The psychologist and the Covid-19: An exploratory survey of distance practices

The context of the health crisis has led psychologists working in institutions or in private practice to adapt their working methods to the constraints of confinement, in particular by resorting to distance learning. This exploratory survey aims at documenting this evolution of practices, in collaboration with COVID 19. An online survey was conducted among practitioners, resulting in 397 responses. The questions concerned the use of telepsychology (time, activity), before, during and after the crisis period. While the use of telepsychology was infrequent before the crisis, almost three-quarters of the psychologists used it during the crisis, and slightly less than half thought they would use it afterwards. The amount of time devoted to these practices depends on the tasks and the status of the psychologist. It is more important for administrative tasks and meetings than for treatment, and more often envisaged by freelance psychologists than by employees. Beyond the general findings, taking into account the status and the field of activity allows a picture of the evolutions in progress. © 2022 Société Française de Psychologie Le contexte de la crise sanitaire a conduit les psychologues exerçant en institution ou en libéral à adapter leurs modalités de travail aux contraintes du confinement, notamment en recourant au distanciel. Cette enquête exploratoire a pour but de documenter cette évolution des pratiques, en lien avec le COVID 19. Une enquête en ligne a été réalisée auprès de praticiens, permettant de collecter 397 réponses. Les questions portaient sur le recours au distanciel (temps, activité), avant, pendant et après la période de crise. Si l'usage du distanciel était peu fréquent avant la crise, près de 3/4 des psychologues y ont recouru pendant, et un peu moins de la moitié pense y avoir recours après. Le temps consacré à ces pratiques dépend des missions et des statuts. Il est ainsi plus important pour les tâches administratives et les réunions que pour les prises en charges, et plus souvent envisagé par les psychologues libéraux que les salariés. Au-delà des constats généraux, la prise en compte du statut et du domaine d'activité permet une photographie des évolutions en cours. © 2022 Société Française de Psychologie

Lessons Learned from Teaching in Person Cadaveric Anatomy During the COVID19 Pandemic

In March 2020, TTUHSC opened a new 20,000sf Institute of Anatomical Sciences for human gross anatomy. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck and many schools shifted from in person to online teaching, we hypothesized that if safety measures were used, in person cadaveric anatomy could be safely taught without a decrease in student performance. To test this, we reduced onsite attendance to less than 25% of room capacity. Masks were required at all times and students were instructed to social distance. Six students were assigned per cadaver, but only two students dissected at a time. The other four students reviewed and completed dissections and/or reviewed in groups of two at other allotted times. Thus, students dissected only every third lab. Dissection and lab review attendance was mandatory and students were nearly 100% compliant. Teaching assistants recorded dissected prosections reviews, and these videos were uploaded to password protected course files for independent learning. Students were provided iPads in the laboratory and access to three software packages for use on and off site. All students had access to multiple formative quizzes and exams, and three new online practice practical exams were created. To help reduce testing anxiety, a pass/fail system replaced categorical grading. However, all written and practical exams were conducted on site and in person. At TTUHSC, we have developed an exam question database to track historical student performance including a 25-question optional pre-block practice exam used to assess incoming student anatomical aptitude. In 2020, 90% of incoming students (93% in 2019) took the pre-block exam and scored an average of 28% (24% in 2019). In 2020, despite vastly different content delivery approaches (>80% of lectures were on Zoom) and reduced in-person dissection requirements, students modestly outperformed their 2019 counterparts. Overall exam averages were 89% in 2020 compared to 87% in 2019. If a categorical system was in place, 66% of students would have earned Honors or High Pass in 2020 compared to 61% in 2019. Our formative assessments were highly predictive of summative exam performance, and students reported that they reduced exam stress. Furthermore, summative exam averages correlated strongly with NBME performance (p<0.0001, r =0.63). TTUHSC medical students estimated that a majority of their peers at other medical schools did not have any in person dissection in 2020. Our students ranked in person laboratory dissection as the most useful learning activity, 88% reported that our COVID-19 preparations were very good to outstanding, and 97% were satisfied with the quality of their anatomy education. We conclude that 1) When using appropriate precautions, in person cadaveric anatomy can be taught safely during a pandemic;2) cadaveric dissection is essential for mastery of anatomical concepts;and 3) coupling online learning modalities with rigorous formative assessments prevented a modest reduction in cadaveric dissection opportunities from negatively impacting student performance. 2.

Treating Women with Endometriosis-Associated Pain during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Study Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in unforeseen ways, particularly healthcare. This study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women with endometriosis-associated pain, including its influence on quality of life, healthcare access, and pain symptoms. Design This is a cross-sectional study using an online, anonymous 30-question survey. Women were invited to participate via e-mail or invitations posted on the Facebook page for MyEndometriosisTeam (a social network support group for women living with the disease) between December 9, 2020, to January 31, 2021. Setting United States (US). Patients or Participants 155 women with a self-reported history of endometriosis, 21yrs or older, living in the US completed the survey. Interventions None. This was an observational study. Measurements and Main Results Most women (76%) were 30-49 years old, 51% had daily pain symptoms, 25% experiencing pain a few times a week. Of a separate group of women who reported that that their endometriosis-associated pain worsened since the beginning of the pandemic (52%), the most common triggers for worsening pain were stress (80%), fatigue (74%), depression/anxiety (71%), financial concerns (45%), inability to undergo surgery (40%) and inability to exercise (38%). More than a third of women conveyed (38%) challenges with obtaining prescription medications and scheduling surgeries. Of the 17% for whom surgery was postponed, 50% of the women reported this as indefinite. Women's concerns about their endometriosis in relation to COVID-19 included whether it makes COVID-19 symptoms worst (53%), whether they are at a greater risk of acquiring COVID-19 (44%), and whether it is safe to visit a doctor/hospital (28%). Only 32% spoke with their doctor about treating their pain and 35% had no interaction with their doctor during the pandemic. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has had a multifaceted impact on women with endometriosis, from worsened endometriosis-associated pain due to stress and reduced quality of life, challenges with prescriptions/surgeries, and financial concerns.

CySecEscape 2.0-A virtual escape room to raise cybersecurity awareness

An increasing number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use the Internet to support and grow businesses. The application of new technologies comes with inherent risks of ever-changing cyberspace and increasing cybercrime. Previous research has shown that the human factor remains the core element in the cybersecurity chain. Therefore, it is paramount that employees receive effective training to acquire a security mindset. This study puts forward previous research that resulted in a portable escape room game to raise cybersecurity awareness. The purpose of the study is to elaborate the transformation of the physical game into a virtual learning experience to increase flexibility in times such as the Covid-19 lockdown. As main method, we applied the design science framework of Hevner et al. As main result, the research elaborates the design of the developed artifact-a virtual prototype of the escape room game addressing the cybersecurity challenges of SMEs. For the evaluation of the prototype, empirical data was collected in qualitative and quantitative form. As main conclusions, we have observed that a physical escape room can be transformed into a virtual setting with little means without sacrificing player immersion. A limitation was identified in teaching targeted social engineering attacks. © 2021, Serious Games Society. All rights reserved.