ABSTRACT
During the first months of 2020, the world was surprised by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational institutions were partially or fully closed. Social distancing and restrictive movement policies significantly disturbed traditional educational practices. In Mexico, Tecnologico de Monterrey faced one of the most sudden changes in its history, teaching all its courses 100% digitally. Its teachers had to search for alternative tools that would allow students to take practical classes, for example, laboratory, preserving the experience of being in a specialized laboratory even from home. This research evaluated two innovative tools designed and implemented for the Microbiology Laboratory subject. The first one is the Virtual BioLabs (VBL) application for using and managing specialized laboratory equipment. The second is Virtual Journey (VJ), a 360-degree interactive video to explain a foodborne bacterial infection [1]. We used qualitative and quantitative evaluation instruments to measure the impact of these tools during the pandemic. Results showed that the mean grade from pandemic groups using VBL was 93.5 vs. SS.5 obtained from those who did not use the app. Additionally, the grade average from pandemic groups before watching the VJ video was 63.5 vs. 93.5 after watching it. These results indicate that these strategies improved student performance, reflected in the increase in their averages. Finally, in the satisfaction survey, the students commented that using VBL and Virtual Journey made them feel more immersed in the laboratory, even at home. They enjoyed and liked both technical strategies. However, 93% of the students agreed that, although the virtual tools have excellent potential, their preference for face-To-face learning in practical laboratory subjects remains indisputable. © 2023 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The Pablo Arturo Suárez Hospital, located in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, became an exclusive care hospital for COVID-19 patients in March 2020. It was one of the first centers to immunize its staff with a single type of vaccine, that of Pfizer-BioNTech. A pharmacovigilance study was conducted on 1304 health workers from this center who were immunized between January and March 2021. The vaccinated had an average age of 38.7 years, and the female sex predominated (63%). 81 (6%) immunized reported adverse effects, and their mean age was 38.8 years;women (69%) predominated, similar to the total population. Three hundred five adverse effects related to vaccines were reported;of them, only 1 (0.3%) was severe and required hospitalization, and the rest (23%) were non-serious. The most reported effects were headache, malaise, and pain at the injection site. The results show a parallel with what has been said worldwide on the safety of vaccines against COVID-19 in general and Pfizer-BioNTech in particular. The relevance of our work lies in the fact that it is one of the first reports of the reactogenicity of this vaccine in a high-altitude city at the beginning of the pandemic, in a court of health personnel directly dedicated to the care of this type of patient. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
Description: A bibliographic review was conducted regarding the mental health impact on healthcare personnel resulting from hospital conditions, risk factors, and ethical/moral dilemmas caused by treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relevance: To prevent and detect mental health risks and damage in healthcare personnel by identifying the variables that increase the emotional burden from treating patients with COVID-19. Conclusions: Healthcare personnel can experience intense anxiety, uncertainty, loss of routines and traditions, stress, compassion fatigue, and moral distress, making them prone to the triggering of mental disorders, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even suicidal ideation. Detecting behavior that is indicative of mental health disorders is a priority for mitigating their effects and implementing high quality support strategies that promote posttraumatic growth. Once the pandemic subsides, short-term, medium-term, and long-term monitoring of healthcare personnel is recommendable to identify and adequately treat the moral suffering or the resulting mental disorders, helping them recover their previously natural confidence in treating their patients.