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Letters Covid-19: challenge after intensive care

Minding the epistemic gap in covid-19 and beyond

BMJ 2020; 369 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2379 (Published 16 June 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;369:m2379

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COVID-19 Pandemic and the ‘Determinant Nonad’: Rekindling the imperative of the twin medical reformation interventions of ‘Multiparameter-Based Medicine' (MBM) and ‘Medical Socioeconosophy’ (MSE)

The ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’ is a ‘Novel 21st Century Global Public Health Assault’ that is increasingly stretching the limits of the ‘Intellectual-Professional Armoury of Our Common Humanity’! As the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Information-Specifics’ are ‘Rapidly Dynamically Transmuting’ by the day, the World is also challenged to ‘Rapidly and Innovatively’ rise up daily to the ‘Pandemic’!! This undergirds the ‘Avalanche of COVID-19 Pandemic Innovative Outpourings’!!! As a ‘COVID Phenomenon’, the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’ affects ‘Virtually ALL Aspects of Our Humanity’ [1]. The ‘Unprecedented Ravaging Devastations’ of the ‘Pandemic’ have been previously exposed [2-4]! Equally, several other ‘Communications’ have disposed the increasing plethora of the ‘Positive Harvests’ [5-7]!! The ‘Pandemic’ is not all DOOM but also possible ‘Pandemic BOOM’ for ‘Our Improved Humanity’ [5]!!!

The reported ‘Epistemic Gap’ in ‘Professionals-Patients Interface’ for ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’ excites our ‘Professional-Intellectual Armoury’ to match the ‘Rapidly Transmuting Scourge’ [8]! The ‘Epistemic Gap’ in the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’-related ‘Professionals-Patients Interactions’ necessitates this ‘Communication’ disposing the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Determinant Nonad’ which MUST be considered to ‘Globally Extinguish’ the ‘21st Century Storm’ [2]!!

To ‘Weather the Scourge’, the ‘Programmatic Interventional Approach’ MUST focus ‘Strategies-Resources’ to the ‘NINE Components’ of the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Determinant Nonad’:

1. IGNORANCE: For the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’, both ‘Patients’ and ‘Professionals’ MUST manifest some ‘Ignorance’ as the ‘Novel Scourge’ unearths ‘New Discoveries’ outside the ‘Normal Knowns’ and, therefore, equivalent to ‘Ignorance Gap’ [8]! Doctors are polite and skillful when not addressing ‘Patient Issues’ beyond their pre-existent ‘Knowledge’-‘Competence’ [9]!! ‘Ignorance’: ‘Lack of the Knowledge/ Awareness’ of the ‘Existence of Objects-Categories-Ideas’, and in this circumstance, concerning ‘New Concepts’ re: ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Information-Specifics’ [10]!!

2. EPISTEMIC GAP: While ‘Epistemology’ is ‘Study of Knowledge, its Methods, Scope and Validity’, the ‘Novel Pandemic’ brings in its wake ‘New Concepts’ evolving from ‘COVID-19 Research Output’ outpacing the ‘Capacity/ Ability’ of ‘Professionals’ to be consistently abreast with the ‘Rapidly Transmuting Pandemic Possibilities’ creating the ‘Epistemic Gap’ [8,11]!

3. HYPOCOGNITION: This ‘Knowledge State’ MUST be distinguished from ‘Ignorance’ that is a ‘Function of Knowledge and its Lack’! ‘Hypocognition’: ‘Inability to Grasp the Objects-Categories-Ideas’ and ‘No Words Exist’ to express the ‘Associated New Concepts’; A ‘Function of Culture and Experience’ [10]!! The ‘Tudor’s Ice Tale’-‘Island of Martinique’ is instructive in disposing ‘Hypocognition’!! Also, ‘Hypocognition’ among the ‘Hasidic Jews Community’ re: Peculiar predisposition to the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’/ failure of the Rabbis to communicate ‘Pandemic New Concepts’ appropriately to the Jews [10]!! This is ‘Unknown Unknowns’ and being ‘Unaware of What is not Known’!! ‘Hypocognition’: ‘Lack of Linguistic or Cognitive Representations for Object-Category-Idea’ and ‘No Words to Express the Associated Concepts’ [12]!!! For the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Fight’, ‘Hypocognition’ implies ‘Knowledge Gaps’ or ‘Blind Spots’ that compromise ‘Effective and Efficient’ deployment of ‘Pandemic Interventions’; We MUST be aware of what we do not know [12]!!! Not Knowing what we do not Know is not an Option for the ‘Pandemic’!!!

4. HYPERCOGNITION: The diametric opposite to ‘Hypocognition’ is ‘Hypercognition’: ‘Over-Application of Concepts to the Circumstances that they do not really Apply’ [10-12]! For example, for the ‘Same Patient’, different ‘Doctors with different Expertise-Specialism’ may possibly diagnose different ‘Clinical Conditions’ reflecting their peculiar ‘Expertise-Specialism’!! This should be anticipated and appropriately addressed in ‘Patient Care’ in the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Era’!!!

5. TRAINED INCAPACITY: ‘Experts are confined in Knowledge by their Expertise’ [10]! ‘Expertise Development’ may significantly limit the appreciation of other ‘Human Expertise Spheres’ relevant to their ‘Robust Holistic Functioning’; May also inadvertently court ‘Insularity’ possibly inimical to the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Fight’ [10]!! It is conjectured that the failure to completely comply with the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic-related Lockdowns’ is due to ‘Experts’ Recommendations’ not deeply considering the ‘Burden-Costs’ to the Citizenry!! Therefore, ‘Experts’ need much broader ‘Training’ to AVOID ‘Trained Incapacity’ [10]!!

6. NEW NORMALS: With the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’, the World is exposed to an increasingly ‘Enlarged Lexical Pandemic Quantum’ with the ‘Pandemic New Normals’ which now dominate ‘Topical Conversations’ [13,14]! They are occasioned by the ‘Pandemic Realities’ and seemingly attempt to address the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Hypocognitive State’ but do not satisfactorily obviate the effects of the extant ‘Hypocognition’ which MUST be systematically addressed!! The ‘New Normals Repertoire’ is daunting and legion [14]!

7. HUMILITY: For the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’, ‘Humility’ is a scarce but necessarily required ‘Attribute’ for both ‘Patients’ and ‘Professionals’ for the ‘Pandemic Realities’ to enable the ‘Professionals’-‘Pandemic Interventional Prescriptions’ and complementary ‘Patients’-‘Pandemic Interventions Compliance’! Without ‘Humility’, ‘Arrogance’ undergirds ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Denialism’ and birth of illimitable ‘Pandemic Difficulties/ Failures’!! ‘Humility’ is necessary for ‘Improved Spirituality’ which is part of ‘WHO Holistic Health’ and a Panacea for the ‘Composite COVID-19 Pandemic Fight’ [15,16]!!!

8. MULTIPARAMETER-BASED MEDICINE (MBM): The ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’ is a ‘Matter’ for ‘Science-Facts-Best Available Research Evidence (BARE)’ and the WHO recommends ‘Politics’ is ‘Quarantined’ in ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’! From the unfolding and evolving ‘Global Events and Pandemic Picture’, we need to go beyond ‘Evidence-based Medicine (EBM)’ and move to ‘Multiparameter-based Medicine (MBM)’ to seek and address ALL ‘Relevant Spheres of Influence’ in ‘Best Decision-making Process’ and ‘Optimal Patient Care’ in the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Era’ 17-20]!! This will insulate the EBM against ‘Politics’ in the desired impactful ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Interventions’ [21]!!

9. MEDICAL SOCIOECONOSOPHY (MSE): The ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’ has exposed several ‘Programmatic Interventional Determinants’ that MUST be identified and addressed in the ‘Pandemic Fight’: Ignorance Gap, Epistemic Gap, Hypocognition etc! The ‘Basic Medical Education Improvement (BMEI) Intervention’ with the ‘Medical Socioeconosophy (MSE)’ has been reported previously [22-25]!! With the MSE, the World will be guaranteed the ‘Formation and Production’ of ‘Medical Doctors’: Knowledgeable and skilled as ‘Fit-for-Purpose’ and ‘Work-in-Teams’-compliant for the ‘Pandemic Fight’!!!

With the ‘Pandemic Interventions Determinants’ exposed in the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Determinant Nonad’, it is imperative for the World to rekindle the ‘Medical Reformation Interventions’ with the ‘Twin Interventions’ of MSE and MBM! These ‘Determinants’, when appropriately addressed will assure and guarantee the desired ‘Pool’ of ‘Informed and Competent Doctors’ that will be capable of eclipsing the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic’-related Ignorance Gap, Epistemic Gap, Hypocognition, Trained Incapacity etc!!

This ‘Communication’ is a modest ‘Contribution’ to the enlarging extant ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Interventions Determinants Conversation’! The ‘COVID-19 Pandemic Determinant Nonad’ is proposed to guide seeking and addressing the ‘Determinants’ to assure a more productive ‘Pandemic Interventional Approach’ for ‘Winning’ the ‘War’ against the ‘Pandemic’ with the ‘Unseen Enemy’!!

REFERENCES
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Professor Charles Osayande Eregie,
MBBS, FWACP, FMCPaed, FRCPCH (UK), Cert. ORT (Oxford), MSc (Religious Education),
Professor of Child Health and Neonatology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.
Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.
UNICEF-Trained BFHI Master Trainer,
ICDC-Trained in Code Implementation,
*Technical Expert/ Consultant on the FMOH-UNICEF-NAFDAC Code Implementation Project in Nigeria.
*No Competing Interests.

Competing interests: No competing interests

07 July 2020
Charles Osayande Eregie
Medical doctor
Professor of Child Health and Neonatology, University of Benin and Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. Also, UNICEF-Trained BFHI Master Trainer and ICDC-Trained in Code Implementaion. Also a Technical Expert/ Consultant on FMOH-UNICEF-NAFDAC Project on Code Implementation in Nigeria
Institute of Child Health, College of Medical Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.