key: cord-0919744-rs0darzb
authors: Ganjekar, Sundarnag; Gowda, Guru S.; Dinakaran, Damodharan; Philip, Sharad; Chithra, Nellai K.; Purushothaman, Deepa; Shankarappa, Vishukumar Hallikere; Sivakumar, Palanimuthu T.; Jaisoorya, T.S.; Nagabhusana, Shashidhara Harihara; Singh, Veena Kumari; Kesavan, Muralidharan; Bhadrinarayan, V.; Murthy, Pratima; Gangadhar, Bangalore N.
title: Experiential account of risk mitigation strategies in a tertiary care psychiatric setting during COVID-19 pandemic
date: 2021-01-12
journal: Asian J Psychiatr
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102556
sha: 58c4159863d03d20f083947edd9e45bc5de7e8ab
doc_id: 919744
cord_uid: rs0darzb

• COVID-19 pandemic has made an unprecedented impact on all health care delivery systems worldwide. • The risk of COVID-19 transmission is higher in custodial settings such as institutional psychiatric care facilities. • The risk mitigation strategies adopted during the COVID-19 outbreak in a tertiary care psychiatry facility are discribed.

stigma and related reasons. In order to mitigate the above issues, small-group online sessions with different cadres of HCWs by HICC and mental health education team was reinforced in addition to the regular orientation and training session which were organized during COVID preparedness of the institute. The sessions were focussed on self-monitoring, the importance of screening and early risk stratification. The Institute emphasised on existing policies on self-quarantining in case of the high risk of exposure and new-onset COVID /ILI symptoms and initiated COVID Rapid Antigen Testing services.

The focus of creating a mitigation plan for the scenario when clustering or outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a healthcare facility has to be contained, usually is to suit and manage according to the dynamic situations as and when they arise, by putting together a standard operating procedure (SOP) that focuses on upgradation and customization of the existing protocols, which means the measures are drafted and implemented to reduce the morbidity and spread. COVID-19 preparedness and mitigation plan are usually put in place in an extreme situation where redefining working patterns of HCWs, categorisation of hospital facilities into different zones, training hospital staff in risk mitigation and containment measures like isolation, quarantine, universal screening, source control and early risk stratification can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 due to clustering and outbreaks within psychiatric institutions.These measures are practically feasible and can be implemented worldwide in such facilities.

This research has not received a specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for -profit sectors.

The authors report no declarations of interest. 

Hosur Road, Bengaluru, 560029, India Shashidhara Harihara Nagabhusana a,b a Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, 560029, India b National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, 560029, India Veena Kumari Singh a,b a Department of Neuro Microbiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, 560029, India b Hospital Infection Control Committee, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Hosur Road, Bengaluru, 560029, India Muralidharan Kesavan a,b a Department of Psychiatry

We convey our sincere thanks to All the Junior residents, senior residents, faculty members of the Department of Psychiatry and all the in-charge Single Point Of Contact of different psychiatric wards, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.Nursing supervisors, nursing staff and other health care workers, who worked at pavilions 1, 2 and 3, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.