Practices and Outcomes of Promoting the Competencies of Psychological Assistance Professionals in Defeating the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The competencies of clinical or counseling psychologists influenced the effectiveness and qualities of the psychological assistance provided after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following practices were performed by the Clinical Psychology Registration Work Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society in promoting the competencies of the professionals: (1) Developed and introduced guidelines for psychological assistance provided via hotlines or the Internet. (2) Provided specific trainings based on the competency model constructed by knowledge, skills, and attitudes. These training programs included the psychological first aid under the major public health emergencies, crisis intervention, special methods and approaches for hotline and online services, related ethical guidelines, etc. (3) Emphasized on the supervision for the professionals worked front line. The professionals practiced effectively in dealing with suicide crisis, helping people who lost their loved one, and the adjustment to life during the quarantine. The practical experience showed that the working mechanism of issuing practical guidelines, providing specific training and supervision can effectively improve the competencies of the professionals and play an important role in the psychological assistance defeating the pandemic in China.

A Study on the Competence Characteristics of Psychological Hotline Counselors During the Outbreak of COVID-19.

Introduction: After the outbreak of COVID-19, psychological hotlines functioned as a main channel of psychological assistance and required a large number of professionals to provide services. These hotlines mostly offered a single-use service with short session times and allowed callers to retain anonymity. They functioned as a psychological counseling service for stress experienced in the COVID-19 public health emergency. Hotline psychological counselors must meet special competency requirements. The selection and evaluation tools for recruiting hotline counselors need to be developed. Materials and Methods: The initial scale of competence for psychological hotline counselors was formed by expert evaluation based on theoretical constructs and by using the Delphi method. A link to the questionnaire was sent to a WeChat group of counselors from 36 major psychological hotlines in China in two stages. The questionnaire consisted of questions to elicit basic demographic information and the initial competence scale. In the first phase, 343 valid samples were used to perform exploratory factor analysis. In the second phase, 334 valid samples were used to perform confirmatory factor analysis. The status of the competence of psychological hotline counselors was also analyzed. Results: The factor structure of the Psychological Hotline Counselor Competence Scale was verified and defined in terms of skills, attitude, and knowledge. The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the scale has good reliability and validity (χ2/df = 1.758, GFI = 0.86, RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.96, NFI = 0.91, NNFI = 0.95). The McDonald's omega for each factor was calculated (ωF 1 = 0.927, 95%CI [0.914, 0.940]; ωF 2 = 0.958, 95%CI [0.951, 0.965]; ωF 3 = 0.954, 95%CI [0.945, 0.961]). Meanwhile, it was found that the psychological hotline counselors' self-assessed competence had a high average score (n = 334). Conclusion: The Competence Scale for Psychological Hotline Counselors for Major Public Emergencies developed in this study has good reliability and validity, and can be a reliable tool for organizing psychological assistance and screening hotline psychological counselors during public emergencies in the future.

Highlights from Studies in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Presented at the Digital 2020 European Society of Cardiology Congress: Prevention Is Alive and Well.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review highlights selected studies related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention that were presented at the 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress-The Digital Experience. RECENT FINDINGS: The studies reviewed include clinical trials on novel RNA interference-based lipid-lowering therapies AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx and vupanorsen (AKCEA-ANGPTL3-LRx); the EVAPORATE trial assessing the effects of icosapent ethyl on coronary plaque volume progression; the LoDoCo2 trial evaluating the efficacy of low-dose colchicine in cardiovascular disease risk reduction among patients with chronic coronary artery disease; as well as the EMPEROR-Reduced trial evaluating cardiovascular and renal outcomes with empagliflozin in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. In addition, we review the BPLTTC analysis on blood pressure treatment across blood pressure levels and CVD status and discuss findings from the BRACE CORONA study that examined continuing versus suspending angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blockers in patients on these antihypertensive medications who were hospitalized with COVID-19 infection. The studies presented at the 2020 digital ESC Congress highlight the continuing advancements in the field of CVD prevention.

The Psychological Hotline Services Quality Survey during the Pandemic of COVID-19 in Mainland China

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has provoked a significant amount of panic due to dramatic changes in daily routines for residents all over China In response, more than 600 psychological hotlines have been built or modified and have supplied mental health services for the public. Regarding the service quality of the hotlines, a survey has been conducted to investigate the running of hotline services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results reveal that the more successful hotlines all had better trained hotline counselors, and in the meanwhile, the key features of providing supervision arrangements and training resources. Moreover, the referral list should be adjusted according to the accessibility of the recourses during the pandemic.

Specifics and Operational Procedures of the Psychological Assistance Hotline during the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

Psychological hotlines became the most convenient and feasible way to provide psychological intervention for the needy after the outbreak of COVID-19. Hotlines assisting in defeating the coronavirus functioned quite differently from general psychological hotlines and face-to-face counseling. This article discusses the specificity of hotlines of this kind, including appropriate operational procedures that include the overall assessment and the empathetic understanding of the clients, a quick focus on goals, and real-world oriented assistance. Major administrative and ethical concerns are also addressed.