Shivani Chandra | McMaster University (original) (raw)
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Papers by Shivani Chandra
International Journal for Equity in Health
Background Virtual care quickly became of crucial importance to health systems around the world d... more Background Virtual care quickly became of crucial importance to health systems around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the potential of virtual care to enhance access for some communities, the scale and pace at which services were virtualized did not leave many organizations with sufficient time and resources to ensure optimal and equitable delivery of care for everyone. The objective of this paper is to outline the experiences of health care organizations rapidly implementing virtual care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and examine whether and how health equity was considered. Methods We used an exploratory, multiple case study approach involving four health and social service organizations providing virtual care services to structurally marginalized communities in the province of Ontario, Canada. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with providers, managers, and patients to understand the challenges experienced by organizations and the ...
BMC Infectious Diseases, 2022
Background Enteric parasites are endemic in many of the countries from which refugees originate. ... more Background Enteric parasites are endemic in many of the countries from which refugees originate. Clinical guidelines vary in approaches to screening for and treating intestinal parasites in refugee receiving countries. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and species of intestinal parasites identified in stool ova and parasite (O&P) specimens in a sample of newly arrived refugees in Toronto, Canada. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of 1042 refugee patients rostered at a specialized primary care clinic in Toronto from December 2011 to September 2016. Patients who completed recommended stool O&P analyses were included. Basic sociodemographic and clinical variables and results of stool O&P were examined. Results 419 patients (40.2%) had a stool O&P positive for any protozoan or helminth species. Sixty-nine patients (6.6%) had clinically significant parasite species (excluding B hominis, D fragilis, and E dispar, given their lower risk for causing symptoms/comp...
BackgroundVirtual care for patients with COVID-19 allows providers to monitor COVID-19 positive p... more BackgroundVirtual care for patients with COVID-19 allows providers to monitor COVID-19 positive patients with variable trajectories while reducing the risk of transmission to others and managing healthcare capacity in acute care facilities.ObjectiveTo develop and test the feasibility of a family medicine-led remote monitoring model of care (COVIDCare@Home program) to manage patients with COVID-19 in the community.MethodsThis multi-faceted, family medicine-led, interprofessional team-based remote monitoring program was developed at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. A cross-sectional chart review of the first cohort of patients was conducted and learnings from the implementation of CovidCare@Home are described.ResultsDuring the study period, April 8 to May 11, 2020, there were 97 patients (average age 48.6, 62% female) with 424 recorded virtual visits with a median virtual length of stay of 8 days (IQR 5). 5.2% required escalation to an in-person visit with no patients req...
Vaccine, 2021
BACKGROUND Previous studies have found higher rates of varicella susceptibility among migrants fr... more BACKGROUND Previous studies have found higher rates of varicella susceptibility among migrants from tropical regions. This study seeks to estimate the prevalence of varicella susceptibility in a cohort of newly arrived refugees and refugee claimants at a primary care clinic in Toronto and to compare patients' self-reported history of varicella infection with serologic test results. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of 1888 refugee patients aged 13 years and older rostered at a specialized primary care clinic in Toronto from December 2011 to October 2017. Basic sociodemographic variables, self-reported varicella history, and varicella serologic results were examined. RESULTS Based on serologic testing, 8.5% of individuals were varicella non-immune, with highest rates of varicella susceptibility among adolescents aged 13-19 years (13.5%). All adults over age 60 were varicella immune on serology (n = 56). A positive self-reported history of varicella infection was strongly predictive of varicella immunity on serology (PPV 96.8%; 95% CI: 95.2-97.9). A self-reported history of no prior varicella infection did not correlate reliably with serologic test results (NPV 15.8%; 95% CI: 13.3-18.0). A substantial proportion of patients (34.1%) were unsure of their varicella history. CONCLUSION Identification and immunization of varicella susceptible refugee newcomers remains a health care priority. Self-reported history of varicella infection had mixed reliability as a predictor of varicella immunity.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
Background: Language barriers play a critical role in the treatment of migrant and refugee patien... more Background: Language barriers play a critical role in the treatment of migrant and refugee patients. In Germany, primary care interpreters are often not available especially in rural areas or if patients demand spontaneous or urgent consultations. Methods: In order to enable patients and their physicians to communicate effectively about the current illness history, we developed a digital communication assistance tool (DCAT) for 19 different languages and dialects. This paper reports the multidisciplinary process of the conceptual design and the iterative development of this cross-cultural user-centered application in an action-oriented approach. Results: We piloted our app with 36 refugee patients prior to a clinical study and used the results for further development. The acceptance and usability of the app by patients was high. Conclusion: Using digital tools for overcoming language barriers can be a feasible approach when providing health care to foreign-language patients.
Table of Contents ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….……iii ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS………………………………………………………... more Table of Contents ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….……iii ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS…………………………………………………………….v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES………………………………………….……….ix DECLARATION OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT……………………………....x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………………….xi
International Journal for Equity in Health
Background Virtual care quickly became of crucial importance to health systems around the world d... more Background Virtual care quickly became of crucial importance to health systems around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the potential of virtual care to enhance access for some communities, the scale and pace at which services were virtualized did not leave many organizations with sufficient time and resources to ensure optimal and equitable delivery of care for everyone. The objective of this paper is to outline the experiences of health care organizations rapidly implementing virtual care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and examine whether and how health equity was considered. Methods We used an exploratory, multiple case study approach involving four health and social service organizations providing virtual care services to structurally marginalized communities in the province of Ontario, Canada. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with providers, managers, and patients to understand the challenges experienced by organizations and the ...
BMC Infectious Diseases, 2022
Background Enteric parasites are endemic in many of the countries from which refugees originate. ... more Background Enteric parasites are endemic in many of the countries from which refugees originate. Clinical guidelines vary in approaches to screening for and treating intestinal parasites in refugee receiving countries. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and species of intestinal parasites identified in stool ova and parasite (O&P) specimens in a sample of newly arrived refugees in Toronto, Canada. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of 1042 refugee patients rostered at a specialized primary care clinic in Toronto from December 2011 to September 2016. Patients who completed recommended stool O&P analyses were included. Basic sociodemographic and clinical variables and results of stool O&P were examined. Results 419 patients (40.2%) had a stool O&P positive for any protozoan or helminth species. Sixty-nine patients (6.6%) had clinically significant parasite species (excluding B hominis, D fragilis, and E dispar, given their lower risk for causing symptoms/comp...
BackgroundVirtual care for patients with COVID-19 allows providers to monitor COVID-19 positive p... more BackgroundVirtual care for patients with COVID-19 allows providers to monitor COVID-19 positive patients with variable trajectories while reducing the risk of transmission to others and managing healthcare capacity in acute care facilities.ObjectiveTo develop and test the feasibility of a family medicine-led remote monitoring model of care (COVIDCare@Home program) to manage patients with COVID-19 in the community.MethodsThis multi-faceted, family medicine-led, interprofessional team-based remote monitoring program was developed at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. A cross-sectional chart review of the first cohort of patients was conducted and learnings from the implementation of CovidCare@Home are described.ResultsDuring the study period, April 8 to May 11, 2020, there were 97 patients (average age 48.6, 62% female) with 424 recorded virtual visits with a median virtual length of stay of 8 days (IQR 5). 5.2% required escalation to an in-person visit with no patients req...
Vaccine, 2021
BACKGROUND Previous studies have found higher rates of varicella susceptibility among migrants fr... more BACKGROUND Previous studies have found higher rates of varicella susceptibility among migrants from tropical regions. This study seeks to estimate the prevalence of varicella susceptibility in a cohort of newly arrived refugees and refugee claimants at a primary care clinic in Toronto and to compare patients' self-reported history of varicella infection with serologic test results. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of 1888 refugee patients aged 13 years and older rostered at a specialized primary care clinic in Toronto from December 2011 to October 2017. Basic sociodemographic variables, self-reported varicella history, and varicella serologic results were examined. RESULTS Based on serologic testing, 8.5% of individuals were varicella non-immune, with highest rates of varicella susceptibility among adolescents aged 13-19 years (13.5%). All adults over age 60 were varicella immune on serology (n = 56). A positive self-reported history of varicella infection was strongly predictive of varicella immunity on serology (PPV 96.8%; 95% CI: 95.2-97.9). A self-reported history of no prior varicella infection did not correlate reliably with serologic test results (NPV 15.8%; 95% CI: 13.3-18.0). A substantial proportion of patients (34.1%) were unsure of their varicella history. CONCLUSION Identification and immunization of varicella susceptible refugee newcomers remains a health care priority. Self-reported history of varicella infection had mixed reliability as a predictor of varicella immunity.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
Background: Language barriers play a critical role in the treatment of migrant and refugee patien... more Background: Language barriers play a critical role in the treatment of migrant and refugee patients. In Germany, primary care interpreters are often not available especially in rural areas or if patients demand spontaneous or urgent consultations. Methods: In order to enable patients and their physicians to communicate effectively about the current illness history, we developed a digital communication assistance tool (DCAT) for 19 different languages and dialects. This paper reports the multidisciplinary process of the conceptual design and the iterative development of this cross-cultural user-centered application in an action-oriented approach. Results: We piloted our app with 36 refugee patients prior to a clinical study and used the results for further development. The acceptance and usability of the app by patients was high. Conclusion: Using digital tools for overcoming language barriers can be a feasible approach when providing health care to foreign-language patients.
Table of Contents ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….……iii ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS………………………………………………………... more Table of Contents ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….……iii ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS…………………………………………………………….v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES………………………………………….……….ix DECLARATION OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT……………………………....x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………………….xi