Fintech in the Face of the Economic Crisis Caused by COVID-19

This paper aims to analyze the opportunities of fintech in the face of the economic crisis generated by COVID-19, which has had a great impact on companies and on the lives of people who have been forced to reinvent their work, consumption habits and their interaction with the environment in order to sustain themselves in an increasingly competitive market that affect their lifestyle. It is es-sential to bear in mind that the traditional system and the government have made efforts to main-tain the country's economic stability, but the results have not been very satisfactory. Therefore, a triangular-type exploratory research is carried out from the qualitative and quantitative aspects, through the application of information collection instruments, identifying financial, organizational and strategic of the SMEs in the city of Bogota, that reported their financial statements with cutoff to December 2021 to the Superintendency of Corporations. Finally, it is evident the opportunity for fintech to do disruptive technological innovation for the development of financial products through connectivity from mobile devices for personal use that allow monitoring, electronic commerce, transaction systems, financing, decision-making models and optimization of financial processes at a low cost, which makes it possible to open a range of multiple opportunities for SMEs that seek greater participation and competitiveness where they can offer their products and services in an efficient, agile, comfortable and reliable way.

Multimodal strategy for the prevention of COVID 19 in a mining site.

Background: Mining companies must implement management sys-tems dedicated to health and safety at work to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among their workers, however, the literature on this is scarce. Aim(s): To describe a multimodal strategy for the management of health and safety at work, to address the risk of COVID-19 in large mining. Method(s): Descriptive cross-sectional study, carried out in a large mining company. A management system was structured that considered administrative measures, of an environmental nature, risk screening, and management of risk cases within the company. The data analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Result(s): The administrative measures resulted in 8,116 (34%) workers at the site being suspended from their usual work. Risk screening before entering the site identified 450 suspected cases that were referred to their home. In the case management procedure, 1,073 people were classified in some of the risk groups. 10 cases of workers with PCR were detected in the follow-up period. Environmental measures were not very sensitive. Conclusion(s): These results shed light on the importance of implementing a multimodal strategy, adapted to the local reality, in preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the period under study, at the mining site intervened.Copyright © 2022, Sociedad Chilena de Infectologia. All rights reserved.

Research on loneliness and social support networks in the elderly Persons: a systematic review in Europe

BACKGROUND // During the ageing process the loss of family and social relationships is frequent which conditions loneliness, similarly the current COVID-19 pandemic has generated more social limitations in this age group and has increased the risk factors to trigger feelings of loneliness. This paper aimed to examine how loneliness among older people had been studied in Europe over the last ten years. Specific objectives were: i) to describe the methodological aspects;ii) to identify the scales or questions for the assessment of loneliness;iii) what were the main variables or dimensions that were related to loneliness in old age. METHODS // A total of 1,591 articles were found in WoS and Scopus digital platforms. After initial assessment of titles and s, full text reading and review of the established criteria, 42 scientific articles were finally included in the systematic review. RESULTS // The countries that had carried out the most studies were the Netherlands and Spain. Most of the research was quanti-tative and uses the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. The most analysed variables were: marital status, household structure, social support networks, social participation, depression, health problems, co-morbidity and physical functioning. CONCLUSIONS // The scientific interest in studying loneliness, with a focus on social support networks, in older people in Europe and strategically addressing loneliness as a public health problem is confirmed.

Fintech in the Face of the Economic Crisis Caused by COVID-19

This paper aims to analyze the opportunities of fintech in the face of the economic crisis generated by COVID-19, which has had a great impact on companies and on the lives of people who have been forced to reinvent their work, consumption habits and their interaction with the environment in order to sustain themselves in an increasingly competitive market that affect their lifestyle. It is es-sential to bear in mind that the traditional system and the government have made efforts to main-tain the country's economic stability, but the results have not been very satisfactory. Therefore, a triangular-type exploratory research is carried out from the qualitative and quantitative aspects, through the application of information collection instruments, identifying financial, organizational and strategic of the SMEs in the city of Bogota, that reported their financial statements with cutoff to December 2021 to the Superintendency of Corporations. Finally, it is evident the opportunity for fintech to do disruptive technological innovation for the development of financial products through connectivity from mobile devices for personal use that allow monitoring, electronic commerce, transaction systems, financing, decision-making models and optimization of financial processes at a low cost, which makes it possible to open a range of multiple opportunities for SMEs that seek greater participation and competitiveness where they can offer their products and services in an efficient, agile, comfortable and reliable way.

Effectiveness of a portfolio model on the performance of the virtual osce

We evaluated the effectiveness of the portfolio combined with the flipped class-room, team-based learning, and online videos on students' performance in a virtual OSCE and their perception of the attributes of the OSCE and videos. The integration of the virtual OSCE in a medicine program manages the need to be on campus in the context of COVID-19, requires minimal technological resources, fulfills the main objective of creating a format of acceptable, low cost, and low administrative burden, and can be implemented in a short period. © GKA Ediciones, authors.

Examining State and District Policy and Resource Allocation to Support Digital Learning

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many districts sought digital learning solutions to recover from learning loss, improve equity, and prepare for future interruptions. With this paper, we aim to provide information to policymakers and legislators regarding the value of resources needed to successfully implement comprehensive digital learning programing. We focus on the policies and resource allocation decisions made in North Carolina, one of the first states to launch a statewide digital learning initiative. First, we demonstrate the effects of state policy on school practices, then we turn the focus of the paper to how districts and schools allocated resources to implement digital learning. We apply the ingredients method to examine the costs of digital learning during the 2018–2019 school year. We close with recommendations for future policy and resource allocation. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Studying loneliness and social support networks among older people: a systematic review in Europe

OBJECTIVE: During the ageing process the loss of family and social relationships is frequent which conditions loneliness, similarly the current COVID-19 pandemic has generated more social limitations in this age group and has increased the risk factors to trigger feelings of loneliness. This paper aimed to examine how loneliness among older people had been studied in Europe over the last ten years. Specific objectives were: i) to describe the methodological aspects;ii) to identify the scales or questions for the assessment of loneliness;iii) what were the main variables or dimensions that were related to loneliness in old age. METHODS: A total of 1,591 articles were found in WoS and Scopus digital platforms. After initial assessment of titles and s, full text reading and review of the established criteria, 42 scientific articles were finally included in the systematic review. RESULTS: The countries that had carried out the most studies were the Netherlands and Spain. Most of the research was quantitative and uses the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. The most analysed variables were: marital status, household structure, social support networks, social participation, depression, health problems, co-morbidity and physical functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The scientific interest in studying loneliness, with a focus on social support networks, in older people in Europe and strategically addressing loneliness as a public health problem is confirmed. OBJETIVO: Durante el proceso de envejecimiento es frecuente la pérdida de relaciones familiares y sociales, lo cual condiciona la soledad. Además, la actual pandemia de la COVID-19 ha generado más limitaciones en las relaciones sociales de este grupo de edad y ha aumentado los factores de riesgo para desencadenar sentimientos de soledad. Este trabajo tuvo el objetivo de examinar cómo se había estudiado la soledad en las personas mayores en Europa en los últimos diez años. Se propusieron como objetivos específicos: i) describir los aspectos metodológicos;ii) identificar las escalas o preguntas para la valoración de la soledad;iii) cuáles eran las principales variables o dimensiones que se relacionaban con la soledad en la vejez, priorizando el rol de las redes de apoyo social. METODOS: Se encontraron 1.591 artículos en total en las plataformas digitales WoS y Scopus. Tras la valoración inicial de los títulos y resúmenes, lectura de texto completo y revisión de los criterios establecidos, al final se incluyeron en la revisión sistemática 42 artículos científicos. RESULTADOS: Los países que más estudios habían realizado eran Países Bajos y España, en su mayoría las investigaciones eran cuantitativas y utilizaban las escalas De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS) y University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. Las variables más analizadas fueron: estado civil, estructura del hogar, redes de apoyo social, participación social, depresión, problemas de salud, comorbilidad y funcionalidad física. CONCLUSIONES: Se confirma el interés científico por estudiar la soledad, con un énfasis central en las redes de apoyo social, en las personas mayores en Europa y abordar estratégicamente la soledad como un problema de Salud Pública.

[Studying loneliness and social support networks among older people: a systematic review in Europe.]

OBJECTIVE: During the ageing process the loss of family and social relationships is frequent which conditions loneliness, similarly the current COVID-19 pandemic has generated more social limitations in this age group and has increased the risk factors to trigger feelings of loneliness. This paper aimed to examine how loneliness among older people had been studied in Europe over the last ten years. Specific objectives were: i) to describe the methodological aspects;ii) to identify the scales or questions for the assessment of loneliness;iii) what were the main variables or dimensions that were related to loneliness in old age.

Early Impact of Collaborative Remote Patient Monitoring (C-RPM) for Hypertension on Underserved Populations during the COVID19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction: Underserved populations are 40% more likely to have hypertension and three times more likely to die from heart diseases due to uncontrolled blood pressure (BP). Disrupted access to care from the COVID-19 pandemic further puts these populations at higher risks of complications. A C-RPM for hypertension was established in response to this threat. Research Question or Hypothesis: Will C-RPM promote timely BP control among underserved patients during the COVID19 pandemic? Study Design: A retrospective, single-arm observational study conducted in two federally qualified health center sites. Method(s): All adult patients with uncontrolled BP (>=140/90) who received physician or nurse practitioner referral to participate in CRPM were included. Patients who failed to use BP device independently were excluded. All participants received a BP device that transmitted their BP measurements to the institution electronic health records. Clinical pharmacists, under a collaborative practice agreement, followed the readings and provided dose adjustments via telemedicine. Patient demographics were collected at baseline and BP readings were tracked daily for the first three months. Descriptive analysis, ASCVD risk calculator and paired t-test were used accordingly. Result(s): Between August and December 2021, 89 patients were referred, of which 70 (78.7%) monitored BP daily while 19 (21.3%) were lost to follow up. The average age of the patients was 60.8 years with majority being Hispanic (76.4%), female (63%), and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (52.8%). The average BP improved from 163/82 at baseline to 132/71 at three months (p<0.001) with an average ASCVD risk score reduction of 25%. Approximately 76% achieved BP target (<140/90) within three months. BP of those lost to follow up maintained uncontrolled over the three months. Conclusion(s): C-RPM achieved clinically meaningful and timely improvement in BP control and cardiovascular risks among underserved patients, bypassing the threat of care access disruption due to the COVID19 pandemic.

The Covid-19 Pandemic Regulations and Court Rulings

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an enormous challenge for our legal system which, from the moment the first state of alarm was declared on 14 March 2020, had to rapidly adapt to the evolution of the coronavirus and the health, social and economic risks that the pandemic was generating. This situation and, in particular, the significant restrictions on fundamental rights adopted, have become an endurance test for the Spanish legal system, reflected above all in the role played and the tensions that have arisen between regulators and courts. This paper reviews the most relevant and conflictive areas in which rules were adopted to manage the crisis caused by COVID-19 and the response given by the courts, with the aim of offering an overview of the effects that the pandemic has had on our legal system.

Changes in perceived health status in older men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic : Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted older people. The disease and the measures to combat it have had a differential impact according to gender, with higher mortality rates in men and worse psychological and social consequences in women. The objective of this work is to analyze the changes in perceived health of older people in Europe during the first months of the pandemic and to assess the combined role of age and gender. Methods Wave 8 data of SHARE-corona (Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe) (n = 51,695, aged≥50) collected between Jun-Aug 2020 were used. Perceived health status was explored with a question on whether there has been a change compared with the health status before the COVID-19 outbreak (response options: worse, the same and better). Two-way ANOVA with interaction and Student's t-test with Bonferroni correction were used to compare the effects of gender and age group (50-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥80) in changes in perceived health. Results Differences in perceived health were observed by age, as well as by gender in participants aged ≥70 years (F = 91.94;p < 0.001). These differences were significant both by gender (F = 19.39;p < 0.001) and age (F = 191.79;p < 0.001). No interaction was detected between both factors (p = 0.170), which allowed their effect to be studied individually. Among the people who reported a worsening in their perceived health, women aged 70 to 79 years predominated (11.1%), followed by men aged 80 and over (15.3%) and women of the same age group (16.4%). Conclusions The results suggest an association between the change in perceived health during the pandemic and age. Women have a slightly worse health status than men in all age groups. Therefore, gender can be considered as an influential factor in perceived health in old age, which in turn can have a potential impact in the quality of life of older people. Funding Projects Ref. H2019/HUM-5698 and Ref. 202010E158. Key messages Older people have been severely impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. The combined effect of age and gender on the change in perceived health status during the pandemic have been analyzed.

Using Mentimeter in higher education: online digital tool to encourage and enhance the acquisition of knowledge in a fun way

With the emergence of COVID-19, the educational community has needed to incorporate new methodological approaches to face the new forms of teaching required by the pandemic scenario. One of these approaches is gamification, which implies introducing educational content in a playful way. In Higher Education, gamification must have a level of complexity that the most popular programs can't provide. Mentimeter is a program that is based on an online audience software and allows a wide range of questions and questionnaires significantly suitable for the educational level analysed. It facilitates the active learning of students, increasing their attention, commitment and motivation, thus allowing the student to be the centre of the teaching-learning process. This article analyses the use of Mentimeter in a wide range of classes of various university disciplines and reviews its theoretical and practical potential for the improvement of teaching-learning processes, the acquisition of knowledge by students and the use of new teaching methodologies.

[Antimicrobial stewardship program during the COVID-19 pandemic]

In spite of the low frequency of COVID-19 associated bacterial coinfections, the rate of empiric antibiotic use varies between 70% and 90%. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on COVID-19 patients. The study design was an interrupted time series, assessing prevalence of antibiotic use, adequacy of treatment and antimicrobial consumption in adult patients hospitalized with COVID before the COVID-ASP implementation in June 2020, and on three subsequent periods (P2 in August 2020, P3 in October 2020 and P4 in June 2021). One hundred and one patients were included. Moderate and severe disease was more frequent in P2, P3, and P4 periods (p < 0.001). After the implementation we observed a significant reduction on ATM use (61% vs. 41% vs. 31.1% vs. 8.1%, p < 0.001), and macrolid combination therapy (17.3% vs. 19.2% vs. 10.8% vs. 1.4%, p = 0.03), and an increase of adequate use (37.5% vs. 46.9% vs. 69.9% vs. 66.6%, p = 0.039). Antimicrobial consumption by period in days of therapy (DOT)/1000 patient-day was 347.9 vs. 272.8 vs. 134.29 vs. 43.6 (p <0.001). We did not find any difference in intensive care unit transfer or mortality. COVID-ASP implementation was an effective strategy to reduce antimicrobial consumption and optimize antibiotic indications without affecting morbidity or mortality.

Exploring patient experiences with a telehealth approach for the PRO-ACTIVE trial intervention in head and neck cancer patients.

INTRODUCTION: Following the COVID-19 directive to cease non-essential services, a rapid shift was made in the delivery of Speech Language Pathology (SLP) dysphagia management in the 3-arm, randomized PRO-ACTIVE trial. To inform future programs, this study explored patients' experiences with telehealth when the planned in-person SLP intervention was moved to a telehealth modality. METHODS: A theory-guided qualitative descriptive approach was used. Willing participants who had received at least one telehealth swallowing therapy session participated in a one-time semi-structured interview. Interview transcripts were subjected to a standard qualitative content/theme analysis. Researchers reviewed all transcripts and used a multi-step analysis process to build a coding framework through consensus discussion. Summaries and key messages were generated for each code. RESULTS: Eleven participants recounted their telehealth experiences and reported feeling satisfied, comfortable and confident with the session(s). They identified that previous experience with teleconferencing, access to optimal technical equipment, clinician skill, and caregiver assistance facilitated their telehealth participation. Participants highlighted that telehealth was beneficial as it reduced commuting time, COVID-19 exposure and fatigue from travel; and also allowed caregiver participation particularly during COVID. In comparing their in-person SLP sessions to telehealth sessions, limitations were also identified, including: lack of previous experience with and/or poor access to technology, and less opportunity for personalization. Participants indicated that use of phone alone was less preferred than an audio/video platform. DISCUSSION: Patients reported that overall, telehealth sessions did not compromise their learning experience when compared to in-person sessions. Patients benefited from use of telehealth in several ways despite some limitations of the use of technology. Patient feedback about telehealth provides an important perspective that may be critical to inform best practices for care delivery.

[Stress, anxiety, and depression in health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic]

Background: Mental health is an integral part of health. Having some psychiatric condition without treatment predisposes to a poor quality of life. These alterations have been found with an incidence of up to 50% in the general population. There are very few studies in Mexico on these conditions in health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in health workers. Material and methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional observational study was conducted on health workers in a tertiary hospital, through the application of randomized and self-completed surveys, in search of levels of stress, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: 44.7% of those surveyed showed depression, 83.1% anxiety, and 66.3% stress. The main groups affected were female staff, singles, and medical residents. Those with type 2 diabetes mellitus had higher anxiety and depression. Conclusion: The prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression in health workers is similar to that of the general population in our study. Depression was the alteration most found. The scrutiny of alterations in mental health in health workers is of the utmost importance, with greater emphasis in the context of the aforementioned pandemic.

Academic stressors and depressive symptomatology among economically vulnerable college women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Female university students from socioeconomically vulnerable groups is a high-risk group for the development of mental health problems in the covid-19 pandemic. Objective: To evaluate the moderating role of teacher support on emotional regulation strategies (ERS) in the relationship between academic stressors (AS) and depressive symptoms in female university students from socioeconomically vulnerable groups. Method: 371 women between 18 and 29 years old who were in higher education completed a survey where depressive symptoms were evaluated through the PHQ-9 and the ERD through CERQ. To assess academic stressors and perception of teacher support, specific questions were designed. Results: Two indirect effect models were identified that showed that low teacher support moderated the moderation of low and medium levels of ERS planning in the relationship of “quality of online learning” and “concern for academic performance” with depressive symptoms. Conclusions: The role of ERS that points to metacognitive aspects and teaching support as protective factors for this specific group against AS, mainly linked to academic performance is discussed at the end.

Multicenter study of COVID-19 incidence and determinants in Argentinian physicians

Background: Information about COVID infection in physicians is limited. This knowledge would allow the implementation of actions to reduce its impact. The objective was determining the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in physicians from health institutions in Argentina, its characteristics, and associated factors. Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective/retrospective cohort study with nested case-control study. Physicians active at the beginning of the pandemic were included, those on leave due to risk factors were excluded. The incidence of confirmed cases was estimated. We conducted bivariate analyses with various factors and used those significant in a logistic regression. Results: Three hundred and forty three physicians with COVID-infection from 8 centers were included. The incidence of disease was 12.1% and that of global absenteeism related to COVID, 34.1%. Almost 70% of close contacts were work-related. In the multivariate analysis living in Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) (OR 0.19, p = 0.01), working in high-risk areas (OR 0.22, p = 0.01) and individual transportation (OR 0, 34, p = 0.03) reduced the risk of COVID. The odds of infection increased 5.6 times (p = 0.02) for each close contact isolation. Discussion: The number of close contact isolation increased considerably the risk of infection. Living in Buenos Aires City, individual transportation and working in high-risk areas reduced it. Given the high frequency of close contact in the workplace, we strongly recommend the reinforcement of prevention measures in rest areas and non-COVID-wards.