Post-COVID-19 global health strategies: the need for an interdisciplinary approach
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Post‑COVID‑19 global health strategies: the need for an interdisciplinary approach Gemelli Against COVID-19 Post-Acute Care Study Group1 Received: 15 May 2020 / Accepted: 30 May 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract For survivors of severe COVID-19 disease, having defeated the virus is just the beginning of an uncharted recovery path. What follows after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection depends on the extension and severity of viral attacks in different cell types and organs. Despite the ridiculously large number of papers that have flooded scientific journals and preprinthosting websites, a clear clinical picture of COVID-19 aftermath is vague at best. Without larger prospective observational studies that are only now being started, clinicians can retrieve information just from case reports and or small studies. This is the time to understand how COVID-19 goes forward and what consequences survivors may expect to experience. To this aim, a multidisciplinary post-acute care service involving several specialists has been established at the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS (Rome, Italy). Although COVID-19 is an infectious disease primarily affecting the lung, its multi-organ involvement requires an interdisciplinary approach encompassing virtually all branches of internal medicine and geriatrics. In particular, during the post-acute phase, the geriatrician may serve as the case manager of a multidisciplinary team. The aim of this article is to describe the importance of the interdisciplinary approach––coordinated by geriatrician––to cope the potential post-acute care needs of recovered COVID-19 patients. Keywords COVID-19 · Personalized medicine · Post-acute care · Health care organization
Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that mainly affects the respiratory system, as interstitial pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) [1]. Infectious disease physicians, pneumologists, and intensive care physicians are the medical specialists primarily involved in the management of the acute phase of COVID-19. However, as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeds five million globally, the share of patients who have survived the disease is scaling up. Clinicians and pathologists are now trying to better characterize the site(s), nature, and severity of damage caused by Members of the Gemelli Against COVID-19 Post-Acute Care Study Group are listed in acknowledgement section. * Gemelli Against COVID-19 Post-Acute Care Study Group [email protected] 1
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, L.go F. Vito 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
SARS-CoV-2. Although the lungs are definitely the first target organ of SARS-CoV-2 infection, accumulating evidence indicates that the virus can spread to many different organs, including the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, gut, and brain [2]. For this reason, a multidisciplinary approach becomes
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