Respect for service users' human rights, job satisfaction, and wellbeing are higher in mental health workers than in other health workers: A study in Italy at time of the Covid pandemic

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the respect for users' rights, job satisfaction, and well-being between mental health workers (MHWs) compared to non-mental health care workers (nMHWs) from the same Italian region. Methods: The sample was recruited from community mental health and non-mental health outpatient centers in Sardinia. Participants fulfilled the WellBeing at work and respect for human-rights questionnaire (WWRR). The sample included 240 MHWs and 154 nMHWs. Results: MHWs were more satisfied with their work and workplace compared to nMHWs. MHWs had stronger beliefs that users were satisfied with the care received, and both workers and users' human rights were respected in their workplace. MHWs reported to need more rehabilitation therapists and psychologists in their services, while nMHWs needed more nurses and professionals for users' personal care. Italian MHWs are more satisfied with their work and workplace, and more convinced that users are satisfied with the care received and that users' and staff human rights are respected in their workplaces, compared to nMHWs. Conclusions: The historic link between the community mental health network and other support networks in Italy and the consequent perception of proximity to the citizens of the care network may be the reason for this optimal situation of Italian MHWs.

Influence of regular physical exercise on the psychological state of fibromyalgia patients, with and without a co-diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome

Background. It has been demonstrated that regular physical exercise (RPE) improves the life quality of patients with fibromyalgia (FM). However, the influence of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) comorbidity on this aspect remains unknown. Objectives. To assess how CFS co-diagnosis affects the performance of RPE by FM patients and how RPE influences the psychological state of these patients with or without CFS diagnosis. Methods. In a group of FM patients, with (FM+CFS group) or without CFS (FM group), we evaluated the percentage of patients performing RPE and how it affects their psychological state and life quality with respect to a control group of women in the same age range as reference. For this purpose, scientifically validated questionnaires were used, including those assessing fear and anxiety related to COVID 19. The results were analyzed using the Student's t-test setting with a p≤0.05. Results. Paradoxically, FM+CSF group presented a higher percentage of women who performed RPE, even in the same order of magnitude as the control group. RPE improved, in both groups of patients with FM, stress, and state anxiety levels. However, it only improved the state of depression and trait anxiety in the FM group. Conclusion. The performance of RPE positively affects the psychological state and life quality of fibromyalgia patients, without a strong influence on the co-diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome.

Adaptation of Grocery Stores to the Post-Covid-19 Environment. The Case of Barcelona

In order to help the decision-making to the owners of grocery stores of less than 150 m2 in Barcelona, this work presents a decision support system based in the Forgotten Effects Theory of 701 stores at the City. COVID-19 is changing consumption patterns and Grocery stores must adapt to the new reality by improving customer service, product exposure, cordiality… in order not to see their market share reduced due to the growth of online sales of food products, they also have large distributors as competitors who offer a greater variety of products to their customers since they have a much larger sales area. The focus in on the importance given in each District to the different parameters that we have determined. The experiment carried out allows us to determine the second-generation effects, which are more indirect. The results highlight the differences between the different Districts in the assessment of the different determinants of our study. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Hospital hand hygiene monitoring: internal audits and the role of public health residents

Background Healthcare workers (HCW) adherence to hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective infection prevention and control (IPC) measure to fight healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and is a crucial component for standard precautions, especially in a pandemic context. As suggested by the WHO and Joint Commission Network Project, evaluating adherence to HH is essential to identify deficiencies and promote improvement interventions. Methods San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy, adopted internal audits to measure HCWs' adherence to HH according to WHO Guidelines. Public health (PH) residents were enrolled as auditors. They were trained with WHO technical manual for observers and handovers among residents. WHO observation form was used for collection. Process index was HH adherence, stratified by profession, unit, opportunity and indication. Results 8 PH medical residents carried out observations from January 2018 to December 2019. 434 HCWs were observed in 26 hospital units (191 nurses, 148 physicians, 83 healthcare assistants and 11 other professionals). Global adherence was 53%, calculated on 1,969 opportunities, and 2,221 indications observed, followed by 932 hands rubbing and 110 handwashing. Most observations involved nurses (adherence of 53%) and physicians (54%). Global adherence was generally higher in medicine, specialist surgery and intensive-care units while lower in general surgery and rehabilitation units. Indications with the highest adherence were “after body fluid exposure risk” (69%) and “after touching a patient” (64%). The lowest adherence (44%) was observed for “before clean/aseptic procedure” indication. The belief that gloves use may replace HH might partially explain the data. Conclusions Global HH adherence was in line with significant published data and was far better than 2016 data but slightly lower than observations in 2018 when the program started. We believe 2020 HH compliance could have changed due to HCW involvement in IPC against COVID-19. Key messages Hand hygiene (HH) audits represent a crucial tool of clinical governance and risk management: auditors’ training, monthly and annual reports, and feedbacks allowed to structure a virtuous process. If HH audits aim to improve practice we should understand when HH is most beneficial, assessing quality, improving performances through achievable targets using reproducible methods and technologies.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Croatian wood products market

This article presents an analysis of the current situation in the Croatian wood products market based on year-on-year indices of production, exports and imports in the wood processing and furniture production sectors. Data for this analysis were collected from the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. The aim of this paper is to find the answer to how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the movements of production, exports and imports in the two main Croatian wood sectors. © 14th International Scientific Conference WoodEMA 2021 - The Response of the Forest-Based Sector to Changes in the Global Economy, Proceedings. All rights reserved.

The efficacy of ultraviolet light-emitting technology against coronaviruses: a systematic review.

The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 has underlined the importance of adopting effective infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in hospital and community settings. Ultraviolet (UV)-based technologies represent promising IPC tools: their effective application for sanitation has been extensively evaluated in the past but scant, heterogeneous and inconclusive evidence is available on their effect on SARS-CoV-2 transmission. With the aim of pooling the available evidence on the efficacy of UV technologies against coronaviruses, we conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines, searching Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library, and the main clinical trials' registries (WHO ICTRP, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane and EU Clinical Trial Register). Quantitative data on studies' interventions were summarized in tables, pooled by different coronavirus species and strain, UV source, characteristics of UV light exposure and outcomes. Eighteen papers met our inclusion criteria, published between 1972 and 2020. Six focused on SARS-CoV-2, four on SARS-CoV-1, one on MERS-CoV, three on seasonal coronaviruses, and four on animal coronaviruses. All were experimental studies. Overall, despite wide heterogenicity within included studies, complete inactivation of coronaviruses on surfaces or aerosolized, including SARS-CoV-2, was reported to take a maximum exposure time of 15 min and to need a maximum distance from the UV emitter of up to 1 m. Advances in UV-based technologies in the field of sanitation and their proved high virucidal potential against SARS-CoV-2 support their use for IPC in hospital and community settings and their contribution towards ending the COVID-19 pandemic. National and international guidelines are to be updated and parameters and conditions of use need to be identified to ensure both efficacy and safety of UV technology application for effective infection prevention and control in both healthcare and non-healthcare settings.

Cd64, cd11a, and cd18 leukocytes expression in a case series of children with SARS-CoV-2 multisystem inflammatory syndrome and kawasaki disease: Similar but not the same

AIMS & OBJECTIVES: A new paediatric inflammatory syndrome named as "pediatric multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS)" has been described. It has been compared to Kawasaki Disease. The aim of this report is adding to the PIMS-TS clinical and analytical description the application of immunophenotyping by flow cytometry (FC). We describe CD64, CD18, and CD11a leukocytes expression in three children with SARSCoV2 infection and compare it with three cases of Kawasaki Disease. METHODS: Three children were studied after informed consent obtained from their parents or legal guardians. Their blood samples were collected in sterile EDTA at room temperature or refrigerated at 4°C and analyzed within 24 hours. Expressions were measured in monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes. At least 10 000 events were recorded for each sample. The intensity of CD64, CD18, and CD11a surface expression were measured as mean fluorescence intensity in arbitrary units (MFI). They were compared with three previous cases of KD. RESULTS: The median CD64, CD18 and CD11a MFI expression in PIMS-TS versus KD cases are described in Figure 1. The CD64 and the CD11a expression on neutrophils and monocytes are higher. The CD11a in CD8 Lymphocytes is higher too. CONCLUSIONS: We compare for the first time the immunophenotype of children with PIMS-TS infection versus KD. We observed significant but higher upregulation of CD64, CD18, and CD11a expression. This response appears to be similar but different than in KD. Prospective studies with a higher number of cases should be conducted to confirm this observation.

Preliminary study of cd64 on monocytes and neutrophils in children with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection: Comparison with other viruses and bacteria

AIMS & OBJECTIVES: The immune response to SARSCoV-2 is not completely understood. The flow cytometry (FC) allows measuring leukocyte populations instantaneously. One of the better-studied molecules is the immunoglobulin-Fc fragment receptor I (FcγRI) or CD64. Its expression informs about the patient immune status. The aim of this study was to describe the CD64 expression in healthy children requiring pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission because of SARS-COV-2 infection. Later, we compare it to previous viral or bacterial infections that caused PICU admission in our centre. METHODS: Prospective observational study (March 2020 to May 2020). The percentage of CD64-positive cells and the CD64 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) on monocytes (mCD64) and neutrophils (nCD64) were determined. The FC was done on a blood sample obtained at PICU admission. Healthy children with positive serology (IgM) or nasopharyngeal swab using real-time reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction were included. The values are expressed as median and range, p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Children from the SARS-CoV-2 group were older (p= 0,000), there were no other baseline differences. CONCLUSIONS: The CD64 expression was higher compared to other causes of PICU admission. It could be linked to immune dysregulation. Prospective observational studies are needed.

[Adjustment of healthcare and telemedicine in times of lockdown and COVID-19 pandemic: Feedback from a "Maison des Adolescents" (Teenager's House)]. / Adaptation des soins et télémédecine en période de confinement et de pandémie de COVID-19 : retour d'expérience d'une Maison des Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 sanitary crisis has imposed a major reorganization of the health care system in France. Lockdown could be a factor in the emergence or deterioration of psychological disorders; it can be even more fragilizing during the specific period of adolescence. The « Maisons des Adolescents ¼ (Teenagers' Houses) had to urgently adjust their practices to provide continuity of care for adolescents suffering from physical or mental disorders. The « Maisons des Adolescents ¼ are pluridisciplinary care centres for adolescents and their families that provide assessments and services for medical, psychological, socio-educational, educational and legal needs. How did care continue for adolescents during lockdown? What adjustments occurred in the « Maisons des Adolescents ¼ during the health crisis? METHODS: This article presents the case of an adolescent who suffered a significant deterioration of her anorexia nervosa during confinement. Through this case, we describe the reorganization of care within the different units (consultations - day hospital - hospitalization unit) of a Parisian « Maison des Adolescents ¼ during the COVID-19 pandemic. FINDINGS: In this service, the rapid implementation of the telemedicine system in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic made possible provision of continuity in care for vulnerable adolescents and families. Based on the existing literature, we discuss the advantages and limitations of telemedicine and the practical issues for the future organization of care for adolescents. PERSPECTIVES: In contrast to pediatric medicine or child psychiatry, there is no protocol describing the application of telemedicine in adolescent medicine and psychiatry. There is an urgent need for further evaluation of the use of telemedicine for this population. This kind of research will improve knowledge about the effectiveness, acceptability and limitations of using a teleconsultation device in adolescent psychiatry in a crisis context. Certain remote care modalities implemented during the sanitary crisis could thus be maintained over time and become routine in the field of adolescent medicine and psychiatry.

A qualitative exploration of volunteer nurses' mind-body experience of spontaneous facial self-touches during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has warranted the implementation of barrier actions and the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE). These behavioral adaptations counteract spontaneous self-touching reflex gestures. I propose to explore the mind-body experience generated by these gesture changes in this health context. Method: I conducted a qualitative study with nine nurses who volunteered as reinforcements. The semistructured interviews I carried out were analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Results: The perception of the risk of self-inoculation is not related to the level of virus exposure. Facial PPE is perceived both as reassuring and difficult to put up with. The experience of self-touches is influenced by the level of attention the subject pays to his or her face and by the medical background related to this. Three kinds of mind-body adaptations are used to control self-touching: control by avoidance, control by keeping one's hands busy, and compensatory bodily strategies. The representations of the bodily self are modified in terms of gestures and of the feeling of humanness. This generates a form of bodily abandonment and a lived experience of soiled bodies. Conclusion: The results highlight the cognitive load involved in refraining from self-touching and with the wearing of facial PPE. They emphasize the importance of questioning the implications of these sensorimotor modifications. Supporting health professionals in assessing the mind-body repercussions in a pandemic situation appears key.