Medical College Of West Bengal Research Articles

Critical Thinking and Clinical Reasoning in Undergraduate Medical Course: A Mixed-Methods Study in a Medical College in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Critical thinking is considered as the essential set of skills for medical practice, particularly during emergencies. However, there is lack of conceptual clarity around it and it was not explicitly included in the undergraduate medical curriculum in India. The present study has been planned to assess the critical thinking disposition and clinical reasoning skills among medical undergraduate students in a medical college in West Bengal, India. The perceived definition and attributes of critical thinking in medical education will be explored and the contexts where application of critical thinking skills may be crucial for medical practice will be identified. The content validity index, test-retest agreement; internal consistency and construct validity of the Critical Thinking Disposition Assessment Questionnaire (CTDAQ) will be assessed through step-by-step procedure. CTDAQ and the case-based objective-type questions for the clinical reasoning skills will be applied to around 200 medical undergraduate students. Their perception and experience on critical thinking in medical education will be assessed with structured open-ended questions. In-depth interviews with medical teachers of the second and third phases of undergraduate medical curriculum will be conducted to assess their perception and experiences on critical thinking. The quantitative analysis will be conducted with MS excel and R software using the relevant packages. The qualitative data will be transcribed and translated in English, close to the participants’ verbatim. The thematic analysis will be conducted with inductive coding and memoing. The study will be conducted maintaining ethical standards for epidemiological studies. The present study, one of the first a few studies in India, will help to meet the conceptual gap in understanding the attributes of critical thinking, its association with clinical reasoning and the contexts of preferred application in medical practice.

A Cross-Sectional Study Examining the Behavioral Patterns and Attitudes of First - and Second-Year Medical College Students in West Bengal, India, Regarding Self-Medication

BACKGROUND
 Self-medication is a pervasive habit, and drug abuse is a severe problem. Since medical students are future doctors, they give it a unique significance. The study's objectives were to assess the practice, knowledge, and attitudes of first- and second-year medical students at a medical college in West Bengal, India, about self-medication.
 METHODS
 The study was conducted in Nilratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal. In 2021, medical students across the colleges of West Bengal conducted cross-sectional research using questionnaires. Upon being informed of the objectives and design of the study, first- and second-year MBBS students willingly agreed to participate.
 RESULTS
 In this study, 91.50% of medical students practiced self-medication. The common indication for self-medication was fever (89.2%) and headache (69.6%). Previous prescriptions for the same illness (68.87%) were the main source of information for self-medication. Common reasons for self-medication were urgency (53.33%) and quick relief (50%). Over-the-counter (88.14%) drugs were the most common sources of medications. The common preferred system of self-medication was allopathic (92.5%). The percentage of discontinuation (58.1%) of self-medication was more. The majority of them favoured oral (96.67%) media.
 CONCLUSIONS
 It was determined that more than half of the student population self-medicated for a wide range of ailments; the cause may be the increased public awareness of drugs brought on by the availability of information via books, the internet, and over-the-counter medications from pharmacists. Therefore, it is crucial to stop students from self-medicating to prevent the emergence of drug habits, resistance, and drug interactions.

Water sanitation and hygiene at households and its implications on diarrhoea among under-five children of slums at field practice area of a Peripheral Medical College of West Bengal.

Inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) may lead to an increase in water-borne diseases like diarrhoea. The objective of the study was to assess water, sanitation and hygiene in the urban slums of Patpur, Bankura and to determine the implications of WASH on the occurrence of diarrhoea among under-five (U-5) children. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted during January-March 2020 by interviewing persons involved in water collection from each of the 182 slum households of Patpur, by two-stage sampling using a pre-designed structured schedule and the core questions on drinking WASH for household surveys: 2018 update by UNICEF and WHO. For testing the association between categorical variables, a Chi-square test was done. Binary logistic regression and the Hosmer Lemeshow test were done to know the predictors of diarrhoea in U-5 children. A P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The proportion of diarrhoea among U-5 children was 0.34. Limited drinking WASH services were found in 3.30, 45.05 and 24.18% of households, respectively. Mobile objects users for handwashing were 14.05 times more prone to diarrhoea in U-5 children than those who had fixed handwashing facilities at their dwellings, yards or plots. Feeding children without handwashing had 5.70 times increased chances of diarrhoea among U-5 children than those who washed their hands before feeding. Handwashing facilities (fixed, mobile object or no facility) and handwashing with soap and water before feeding the child significantly affected the occurrence of diarrhoea among U-5 children.

Mental Health Disorders among Children and Associated Parental Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study in Pediatric OPD of Burdwan Medical College, West Bengal.

Identification of mental health disorders during childhood is crucial for healthy 'adult roles' in the society, so this study aimed to estimate the magnitude of 'any mental health disorder' and to find out its correlates among children attending the pediatric out-patient department (OPD) of a medical college in West Bengal and to estimate parental stress among their parents. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study done in the pediatric OPD of Burdwan Medical College, West Bengal, during July-December, 2021. The calculated size of 288 children aged between 4 and 12 years and attending with either of their parents was selected through systematic random sampling. One of their parents (preferably mother) was interviewed using a schedule, containing a pre-validated pediatric symptom checklist and parental stress scale. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Data were analyzed using SPSS-v23. The median age of the children was 7 years (5-8 y.). The majority of them were male (57.6%), lived in urban areas (59.0%), and lived in joint families (57.6%). One-fifth (20.5%) of the children were found to have any mental health disorder (AMHD). Living in an urban area (aOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1-5.7), belonging to a nuclear family (aOR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.7-8.1), and belonging to a family with social problems (aOR = 7.8, 95% CI: 2.3-27.2) were significant correlates of AMHD. Parental stress [median: 60 (55-63)] was found significantly higher (P < 0.001) among parents of children with AMHD as compared to the parents of others. The magnitude of AMHD was high in this study, indicating toward the necessity of implementing opportunistic screening and appropriate public health action.

Retrospective Study on Indication and Outcome of Emergency Exploratory Laparotomy in a Peripheral Medical College of West Bengal

Retrospective Study on Indication and Outcome of Emergency Exploratory Laparotomy in a Peripheral Medical College of West Bengal

Depression and its correlates among undergraduate students in a medical college of West Bengal: A cross-sectional study

Background: Depression among medical students is still a neglected public health problem in India. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to find out the prevalence of depression and its correlates among undergraduate medical students of a medical college of eastern India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 336 undergraduate students of a Medical College during October 2022–January 2023. A predesigned, pretested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire incorporating Beck’s depression inventory scale was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using the trial version of SPSS software version 20.0. Mean, standard deviation, proportion, or percentages were calculated. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistical significance as necessary. For all statistical purposes, P&lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of the total of 336 students, 205 were male and 131 were female. The mean (SD) age of the study participants was 21.04±1.75 years. More than one-third (39.3%) of the study participants were suffering from depression. Bivariate analysis showed that there was a significant association between depression with certain variables such as gender, quality of relationship with friends, major catastrophic events in the past 3 months, broken relationship, and not opting for MBBS by their own choice. Conclusion: Regular screening for depression, identification of contributory factors of depression and implementing appropriate measures, and follow-up of the affected students are vital. Analytical studies aimed at identifying the risk factors and the effects of depression on the undergraduate medical students are need of the hour.

Readiness of the Interns to work at rural area: a cross-sectional survey in a backward district of West Bengal

Background: The scarcity of qualified doctors in rural areas remains a critical challenge for the health sector in India Aim was to analyze the perception of medical students regarding upcoming compulsory rural posting for 1 year as a part of their rotatory internship Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a medical college of West Bengal among the interns during March 2019 to February 2020. By doing complete enumeration of the interns present at the end of their Community Medicine posting, the sample size became 125. Predesigned, semi structured questionnaire was used for data collection. At the end of community medicine posting, when the interns came to department for completion, the printed questionnaire were given to them for filled up by their own. Collected data were entered in MS excel spreadsheet and analyzed with the help of SPSS 22.0 version. Results: About 74% interns thought it was difficult to serve the rural areas however 52% felt it will enrich their professional skills and about 65% thought it would be beneficial to the rural community. Only 22.4% were in favour of rural posting during their internship and 46% thought paying bond money is a good way out. Lengthening of MBBS course, inadequate clinical exposure, poor connectivity, no job satisfaction, obstructed career growth, no quality of life, insecure working environment for women, excessive workload, inadequate monetary compensation were the major reasons identified by interns for noncompliance of compulsory rural service during internship. Conclusions: The policymakers and medical educators need to design newer strategies for the improvement of rural healthcare facility keeping in mind the perception of students regarding rural service in the present scenario.

An observational study to evaluate the outcome of patients admitted in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) using pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM-III) score in a tertiary care hospital of West Bengal

Background: Pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM III) score is used across the globe to predict the mortality of hospitalized children by an objective method based on 17 variables measured during first 24 h of admission in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Aims and Objectives: We have done this study to evaluate the cause, management and outcome of PICU admissions and also to find out the statistical significance of PRISM III score in predicting mortality. Materials and Methods: This observational prospective study was conducted for a period of 1 year in the PICU of a district Medical College of West Bengal among children 1–12 years age. They were divided into 4 groups according to the PRISM III scores of 1–10, 11–20, 21–30, and &gt;30 and outcome in all the groups were recorded and analyzed. Results: Respiratory (25%), neurological (20.1%), and infectious (17.3%) etiology were major cause of PICU admission. About 17.4% patients needed mechanical ventilation, 31.2% Continuous Positive Airway Pressure and 66% patients inotropic support. Out of 144 cases, 117 discharged and 27 expired. Percentage of death is 100%, 44.4%, 21.6%, and 4.6% among child with PRISM III score of &gt;30, 21–30, 11–21, and ≤10, respectively. Significant increase in mortality noted with increase in number of organ failures. Specificity and positive predictive value increases with higher PRISM III score and sensitivity and negative predictive value is more with low PRISM III score. Conclusion: PRISM III score can be used as a triage tool in limited resource settings for early initiation of intense management to high risk and salvageable cases.

A Study on Evaluating the Effectiveness of Pre- and Posttest Model of Learning Microbiology in a Tertiary Peripheral Medical College of West Bengal

Abstract Background and Aims: Traditional didactic lecture methods were previously dominant in medical education in India, where students tend to lose their concentration after 15–20 min of lectures. In the context of competency-based medical education, a teaching–learning method that includes pre- and posttests were hypothesized to have the potential to enhance the learning process and make difficult topics easier for students to understand. This method was implemented for phase 2 MBBS students at Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital in India. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the department of microbiology in October 2021, with 65 male and 33 female students who provided informed consent. All the students were allotted immunology topics and were asked to present seminars. The students were required to complete a pretest and posttest questionnaire covering key areas of immunology. The mean and standard deviation of the scores were calculated. Paired Student’s t-test was used to compare pre- and posttest scores, and P values were calculated using SPSS 20. A P &lt; 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The total number of correct responses on the posttest was significantly higher (P &lt; 0.05) than the number of responses on the pretest. Gender-specific posttest responses were also significant (for males, P &lt; 0.001; for females, P &lt; 0.001). Overall marks were improved on the posttest, and the mean scores among all the students showed significant improvement in their posttest scores compared to their pretest scores. Conclusions: Evaluating students using a pretest and posttest was found to be a practical and feasible tool for learning. The majority of students reported that this method of learning helped them engage in critical thinking and understand topics more systematically, which they believed would contribute to their success as competent Indian Medical Graduates.

A comparative study of knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication among medical and nursing students in a government medical college of Eastern India

Background: Self-medication is defined as use of medicines without a doctor’s prescription and is frequently practiced among students in medical and nursing colleges. The purpose of this study was to compare the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication between 2nd year medical and nursing students in a government medical college of West Bengal, India. Aims and Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among 2nd year medical students and nursing students and to compare their differences if any. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, and questionnaire based study conducted between two groups of students, medical, and nursing, who were interviewed with a prevalidated questionnaire. Demographic data and questions regarding knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication were included. Details and purpose of the study were explained to the students. The collected data were analyzed statistically and the comparison between the two groups was done. Results: A total of 260 students were interviewed, of whom 231 participants were selected involving 172 medical students and 59 nursing students. Although 89% of the students have practiced self-medication within the past 1 year, only 61% students agreed recommending self-treatment to others. Accordingly, there were significant differences among the two groups in terms of source of information, preference, frequency of practice, disadvantages, and drugs/drug groups taken for self-medication. Conclusion: Self-medication is a common form of health care with potential benefits and hazards. Our study suggests self-medication being employed more commonly by medical students than their nursing counterparts. Hence, it is very important to increase the awareness about the pros and cons of self-medication for both medical and nursing students to improve their knowledge, attitude, and practice and eventually to increase the awareness in the society.

A comparative study of knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacovigilance among medical and nursing students in a government medical college of Eastern India

Background: Pharmacovigilance (PV) is an important therapeutic discipline for assuring optimal pharmaceutical use and patient safety. The purpose of this study was to compare the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of PV between 2nd-year medical and nursing students in a government medical college of West Bengal, India. Aims and Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the KAP of PV among 2nd-year medical students and nursing students and to compare their differences if any. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational, and questionnaire-based study conducted between two groups of students, medical and nursing, who were interviewed with a prevalidated questionnaire. Demographic data and questions regarding KAP of PV were included in the study. Details and purpose of the study were explained to the students. The collected data were analyzed statistically and the comparison between the two groups was done. Results: A total of 260 students were interviewed, of whom 242 participants were selected involving 184 medical students and 58 nursing students. Our results showed both medical and nursing students had adequate knowledge and attitude about PV. However, there were significant differences among the two groups in terms of ease and know how about reporting adverse drug reactions (ADR). Conclusion: PV is an integral part of healthcare and patient safety. The knowledge required to guarantee the safe use of pharmaceuticals is therefore a requirement for all healthcare students to undergo a PV and ADR course as part of their curricula.

Self-medication practices with antibiotics among phase I MBBS students in a peripheral medical college of West Bengal

Background: Increased consumption of self-prescribed antibiotics may lead to resistance against them also causing rise in financial burden. Medical fraternity is in an advantageous position to use antibiotics of their choice. Aims and Objectives: The present study was conducted among medical undergraduates to estimate the prevalence and describe different attributes of self-medication among them. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among 188 undergraduate students of MBBS phase 1 using complete enumeration method with the help of a predesigned pretested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Results: About 76.76% students were practicing self-medication and majority took it due to convenience (77.46%) and to get rid of fever, cough, and runny nose on the basis of previous doctor’s prescription (65.49%) mostly from community pharmacists (69.01%). About 43.66% students changed the antibiotics, 47.18% changed dosage and only 34.5% completed the course, 28.2% students had adverse reactions, and 36.6% students did not opine self-medication as an acceptable practice. Conclusion: Self-medication with antibiotics is a quite prevalent practice among the medical undergraduates of phase 1. Further studies will be helpful to assess the change of behavior among them during the progression through MBBS later on.

Immunisation status of children aged 12 to 23 months: A cross-sectional study at the immunisation clinic of a Government Medical College in West Bengal

Abstract Background: Immunisation from the very beginning of life not only reduces morbidity and mortality from potentially infectious diseases, it also interrupts disease transmission in the community. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among children aged 12–23 months, who attended the immunisation clinic of a Medical College Hospital from 6th January to 10th February 2020. They were selected by purposive sampling. A pre-designed, pre-tested, structured questionnaire was applied to collect the relevant data from this group of children. Results: Among the 154 children who participated in the study, 43.5% of them belong to the age group of 16–19 months. 70.8% were found to be fully immunised. However, 28.6% were partially immunised children and only a single participant was found as non-immunised. The immunisation status of the study participants is significantly associated with their religion (P = 0.007) and the educational status of both the parents (P = 0.039, P = 0.04). Conclusions: Overall full immunisation coverage is satisfactory in comparison to National Family Health Survey 4 data (criterion) but not up to the national target. Increased frequency of campaigning and also catch-up immunisation programme should be taken to improve immunisation of those children who were partially immunised or not immunised at all.

The Differential Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Sexual Behavior of Eligible Couples in Urban and Rural India

Background: Intimacy during sexual contact with a person with symptomatic or asymptomatic COVID-19 disease carries the risk of its transmission. COVID-19 has been therefore found to adversely impact the sexual behavior in people in various countries. A discussion on sexual health is often tabooed in India, leading to less research evidence from India. Aim: We tried to study and compare the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the sexual behavior of urban- and rural-based eligible couples. Methods: Eligible couples were randomly selected from the urban and rural field practice area of a Medical College of West Bengal (India). They were interviewed using a data collection schedule for their sexual practices adopted during the pandemic. Urban vs rural sexual behavior was compared using chi-square test. Results: Majority didn’t report any change in sexual desire compared to prepandemic days. However, scope of sexual contact had significantly reduced among urbanites ( P = .036); fear of contracting COVID-19 during sexual intimacy was more among them as well ( P = .047). The rural respondents reported significantly higher desire for parenthood ( P = .018), though their contraceptive behavior was not significantly different from the urban counterparts. Many used means other than sexual intercourse for sexual gratification, which had remained similar to the prepandemic times. Conclusion: The sexual behavior of urban and rural participants was found to be significantly different on many fronts, probably due to better COVID-19 awareness among urban residents as well as other prevalent social stigma and restrictions that were less commonly encountered in rural participants.

Rapidly Fatal Silicosis Among Jewellery Workers Attending a District Medical College of West Bengal, India

Silicosis is a slowly progressive chronic occupational lung disease, developed after a prolong period of exposure to high concentration of silica dust. In this longitudinal study, we enrolled old and new silicosis patients (n=19; 8 jewellery polishers, 11 from other occupations) seen at our Pulmonary Medicine Department from June 2009 to December 2012 to document the course of illness as per their occupational exposure. Six of the eight jewellery polishing workers had developed silicosis within five years of exposure, while six of the 11 other workers with other occupational exposure had developed silicosis after exposure of 10 years or more. Mean duration of exposure was significantly less among jewellery polishing workers compared to other workers (3.4 +/- 1.7 versus 9.3 +/- 4.1; p=0.001). Mean duration of illness (months) (14.9 +/- 5.8 versus 28.5 +/- 16.5; p=0.040) were significantly less among the jewellery polishing workers compared to other workers. At the end of the study period, all eight jewellery polishing workers with silicosis had died while four of the 11 patients with other occupational exposure had died. Silicosis among jewellery polishing workers was found to be more severe and progressive compared to silicosis due to other occupational exposures, in our study.

A Clinico-Epidemiological Study among Burn Injury Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Eastern India

Background: Every year in India about 7 million people suffer from burn injury, which is a leading cause of not only mortality, but morbidity and disability among the burn patients, leading to emotional trauma and stigma. Objectives: The present study was conducted in a peripheral medical college of West Bengal to describe the epidemiology, clinical presentation, and outcome in burn patients and also to identify contributing factors influencing the outcome in burn patients. Methodology: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all consecutive burn patients admitted in Dept of surgery in 2018 were included. Data was collected regarding socio demographic profile, mechanism, type and degree of burn, total body surface area involved, time taken to reach health facility and outcome. Results: Out of 514 burn patients, majority were 20 to 60 years age group, females, Muslim in religion, from rural background, completed primary education, homemaker and having monthly income of the family below Rs 5000. Most of the burns were accidental, thermal in nature occurred at household level. About one third had burns involving dangerous areas of body. Average length of stay in hospital was 6.104 days with 20% case fatality and directly proportional with body surface area involved. Conclusion: Safety measures and building awareness can prevent burn injury at household level. Early initiation of treatment, infection control and following standard management protocol can avert mortality in tertiary setting. Rehabilitation and psychosocial care are urgently needed to combat disability. Keywords: Burn, Clinico-epidemiology, Length of stay, Outcome

A comparative study between glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient and normal term neonates with indirect hyperbilirubinemia in a rural tertiary care hospital of Eastern India

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an important cause of neonatal indirect hyperbilirubinemia or even kernicterus leading to long-term neurological sequelae specially in countries like India where G6PD deficiency is quite prevalent. Aims and Objectives: We have planned this study to know the prevalence of G6PD deficiency among cases of neonatal jaundice and also to evaluate the difference between G6PD deficient and normal neonates with indirect hyperbilirubinemia in terms of laboratory parameters and need of phototherapy or exchange transfusion. Materials and Methods: This observational and cross-sectional study was done for a period of 1 year in the SNCU and NICU of a district Medical College of West Bengal among 200 term neonates presented with indirect hyperbilirubinemia. Birth weight, sex, hemoglobin, G6PD level, serum bilirubin at admission, phototherapy duration, and need for exchange transfusion were recorded along with other necessary parameters. Results: We found G6PD deficiency in 24 neonates (12%) out of 200 cases of neonatal jaundice, 20 of whom were male. There is a statistically significant difference in hemoglobin and serum bilirubin level between two groups. Difference in early presentation of jaundice within 24–48 h (66.7% vs. 34.1%) and need of prolonged phototherapy 72–96 h (45.83% vs. 7.4%) between G6PD deficient and normal group were statistically significant. Difference in requirement of exchange transfusion is not statistically significant. Conclusion: Early screening for G6PD deficiency should be considered in every neonates of G6PD deficient endemic countries so that we can predict the natural course of the jaundice in those G6PD deficient neonate and prevent complication by early initiation of phototherapy or exchange transfusion.

The effect of mild dynamic exercise on the electromechanical systole of heart in non-athlete, healthy first year medical students of Bengal as a predictive biomarker of arrhythmia

Introduction and Aim: Measurement of Systolic Time Intervals (STIs) is a non-invasive and convenient way of assessing left ventricular electro-mechanical activity. In this study, we assessed effect of mild dynamic exercise on QT, QS2, QT/QS2 ratio, QS2-Index among healthy young first year students at a government medical college of West Bengal, India and compared the same among girls and boys. Materials and Methods: IX-TA-220 multichannel recorder was used to record Electrocardiogram, Phonocardiogram and Carotid pulse tracing among 180 subjects before and after 1 minute of mild exercise with Harvard's Step of 30 cm height with metronome rhythm of 120 beats per minute. Results were analyzed by Microsoft Excel and comparison of each parameter between boys and girls were done using SPSS software in two hemodynamic states. P-value &lt;0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: Post exercise mean QT and QS2 shortened and their ratio QT/QS2 increased. There was a statistically significant difference between pre-exercise and post-exercise mean QT, QT/QS2 ratio, QS2 index and significant differences were observed between mean values of the boys and girls. Conclusion: With hemodynamic changes as in exercise, due to sympathetic stimulation &amp; catecholamine release, both QT andQS2 should reduce as all the phases of systole shorten but if QT does not reduce in comparison to QS2 it may lead to arrhythmia in future. Hence QT/QS2 can be a useful pro-arrhythmic biomarker and may complement ECG and Echocardiography in borderline cases.

Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of the Autumn-winter Type of Scrub Typhus Cases in a Peripheral Medical College of West Bengal, India

Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of the Autumn-winter Type of Scrub Typhus Cases in a Peripheral Medical College of West Bengal, India

Clinical Profile and Short-Term Outcome of SARS-CoV-2-Infected Neonates from a Government Medical College in West Bengal, India.

IntroductionSevere acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a terrifying global pandemic. The presentations in neonates are varied with less case severity compared to adults.AimTo describe the clinical and laboratory features and outcomes of neonates admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the second surge of COVID-19 pandemic in a Government Medical College, West Bengal, India.Materials and MethodsIt is a hospital-based observational cross-sectional study conducted in the newborn unit of Burdwan Medical College and Hospital between 1 April 2021 and 31 July 2021 including all SARS-CoV-2 Real time RT-PCR (Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) positive neonates. The demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of all the neonates and their outcomes were documented and analysed.ResultsTwenty-two neonates were found to be SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive out of which 9 (40.9%) were found to be asymptomatic and 6 (27.27%) required neonatal intensive care unit admissions. Among the symptomatic neonates, most common presentations were respiratory distress (40.9%) and gastrointestinal manifestations (40.9%). Eight (36.36%) neonates required respiratory support. Three (13.6%) neonates had pneumonia of which one had right middle lobe collapse. Laboratory parameters were nonspecific except for the two (9%) cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in neonates. High-resolution computed tomography findings in two cases were suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced changes. Two (9%) neonates died of which one was likely due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.ConclusionNeonates with SARS-CoV-2 infection are mostly asymptomatic. However, clinicians must be vigilant as atypical presentations such as consolidation, collapse, meningitis or multisystem inflammatory syndrome may occur.