At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut, Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Department of Internal Medicine pulled together a group of experts across many specialties to create a treatment guideline for patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19.
Led by infectious disease physicians, the COVID-19 Treatment team created a treatment plan for non-severe and severe disease for use across Yale New Haven Health. Additionally, the updated guideline includes a list of recommended medications, along with rationale for use, notable adverse reactions, and other considerations.
Charles Dela Cruz, MD, PhD, is part of the group. “We have representatives from many disciplines who worked on developing the treatment plan and who meet frequently to evaluate new developments,” explains Dela Cruz. “We’ve worked with the doctors on the floor treating the patients to determine what other markers or clinical findings should be reviewed. We have a set protocol now to treat these patients and will continue to look at the data to see if the plan needs adjustment.”
Maricar Malinis, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FAST, applauds the partnership among physicians and scientists within YSM and outside of the university.
“Since this is a new virus, we created this plan based on accessible information, clinical observations and personal communications with other experts,” said Malinis. “We are sharing our treatment guidance now in hopes to help others with patient care.”
The COVID-19 Treatment team consist of experts from across many disciplines including in infectious diseases, pulmonary and critical care, allergy and immunology, rheumatology, hematology, hospital pharmacy, and others.
The treatment plan is based on the available knowledge, personal observations, and communications from other institutions. In the absence of firm evidence for best treatments, this is intended as a working document and is subject to change. UPDATED: Review the 3/8/21 version of the guideline in Related Documents.
In addition, another team at YSM, led by Richard Bucala, MD, PhD and Naftali Kaminski, MD are reviewing available literature and working to address newer therapeutics in addition to the treatment guideline.
The Department of Internal Medicine is the largest department within the Yale School of Medicine and one of the nation's premier departments, bringing together an elite cadre of clinicians, investigators, and educators in one of the world's top medical schools. To learn more, visit Internal Medicine.