The utility of a local multidisciplinary working group to oversee the establishment of rapidly evolving standards of care and to support trial recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic
File(s)
Author(s)
Satta, Giovanni
Youngstein, Taryn
Lightstone, Liz
Gilchrist, Mark
COVID-19 treatment guidelines working group at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The first analyses of cases described high numbers of critically ill patients requiring intensive care admission with significant late inflammatory features. By the time the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were diagnosed in the UK, a wide range of drugs were under consideration and it became clear that the input of clinicians covering all organ systems (in particular, infectious diseases, haematology, rheumatology, renal medicine and intensive care) and of expert specialist pharmacists was necessary at the local level. Thus, an expert multidisciplinary (MDT) group within our organisation was convened to offer a standardised approach and robust clinical governance for the treatment of COVID-19 patients admitted to our hospitals and rapidly develop standards of care as evidence evolved. This commentary explores the methods and mechanisms for creating an MDT COVID-19 treatment working group which are applicable to any hospital likely to admit and care for high numbers of COVID-19 patients and demonstrates how the structure and governance of the group allowed for rapid adoption of both dexamethasone and tocilizumab into standard of care as data became available.
Date Issued
2021-05-17
Date Acceptance
2021-03-01
Citation
Clinical medicine (London, England), 2021, 21 (3), pp.e287-e289
ISSN
1470-2118
Publisher
Royal College of Physicians
Start Page
e287
End Page
e289
Journal / Book Title
Clinical medicine (London, England)
Volume
21
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© Royal College of Physicians 2021. All rights reserved.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33782041
PII: clinmed.2020-1021
Subjects
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
multi-disciplinary
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2021-03-29