Infectious disease experts from Aga Khan University and public and private sector hospitals across the country have come together to prepare treatment guidelines for adult COVID-19 patients following a request from the National Institute of Health, a part of Pakistan’s federal health ministry.
The
guidelines combine the latest evidence on effective treatment processes from the World Health Organization and other sources, as well as insights from treating local patients, and will act as a single point of reference for healthcare professionals across Pakistan.
The Clinical Management Guidelines for COVID-19 Infections handbook specifies when healthcare providers should conduct a test for the virus and guides physicians on how to adopt different treatment processes. For example, the guidelines distinguish between mild coronavirus symptoms such as fatigue and a sore throat, and moderate signs that will require admission such as oxygen saturation levels dropping below 94 per cent and traces of pneumonia appearing on a chest x-ray.
“These guidelines will help healthcare professionals streamline and standardise the management of COVID-19 patients,” says Dr Nosheen Nasir, assistant professor, adult infectious diseases at AKU’s department of medicine. “This enables us to make the best use of scarce facilities such as testing kits, and to promptly treat patients who need advanced care.”
Dr Faisal Mahmood, section head of adult infectious diseases at AKU, led the consultative process drawing on faculty from AKU, the Indus Hospital, the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. This was followed by a peer review process by healthcare professionals from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre and the National Institute of Health, Pakistan.
Infectious disease experts from Aga Khan University and public and private sector hospitals across the country have come together to prepare treatment guidelines for adult COVID-19 patients following a request from the National Institute of Health, a part of Pakistan’s federal health ministry.
The
guidelines combine the latest evidence on effective treatment processes from the World Health Organization and other sources, as well as insights from treating local patients, and will act as a single point of reference for healthcare professionals across Pakistan.
The Clinical Management Guidelines for COVID-19 Infections handbook specifies when healthcare providers should conduct a test for the virus and guides physicians on how to adopt different treatment processes. For example, the guidelines distinguish between mild coronavirus symptoms such as fatigue and a sore throat, and moderate signs that will require admission such as oxygen saturation levels dropping below 94 per cent and traces of pneumonia appearing on a chest x-ray.
“These guidelines will help healthcare professionals streamline and standardise the management of COVID-19 patients,” says Dr Nosheen Nasir, assistant professor, adult infectious diseases at AKU’s department of medicine. “This enables us to make the best use of scarce facilities such as testing kits, and to promptly treat patients who need advanced care.”
Dr Faisal Mahmood, section head of adult infectious diseases at AKU, led the consultative process drawing on faculty from AKU, the Indus Hospital, the Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. This was followed by a peer review process by healthcare professionals from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre and the National Institute of Health, Pakistan.