Process of Renewal of PC&PNDT License of a Large Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of North India: How One Needs to Plan for It?

 The Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PC&PNDT Act), 1994 was enacted to prevent sex determination and female feticide. As a mandatory statutory requirement, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India has to renew its PC&PNDT license after every 5 years.  The current study was undertaken with an objective to delineate in detail, the process of PC&PNDT license renewal, and the challenges dealt with while submitting the renewal application.

SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection in deceased bodies: implications for infection prevention.

Background & Objectives: High transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 has significant implications on healthcare workers' safety, preservation, handling, transportation and disposal of the deceased bodies. The objective of this study was to detect SARS-CoV-2 antigen in nasopharyngeal samples and its implications in handling and care of COVID-19 deceased bodies.

Methods: A study was conducted at a dedicated COVID-19 centre on deceased individuals from April to December 2020.

Bottlenecks and reflections from turnkey installation of MRI in a tertiary care Greenfield project: a case study.

Background: Turnkey projects are often pegged to be the solution for coordination issues and are common in procurement and installation of high-end expensive equipment. Considering the scale, cost and complexity of high-end diagnostic services like MRI, challenges during installation and commissioning have been commonly seen ever since the early days. The current case study elaborates on the lessons learnt from on-ground issues pertaining to delays in MRI installation in a Greenfield project.

Rate of shed of SARS COV-2 viral RNA from COVID-19 cadavers.

Background: At what rate does the RNA of SARS CoV-2 shed from cadavers? Although, there have been numerous studies which have demonstrated the persistence of the virus on dead bodies, there is a lack of conclusive evidence regarding the variation of viral RNA content in cadavers. This has led to a knowledge gap regarding the safe handling/management of COVID-19 decedents, posing a barrier in forensic investigations.

Methods: In this study, we report the presence of RNA of SARS CoV-2 by real time RT-PCR, in nasopharyngeal swabs collected after death from two groups of bodies - one who died due to COVID-19 and the other who died due to other diagnoses.

Variation in Laboratory Utilization and Correlation with Hospital Bed Utilization: Experience of a Trauma-Care Hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 The present study was planned with the following objectives: (i) to calculate the difference in frequency of laboratory test ordered and use of consumables between the prepandemic and pandemic phases, (ii) to determine and compare the monthly average number of tests ordered per patient between the prepandemic and pandemic phases, and (iii) to correlate the monthly test ordering frequency with the monthly bed occupancy rate in both phases.  Records of laboratory tests ordered and use of consumables were collected for the prepandemic phase (1.8.

Adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours in India from May to December 2020: evidence from a nationally representative longitudinal survey.

Objectives: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, behavioural interventions to reduce disease transmission have been central to public health policy worldwide. Sustaining individual protective behaviour is especially important in low-income and middle-income settings, where health systems have fewer resources and access to vaccination is limited. This study seeks to assess time trends in COVID-19 protective behaviour in India.

Resuming outpatient services during COVID times: Our approach and experience at India's apex institute.

Healthcare services have been severely strained and stressed coping with the rising burden of COVID-19 patients. With the situation gradually worsening and the growing need to cater to Non-COVID patients, we ventured to reopen the OPDs. This was to be implemented in a staggered manner.

The rise in preanalytical errors during COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed several challenges to clinical laboratories across the globe. Amidst the outbreak, errors occurring in the preanalytical phase of sample collection, transport and processing, can further lead to undesirable clinical consequences. Thus, this study was designed with the following objectives: (i) to determine and compare the blood specimen rejection rate of a clinical laboratory and (ii) to characterise and compare the types of preanalytical errors between the pre-pandemic and the pandemic phases.

Meeting oxygen requirements of rural India: A self-contained solution.

Addressing oxygen requirements of rural India should aim at using a safe, low-cost, easily available, and replenishable source of oxygen of moderate purity. This may be possible with the provision of a self-sustaining oxygen concentrator (pressure swing adsorption with multiple molecular sieve technology) capable of delivering oxygen at high-flow rates, through a centralized distribution system to 100 or more bedded rural hospitals, with back up from an oxygen bank of 10 × 10 cylinders. This will provide a 24 × 7 supply of oxygen of acceptable purity (~93%) for the treatment of hypoxemic conditions and will enable hospitals to specifically provide for high-flow oxygen in at least 15% of the beds.

Techno stress among medical freshmen: An exploratory study.

Introduction: Use of technology and ICT tools is ubiquitous among college students including medical students. However overuse or misuse may lead to many physical and psychological problems including the risk of harming professional standing in the long term. The purpose of this study was to explore techno stress among freshmen at a medical institute and to suggest measures to reduce problematic use of technology pertaining to internet.

Awareness and Attitude of Select Professionals toward Euthanasia in Delhi, India.

Introduction: The topic of euthanasia has induced differences not only among professionals in the medical fraternity but also in other fields as well. The dying process is being lengthened by the new state of art technologies erupting as such higher pace, and it is at the expense of standard quality of life and of a gracious death.

Aim: To study the awareness and attitude toward euthanasia among select professionals in Delhi.

Attitudes and perceptions of medical doctors towards their jobs in the state of j&k, India.

Background: Management gurus have long since established a relationship between the attitudes held by an organization's work force and its job satisfaction. The foundations of individual behavior lie in individual attitudes, and employee attitudes, if understood properly, can be modified by operant conditioning.

Methodology: The following study was undertaken in different but comparable study populations of doctors in Medical Education and Health selected through stratified random sampling to understand their attitudes towards and satisfaction from their work, through a cross sectional study design with the help of an anonymous questionnaire.