ABSTRACT
In their response to the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China, Chinese social workers were able to take their place on the international stage and share their experiences and knowledge with the rest of the world. Thus, we aim to examine the experiences of social workers during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China to promote public health. Based on a quasi-scoping review of articles on social work practice during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China, this reflective article elucidates how social workers contributed in different roles and focuses over three stages. Three suggestions are also made in terms of confronting the challenges arising in each stage: increase the independence and visibility of social work in the system, prioritise practice and flexibility over rigid procedures and increase professional collaborations and do away with disputes around the provision of community and public health social work services. Social workers contributed significantly to the promotion of public and community health during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Based on a quasi-scoping review of articles on social work practice during that outbreak, this reflective article elucidates how social workers contributed in three chronological stages. In the early stage (late January and February 2020), social workers provided community services offered as part of the governmental structure (moderate information and resource provision);in the middle stage (March 2020), social workers provided services to vulnerable groups alongside supporting the quarantine strategy;and in the late stage (April 2020 onwards), their services were focused on recuperation and recovery after the national lockdown was lifted. In the meanwhile, several issues for public and community health social work as a profession in terms of how it was able to support anti-COVID-19 practices became clear, including a lack of independence and stability, the need for better flexibility and greater ability to act pragmatically and lack of professional agreement. This article aims to enlighten the development of a (re)emerging field-public health and community health social work in China in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Due to the threat of COVID-19 pandemic, personal protection equipment (PPE) has raised lots of attentions to protect people from infection. This unprecedented virus can be spread through airborne, respiratory droplets and social contact. Although there are some devices and PPEs for people who are conscious and able to obey the social distance policy, to protect infants is still challenging. Baby is one of the vulnerable groups to the disease but there is no appropriate PPE when baby needs to be exposed to irresistible events like visiting a hospital, receiving vaccination or being accompanied by parents who come home from work). In this study, a concept of smart baby protective tent is developed. The simple hardware offers a quick assembly using PVC pipes, 3D-printed joints and a transparent cover sheet to create an independent and safe space from direct and indirect infection through breathing or saliva. With two additional parts, the smart baby protective tent can thereby provide clear air circulation and modern care. A fan system equipped with a clamp for a disposable medical-certified mask is applied to supply clean and circulated air for the babies. Functional sensors are attached to detect essential signals like body temperature, environment temperature, humidity, vibration, brightness, sound, CO2, and PM 2.5. These received signals are processed via a micro-controller and can be uploaded to personal social media in order to increase caregivers' awareness of the babies' situation inside the tent.