Publications by authors named "A Tostmann"
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role of healthcare and public health resource management, where scarcity impairs pandemic response resulting in increased disease transmission, delayed patient care and poorer health outcomes. In the EU PANDEM-2 project, we aimed to identify essential resource parameters for pandemic preparedness and response in the context of an emerging viral respiratory illness.
Design: After performing a systematic literature review, we conducted a Delphi study consisting of a structured questionnaire and consensus round with two separate panels of European public health experts (PHEs) and clinicians, respectively.
Article Synopsis
- The EU PANDEM-2 project focused on understanding the resource needs during pandemics to better prepare for future outbreaks, specifically examining resource demands during the COVID-19 and H1N1 influenza pandemics.
- A systematic literature review identified 2754 articles, with 147 ultimately included, that provided data on various healthcare resource parameters like ICU bed usage, PPE needs, and vaccine efficacy from multiple countries.
- The findings highlighted key differences in resource demands between pandemic influenza and COVID-19, improving the overall accuracy of models used for decision-making in public health responses.
Patients with high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) require high-quality care by specially trained staff in a high-level isolation unit (HLIU) that follows strict infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. Caring for patients with (suspected) HCID is challenging, mainly because of the strict personal protective equipment (PPE) and IPC protocols healthcare workers (HCW) must adhere to for protection. The Radboud University Medical Center, located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, has been a dedicated HLIU facility since 2008.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Radboudumc developed a smartphone application (WondGezond) to collect surgical wound-healing information provided by the patient.
Aim: To evaluate usability and outcomes to assess its potential for early surgical site infection (SSI) detection.
Methods: Patients surgically treated for degenerative spinal disorders or carpal tunnel syndrome between August 2020 and February 2023 were enrolled one day post surgery and asked to download the app via a quick-response (QR) code.