ABSTRACT
This study aimed to identify factors related to nurses' preparedness to care for patients with highly infectious diseases in long-term care hospitals based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Methods: The participants were 226 nurses from 10 long-term care hospitals located in a metropolitan city in Korea. Core components of the TPB, organizational culture for infection control, nursing practice environment, and preparedness to care for patients with highly infectious diseases were measured using a structured online self-report questionnaire. Data were collected from October 25 to December 26, 2021 and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. Results: The mean score of preparedness to care for patients with highly infectious diseases was 4.99±1.90 out of 10. The perceived behavioral control (β=.37, p<.001), control beliefs (β=.24, p<.001), attitude toward behavior (β=.18, p=.001), behavioral belief (β=.12, p=.035), and nursing practice environment (β=.12, p=.023) significantly predicted the nursing staff's preparedness to care for these patients (Adj. R2=.62). Conclusion: Theory-based interventions are needed to enhance the confidence of nurses in caring for the patients with highly infectious diseases and to improve their attitude and beliefs regarding positive outcomes in caring for these patients. High quality teamwork and support of resources are necessary to increase the preparedness to care for patients with highly infectious diseases in the nursing practice environment in long-term care hospitals. © 2023 Korean Society of Adult Nursing
ABSTRACT
Background: The transmission and the fatality rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are high enough to cause the strain of intensive care resources, and even influence the treatment and prognosis of non-COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the collateral damages to non-COVID-19 critically ill patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated. Method(s): Demographic data, severity, clinical course, and prognosis of non-COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) via the emergency room (ER) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were acquired from electronic medical records from three university-affiliated tertiary hospitals. Result(s): A total of 619 patients before and 542 patients during the pandemic were enrolled. During the COVID-19 pandemic, simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) 3 and the sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA) on ER admission (SAPS3 72.7 +/- 20.3 versus 65.9 +/- 18.6, p <0.001, respectively;SOFA score 8.1 +/- 4.2, versus 7.2 +/-4.2, p <0.001, respectively) were significantly higher than those before the pandemic. The length of stay in the ER, ICU, and hospital was longer (p<0.05 in all). Finally, the hospital mortality rate was significantly higher during the pandemic than those before (39.7% versus 28.4%, p<0.001). The overall survival in the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis with log-rank test was significantly higher during the pandemic (p=0.04). Conclusion(s): These result of increased severity, hospital day and mortality in non-COVID-19 patients indicate the collateral damage to non-COVID-19 patients due to shortages in medical resources for them. Strategic management of medical resources is required to halt these consequences.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. A definitive diagnosis of COVID-19 is made after a positive result is obtained on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay. In Singapore, rigorous contact tracing was practised to contain the spread of the virus. Nasal swabs and chest radiographs (CXR) were also taken from individuals who were suspected to be infected by COVID-19 upon their arrival at a centralised screening centre. From our experience, about 40% of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had initial CXR that appeared "normal". In this case series, we described the temporal evolution of COVID-19 in patients with an initial "normal" CXR. Since CXR has limited sensitivity and specificity in COVID-19, it is not suitable as a first-line diagnostic tool. However, when CXR changes become unequivocally abnormal, close monitoring is recommended to manage potentially severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Copyright © 2020 Annals, Academy of Medicine, Singapore.
ABSTRACT
This paper maps the Overseas Chinese affairs/Qiaowu-specific policies of both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan in Sarawak State, Malaysia. These two governments are spreading their own versions of influence to win the hearts and minds of the local Chinese communities. The PRC's aim is to encourage the local Chinese to accept the PRC's cultural and diplomatic sovereignty;whereas Taiwan wishes to remain separate from the PRC as a sovereign state. The PRC's United Front Work Department manages Overseas Chinese affairs globally through a mechanism known as the 'five bridges.' For Taiwan, its Overseas Community Affairs Council provides links to the Overseas Chinese communities. In Sarawak, the Overseas Chinese affairs in general are managed by the PRC's Consulate-General Office. For education purposes, Sarawak's China Alumni, the Sarawak Liuhua is contesting with Sarawak Taiwan Graduates Association to attract local students to pursue tertiary education in either the PRC or Taiwan. The latter also manages Overseas Chinese affairs in Sarawak, especially involving applications for social visits and student visas to Taiwan. At this stage, the two governments are engaging with the local Chinese in Sarawak primarily via Chinese voluntary associations, through education, political-economic projects, and also the latest initiatives regarding medical aid to combat the Covid pandemic.
ABSTRACT
This study tests whether pairs trade conditional on representative bias in the options and stock markets leads to abnormal returns. While previous literature on representativeness focuses on a single index, S&P 500 and Russell 2000 indexes are used to examine the extent to which representative bias arises due to a pattern of similar information shock in the three analyzed periods. The empirical results of the options market lend little support to the representativeness anomalies because Russell 2000 index, relative to S&P 500 index, does not adjust to a sequence of information shocks in the 2020 economic downturn inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, despite the asymmetrical responsiveness to information shock over the sample period of 2004 to 2020, and during the 2008 global financial crisis. However, the empirical findings of the stock market verify, to some degree, the existence of representative bias during the sample period of 2004 to 2020. To examine whether asymmetrical representativeness in the options market or representativeness in the stock market yields abnormal returns, pairs trade is designed to exploit riskless profits via buying S&P 500 index and selling Russell 2000 index. Based on the Fama and French three-factor model, the empirical evidence is in support of market efficiency because the pairs trading strategy cannot generate positive abnormal returns in both options and stock markets.
ABSTRACT
In recent years, lectures on control systems have focused on hands-on experience using actual control equipment than before. However, the online education triggered compulsorily by the Covid-19 pandemic poses has restricted the construction of an education environment for hands-on experience. In this study, we proposed an economical and compact experimental environment for control education that enables hands-on experience even through online education. To this end, we utilized a light weight rapid control prototyping (LW-RCP), which is a lab-built RCP environment, and the environment was constructed using 3D printing. In the proposed environment, LW-RCP enabled students to focus on the learning and application of related control concepts, without the inconvenience of manual C-coding and the possibility of debugging errors. In addition, the proposed control equipment, which was manufactured using 3D printing, is an inexpensive equipment with a sufficiently small size that can be placed on a desk. Owing to the low cost and small size of the proposed environment, each student can have his/her own experimental equipment, which will enable a hands-on experience even through online education. Online education is expected to expand more and more in the future as it exhibits various advantages and potentials from traditional face-to-face classes. The proposed educational environment is expected to play a meaningful role in satisfying the demands of hands-on experience for control-related lectures. © ICROS 2021.