ABSTRACT
Objectives: To describe the opinions regarding vaccination of parents of infants aged 0-7 years in Barcelona with different profiles of vaccine hesitancy;to describe the elements contributing to hesitancy;and to explore suggestions for improvement. Material(s) and Method(s): Qualitative exploratory-descriptive and phenomenological study. Thirteen semi-structured individual interviews were carried out with parents of infants with vaccine hesitancy (12 mothers and one father). A thematic content analysis was performed. Data quality was ensured through triangulation strategies. Result(s): Among the elements contributing to vaccine hesitancy, the participants highlighted the scarce information on vaccines provided by the health system, the variability in the treatment received at the consultation and their need to make informed decisions. Insufficient information contributes to their perception that the vaccination schedule is excessive, premature and rigid, and to the low risk perception of some diseases. Although they report trust in health services, many complement it with private or non-biomedical services. Mothers considered that the COVID-19 pandemic had little influence on their hesitancy. Conclusion(s): The hesitancy identified among the informants is attributed to the lack of information provided by the health services, the communication and treatment received at the consultation and unresolved doubts regarding the vaccination schedule. It is recommended to increase the skills of the professional teams to improve communication with parents of infants and to increase the quality of the information provided by the National Health System.Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
Objectives: To describe the opinions regarding vaccination of parents of infants aged 0-7 years in Barcelona with different profiles of vaccine hesitancy;to describe the elements contributing to hesitancy;and to explore suggestions for improvement. Material(s) and Method(s): Qualitative exploratory-descriptive and phenomenological study. Thirteen semi-structured individual interviews were carried out with parents of infants with vaccine hesitancy (12 mothers and one father). A thematic content analysis was performed. Data quality was ensured through triangulation strategies. Result(s): Among the elements contributing to vaccine hesitancy, the participants highlighted the scarce information on vaccines provided by the health system, the variability in the treatment received at the consultation and their need to make informed decisions. Insufficient information contributes to their perception that the vaccination schedule is excessive, premature and rigid, and to the low risk perception of some diseases. Although they report trust in health services, many complement it with private or non-biomedical services. Mothers considered that the COVID-19 pandemic had little influence on their hesitancy. Conclusion(s): The hesitancy identified among the informants is attributed to the lack of information provided by the health services, the communication and treatment received at the consultation and unresolved doubts regarding the vaccination schedule. It is recommended to increase the skills of the professional teams to improve communication with parents of infants and to increase the quality of the information provided by the National Health System. Copyright © 2022
ABSTRACT
Despite the remarkable reduction of carbon emissions due to COVID-19 pandemic during 2020, a reckless energy demand has compromised the 2050 agenda. In this scenario, reversible Solid Oxide Cells (rSOCs) could play a key-role due to their high fuel flexibility and versatility but there is still room for electrode stability and performance improvement. Lately, double perovskite materials have been widely studied due to their extraordinary fast oxygen diffusion rates and high conductivity mainly related to their layered ordering structure. In this work, the authors present the synthesis route and the electrochemical char-acterization of the A-site layered double perovskite structure SmBa1-xCaxCo2O5,delta in which calcium co -doping demonstrates a remarkable effect in the oxygen electrode activity. The best calcium doping corre-sponding to SmBa0.8Ca0.2Co2O5,delta displays a Rp reduction from 0.082 for the undoped material to 0.019 ohm middotcm2 at 700 degrees C. Moreover, under anodic and cathodic operating conditions the electrocatalytic ac-tivity was further increased to 0.007 and 0.006 ohm middotcm2 at eta = +/- 0.3 V, respectively. This behaviour de-monstrates the suitability of the material to work as reversible oxygen electrode. Finally, the electrode material was subjected to a switching current aging test for over 100 h to prove the electrode stability under operating conditions.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Ambient air quality, pollution and its implication on health is a topic of enormous importance that is normally dealt with by major specialists in their particular areas of interest. In general, it is not discussed from multidisciplinary approaches or with a language that can reach everyone. For this reason, the Health Sciences Foundation, from its prevention area, has formulated a series of questions to people with very varied competences in the area of ambient air quality in order to obtain a global panorama of the problem and its elements of measurement and control. The answers have been produced by specialists in each subject and have been subjected to a general discussion that has allowed conclusions to be reached on each point. The subject was divided into three main blocks: external ambient air, internal ambient air, mainly in the workplace, and hospital ambient air and the consequences of its poor control. Along with the definitions of each area and the indicators of good and bad quality, some necessary solutions have been pointed out. We have tried to know the current legislation on this problem and the competences of the different administrations on it. Despite its enormous importance, ambient air quality and health is not usually a topic of frequent presence in the general media and we have asked about the causes of this. Finally, the paper addresses a series of reflections from the perspective of ethics and very particularly in the light of the events that the present pandemic raises. This work aims to provide objective data and opinions that will enable non-specialists in the field to gain a better understanding of this worrying reality.
Subject(s)
Air Pollutants , Air Pollution , Air Pollutants/analysis , Air Pollution/analysis , Air Pollution/prevention & control , Causality , Environmental Exposure/analysis , Humans , PandemicsABSTRACT
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the most common adverse outcomes due to delivery of medical care. HAIs increase morbidity and mortality, prolong hospital stay, and are associated with additional healthcare costs. Contaminated surfaces, particularly those that are touched frequently, act as reservoirs for pathogens and contribute towards pathogen transmission. Therefore, healthcare hygiene requires a comprehensive approach whereby different strategies may be implemented together, next to targeted, risk-based approaches, in order to reduce the risk of HAIs for patients. This approach includes hand hygiene in conjunction with environmental cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and clinical equipment. This review focuses on routine environmental cleaning and disinfection including areas with a moderate risk of contamination, such as general wards. As scientific evidence has not yet resulted in universally accepted guidelines nor led to universally accepted practical recommendations pertaining to surface cleaning and disinfection, this review provides expert guidance for healthcare workers in their daily practice. It also covers outbreak situations and suggests practical guidance for clinically relevant pathogens. Key elements of environmental cleaning and disinfection, including a fundamental clinical risk assessment, choice of appropriate disinfectants and cleaning equipment, definitions for standardized cleaning processes and the relevance of structured training, are reviewed in detail with a focus on practical topics and implementation.