Occupancy rates of wards (48,8%) and intensive care units (31,6%) for patients with Covid-19 were "far from rupture", reveals a survey released today by the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine.
The Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (SPMI) conducted a survey of 85 Internal Medicine service directors of “Covid hospitals” to assess the involvement of internists in the treatment of those infected with the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the activity carried out with non-patients. infected.
Until April 29, 63 responses were obtained from “Covid hospitals”, corresponding to 74% of the total, SPMI said in a statement.
The conclusions point out that "in hospitals the available covid infirmary beds were 1.963, with an occupancy rate of 48,8%".
"There were also 620 intensive care beds for Covid patients, with an occupancy rate of 31,6%," says the study, according to which specialists and interns with specific training in Internal Medicine were part of all Covid Inpatient Units in the country's hospitals. .
In 65% of the wards dedicated to these patients, Internal Medicine specialists and many other specialists worked together, while in 35% the management was entirely provided by internists, according to SPMI.
A total of 327 Internal Medicine specialists and 248 interns of this specialty were also counted in «exclusively dedicated to the treatment of Covid patients (in the wards and Intensive Units)».
The Internal Medicine Services provided simultaneous treatment to 3.157 patients who did not have Covid-19.
"These results demonstrate the undeniable advantages of having a strong NHS [National Health Service], with the capacity to respond to an unexpected event, with the magnitude of this pandemic," says the president of SPMI, João Araújo Correia, in a statement.
For the specialist, "the occupancy rates of the Covid wards (48,8%) or Covid Intensive Care (31,6%) demonstrate" that they were "very far from rupture".
«We are convinced that the fact that Portugal has Internal Medicine as the basic specialty of the Hospital Health System (14% of the total number of hospital specialists), contributed to a quick, organized and competent response», concluded João Araújo Correia.
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