Search St Emlyn’s

An early June 2020 response to RECOVERY's announcement that hydroxychloroquine had not shown benefit in hospitalised patients with COVID-19. Simon Carley explains the platform trial design and why the limited information released at that stage still required a full critical appraisal.

The recording and reading list from the 26 May 2020 COVID-19 journal club, with guest Kelly Ann Janssens. The panel examines the preliminary remdesivir report, testing uncertainty, emergency department diagnosis and paediatric transmission in the context of the evidence available at that time.

A May 2020 selection of ten COVID-19 papers, from antibiotic prescribing and healthcare worker testing to antibody assays and public health measures. The reviews also consider intimate partner violence and the needs of people with intellectual disabilities, alongside the limitations of emerging evidence.

A personal account of practising the fundamentals during the first COVID-19 wave. Using CPAP setup, removing PPE, closed-loop communication and end-of-life conversations as examples, the author explores breaking skills into smaller steps, seeking feedback and learning deliberately during everyday work.

Dan Horner examines the difficulties of diagnosing and treating venous thromboembolism in COVID-19 in May 2020. The review considers D-dimer, imaging, screening effects and possible immunothrombosis, weighing uncertain treatment benefits against bleeding risks while randomised trial results were still awaited.

The 19 May 2020 COVID-19 journal club, available as a webinar and edited podcast, features Liz Crowe on grief, loss and communication. The reading list includes OpenSAFELY mortality risk factors, symptom tracking, airborne particles in hospitals and bereavement support.

A May 2020 perspective on COVID-19, global health and emergency medicine. International examples explore inequality, disrupted services and humanitarian pressures, while lessons from Ebola responses show how learning can flow into the NHS as well as outward, with community engagement and reciprocal support at its centre.

The recording and reading list from the 12 May 2020 COVID-19 journal club, with Lauren Westafer and Ellie Hothershall. The panel considers public health interventions, anticoagulation research, vaccine development, antibody testing, healthcare worker screening and the acceptability of contact-tracing apps.

Ten early COVID-19 papers reviewed in May 2020, covering respiratory support, ST elevation, testing, coagulation and transmission precautions. The team weighs small studies and emerging hypotheses, including chloroquine safety concerns, to show what was known and what remained uncertain.

Justin Morgenstern joins the 5 May 2020 COVID-19 journal club for a discussion of viral shedding and transmission. The webinar and edited podcast also consider protective precautions, remdesivir, convalescent plasma, renin–angiotensin system drugs and early UK hospital cohort data.