Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine the two medications are safer and effective compared to the vaccine especially for the elderly/Geriatric in home care.

Older people are more susceptible to COVID-19’s acute illness and mortality. People above the age of constituted 80% of COVID-19 fatalities in the US, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Various drugs have been investigated on their ability to manage the adverse effects of the virus. The United States encountered difficulties treating this disease, much like other nations worldwide. For the therapy of mild to severe occurrences of COVID-19 illness, antiviral medications and existing drugs like Hydroxychloroquine, Chloroquine, and, most recently, Ivermectin has been used.

II. Background

History

COVID-19, a novel coronavirus variant, was discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and caused pneumonia in patients. The disease was very contagious and quickly spread across nations. The WHO officially declared it an epidemic in February 2020. Patients with the most severe complaints have mostly been found to be older than 50 and to have comorbid conditions.

Where the problem exists

There is currently no effective treatment option. Antimalarial medications (chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine) have shown antiviral action and accelerated viral clearance, according to in vitro experiments and observational data. The situation creates the need for clinical trials to discover successful therapy alternatives considering that there is currently no accepted standard of care.

III. Quantitative Findings

Article 1

Choudhary et al. (2020) came up with a comprehensive report that combined the knowledge of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine amongst other drugs altogether in the context of the covid-19 emergency. They evaluate the effectiveness of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine drugs in the management of COVID-19 and found that the drugs had a potential antiviral response against the coronaviruses.

Article 2

Rajter et al. (2020) sought to determine the link between the use of ivermectin and mortality in hospitalized covid-19 patients. It was determined that Ivermectin treatment resulted in lower mortality during treatment of COVID-19.

Golden nugget

The findings in both researches support the recommendation that nurses may use ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as a routine treatment of COVID-19.

IV. Qualitative Findings

Article 1

In the observational research by Kerr et al. (2022), it was fond that regular use of ivermectin as a prophylactic agent significantly lowered the rate of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality

Article 2

Membrillo et al. (2020) conducted an observational study of 166 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and determined that hydroxychloroquine treatment improved patient survival upon admission during the stages of the disease.

Golden nugget

There exists a strong link around the effectiveness of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine in the management of Covid-19.

V. Application to Nursing Practice

This study aims to provide information to guide referral hospitals’ treatment of COVID-19 patients. In this regard, nurses may be able to provide precise messages to elderly/Geriatric in home care regarding the use of these medications to facilitate decision making. Although there are not enough patients to draw definitive conclusions, the studies’ outcomes strongly indicate that both medications work. However, further research is needed to ensure ongoing contributions to meta-analyses that could result in more conclusive findings.

VI. Conclusion

The evidence supporting hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in treating COVID-19 is remains small. However, a conclusion can be reached that there is proof regarding the advantages of using hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine in treating COVID-19. In turn, it is worth recommending the use of Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine, particularly for the aged and geriatric patients receiving home care. It is also important that the use of Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 prevention continues to receive further precise evaluations.

References

Choudhary, R., Sharma, A. K., & Choudhary, R. (2020). Potential use of hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin and azithromycin drugs in fighting COVID-19: trends, scope and relevance. New Microbes and New Infections, 35, 100684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100684

Kerr, L., Cadegiani, F. A., Baldi, F., Lobo, R. B., Assagra, W. L. O., Proença, F. C., Kory, P., Hibberd, J. A., & Chamie-Quintero, J. J. (2022). Ivermectin Prophylaxis Used for COVID-19: A Citywide, Prospective, Observational Study of 223,128 Subjects Using Propensity Score Matching. Cureus, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.21272

Membrillo, F. J., Ramírez-Olivencia, G., Estébanez, M., Dios, B. de, Herrero, M. D., Mata, T., Borobia, A. M., Gutiérrez, C., Simón, M., Ochoa, A., Martínez, Y., Aguirre, A., Alcántara, F. de A., Fernández-González, P., López, E., Valle, P., Campos, S., Navarro, M., & Ballester, L. E. (2020). Early Hydroxychloroquine Is Associated with an Increase of Survival in COVID-19 Patients: An Observational Study. Www.preprints.org. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202005.0057.v2

Rajter, J. C., Sherman, M. S., Fatteh, N., Vogel, F., Sacks, J., & Rajter, J.-J. (2020). Use of Ivermectin is Associated with Lower Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 (ICON study). Chest, 159(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2020.10.009