Epidemiological profile and performance of triage decision-making process of COVID-19 suspected cases in southern Tunisia.

Autor:	Jmaa MB; Preventive Medicine and Hygiene Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Ayed HB; Preventive Medicine and Hygiene Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Kassis M; Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Hmida MB; Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Trigui M; Community Health and Epidemiology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Maamri H; Community Health and Epidemiology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Ketata N; Preventive Medicine and Hygiene Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Yaich S; Community Health and Epidemiology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Trabelsi J; Community Health and Epidemiology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Mejdoub Y; Community Health and Epidemiology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Turki M; Department of Pharmacy, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia., Marrakchi C; Infectious Diseases Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Kammoun S; Department of Pneumology, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia., Jemaa MB; Infectious Diseases Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Feki H; Preventive Medicine and Hygiene Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia., Damak J; Community Health and Epidemiology Department, Hedi Chaker University Hospital, University of Sfax, Tunisia.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence [Afr J Emerg Med] 2022 Mar; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 1-6. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 04.
DOI:	10.1016/j.afjem.2021.10.001
Abstrakt:	Introduction: During an epidemic, screening processes can play a crucial role in limiting the spread of the infection. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 suspected cases and to evaluate the performance of the triage process in predicting COVID-19 in Southern Tunisia. Methods: It was a prospective study including all patients consulting to the Hedi Chaker University Hospital departments from March to June 2020. A clinical triage score (CTS) was used to assess the risk of the infection and to refer patients to the appropriate part of the facility accordingly. Results: Overall, 862 patients were enrolled, among whom 505 patients (58.6%) were classified as suspected cases (CTS ≥4). Of these, 46.9% (n = 237) were of mild form. Samples were collected from 215 patients (24.9%), among whom five were COVID-19 positive, representing a positive rate of 2.3%. The in-hospital cumulative incidence rate of COVID-19 was 580/100000 patients. The total daily incidence decreased significantly during the study period (p < 0.001, chi-square for linear trend = 25.6). At a cut-off of four, the CTS had a sensitivity of 40%, a specificity of 32.4%, and negative and positive predictive values of 95.8% and 1.4%, respectively. Discussion: Although the triage process based on the CTS was not as performant as the RT-PCR, it was crucial to interrupt virus spread among hospitalized patients in "COVID-19-free departments". Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflicts of interest. (© 2021 The Authors.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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