COVID-19 highlights the need to optimize critical care resource use: The role of a respiratory-led multidisciplinary team

Contemporary Concise Review 2021: COVID-19 and other respiratory infections

Bats are likely the primary source of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2).

Minks are highly susceptible to infection by SARS‐CoV‐2.

Transmission from asymptomatic individuals was estimated to account for over 50% of all transmissions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) cases.

SARS‐CoV‐2 is evolving towards more efficient aerosol transmission.

Remdesivir, baricitinib, tocilizumab and dexamethasone are frequently used for the treatment of patients with respiratory failure due to COVID‐19.

There is a rising incidence of non‐tuberculous Mycobacterium pulmonary disease globally, with a higher prevalence in Asian countries than in the Western world.

Protracted bacterial bronchitis is a common cause of chronic productive cough in childhood.

Re‐emergence of respiratory syncytial virus may occur after the relaxation of infection control measures and the reopening of borders during COVID‐19 pandemic.

Digital healthcare in COPD management: a narrative review on the advantages, pitfalls, and need for further research

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality despite current treatment strategies which focus on smoking cessation, pulmonary rehabilitation, and symptomatic relief. A focus of COPD care is to encourage self-management, particularly during COVID-19, where much face-to-face care has been reduced or ceased. Digital health solutions may offer affordable and scalable solutions to support COPD patient education and self-management, such solutions could improve clinical outcomes and expand service reach for limited additional cost. However, optimal ways to deliver digital medicine are still in development, and there are a number of important considerations for clinicians, commissioners, and patients to ensure successful implementation of digitally augmented care. In this narrative review, we discuss advantages, pitfalls, and future prospects of digital healthcare, which offer a variety of tools including self-management plans, education videos, inhaler training videos, feedback to patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs), exacerbation monitoring, and pulmonary rehabilitation. We discuss the key issues with sustaining patient and HCP engagement and limiting attrition of use, interoperability with devices, integration into healthcare systems, and ensuring inclusivity and accessibility. We explore the essential areas of research beyond determining safety and efficacy to understand the acceptability of digital healthcare solutions to patients, clinicians, and healthcare systems, and hence ways to improve this and sustain engagement. Finally, we explore the regulatory challenges to ensure quality and engagement and effective integration into current healthcare systems and care pathways, while maintaining patients' autonomy and privacy. Understanding and addressing these issues and successful incorporation of an acceptable, simple, scalable, affordable, and future-proof digital solution into healthcare systems could help remodel global chronic disease management and fractured healthcare systems to provide best patient care and optimisation of healthcare resources to meet the global burden and unmet clinical need of COPD.