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Travel has always been considered to be a risky affair as there are multiple uncertainties associated with it. Though the tourism industry has developed sophisticated methods to manage these risks, there are still certain uncontrollable and unforeseen circumstances that might affect the physical, emotional, and mental state of travellers. The result would be a huge financial burden for the traveller and increased frustration towards the tour operator. The concept of travel insurance was introduced to relieve travellers of such unforeseen risks while travelling. Moreover, the Covid 19 pandemic has instilled a sense of fear and doubt among the minds of travellers which affects their travel decision-making to a large extent. Destinations and tourism suppliers have introduced various risk reduction strategies and methods to resolve this issue. This paper focuses on understanding the concept of risk associated with travel, the various dimensions of risk management, and the key strategies adopted by tour operators and suppliers to minimize such risks. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Purpose: The leisure industry is colossally impacted by varied types of crisis. Assessing the volatility;an attempt is made towards disaster planning and a response system. This chapter indicates an all-inclusive integrated approach to deal with disasters and narrates conceptual and latest factual findings in the space of disaster management. An efficient and self-equipped attraction demands a competent and efficient disaster management system in place. Methodology: This chapter devises measures to deal with the capacity of a destination during pandemic and proposes recovering strategies for the leisure business. Destination governance and disaster management techniques are well explored in the proposed chapter. Findings: An imperative study of this nature will determine the role of cultural perceptions of varied risk and threats in a pandemic scenario. Innovative practices of disaster governance and Post-disaster recovery strategies are crucial mechanisms for the sustenance of tourism and hospitality sector. Originality-Value: The conceptual ideas and outcomes obtained in this chapter helps policy makers not only to find new strategies to placate the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the organic image of tourist destinations but also assists in accelerating the recovery timeframe just after the pandemic. © 2022 Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry, Bindi Varghese, N Elangovan and H Sandhya.
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The education sector has undergone a tremendous transformation during the last few decades with the advancement of information and communication technology. Traditional methods of teaching and learning are replaced with modern technology enabled methods such as virtual reality, 3D images and videos, augmented reality, and gamification. Tourism education involves learning about geographic regions, destinations, and sightseeing. The shift from offline mode of teaching to a completely online and digital platform during the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the need to include such innovative practices in teaching and learning. This chapter focuses on the potential benefits of enabling technology infused teaching and learning methods and their implications on improving student motivation and engagement. © 2023, IGI Global. All rights reserved.
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This paper aims to examine the pandemic-induced crises psychological and physical distress experienced by the employees during the Covid19 pandemic and the implications on job loss and job characteristics from all domains of the hospitality industry in India. The study is designed to explore the pandemic-induced tourism crisis along with emotional, mental, and physical effects. An in-depth qualitative exploration was used and a tool comprising of data sets include representatives from aviation, resorts and hotel segments, tour operators, and travel agents. The researchers used a semi-structured questionnaire that had two sections and explored industry concerns, HR strategies, and employee distress through a multi-stage process involving coding and content analysis. The study analyzed the pandemic-induced crises at the micro and macro levels and grouped them under three essential dimensions such as;organizational and industry concerns, organizational HR policies, and employees’ psychological distress. The subthemes under these dimensions can contribute to scale validation. The subthemes grouped under the three major dimensions have come out as a theoretical model of how the pandemic has affected professionals at these three levels. The findings as items can be validated through descriptive research in quantitative terms forming the future scope. The study analyzed the perceptions of professionals in the tourism and hospitality business amid the pandemic and concludes that a proactive HR policy can minimize employees’ psychological distress. © 2022 Editura Universitatii din Oradea. All rights reserved.
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Introduction Pandemic has affected health care globally affecting the routine practices in hospitals. Treatment delivery for cancer patients posed specific challenges in lieu of reducing risk of exposure. The current report evaluates the effect of COVID-19 on breast cancer treatment and management at a single-surgeon cancer care unit in one of the hotspots in India. Prashanti Cancer Care Mission (PCCM), is a public charitable trust that supports an Oncosurgeon's practice with a mission to support cancer patients by providing subsidized treatment, counselling, and fostering support group activities. PCCM's Orchid's Breast Health clinic is a multidisciplinary health care unit working closely in association with PCCM's research arm Centre for translational cancer research (CTCR). Methods In response to the pandemic, adjustments were made in the clinical practice to accommodate social distancing. Patient consultations were done over phone call or in-clinic visit with prior appointment to reduce the risk of exposure. Total number of patients treated at the clinic, total footfall, chemotherapies administered, and essential surgeries performed were assessed Results The report summarizes the effect of pandemic on cancer care and management at a single unit of cancer clinic through various phases of lock-down that were implemented in India to curb the spread of COVID-19. Conclusions The methodology adopted here for care and management of the cancer patients can serve as a guiding principle for cancer care units in the country.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in critically ill patients with renal failure, with many requiring renal replacement therapies. Unfortunately, many of them are too critically ill to tolerate intermittent hemodialysis. In the setting of limited resources, we did bedside acute intermittent peritoneal dialysis for critically ill COVID-19 patients with hemodynamic instability with or without ventilator support admitted to our intensive care unit. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the outcome of intermittent peritoneal dialysis in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: Our retrospective observational study included 91 patients with critically ill SARS-CoV2 infection and renal failure admitted to the intensive care unit of our hospital from July 2020 to September 2021, who underwent acute intermittent peritoneal dialysis. Results: The demographic, laboratory, and treatment parameters were compared between survivors and non-survivors. Variables, like increased mean age (49.88 vs. 59.07 years), presence of diabetes mellitus (36.4% vs. 63.8%), increased lung involvement (57.3% vs. 75.0%), mechanical ventilation (15.2% vs. 70.7%), systolic (84.3 vs. 77.5 mm of Hg) and diastolic (59.09 vs. 42.93 mm of Hg) blood pressures, were associated with poor outcomes. The use of hypertonic PD (63.6% vs. 37.9%), better urea reduction ratios (44.33 vs. 39.84), and increased PD cycles (66.52 vs. 44.26) were associated with a better outcome. Complications, like haemorrhage and peritonitis, occurred in 10.9%. Conclusion: PD is a cost-effective bedside RRT that can be considered an effective option in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Good urea clearance, hemodynamic stability, and minimal resource requirements are also the features that favour peritoneal dialysis.
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Introduction: Solid Organ Transplants (SOT) is at increased risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, which may result in acute graft dysfunction and even death. While the disease has been well studied in the general population, it is not the case in renal transplant recipients. The poor immunological response of the vaccine in postrenal transplant patients, the emergence of newer strains, and the possibility of a third wave in India, makes it even more important to know more about the course and outcome of the disease in post renal transplant patients. Aim: To evaluate the demographics, clinical presentation, biochemical profile, course of hospitalisation in post kidney transplant patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study study with 18 patients was conducted in Madurai Medical College, Tamil Nadu, India for duration of four months, from May 2021 to August 2021 and data collection from May 2021 to July 2021 and data analysis in August 2021. All post kidney transplant patients having evidence of COVID-19 were included. Detailed clinical history, biochemical profile, radiological findings, treatment, and final outcomes were collected and compared. Non parametric statistical tests were used, in addition to Chi-square test and odds ratio. Kaplan-Meier plot was used for survival analysis. Results: The most common presentation was fever 15 (83.3%), followed by cough 10 (55.6%). C-reactive Protein (CRP) {65 mg/L (11.48-94.48)}, D-dimer {0.72 mcg/mL (0.59-1.1)}, serum creatinine {3.5 mg/dL (2.12-5.93)}, and platelet count {200,000 cells/cu.mm (1.75-2.22)} and showed statistically significant (p<0.05) association with the outcome. About 15 (83.3%) patients developed Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). Seven patients (38.9%) had stage three AKI necessitating haemodialysis, of which six did not survive. The median survival time was 22 days, with 95% confidence interval (19.792-24.208), with case fatality rate of 33.3% Conclusion: Postkidney transplant patients are at high risk of contracting COVID-19. CRP, D-dimer, serum creatinine, platelet counts, and arterial oxygen saturation may serve as prognostic markers. Dialysis may be required in view of high incidence of AKI and acute graft dysfunction, though the outcome seems dismal in such patients. Hence, the need for early hospitalisation and more effective treatment protocol is essential to improve outcome.
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Purpose The tourism sector of the state of Kerala in India is highly vulnerable and has been extensively impacted by the global pandemic disaster. This paper aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 (Corona virus pandemic) on houseboat operators and homestay managers. Design/methodology/approach This paper indicates a multi-stakeholder assessment method to examine various pandemic disaster facets through a structured discussion with different destination stakeholders. This study examines qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews from homestay owners, houseboat operators and government designators in Kerala. This study proposes a conceptual community resilience competency framework that could facilitate speedy crisis management responses. In this study, the sample comprises of nine respondents who play a pivotal role in the travel business, comprising the public sector, private sector, NGO's and community leaders. Findings The qualitative findings identify India's and the state of Kerala's roles in handling crisis management scenarios over internal strategies and strategy formulation. The results indicate that the supplementary industry practitioners explore tactical and strategic management initiatives to sustain their businesses. The dynamics of stakeholder engagement adopted by the state is given prominence. Originality/value This study suggests mechanisms to re-establish the brand image and the possible strategies and suggestions that could help in the survival of the Kerala tourism industry in the post-disaster period. The "new normal" has been substantiated in the study by incorporating strategies and precautionary methods adopted by the homestay and houseboat operators so as to address the guests' safety concerns.
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Objective: Novel coronavirus disease-19 is spreading rapidly, and therefore, optimal management of the disease in endstage kidney disease patients requiring hemodialysis is not fully explained. We report the clinical characteristics and the short-term outcomes in patients with end-stage renal disease who require hospitalization for coronavirus disease-19 and who underwent hemodialysis. Methods: In this retrospective, observational, single-center study, we analyzed the clinical course and outcomes of 116 consecutive end-stage kidney disease patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease-19 who underwent at least 1 hemodialysis session in our hospital between June 26 and August 10, 2020. Baseline clinical features, laboratory data, and treatment given were compared between survivors and non-survivors to identify risk factors associated with mortality. Results: Among the 116 patients who were enrolled in our study, males constituted 81% (n = 94). Many had underlying comorbidities, of which hypertension (90.4%) was the most common. The most common symptoms were fever (76.1%), dyspnoea (61.2%), cough (58.6%), and diarrhea (18.1%). In total, 66.4% of patients had arteriovenous fistula or grafts. Inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein and serum ferritin were significantly higher in non-survivors group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that dialysis vintage less than 6 months was the most important predictor for mortality. Mortality was 27.5% in our cohort. Conclusion: Mortality among hospitalized end-stage kidney disease patients who underwent hemodialysis was higher when compared to the general population. The presence of comorbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and pre-existing pulmonary disease had a poor prognosis. Patients having central venous catheters as their dialysis access had a poor prognosis. Dialysis vintage less than 6 months was the most important predictor of mortality.