure, in association with a broad range of pre‐existing co‐morbidities. Covid‐19 had not been taught in university and to prepare ourselves, we aimed to retract data published from especially Chinese studies. Most literature was published without a peer‐review procedure (fast track), and most intervention designs existed of small groups and a not blinded/not randomized inclusion. After an extensive week of patients’ contact, we experienced various differences (compared to the prior reports) in their first presentation and in their individual course of disease.