ABSTRACT
Background: Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce CKD risks. RWD may provide insight into early adopters of these agents and treatment trends for CKD due to Type 2 Diabetes (T2DKD). Method(s): Adults >=30 years old with >=2 eGFR tests, 90-365 days apart, classifying patients as CKD stages 2-4 were identified in the HealthVerity PrivateSource20 closed claims linked with Veradigm Health Insights EHR and Quest laboratory results data between 1/1/2018 and 09/30/2021. The first eGFR test date was the index date, patients were followed for initiation of SGLT2i and the provider type on the prescription claim was identified. Patients with AKI and SGLT2i prescriptions during baseline were excluded. Result(s): 5.1% of CKD patients (7094/137,874) Stages 2-4 initiated SGLT2i therapy and the number of CKD patients initiating treatment increased over the study period until 2020 (Fig 1). 94% of new SGLT2i use was among T2DKD. SGLT2i initiation was highest in Stage 2 and 3 (5.8%, 4.1%) followed by Stage 4 (1.5%). As disease severity worsened, the proportion of prescriptions initiated by nephrologists increased (0.7% Stage 2 vs.19.7% Stage 4). Four specialty groups comprised 79% of prescribers overall, with General Medicine (59%) and Endocrinologists (16%) being the early prescribers, while the proportion of Nephrologists and Cardiologists was low but slightly grew by 2021 (Fig 2). Conclusion(s): RWD indicates sparse initiation of SGLT2i in CKD patients, with increasing trends until 2020 which may, in part, be COVID-19 related. General Medicine and Endocrinologists were consistently the most common prescribing providers, while Nephrologist prescriptions increased over time and as stage advanced.
ABSTRACT
For universities, COVID-19 made traditional means of providing quality teaching and learning impossible. Nevertheless, students required delivery and assessment to progress or graduate on time. Subjects in Science and Engineering with practical components presented a particular challenge, and this paper assesses institutional means and the perspectives of both instructors and students to determine best practice in this context. By triangulating institutional data (from pre- and post-pandemic policy and module delivery data) with staff and student surveys, followed up by semi-structured interviews, this paper examines both macro and micro perspectives and highlights successful and less-than-successful strategies for skill-based subjects. Somewhat surprisingly, our data indicates higher initial satisfaction among students than teachers. Further, we provide institutional and individual suggestions to implement successful online teaching and learning under different delivery scenarios (e.g., simulation vs. actualisation, or the employment of virtual and augmented reality systems) while mitigating potential negative impacts on the experience. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
ABSTRACT
To provide a project-based learning experience during the COVID-19 outbreak, we mailed experimental kits to 285 undergraduate students and developed curriculum for a multi-player online robot simulation game. Students successfully achieved cognitive objectives and rated the remote learning experience comparably to the prior-year in-person implementation. However, there was a 10% decrease in self-reported motivation for the project and only 15% of students endorsed offering the course online in the future. Students most frequently felt that reduced quality of interaction was a key difficulty (43%) and seldom identified reduced hands-on experiences (7%) as a difficulty, a course aspect they identified as the most motivating. Preserving the known benefits of project-based learning for engineering retention will likely require improving remote collaboration strategies for hands-on activities. © 2020
ABSTRACT
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has placed a huge strain on higher education institutions and educators around the world, which has included the closure of campuses, removal of face-to-face instruction and a shift to remote teaching and learning. However, this situation has also created unique opportunities and conditions that can foster innovation in teaching and learning practices and content delivery. One such innovation gaining traction is Microlearning, which offers learning opportunities through small bursts of training materials that learners can comprehend in a short time, according to their preferred schedule and location. This paper explores the potential of Microlearning within design education and how it can be implemented into the Product Design & Manufacture programme at University of Nottingham Ningbo China to support teaching instruction and enhance the student learning experience post-COVID-19.