Title |
The mechanics of setting up a COVID-19 response: Experiences of the COVID-19 epidemic from Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
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Published in |
South African Medical Journal, September 2020
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DOI | 10.7196/samj.2020.v110i10.15215 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
M Mendelson, L Booyens, A Boutall, L Cairncross, G Calligaro, J A Dave, S Dlamini, S Dyer, B Eick, K Fieggen, P Frankenfeld, J Hoare, R Hofmeyr, J Joska, I Joubert, R Krause, A Kropman, D Levin, D Maughan, G Meintjes, E Muller, N Ntusi, N Papavarnavas, B Patel, J Peter, P Raubenheimer, Q Said-Hartley, P Singh, S Wasserman, on behalf of the Groote Schuur Hospital COVID-19 Response Team |
Abstract |
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has challenged the provision of healthcare in ways that are unprecedented in our lifetime. Planning for the sheer numbers expected during the surge has required public hospitals to de-escalate all non-essential clinical services to focus on COVID-19. Western Cape Province was the initial epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa (SA), and the Cape Town metro was its hardest-hit geographical region. We describe how we constructed our COVID-19 hospital-wide clinical service at Groote Schuur Hospital, the University of Cape Town's tertiary-level teaching hospital. By describing the barriers and enablers, we hope to provide guidance rather than a blueprint for hospitals elsewhere in SA and in low-resource countries that face similar challenges now or during subsequent waves. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
South Africa | 2 | 67% |
Unknown | 1 | 33% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 67% |
Members of the public | 1 | 33% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 101 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 18 | 18% |
Student > Bachelor | 11 | 11% |
Other | 9 | 9% |
Researcher | 8 | 8% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 6% |
Other | 17 | 17% |
Unknown | 32 | 32% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 31 | 31% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 17 | 17% |
Social Sciences | 4 | 4% |
Psychology | 3 | 3% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 3% |
Other | 9 | 9% |
Unknown | 34 | 34% |