Research project EUBeKo: Systematic planning and implementation of decision-making and implementation processes of socioecological-based physical activity promotion in the community to reduce social inequity

Background: Physical activity can be understood in terms of socioecological determinants, which are prerequisites to successfully promote physical activity. Communities play an important role in this context, as they can create health-protective conditions. However, the design, implementation, and evaluation of socioecological approaches often do not follow a systematic and theory-driven approach. Changes in environmental conditions are determined by the behavior and decisions of so-called change agents or local decision-makers, such as mayors. Therefore, it is important to identify the determinants that influence decision-making processes to be able to change the decisional behavior of change agents to promote physical activity in their communities. In addition, there is a need for multipliers (e.g., employees in health offices) to be qualified to systematically implement socioecological-based interventions in communities. Objectives and project process: The research project "Systematic planning and implementation of decision-making and implementation processes of socioecological-based physical activity promotion in the community to reduce social inequity” (with the German acronym EUBeKo) was funded within the framework of the funding scheme "Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion” of the German Federal Ministry of Health. It takes both the local change agents and multipliers into account and is inspired by intervention mapping. This article describes the project EUBeKo with its two research questions on the role and competences of multipliers, and on the factors influencing local decision-making processes as well as the planning and implementation of socioecological-based physical activity promotion in two model communities, and the dissemination strategies (e.g., project website). Discussion and conclusions: The strengths of the project include the systematic and theory-based preparation and implementation of a process of socioecological-based physical activity promotion in the community with a special focus on planning and decision-making processes as well as on the target groups of local multipliers and decision-makers. Challenges are found in the theory–practice transfer and the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on project implementation. © 2023, The Author(s).

360 VR PBL: A New Format of Digital Cases in Clinical Medicine

In this paper, we present and discuss an explorative study on the use of a social 360° virtual reality (360VR) for supporting case-based Problem Based Learning (case-PBL) in clinical medical education. In the context of case-PBL, we argue that our social 360VR learning space extends the design and application of cases in medical education by including elements from project-PBL. Three groups tested the learning design as a part of the clinical exercises in their 5. Semester bachelor course. After the social 360VR activity, the students performed a physical examination of the collateral and cruciate ligaments of the knee like the one in the training material. Our preliminary findings indicate that the students immersed in social 360VR collaboratively establish a mutual understanding of how to perform the examination through identifying problems related to the examination and by taking responsibility for their own and the other group members learning. © 2022, Aalborg University press. All rights reserved.

Reinvention of an academic anaesthesiology department during pandemic times: Lessons learnt and adapting to a “New normal”

Conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted many aspects of medical practice. Responding to this crisis has required health systems to rapidly address a multitude of concerns, including workforce safety, staff redeployment, supply shortages and physical space restructuring. The pace of change created by new information and evolving conditions has proven challenging for traditionally-structured academic departments in medicine. Pandemic medicine requires a nimbleness in decision-making, clarity of communication and comprehensiveness of services that may demand a temporary rearrangement of leadership structure and clinical service delivery. Furthermore, the uncertain nature of a pandemic may require reinstitution and dissolution of services as demand sporadically either rises or falls. As the global medical community continues to respond to what may be multiple COVID-19 peaks stretching over months or years, it is important that approaches to preparation and management of the pandemic are shared to enable the identification of best practices and an effective response. With the availability of open access and free communication technologies, these strategies can be easily shared among the global anaesthesia community. The approach outlined here represents one way to organise leadership and streamline communication in order to reinvent an academic department to match the dynamic requirements of crisis conditions. We describe our experience in offering new services such as an airway team, COVID-19 simulation training and personal protective equipment testing, as well as our approach to evaluating the rapid flow of research findings related to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. We summarise lessons learnt and our adaptation to what may be a “new normal” in anaesthesiology practice. © 2021 The Author(s).