SOME ASPECTS OF COVID-19 TREATMENT -CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUR OBSERVATIONS

Abstract

Treatment of COVID-19 is currently a global challen-ge. Since the beginning of the infection, owing to awell-planned and organized research, knowledge in itstreatment has been gained and recommendations havebeen made. These recommendations are flexible andsubject to changes depending on the results obtained inthe latest investigations. There is no officially acceptedprotocol for treatment of patients with COVID-19 inthe Republic of North Macedonia. This has resulted invery diverse therapeutic regimens mainly based on in-dividual experience and intuition and without sufficientconsistency with the globally recommended therapeuticprinciples. By conducting a survey-questionnaire amongdoctors who are working in COVID-19 centers in ourcountry, the aim of this paper was to verify this sta-tement and to offer a solution for uniform approach totreatment of COVID-19 based on the recommendda-tions of renowned world health institutions. Each ques-tionnaire distributed among those involved in treatmentof COVID-19 contained 10 questions. A total of 194questionnaires were filled-in anonymously on a volun-tary basis, and of 1940 possible answers 851 (44%) werecorrect. To 6 of the 10 questions, the largest number ofsurveyed respondents has chosen the correct answer.The incorrect answers among the offered ones were ina range of 0 to 74%. The survey-questionnaire has showndistinct variations in the received answers, which infact reflects the divergent attitudes to treatment ofCOVID-19. Therefore, it is indispensable to have astandardized approach to management of patients withCOVID-19, supported by an organized and stimulatededucation of the involved health care workers.