ABSTRACT
Traditionally, storytelling was used for entertainment and the transfer of know-how. The advent of digital media gave rise to new possibilities for telling stories. When the context is, for example, to relay information about how to protect a person from COVID-19, it is referred to as serious storytelling. The main objective of this research was to establish what skills and attributes would be required for someone to autonomously "tell” a serious digital story in a resource constrained environment. A systematic literature review of peer reviewed articles resulted in a knowledge bank of articles. Atlas Ti was used to qualitatively analyse these articles. Even though a resource constrained environment may be a limiting factor for telling a digital story, this research has found that emotional support, digital inclusion, as well as assisting individuals with their devices, can pave the way to autonomous digital storytelling. © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Aim COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to healthcare systems. We aimed to observe the impact on urological care delivery in an Irish university hospital. Methods Data on urological activity was prospectively collected for 3 months from March 2020. A retrospective review of the same period in 2019 was performed for control data. Results Over the 2020 study period, 356 urological admissions were recorded;a 23.1% decrease from the 2019 corresponding period(n=463). A 21.7% decrease in flexible cystoscopies was seen (162 versus 207). 125 theatre cases (36 off-site) were performed in the 2020 period, versus 151 in 2019. Emergency case load remained stable, with 69 cases in the 2020 period. The percentage of trainee-performed cases was preserved. COVID-era outpatient activity increased, to involve 559 clinic consultations compared to 439 the preceding year;a reflection of annual growth in service demand and facilitated by virtual clinic application (n=403). There were 490 instances of patients cancelling/failing to attend outpatient appointments, compared to 335 in 2019. Conclusion The Irish COVID-19 outbreak has created obstacles for urological care. Nonetheless, urgent/emergent urological cases persist. Our unit has managed this to-date with flexible adaptation of service delivery. The global challenge posed by COVID-19 will demand ongoing resourcefulness to minimise impact on patients with time-sensitive urological conditions.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to healthcare systems, via both its direct threat and a ripple effect on hospital services. Rapid emergence of COVID-era guidelines has ensued, suggesting a paradigm shift in surgical practice.1–3 We aimed to observe the impact on urological care delivery in an Irish university hospital. Methods: Data on urological activity was collected prospectively for 6 weeks from February 2020. A retrospective review of the same calendar period in 2019 was performed to obtain control data. Variables collected included admissions, elective/emergency cases, endoscopy/ESWL, nurse-led clinic and outpatient figures. Results: Over the 2020 study period, 118 urological admissions, including non-endoscopy day cases, were recorded, demonstrating 53.4% decrease from 2019 corresponding period (n = 253). A 51.2% decrease in flexible cystoscopies was seen (65 versus 133). 44 elective theatre cases (18 off-site at a private hospital) were performed in the 2020 period, compared to 63 in 2019. Major elective case numbers remained stable (n = 5). Laparoscopic work continued where surgically appropriate. In contrast to other figures, emergency case load increased by 180% to 54 cases in the 2020 period. Prospectively studied outpatient activity, compared to control period figures in brackets, involved 350(400) clinic consultations, 348(155) cancellations and 52(63) DNAs. 92 consultations were by virtual clinic. Conclusions: The early phase of the Irish COVID-19 outbreak has changed delivery of urological care. Nonetheless, emergency and urgent elective urological cases continue to present in similar numbers. The global challenge posed by COVID-19 will demand ongoing flexibility and resourcefulness to minimise the impact on patients with time-sensitive urological conditions.