Medical clowns in Coronavirus wards: A Milestone in further integration into Israeli hospitals

Background During Covid-19, medical clowns disappeared from hospitals worldwide, ending their in-person visits. However, Israeli ‘Dream Doctors' continued in children's wards and gained entrance to the Coronavirus wards. Methods Using qualitative data from interviews and digital ethnography, the involvement of medical clowns in Coronavirus wards and their challenges were studied. Results Medical clowns integrated mandatory protective gear and adapted their art: altering outfits, body language and interactivity. Spreading laughter and joy improved wards' ambience by uplifting patients', families' and staff's mood. Staff joined the clowns and loosened up in front of them. Reported need for this interaction was great and the clowns' intervention was crucial, leading to a successful trial in general wards, funded by one hospital. Conclusions Additional working hours and direct payment increased medical clowning's integration in Israeli hospitals. Entering the general wards evolved from the clowns' involvement in the Coronavirus wards.

The Influence of the Health Belief Model on the Decision to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine: An International Survey Study of College Students.

To better prepare for a potential future pandemic, it is important to investigate factors that influenced responses to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the present study was to investigate factors that influenced the decision to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost everyone throughout the world. Vaccines are a significant factor in managing a pandemic. As vaccines are developed, governments develop vaccine roll-out plans. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancies can slow the implementation of any vaccine program. A question arises as to the factors that are associated with the decision to get vaccinated. The present study explored associations between vaccine hesitancy, and the Health Belief Model (HBM) in student samples from the Czech Republic, Israel, and the United States. From August, 2021 through December, 2021, an online survey was distributed in Czech, Hebrew, and English. A total of 447 participants completed the survey. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to ascertain the influence of perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers on the likelihood that participants are vaccinated. Results revealed that the factors of perceived severity and perceived benefits explained 52.6% (Nagelkerke R2) of the variance in vaccination. An analysis of Variance (ANOVA) found significant differences between countries for the 4 HBM factors. Based on these findings, it is recommended that policymakers put forth added emphasis on the severity of a virus and the benefits associated with the vaccine. Further, since there appears to be variability between countries in perceptions of the virus, and associated vaccine, governments should consider factors within their own environment when developing a strategy to combat a pandemic. More specifically, government could explore their own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as they develop a pandemic strategy. Additional practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Medical clowns in Coronavirus wards: A milestone in further integration into Israeli hospitals.

BACKGROUND: During Covid-19, medical clowns disappeared from hospitals worldwide, ending their in-person visits. However, Israeli 'Dream Doctors' continued in children's wards and gained entrance to the Coronavirus wards. METHODS: Using qualitative data from interviews and digital ethnography, the involvement of medical clowns in Coronavirus wards and their challenges were studied. RESULTS: Medical clowns integrated mandatory protective gear and adapted their art: altering outfits, body language and interactivity. Spreading laughter and joy improved wards' ambience by uplifting patients', families' and staff's mood. Staff joined the clowns and loosened up in front of them. Reported need for this interaction was great and the clowns' intervention was crucial, leading to a successful trial in general wards, funded by one hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Additional working hours and direct payment increased medical clowning's integration in Israeli hospitals. Entering the general wards evolved from the clowns' involvement in the Coronavirus wards.

Perceptions of Security and Civic Services among the Arab Minority Youth in Israel: Empirical Testing of Attraction and Repulsion Forces

A In this study, perceptions of security and civic services were measured among the Israeli-Arab minority youth. Three hundred participants completed a questionnaire assessing their propensity to enrol in security and civic services. Both types of national service were correlated with life satisfaction in Israel and three temporal attraction and repulsion factors that occurred in 2020–2021: the IDF assisting local municipalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, hostilities between Jews and Arabs in May 2021, and crime in Arab communities. A strong positive correlation was found between life satisfaction and willingness to engage in security and national service. The temporal factors did not mediate this correlation. Finally, the possibility of recruiting Arab minorities to security organizations is discussed. [ FROM AUTHOR]