Lifestyle behaviors among Canadian nurses working night shifts in the COVID-19 era: a pilot study.

Abstract: Working night shifts has been associated with negative mental health consequences such as depression, anxiety, and sleep problems. The objectives of this study were to determine the lifestyle behaviors (prevalence of nicotine, caffeine, cannabis, sleep-promoting medication, and alcohol use) and the association between job stress, sleep quality, anxiety, and depression among registered nurses working night shifts in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the COVID-19 era. Twenty-two registered nurses ranging from ages 25-65 that work permanent or rotating night shifts participated in an online survey from April 11th to July 15th, 2022. The results showed a strong positive association between sleep disturbance, and depression r (19) = 0.50, [p = 0.029, 95% CI, 0.06, 0.78]. A positive correlation was found between higher levels of reported anxiety and sleep disturbance r (19) = 0.69, [p = 0.001, 95% CI, 0.34, 0.87]. There was a positive correlation between depression and occupational exhaustion r (17) = 0.56, [p = 0.021, 95% CI, 0.10, 0.82]. Anxiety was significantly related to occupational exhaustion r (17) = 0.65, [p = 0.005, 95% CI, 0.24, 0.86] and depersonalization r (17) = 0.52, [p = 0.005, 95% CI, 0.06, 0.80], but not significantly related to personal accomplishment r (17) = -0.34, [p = 0.185, 95% CI, -0.70, 0.17]. In conclusion, a sample of Canadian nurses working night shifts in the province of Saskatchewan during the COVID-19 pandemic showed a significant positive relationship among sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, most nurses reported using at least one or more of the following substances: sleep-promoting medication, nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis.

Curriculum delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for remote tutoring and learning

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed challenges within traditional instructional approaches in various learning contexts, highlighting a greater need for curriculum transformation. With the disruption of face-to-face instruction, remote teaching, learning, and tutoring are proving to be pedagogic solutions for engaging with students to ensure the continuation of successful teaching and learning. Therefore, it is important that virtual experiences align with the curriculum and instructional approaches. This investigation aimed at exploring how tutors can introduce remote learning and tutoring in an undergraduate module in the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). We also wanted to examine tutors' ability to motivate students to use their mobile devices for study purposes during formal tutorials. A qualitative exploratory inquiry determined how mobile devices could support remote teaching and learning and tutoring. Through an in-depth literature review, focus group interviews with five tutors, and questionnaires answered by approximately 400 second-year students, data was collected. Challenges that were identified the additional hours required by lecturers and tutors to deliver much-needed support after hours and only students with the needed resources and access could benefit from the support, the digital divide was of concern. Successes identified linked to students' appreciation of the importance of implementing a tutoring system that fits the 21st century context. A tutoring system that is not only compliant with modern technological advancements but that it consistent with the global expectation to equip students with relevant skills. This investigation revealed that tutors could serve as catalysts for motivating students to use their devices for study purposes. The findings also revealed that there is a greater need for remote (virtual) tutoring that is student-centred for effective learning to occur, especially under remote learning conditions. © 2023 International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of online and blended learning from schools: A systematic review

This systematic analysis examines effectiveness research on online and blended learning from schools, particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic, and also educational games, computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL) and computer-assisted instruction (CAI), largely used in schools but with potential for outside school. Eight research databases were searched. Studies which were non-school, before 2000, not in English, without data and duplicates were removed, leaving 1355 studies: online 7%, blended 13%, CSCL 7%, games 26% and CAI 47%. Overall, digital technology was more effective (better) than regular instruction in 85% of studies, 8% the same and 3% worse. Blended learning was considerably better than online learning. CAI was the most effective, with games and CSCL coming after blended learning, but of course CAI was not searched for and these were not widely used outside of schools. Primary and early years/kindergarten were most effective (87% better) and secondary/high next (80%). Although science and mathematics were the most popular subjects, English as a foreign language interventions were the most effective, then writing and STEM, thinking, arts/music, humanities, health and science, reading and maths, foreign languages and English in that order. Overall, females did better than males. 'Low ability' children and second language learners did especially well. Disadvantaged and special educational needs/disabled students did slightly worse. Self-efficacy was highly related to better outcomes. The limitations/strengths of the research were discussed and linked back to previous literature, a critical analysis made, and detailed implications for practitioners, policy makers and future researchers outlined. Digital technology's main advantage may be the possibility for enhanced task flexibility and learner autonomy, encouraging greater self-regulation. However, this may not be an advantage for all students.

Why We Need More Data before the Next Pandemic

Attempts to control the current pandemic through public health interventions have been driven by predictions based on modelling, thus bringing epidemiological models to the forefront of policy and public interest. It is almost inevitable that there will be further pandemics and controlling, suppressing and ameliorating their effects will undoubtedly involve the use of models. However, the accuracy and usefulness of models are highly dependent on the data that are used to calibrate and validate them. In this article, we consider the data needed by the two main types of epidemiological modelling (compartmental and agent-based) and the adequacy of the currently available data sources. We conclude that at present the data for epidemiological modelling of pandemics is seriously deficient and we make suggestions about how it would need to be improved. Finally, we argue that it is important to initiate efforts to collect appropriate data for modelling now, rather than waiting for the next pandemic. Copyright © 2021 Nigel Gilbert, Edmund Chattoe-Brown, Christopher Watts, Duncan Robertson

Enabling transition to online teaching during Covid-19 through a peer-supported collaborative environmentenabling transition to online teaching during Covid-19 through a peer-supported collaborative environment

At the start of 2020, COVID-19 restrictions have led universities to move most face-to-face teaching to online. Across the sector, traditional university teaching staff were faced with a common challenge: adapting classroom teaching to online in a short window of time. The difficulty of this transition was often compounded by limited support, resources, technical skills and knowledge required to create socially-engaged online classroom experiences that supported learning as effectively as their faceto- face teaching. As a response to the needs of supporting educators during the transition, in March 2020, a cross-institute approach at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI), Monash University Australia led to the establishment of the Teaching Online Meetups (TOM) - a series of regular online sessions attended by academic and professional staff in the Institute. The initiative gained momentum across 2020, and later expanded to include across other faculties of Monash University. In this chapter, we firstly discuss the critical roles TOM played in supporting staff's successful transitioning into online teaching during the lockdown and outline the process involved in the establishment and operation of TOM, including the management of TOM's resource site. Next, we explain TOM's community building and staff capacity development approach, which centres around creating an open and safe space to share online teaching practices, test new online teaching tools and activities, and provide hands-on experience with online technologies in a live group setting. We evaluate how this practical approach helped staff to develop their digital capacity effectively and gain confidence in online teaching. Lastly, we discuss the pattern of technology adoption and the different levels of needs of participants. We reflect on how the progression of session topics has continued to address the community's online teaching needs. We conclude with recommendations for others in adopting similar approaches at an institutional level. © 2021 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Early Convalescent Plasma for High-Risk Outpatients with Covid-19.

BACKGROUND: Early administration of convalescent plasma obtained from blood donors who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) may prevent disease progression in acutely ill, high-risk patients with Covid-19. METHODS: In this randomized, multicenter, single-blind trial, we assigned patients who were being treated in an emergency department for Covid-19 symptoms to receive either one unit of convalescent plasma with a high titer of antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or placebo. All the patients were either 50 years of age or older or had one or more risk factors for disease progression. In addition, all the patients presented to the emergency department within 7 days after symptom onset and were in stable condition for outpatient management. The primary outcome was disease progression within 15 days after randomization, which was a composite of hospital admission for any reason, seeking emergency or urgent care, or death without hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included the worst severity of illness on an 8-category ordinal scale, hospital-free days within 30 days after randomization, and death from any cause. RESULTS: A total of 511 patients were enrolled in the trial (257 in the convalescent-plasma group and 254 in the placebo group). The median age of the patients was 54 years; the median symptom duration was 4 days. In the donor plasma samples, the median titer of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies was 1:641. Disease progression occurred in 77 patients (30.0%) in the convalescent-plasma group and in 81 patients (31.9%) in the placebo group (risk difference, 1.9 percentage points; 95% credible interval, -6.0 to 9.8; posterior probability of superiority of convalescent plasma, 0.68). Five patients in the plasma group and 1 patient in the placebo group died. Outcomes regarding worst illness severity and hospital-free days were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of Covid-19 convalescent plasma to high-risk outpatients within 1 week after the onset of symptoms of Covid-19 did not prevent disease progression. (SIREN-C3PO ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04355767.).

Using MammaPrint to reduce the needfor chemotherapy in early breast cancer during theCOVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: With the recent worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, it became clear that certain comorbidities areassociated with an increased risk of complications and death. Several publications have reported an increased rateof ICU admission and mortality in cancer patients. This has led to guidelines advising more conservativeapproaches to cancer therapy, including chemotherapy. In the absence of prospective, disease-specific outcomedata, there is a risk of overestimating the risk of COVID-19 and thus increasing cancer-specific mortality or ofunderestimating. MammaPrint has been validated for selecting clinically high-risk breast cancer patients in whomchemotherapy can be avoided safely. Methods: We evaluated the current published literature related to the potential risk of breast cancer andchemotherapy in association with COVID-19. We estimated the potential risk of severe events in COVID-19 breastcancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy to assess whether MammaPrint could help us further in makingchemotherapy decisions specific to an infectious epidemic risk. Results: The risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in patients receiving chemotherapy could be greater than 1.5to 2 times higher than usual. However, other associated conditions frequently found in the breast cancer populationseem to still play a significant role in a worse outcome. We found no data to quantify the effect of chemotherapy ordata allowing us to adapt the MammaPrint Score to risk in an infectious epidemic. Conclusion: Adjuvant chemotherapy carries a potential risk for morbidity and mortality. Data from the currentliterature do not show the magnitude of the added risk for breast cancer patients on adjuvant chemotherapy inassociation with SARS Cov-2 infection. By using MammaPrint in hormone receptor-positive patients with up to threenodes in whom chemotherapy is considered, the treatment-related risk can be limited, allowing safe de-escalation oftherapy without increased cancer-specific mortality. We plan to pursue the statistical question of how the level of riskat any of the sites on the spectrum relates to distant metastasis-free survival so that mortality risks can be betterestimated during an infection.