Section: Module 3: Lesson 3: Additional Testing | COVID-19 Orientation for Frontline Healthcare Providers in the Acute Care Setting | NextGenU.org

  • Patients who test positive for COVID-19 will require additional diagnostic testing to guide their treatment plan. 
    Learning objectives:
    • Understand conceptual aspects of the relationship between clinical signs and critical COVID-19 illness.
    Approximate time required for the readings for this lesson (at 144 words/minute): 35 mins

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      The following contains information from the field.

      CT may show lung findings (such as ground-glass opacities) before the development of symptoms. In a setting of pandemic, assume that COVID-19 is the cause until proven otherwise, even if a patient is not symptomatic with COVID-specific symptoms. Ferritin, elevated IL-6 levels, C-reactive protein (CRP), d-dimer can be related to COVID-19 severe infection.

      Procalcitonin and prolactin are elevated in patients with bacterial co-infection. White blood cell (WBC) count is normal or low in COVID-19-only patients but sometimes elevated in patients with co-infection. (Auwaerter, 2020).

      References

      Auwaerter, P. G. (2020). Coronavirus COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved from: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540747/all/Coronavirus_COVID_19__SARS_CoV_2_ 

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      Required Learning Resources and Activities
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      Associate clinical signs and additional test results with critical illness

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      Johns Hopkins COVID- 19 Guide URL
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      Read the section of the article labeled "CLINICAL". You can access this section by opening the link provided and clicking the word "CLINICAL" on the left-hand side of the screen.

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      Absolute Lymphocyte Count is a Prognostic Marker in Covid‐19: A Retrospective Cohort Review URL
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      Read the sections Abstract and Discussion.

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      Quiz: Module 3: Lesson 3
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      Additional Resources for Optional Learning
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      Can We Predict the Severity of COVID-19 with a Routine Blood Test? URL
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      This article provides an overview of the association of markers in routine blood tests with the severity of COVID-19.

      Read the entire article.