ABSTRACT
Video consultation (VC) use as a method of patient-healthcare interaction has expanded significantly across the National Health Service since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging evidence suggests that VC used as an alternative to face-to-face (F2F) consultations offers several advantages such as safety of interaction and convenience (Johns G, Khalil S, Ogonovsky M et al. Taming the chaos: NHS professionals' perspective of using video consulting during COVID-19 in Wales. BMJ Open Qual 2021;10: e001318). A pilot programme of VC use in a dermatology department began in March 2021 using the Attend Anywhere electronic platform. The aim was to explore patient satisfaction of VC within the dermatology outpatient clinic setting for preselected inflammatory skin disorders in a teaching hospital. Data were collected prospectively for a period of 8 months. An automated questionnaire appeared at the end of the VC, prompting patients to provide feedback. The completed forms were collected and analysed by Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Cymru, a national service sponsored by the Welsh Government. Following communication with the research and evaluation lead, the data were shared with the authors. The questionnaire collected information on the type of appointment patients were attending, demographics, VC quality, whether patients had used VC before and/or would use it again in the future, if they had experienced any difficulties, and finally if they found the consultation beneficial. A total of 83 VCs were carried out and 48 patients completed the questionnaire (58% response rate). Participants were 72% female and ages ranged from 13-17 to > 80 years, with only 8.5% being > 65 years old. The majority of participants (72%) ranked the VC quality as excellent and in 69% of cases patients felt that it negated the need for a F2F consultation. All participants would use VC again, with only 8% preferring a F2F consultation. The vast majority of participants reported no technological issues, with audio being the highest ranked challenge of the VC (22%). Overall, the 'patient benefit' questions showed the majority of participants found VC advantageous vs. a F2F consultation and this included saving time overall (69%), in particular with travel and parking (84%), taking time off work (66%), improving access to care (69%), reducing the risk of infection (71%), reducing anxiety (60%) and improving family involvement during the consultation (55%). This study was limited by a small sample size and the questionnaire being designed for all healthcare settings and not specifically for dermatology. However, the results show a clear message of overall patient satisfaction when using VC with only limited technological challenges. VC is an innovative method of patient-healthcare interaction that if used in the correct setting can provide a preferable choice for communication between selected patients and dermatology staff.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Grounded in dynamic capability view, this research develops a decision support model, which enables determining consistent and sufficient configurations of resilience strategies to mitigate vaccine operations and distributions (O&D) challenges and thus improve O&D performance (i.e. O&DP). Design/methodology/approach: Through qualitative in-depth interviews, the authors first identified challenges and resilience strategies related to vaccine O&D. Next, using the quality function deployment technique, three quantitative case studies were performed to determine the most important challenges and resilience strategies. Finally, utilising fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, the authors determine sufficient conditions of challenges and strategies leading to improve vaccine O&DP. Findings: The findings reveal that strategies alone are not effective instead a combination of strategies and nullification of challenges is needed to enhance vaccine O&DP. Further, the findings revealed that not only the presence of challenges, but also the lack of strategies reduces the vaccine O&DP. Practical implications: The authors' findings will assist the health service decision-makers for strategizing an effective and efficient vaccination program by selecting the right combination of challenges and resilience strategies. Originality/value: The authors' study develops a novel decision support model and offers significant learning for the future vaccine O&DP. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
PurposeFake news on social media about COVID-19 pandemic and its associated issues (e.g. lockdown) caused public panic that lead to supply chain (SC) disruptions, which eventually affect firm performance. The purpose of this study is to understand how social media fake news effects firm performance, and how to mitigate such effects.Design/methodology/approachGrounded on dynamic capability view (DCV), this study suggests that social media fake news effects firm performance via SC disruption (SCD) and SC resilience (SCR). Moreover, the relation between SCD and SCR is contingent upon SC learning (SCL) - a moderated mediation effect. To validate this complex model, the authors suggest effectiveness of using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Using an online survey, the results support the authors' hypotheses.FindingsThe results suggest that social media fake news does not affect firm performance directly. However, the authors' serial mediation test confirms that SCD and SCR sequentially mediate the relationship between social media fake news and firm performance. In addition, a moderated serial mediation test confirms that a higher level of SCL strengthens the SCD-SCR relationship.Research limitations/implicationsThis work offers a new theoretical and managerial perspective to understand the effect of fake news on firm performance, in the context of crises, e.g. COVID-19. In addition, this study offers the advancement of PLS as more robust for real-world applications and more advantageous when models are complex.Originality/valuePrior studies in the SC and marketing domain suggest different effects of social media fake news on consumer behavior (e.g. panic buying) and SCD, respectively. This current study is a unique effort that investigates the ultimate effect of fake news on firm performance with complex causal relationships via SCD, SCR and SCL.
ABSTRACT
Online animal transaction has become a popular growing technique in the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Bangladesh. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the function of physical, socio-religious, and marketing challenges that accelerated online animal selling in the pandemic situation. Using stratified random sampling in randomized block design, a response to a survey questionnaire has been collected from 200 respondents in Chattogram, Bangladesh via E-mail to know their opinion. The Structure Equation Model (SEM) shows that the Personal challenge factor, Market challenge factor, and Price challenge factor have a significant effect on the performance of online satisfaction animal transactions in the COVID-19 situation. But Social–Religious challenge factor has no significant effect on the performance of online satisfaction animal transactions. It is further observed that the online selling experience group shows high satisfaction than the online buying experience group. There is no significant difference in the performance of online satisfaction for all types of online animal transactions. It is also observed that the online bKash/Rocket/Nagad payment methods have significantly higher satisfaction of performance than cash on delivery and online banking payment method for the animal transaction. The Performance of the online satisfaction factor has a positive significant effect on creating online opportunities in the COVID-19 situation. The result will be used to develop the planning and utilization strategy for smooth and high-quality online animal transactions for ensuring sound health in the future © 2022. Shahnur Azad Chowdhury, Shahabuddin, Mohammad Shyfur Rahman Chowdhury, Mohammad Nazmul Hoq, Mustafa Manir Chowdhury, Shahidul Islam and Farah Israt Tania. This open-access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license
ABSTRACT
Healthcare workers (HCWs) need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies from China report high rates of irritant dermatitis in frontline HCWs (Pei S, Xue Y, Zhao S et al. Occupational skin conditions on the front line: a survey among 484 Chinese healthcare professionals caring for Covid-19 patients. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2020;Epub ahead of print). The British Society of Cutaneous Allergy conducted an audit of occupational dermatoses in HCWs. Eleven centres in the U.K. and Ireland organized occupational skin disease clinics to treat PPE-related dermatoses. A standardized proforma was completed, which included information about site, dermatological history, occupation, working environment, shift pattern, sick leave, PPE and handwashing practices. Diagnosis and treatment were advised during a virtual consultation. Each participating unit entered anonymized audit data into a spreadsheet. Data from 200 HCWs were collected in May and June 2020. Forty-three per cent (n = 86) worked in England;30.5% (n = 61) in Scotland, 13.5% (n = 27) in Ireland and 13.0% (n = 26) in Wales. Median age was 36 years. Ninety per cent (n = 180) were female;67.0% (n = 134) had nursing roles. The face was affected in 46.5% (n = 93) and hands in 46.0% (n = 92). In 94.0% of cases (n = 188) the clinical findings were felt to be occupational or partially occupational, with the most common diagnosis being irritant contact dermatitis: 59.0% of patients (n = 118). Seventeen per cent (n = 35) had required time off work (292.5 days in total;range 0.5-28). The mean number of hours of PPE wear per shift was 6.9 [median 7.5, interquartile range (IQR) 4-10]. Those who wore PPE for longer periods had more time off;each hour of wearing PPE during a shift increased the time off by 0.2 days [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.002-0.344;P = 0.048]. The mean number of handwashes with soap per day was 22.7 (median 20, IQR 10-30). Each handwash increased the expected number of days off by 0.03 (95% CI -0.013 to 0.069;P = 0.174). The mean number of uses of alcohol gel per day was 19.2 (median 10, IQR 5-30). There was an inverse association with use of alcohol gel and time off;each use of alcohol gel per day reduced the expected number of days off by 0.03 (95% CI 0.002-0.066;P = 0.04). These data indicate that the duration of wearing PPE, frequency of handwashing and use of alcohol gel have a significant effect on the time off work for HCWs.