ABSTRACT
Telecommunication devices can help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus among the patients quarantined in hospitals. In contrast to the conventional telecommunication devices, a telepresence robot can deliver tangible communication cues from a remote sender to a receiver that vary according to level of interaction modalities. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, telecommunication interactants can be divided into two categories based on their socio-relationships. The types include those engaged in social-oriented relationships such as that between patients and families or acquaintances, and task-oriented relationships such as those between patients and doctors or nurses. We hypothesize that the types of telecommunication device used and socio-relationship would be factors affecting the COVID-19 patients' telecommunication experiences and acceptance of telepresence robots. We conducted a user study comparing three types of telecommunication devices namely floor-based robot versus desk-based robot versus tablet with the aforementioned two types of socio-relationships. The results indicated that the participants preferred telecommunication service in a social-oriented relationship to a task-oriented relationship. A mediation analysis revealed that social presence, competency, and familiarity mediates the effects of socio-relationship type on the satisfaction of the telecommunication service. Based on the socio-relationship type, different tendencies on the effect of telecommunication device types on service evaluation were observed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
To help people use their limited space efficiently, we propose an origami-based transformable robotic space called 'PopupBot.' Specifically, we developed a robotic playhouse for children. A large origami structure with a bellows pattern is controlled by a servo motor and transforms into various types of furniture. For natural child-robotic space interaction, PopupBot perceives the child's intention for the space through speech recognition and provides appropriate space by inferring the space type matching the intention. We expect the PopupBot to provide a new space for people who suffer from staying in limited space especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
In order to prevent COVID-19 infection in the hospital environment, the medical staff is handling many treatments for patients non face-to-face, which reduces the efficiency of medical services. Robots may enable smooth non face-to-face interactions between medical staff and patients by providing cognitive and physical support to the medical staff. In this paper, we identified the medical staff's pain points and needs about the robots which would help them. In addition, researchers and medical staff together participated in generating the design concept of a robot needed in times of COVID-19 as design participants. We conducted qualitative interviews about robots with nurses working in a negative pressure isolation room (NPIR) where patients with COVID-19 are isolated while treatment. As a result, the needs for supporting increased workload including inventory monitoring, waste management, meal delivery, and medicine delivery as well as supporting communication in emergency including communication in patient's emergency and communication in medical staff's emergency were discovered. Based on the findings from the interview, we proposed a robot design concept that can satisfy medical staff's need in NPIR. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aimed to identify the mediating effect of risk perception in the relationship between media dependence and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related infection prevention behavior of nursing students. Methods: The survey data of 159 nursing students were analyzed. The independent variable was media dependence, the dependent variable was COVID-19-related infection prevention behavior, and the parameter was risk perception. The hypothesis was tested using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) method to analyze the covariate structure. Results: COVID-19-related infection prevention behavior showed a positive correlation with media dependence and risk perception. With regard to the relationship between media dependence and COVID-19-related infection prevention behavior, risk perception showed a partial mediating effect. Conclusion: To improve infection prevention behavior, it is necessary to use various media suitable for the age group to access information about COVID-19. Particularly, nursing students take care of various infected patients through clinical practice or medical service. Therefore, it is required to raise risk awareness and improve infection prevention behavior through clinical practice or medical volunteer activities. © 2021 Korean Society of Adult Nursing. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
In this study, we consider a robust optimal parameter estimation method for the Susceptible-Unidentified infected-Confirmed (SUC) epidemic dynamics model. One of the problems in determining parameter values associated with epidemic mathematical models is that the optimal parameter values are very sensitive to the initial guess of parameter values. To resolve this problem, we fix the value of one parameter and solve an optimization problem of finding the other parameter values which best fit the confirmed population. The fixed parameter value can be obtained using data from epidemiological surveillance systems. To demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of the proposed method, we perform various numerical experiments with synthetic and real-world data from South Korea, the United States of America, India, and Brazil. The computational results confirm the potential practical application of the proposed method. © 2021
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that super-spreading events (SSEs) and multiple-spreading events (MSEs) are a characteristic feature of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, data regarding the possibility of SSEs or MSEs in healthcare settings are limited. METHODS: This study was performed at a tertiary-care hospital in Korea. We analysed the nosocomial COVID-19 cases that occurred in healthcare workers and inpatients and their caregivers between January and 20th December 2020. Cases with two to four secondary cases were defined as MSEs and those with five or more secondary cases as SSEs. FINDINGS: We identified 21 nosocomial events (single-case events, N = 12 (57%); MSE + SSE, N = 9 (43%)) involving 65 individuals with COVID-19. Of these 65 individuals, 21 (32%) were infectors. The infectors tended to have a longer duration between symptom onset and diagnostic confirmation than did the non-infectors (median two days vs zero days, P=0.08). Importantly, 12 (18%) individuals were responsible for MSEs and one (2%) for an SSE, which collectively generated 35 (54%) secondary cases. CONCLUSION: In a hospital with thorough infection-control measures, approximately 70% of the nosocomial cases of COVID-19 did not generate secondary cases, and one-fifth of the infectors were responsible for SSEs and MSEs, which accounted for approximately half of the total cases. Early case identification, isolation, and extensive contact tracing are important for the prevention of transmission and SSEs.