ABSTRACT
Background: After the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, public health restrictions were introduced to slow COVID-19 transmission and prevent health systems overload globally. Work-from-home requirements, online schooling, and social isolation measures required adaptations that may have exposed parents and children to family violence, including intimate partner violence and child abuse and neglect, especially in the early days of the pandemic. Thus, we sought to: (1) examine the occurrence of family violence; (2) identify factors associated with family violence; and (3) identify relevant recommendations, from COVID-19 literature published up to 1 year after the pandemic declaration. Methods: This review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021241622), employed rapid review methods, and extracted data from eligible papers in medical and health databases published between December 1, 2019 and March 11, 2021 in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Embase. Findings: 28 articles including 29 studies were included in the rapid review. While many studies of families/households revealed rises in family violence incidence, official justice, police, and emergency department records noted declines during the pandemic. Parental stress, burnout, mental distress (i.e. depression), difficulty managing COVID-19 measures, social isolation, and financial and occupational losses were related to increases in family violence. Health services should adopt approaches to prevent family violence, treat victims in the context of public health restrictions, and increase training for digital service usage by health and educational professionals. Interpretation: Globally, restrictions aimed to limit the spread of COVID-19 may have increased the risk factors and incidence of family violence in communities. Official records of family violence may be biased toward under-reporting in the context of pandemics and should be interpreted with caution. Funding: RESOLVE Alberta, Canada and the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP), Global Affairs Canada.
ABSTRACT
This workshop will provide health science librarians and information professionals at any level/context with an overview of the best practices in finding and identifying the best scientific evidence during novel public health emergencies. Attendees will be presented with an overview of a best practices statement developed by the Librarian Reserve Corps. Attendees will then apply the recommendations from the best practices statement in designing a plan to respond to real-life case study/information request during a public health emergency. A discussion period will follow on how to apply the best practices in other contexts, environments, and cultures. Attendees will also be invited to share their own experiences and best practices during the discussion session. Through hands-on learning and discussion, librarians and information professionals at any level/context will develop strategies to find and critically appraise the best evidence in any novel public health emergency situation. Introduction: To inform the design of a consumer health strategy for a provincial health library system, the library sought to understand patient challenges and barriers in accessing quality sources of health information. Description: Over a period of three months in the winter of 2020-2021, the library engaged in semi-structured interviews with relevant clinical and corporate stakeholders. Program leads were asked about their role in consumer health information provision and support, and where they saw gaps and opportunities within the organization. Answers were themed and analyzed, and an internal report was produced to guide next steps in developing a consumer health strategy. Outcomes: The environmental scan showed that there are clear challenges and barriers for patients in accessing quality health information. Barriers include the duration of interaction with a healthcare practitioner;the specificity of patient information needs;and the organizational emphasis on a single enterprise-wide patient information resource. More significant challenges include language;lack of health information literacy skills;and low digital literacy among certain populations. Discussion: The environmental scan results provided strong rationale for developing a cohesive consumer health strategy for the library. They highlighted valuable but disjointed resources and programs throughout the organization. A Consumer Health Framework was drafted to guide the library in setting achievable goals and leveraging existing supports. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was not possible to engage directly with patients for the initial scan, however consultation with patient advisory groups is now being planned to check and validate the library’s direction.