SingStrong - singing for better lung health in pulmonary fibrosis: A feasibility study

BACKGROUND PURPOSE: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a debilitating, incurable disease. Strategies to optimise health-related quality of life and minimise symptom impact are advocated. Available treatment options such as pulmonary rehabilitation have been severely disrupted due to COVID-19. This feasibility study explored the clinical efficacy and acceptability of an online singing and breathing retraining programme (SingStrong) for people with PF. METHODS: The weekly online programme conducted over 12 weeks was comprised of 45-minute classes of mindfulness, breathing retraining, vocal exercises and singing conducted by a trained vocal coach. People with PF were invited to participate and sessions were recorded for non-attenders. Demographic data were collected, and the St Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and Idiopathic PF Patient Reported Outcome measure (IPF-PROM) were administered. The questionnaire also invited participants to provide feedback on the utility, enjoyability and main pros/cons of the intervention. Participation in the research element of the programme was not required to attend the weekly classes. RESULTS: Of 24 participants recruited, data from 15 (mean (Standard Deviation) age of 66 (8.7);male: n = 8) who completed both pre and post-intervention questionnaires were analysed. Statistically significant improvements were recorded in the IPF-PROM (p = 0.019) and self-reported quality of life (p = 0.028). Class attendance by study participants and the broader PF group cumulatively, increased from 14 to 25 participants between weeks 1 and 12. Qualitatively, strong satisfaction with classes and improved efficacy in self-management of lung health, in particular breathlessness, were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Singing and breathing retraining interventions may endow biopsychosocial benefits for people with PF, in the presence of modest objective clinical gains. Singing programmes are popular and may provide helpful adjuncts to existing clinical strategies such as pulmonary rehabilitation. © 2022 - IOS Press. All rights reserved.

Adapting Multidevice Deployments During a Pandemic: Lessons Learned From Two Studies

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic brought into evidence some of the challenges of deploying and managing user studies out-of-the-lab. Satisfying new health guidelines required adapting to remote and contactless procedures, which in turn impacted recruitment, participant involvement, and technology delivery and configuration. Such challenges are endemic to many user studies. However, the emergence of the pandemic forced us to confront them head on in two distinct multidevice deployment studies. Changing research design, deployment strategies, and study management allowed us to reflect on some of the core challenges for all field related technological interventions and provided insight into how researchers might conduct more responsive, flexible, and robust studies outside the lab more broadly. Our reflections suggest simple but important ways that researchers can design flexibility, responsiveness, and empathy into all future user studies in- the-wild.

Seismic Monitoring during Crises at the NEIC in Support of the ANSS

Over the past two decades, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) has overcome many operational challenges. These range from minor disruptions, such as power outages, to significant operational changes, including system reconfiguration to handle unique earthquake sequences and the need to handle distributed work during a pandemic. Our ability to overcome crises is built on the development and implementation of a continuity of operations plan, well-designed infrastructure, adaptive software systems, experienced staff, and extensive collaboration. The NEIC does not operate in a vacuum but benefits from contributions of United States and international seismic networks. Similarly, the overall resilience of earthquake monitoring in the United States and around the globe benefits from the NEIC's role as the national center for the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS). Here, we highlight significant adaptations the NEIC has made in the face of crises. We discuss the COVID-19 pandemic, which represents the most significant operational crisis to impact the NEIC. The NEIC has maintained continuous operations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by shifting from a fully onsite operations center to a distributed hybrid of onsite and telework staffing. We then discuss cases in which the NEIC has supported regional monitoring in the face of significant crises. In 2018, the NEIC assisted the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory with the Kilauea volcano eruption by responding to large events, implementing contingency monitoring procedures, and calculating moment magnitudes for the low-frequency caldera collapses. Impacts of a crisis extend beyond the immediate response and often require a significant postevent assessment and a rebuilding phase. After the 2017 Hurricane Maria, the NEIC, the USGS National Strong-Motion Program, and the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory worked with the Puerto Rico Seismic Network and the Puerto Rico Strong-Motion program to assess, plan, and implement upgrades at sites that experienced storm damage.