View from the frontline of anaesthesia during COVID-19, Royal College of Anaesthetists

Key findings ■ 17% of respondents have or are currently taking time off work because of suspected COVID-19, rising to nearly a quarter when including confirmed cases of COVID-19. ■ Nearly 40% of respondents are unable to access the testing they need for themselves, while over 50% don ' t have the testing they need for household members, and one in five are unable to access the testing they need for their patients. ■ Over two thirds of respondents 73% told us they feel concerned for their health because of a lack of adequate PPE, with nearly one third 28% very concerned, while over one quarter feel pressurised to treat patients without adequate PPE and nearly 17% are unable to access the PPE they need. ■ Over four in ten of respondents have worked outside of their usual area of practice during the last month ■ One in ten respondents can ' t currently access all the usual anaesthetic drugs they use for their patients; 40% aren ' t confident they will have sufficient supply over the next month. ■ During the past month, over 40% of respondents have felt mentally unwell as a result of additional COVID-19 related stress, while over a third have felt physically unwell.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news