Gamification as a strategy in collaborative learning against virtual education in times of pandemic

This research focuses on the use of gamification in collaborative learning, which means, implementing game-based activities in the virtual education of students from Educación General Básica. Gamification is a strategy that seeks to increase the motivation and creativity of students in academic environments, to obtain better results in their learning. Therefore, the objective of this research was to develop author resources based on gamification tools in the collaborative learning of students at Educación General Básica. Therefore, the type of research is experimental - analytical, since it allows to analyze the experiment applied in the study population through a pretest and posttest, the ADDIE model was used for the development of resources, which consists of creating experiences in the educational process to enhance skills in students. To determine the reliability of the instrument, Cronbach's alpha statistic was used with a value of 0.842. Furthermore, the tools used were Powtoon and Kahoot which are important resources for students to improve their knowledge in an innovative and creative way. The results of this research were optimal, the students give a positive response for the development of gamification tools within the classroom since those help them to learn an interactive and dynamic way. © 2022 IEEE.

Association of hypertension with all-cause mortalityamong hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Objective: It is unclear to which extent the higher mortality associated with hypertension in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is due to its increased prevalence among older patients or to speci fic mechanisms. The main objective of the study is to analyze whether HT represents an independent risk factor for death as a hard endpoint in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 in Spain Design and method: Cross-sectional, observational, retrospective multicenter study, analyzing 12226 patients who required hospital admission in 150 Spanish centers included in the nationwide SEMI-COVID-19 Network. We compared the clinical characteristics of survivors versus non-survivors Results: The mean age of the study population was 67.5 ± 16.1 years, 42.6% were women. Overall, 2630 (21.5%) subjects died. The most common comorbidity was hypertension (50.9%) followed by diabetes (19.1%), and atrial fibrillation (11.2%). Multivariate analysis showed that after adjusting for gender (males OR: 1.5, p = 0.0001), age tertiles (second and third tertiles, OR: 2.0 and 4.7, p = 0.0001), and Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (second and third tertiles OR: 4.7 and 8.1, p = 0.0001), hypertension was signi ficantly predictive of allcause mortality when this comorbidity was treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) (OR: 1.6, p = 0.002) or other than renin-angiotensinaldosterone blockers (OR: 1.3, p = 0.001) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) (OR: 1.2, p = 0.035) Conclusions: The preexisting condition of hypertension had an independent prognostic value for all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19 who required hospitalization. ARBs showed a lower risk of lethality in hypertensive patients than other antihypertensive drugs.

The value of telephone consultations during COVID-19 pandemic. An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Many Spanish hospitals converted scheduled in-person visits to telephone visits during the COVID-19 lockdown. There is scarce information about the performance of those visits. AIM: To compare telephone visits during the COVID-19 lockdown period with previous in-person visits. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study. METHODS: Telephone visits from 15 March to 31 May 2020 were compared with in-person visits during the same period in 2019. MAIN MEASURES: The proportions of both groups were compared in term of failure to contact patient, requested diagnostic tests/referrals, discharges, admissions and emergency visits within 30-60 days. A sample of patients, and all participating physicians completed surveys. Z-score test was used (statistical significance P<0.05). RESULTS: A total of 5602 telephone visits were conducted. In comparison to in-person visits, telephone visits showed higher rates of visit compliance (95.9% vs. 85.2%, P<0.001) and discharges (22.12% vs. 11.82%; P<0.001), and lower number of ancillary tests and referrals. During the 30- and 60-day periods following the telephone visit, a reduction of 52% and 47% in the combined number of emergency department visits and hospital admissions was observed compared to in-person visits (P<0.01). Of the 120 patients surveyed, 95% were satisfied/very satisfied with the telephone visits. Of the 26 physicians, 84.6% considered telephone visits were useful to prioritize patients. CONCLUSIONS: During health emergencies, previously scheduled outpatient in-person visits can be converted to telephone visits, reducing absenteeism, increasing the rate of discharges and reducing ancillary tests and referrals without increasing the rate of hospital admissions or emergency department visits.

Search for asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers during the pandemic: a Spanish experience.

BACKGROUND: Asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2 can be a vehicle for transmission of the infection. This fact is of particular importance in the case of healthcare workers (HCWs). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in HCWs in a medium size hospital in the South of Spain. METHODS: between April 15 and 25, 2020, naso and oropharyngeal PCR determination was performed together with IgG and IgM antibody determination by immunochromatography to the HCWs of the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella of the units involved in patient care with CoVID-19: Emergencies, Intensive Care and Anesthesia, Internal Medicine and Pneumology. Other units not directly involved in the care of these patients were offered to participate. On the day of sampling, a health questionnaire was answered, reporting symptoms on the same day and in the previous fourteen days. RESULTS: 498 HCWs were studied. Two individuals were detected with PCR for SARS-CoV-2 positive. Both were asymptomatic on the day of sampling, but one of them had had a CoVID-19 compatible picture in the previous two weeks and had positive IgG and IgM; therefore, only one subject was truly asymptomatic carrier (0.2%). 9 workers with positive IgG (1.8%) were detected. CONCLUSIONS: the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers among health workers of the services directly involved in the care of patients with CoVID-19 was very low in our center. This type of strategy can be one more tool in controlling the pandemic.