ABSTRACT
Purpose of Study The COVID-19 pandemic required rapid, global healthcare shifts to prioritize urgent or pandemic-related care and minimize transmission. Little is known about impacts on pediatric orthopedic surgeons during this time. We aimed to investigate COVID-19 related changes in practice, training, and research among pediatric orthopedic surgeons globally. Methods Used An online, cross-sectional survey was administered to orthopedic surgeons with interest in pediatrics in April 2020. The survey captured demographics and selfreported experiences during the pandemic. Surgeons were recruited through web media and email lists of orthopaedic societies over 2 months. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze results. Summary of Results We received 460 responses from 45 countries. 358 (78.5%) respondents reported lockdown measures in their region at time of survey. Most (n=337, 94.4%) reported pausing all elective procedures. Surgeons reported reduction in average number of surgeries per week, from 6.89 (SD=4.61) pre-pandemic to 1.25 (SD=2.26) at time of survey (mean difference= 5.64;95% CI=5.19, 6.10). Average number of elective outpatient appointments per week decreased from 67.89 (SD=45.78) pre-pandemic to 11.79 (SD=15.83) at time of survey (mean difference=56.10, 95% CI: 5.61, 60.58). 177 (39.4%) surgeons reported using virtual modes of outpatient appointments for the first time. Of 290 surgeons with trainees, 223 (84.5%) reported systems to continue training. Of 192 surgeons with research, 149 (82.8%) reported continuing research activities during pandemic. Most reported cessation (n=75, 64.1%) or reduction (n=40, 34.1%) in patient recruitment at time of survey. Conclusions We found significant impacts on pediatric orthopaedic practice with uptake of technology to provide care continuity. Understanding global impacts can inform sustainable practices to provide continuity in future disruptions. We will pursue follow-up surveys to assess longitudinal impacts on surgeons. Epidemiological studies are needed to assess impacts of delayed and virtual care on patient outcomes.
ABSTRACT
The mental health risks of the COVID-19 pandemic are magnified for medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses. To track conversational markers of psychological distress and coping strategies, we analyzed 67.25 million words written by self-identified healthcare workers (N = 5,409;60.5% nurses, 39.5% physicians) on Reddit beginning in June 2019. Dictionary-based measures revealed increasing emotionality (including more positive and negative emotion and more swearing), social withdrawal (less affiliation and empathy, more "they" pronouns), and self-distancing (fewer "I" pronouns) over time. Several effects were strongest for conversations that were least health-focused and self-relevant, suggesting that long-term changes in social and emotional behavior are general and not limited to personal or work-related experiences. Understanding protective and risky coping strategies used by healthcare workers during the pandemic is fundamental for maintaining mental health among front-line workers during periods of chronic stress, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Association for Computational Linguistics.
ABSTRACT
The Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department at Midsized Northeastern University was awarded The National Science Foundation's Revolutionizing Engineering and computer science Departments (RED) grant in 2016 with the hopes of allowing engineering programs to improve the inclusion of minorities over the course of five years. The CEE Department used this opportunity to create a research group called Revolutionizing Engineering Diversity (RevED) that focuses on all underrepresented and underserved groups. The researchers used the grant to help change admissions as well as incorporate inclusive pedagogical practices. Currently, RevED is in the fifth year of the grant and has since spread out to utilize the Engineering Education Department and the Faculty Development Center to help broaden the impact of the grant to other students outside of the CEE Department. The RevED researchers were successful in helping develop a certification program for faculty and staff members to participate in. While there have been positive developments, the research group had to look at the effects of COVID-19 on the lives of students. RevED has utilized data regarding the impacts of the pandemic and will be looking to further develop insight on student experiences. While the poster will feature information on the changing student demographics and student perception of the climate of diversity, the impact of the pandemic will also be shown to see how students are affected and how to better address the needs of underrepresented and underserved students. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
ABSTRACT
Many countries are deploying Covid-19 contact tracing apps that use Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) to detect proximity within 2m for 15 minutes. However, Bluetooth LE is an unproven technology for this application, raising concerns about the efficacy of these apps. Indeed, measurements indicate that the Bluetooth LE received signal strength can be strongly affected by factors including (i) the model of handset used, (ii) the relative orientation of handsets, (iii) absorption by human bodies, bags etc. and (iv) radio wave reflection from walls, floors, furniture. The impact on received signal strength is comparable with that caused by moving 2m, and so has the potential to seriously affect the reliability of proximity detection. These effects are due the physics of radio propagation and suggest that the development of accurate methods for proximity detection based on Bluetooth LE received signal strength is likely to be challenging. We call for action in three areas. Firstly, measurements are needed that allow the added value of deployed apps within the overall contact tracing system to be evaluated, e.g. data on how many of the people notified by the app would not have been found by manual contact tracing and what fraction of people notified by an app actually test positive for Covid-19. Secondly, the 2m/15 minute proximity limit is only a rough guideline. The real requirement is to use handset sensing to evaluate infection risk and this requires a campaign to collect measurements of both handset sensor data and infection outcomes. Thirdly, a concerted effort is needed to collect controlled Bluetooth LE measurements in a wide range of real-world environments, the data reported here being only a first step in that direction.