ABSTRACT
Worldwide, COVID-19 has had a substantial impact on patients and hospital systems. Early identification and diagnosis are essential for regulating the growth of COVID-19. The input CT screening images are initially segmented into various regions using the Fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering technique. Next, region-based image quality enhancement employs a histogram equalization method. Furthermore, certain necessary data is represented in a new image using the Local Directional Number technique. Lastly, the input images are portioned with the help of a traditional convolutional neural network model. The proposed convolutional neural network based system was able to give an accuracy of 98.60%, and the results revealed that methods for detecting COVID-19 impact from CT scan images must be developed significantly before considering it as a medical choice. Moreover, many diverse datasets are essential to assess the processes in a real-world setting. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Today's world of 21st-century business is said to be a VUCA (Volatility-Uncertainty-Complexity-Ambiguity) world. VUCA describes the fast pace of change in the business environment. It has largely been led by the disruption brought about by technology-led human resources departments within organisations to revise strategy approaches and methods to face these emerging challenges. Research studies show that more than two-thirds of the companies in the world belong to family businesses. In the family business, the owners and HR should see what is going on in the business environment and update the situation. As most family businesses have family members in key positions, the tricky issues faced by family businesses are mostly about handling family and non-family members and creating effective HR policies. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020 has disrupted their business in unexpected ways. This chapter explores different HR practices adopted by the family business and suggests effective HR practices and procedures to meet the multiple challenges in the family business. The chapter also analyses the strategies of HR practices followed by some top family business firms worldwide. The chapter is formed as a meta-synthesis. It provides more qualitative inputs related to recent challenges and effective HR practices adopted in the technologically competitive era and during the COVID-19 pandemic period. © 2022 World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
ABSTRACT
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and major populations are getting vaccinated, increasing realization processes healthcare industry needs to be augmented. It includes managing supply chains, healthcare records, and patient care. With a scarcity of time and resources, adaptation of blockchain technology will help mitigate the pressures on existing infrastructure. A blockchain distributed ledger helps to exchange health information securely without complex intermediation of trust with secure access. The organizations and persons in the blockchain network can verify and authorize the data, thus protecting patient identity, privacy, medical information system, and reducing transaction costs. The chapter examines managing and protecting electronic medical records and personal health records data using blockchain. It also analyses issues in healthcare, blockchain implementation, and its uses in the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors put forward the idea that even after the world is free of the Coronavirus, there will be pressures on the healthcare industry and Blockchain technology is the way to alleviate this pressure. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus are a family of viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses in human. Special features of Coronavirus is the 'crown like spikes' seen on the surface of the virus. Currently, the entire world are aware of the new strains of the coronavirus that was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 named COVID-19. COVID- 19 pandemic has disrupted the transfusion services in Malaysia in terms of blood collection and potential transfusion needs in total. The pandemic has also caused plausible impact on blood utilization in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang, which also the only collection centre in the State of Selangor. Aims: We quantified the impact of COVID-19 on blood utilization in year 2019 until the emerging of COVID-19 pandemic, stratified by most utilized blood products and enumerated blood utilization by different departments. We then specifically analysed the blood utilization in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Transfusion Medicine Department, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang from January 2019 to December 2021. Data on transfusion records from Quality Assurance database were collected, summarized and analysed. Overall blood utilization were computed on yearly basis, comparison of blood utilization among respective departments, different type of blood product utilized and overall trend of transfusion in COVID-19 patients were estimated. Results: For the past 3 years, a total of 82,056 units of blood product were utilized. 32,271 units in year 2019, 30,172 units in year 2020, and 19,613 units were used in year 2021. There was a significant reduction in blood utilization after the emerging of COVID-19 pandemic at about 6.50% in 2020 and 39.22% in 2021 compared to year 2019. The most utilized blood product during last 3 years were red cells ranging from 10,516-17,882 units, followed by random platelets 3376-6041 units, and fresh frozen plasma 3739-4662 units. However, there were no significant statistical impact of COVID-19 pandemic observed in utilization of different types of blood product. Average reduction in blood utilization in the year 2020 and 2021 compared to year 2019 in Emergency Department were (44.0%). We have observed a reduction in blood utilization for surgical-based departments, namely Orthopaedic Department (25.9%) and General Surgical Department (22.6%). During the early phase of pandemic in year 2020, the trend of COVID-19 cases was still on the rise and escalated in year 2021 and that was consistent with our findings for hospitalized COVID-19 patients as the red cells transfused in 2020 was only 908 units but in 2021 was 3120 units were transfused which comprised of 8.3% and 29.7% of total red cells utilization. Summary/Conclusions: Following notification of Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah as a State referral and COVID-19 Hybrid Hospital, there was an influx of COVID-19 patients and re-direction of other cases to nearby facilities. Declined blood utilization during COVID 19 pandemic was associated with postponements of elective surgical procedures, reduction in trauma cases due to Movement Control Order and judicious transfusion in COVID-19 patients. An ongoing effective pandemic response and efforts made by various departments had good impact in rationale use of blood products at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, Klang.
ABSTRACT
Climate finance is an alternative financing source in which private and public at domestic and global levels invest their funds to support mitigation of and adapt to present and upcoming climate change. It is an enormous challenge since it is incredibly susceptible to climate impact. The main challenge lies in identifying risks of climate change, appropriate response measures, and prioritizing them to control climate change. The paper aims to determine the perception of climate finance among the public while assessing India's current situation concerning climate change. A well-structured questionnaire was prepared, and data were collected from 253 respondents in Chennai city from December 2020 to February 2021 using a convenience sampling method. A chi-square tool was used to examine the association between the demographic profiles of the respondents and the respondents' perception of climate change-related activities. Type of family, age, and number of family members are significantly associated with most statements connected to the perception of climate finance. The majority of the respondents had insufficient knowledge about climate change policies. Forty-two per cent of the respondents believed that the investment made in climate finance is used effectively for sustainable development. It explores the present scenario of climate finance in India during the Covid 19 pandemic period. The study results will be helpful to the social investment companies, and the regulators frame suitable strategic policies. © 2022 by authors, all rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic and major populations are getting vaccinated, increasing realisation processes healthcare industry needs to be augmented. It includes managing supply chains, healthcare records, and patient care. With a scarcity of time and resources, adaptation of blockchain technology will help mitigate the pressures on existing infrastructure. A blockchain distributed ledger helps to exchange health information securely without complex intermediation of trust with secure access. The organisations and persons in the blockchain network can verify and authorise the data, thus protecting patient identity, privacy, medical information system, and reducing transaction costs. The paper examines managing and protecting electronic medical records and personal health records data using blockchain. It also analyses issues in healthcare, blockchain implementation, and its uses in the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic created a massive socio-economic panic in all sectors across the world. The agricultural sector is among the most important and crucial part of developing economics in the world. Therefore, the disruption in agriculture and food systems have significant impacts on the livelihood of a large section of people in the world. With this background, this paper performs an inclusive assessment of the effect of Covid-19 on agriculture and food systems in the major part of the impacted countries. A detailed review was made on reports, scientific publications, press releases, and organizational statements etc. This review addresses and highlights the direct impacts of Covid-19 on global food systems, market access for agricultural produce, food and nutritional security, global economy, labour availability and migration, agricultural input-output connectivity, initiatives to avert the crisis and importance of information technology (IT) system in agriculture. Further, this paper suggests mitigation and coping mechanisms that could be useful to improve and sustain the livelihoods of the people.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: During this COVID-19 lockdown period, telemedicine is widely being used by doctors for continuing clinical care of patients so that physical distancing can be maintained and the risk of contracting the virus can be avoided. Aim: To assess perception of doctors regarding quality of healthcare by telemedicine as compared to traditional face to face consultation and, to assess the opinion of doctors on whether telemedicine could be an option for future practice after lockdown period. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was conducted in which perception of doctors regarding their telemedicine usage for general practice during this lockdown period has been evaluated. The study was done during April to June 2020 among doctors working in a medical college attached to a tertiary care hospital in Chennai and using telemedicine for their practice during covid-19 lockdown period. After collection of responses, data obtained were entered in excel sheet and analysed using SPSS. v.23. Chi-square test was used to assess the association between different variables associated with perception regarding telemedicine usage for general practice. A p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Easy access to healthcare services can be done with telemedicine practice according to 73.7% of doctors. Nearly 60.6% of doctors like to continue telemedicine for their practice even after COVID lockdown period. Conclusion: Telemedicine has helped doctors for continuing patient care during COVID-19 pandemic, but the quality of care delivered by telemedicine consultation was not good as compared to the quality of traditional healthcare. Telemedicine could be an option for future practice of doctors if awareness regarding proper usage of telemedicine is created among patients and if guidelines regarding legal concerns in telemedicine are properly framed.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on the American healthcare system. Personal protective equipment (PPE) remains critical in keeping healthcare providers healthy and safe. The sudden increase in demand as well as the limited availability places increased risk on providers which may inhibit their ability to effectively manage patients. The purpose of this brief article is to review the recommended guidelines for PPE usage and compare them to how medical societies have adapted and responded to decreased supply, as well as public response.
La pandémie de COVID-19 a exercé une pression sans précédent sur le système de santé américain. Les équipements de protection individuelle (EPI) restent essentiels pour assurer la santé et la sécurité des prestataires de soins de santé. L'augmentation soudaine de la demande ainsi que la disponibilité limitée font courir un risque accru aux prestataires, ce qui peut entraver leur capacité à gérer efficacement les patients. L'objectif de ce bref article est de passer en revue les lignes directrices recommandées pour l'utilisation des EPI et de les comparer à la manière dont les sociétés médicales se sont adaptées et ont réagi à la diminution de l'offre, ainsi qu'à la réaction du public.