Living with a Pandemic from Psycho-Social Perspectives: A Narrative Review

This narrative review aims to identify psycho-social issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among vulnerable populations. Through understanding the psychosocial meanings underneath, the suffering from the pandemic and the transformative experiences toward better society could be substantiated. Searching relevant studies and literature on psycho-social impacts in relation to COVID-19 was conducted from psycho-social points of view. Vulnerable populations such as the mentally ill, the poor, refugees, immigrants, the elderly, and other stigmatized groups were focused on. Reflections and plans on the worsened health disparities and increased stresses among vulnerable groups will help our society to be healthier and safer.

Transition to Disease-Site Specific Chart Rounds: An Evaluation of Impact on Quality and Perceptions of Practitioners

Although chart rounds is an established quality assurance process, there remains minimal evidence on various forms of peer review, and some studies report relatively low error-detection rates. One question faced by both academic and community practices is whether to structure chart rounds as practice-site specific (PS) or disease-specific (DS). The global COVID pandemic may also offer new opportunities for structuring peer-review by enhancing virtual connectivity of people and practices. The purpose of this study was to determine if changes to treatment plans were recommended more often and assess perceptions following the transition to DS chart rounds. Data was prospectively collected for 6 months before and 6 months after transition to DS chart rounds at a multi-practice institution. Observed data included frequency of questions asked, educational remarks, and recommended changes to the presented plan or future patients. Time spent per case was recorded. Participants were not aware of data collection. Following 10 months of practicing DS chart rounds, a survey was distributed to faculty, dosimetrists, and trainees to assess perceptions of DS chart rounds. Two-tailed t-testing and chi-square testing were used to analyze the data. Criteria for statistical significance was p<0.05. The study was IRB-approved. Over 1 year, 1460 patients were peer reviewed;781 were reviewed by PS chart rounds and 679 by DS chart rounds. A question was asked more often in DS (49.3%) than PS (31.9%) chart rounds (p<0.001). A change to a presented plan was recommended more often in DS (4.9%) than PS (1.4%) chart rounds (p<0.001). A change was recommended for future patients more often in DS (4.4%) than PS (0.9%) chart rounds (p<0.001). An educational point was raised more often in DS (12.5%) than PS (9.3%) chart rounds (p=0.05). Time spent per case was more for DS (2.7 min) than PS (1.6 min) chart rounds (p<0.001). Overall, there were 35 survey respondents (54% response rate). Among attendings, the response rate was 74%. Of all respondents, 89% agreed DS chart rounds improve the quality of patient plans, 83% agreed DS chart rounds improve patient safety, 86% agreed DS chart rounds encourage more discussion, and 77% agreed DS chart rounds are more educational. Only 37% of respondents agreed DS chart rounds are more time efficient;however, 95% of attendings and 89% of all respondents favored continuing DS chart rounds;no respondents disagreed. Time efficiency was not associated with preference for continuing DS chart rounds (p=0.10). Favoring continuing DS chart rounds was associated with the belief that DS chart rounds improve patient safety (p<0.001), quality of patient plans (p<0.001), and education (p<0.001). DS chart rounds were associated with more discussion and recommended changes to treatment plans than PS chart rounds. Most respondents favored continuing DS chart rounds and reported that this format improved the quality of patient treatment plans and safety. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Basic Design and Layout Plan of Essential Units for a Modular Screening Clinic

Historically, the first-class infectious disease led to SARS in 2002, swine flu in 2009, MERS in 2015, and COVID-19 in 2019. This study aims to design and arrange an essential unit of a modular screening clinic for continuous use in the event of a future infectious disease outbreak, particularly focusing on laying the foundation to quickly respond to disasters. The research process involved specifying essential units based on previous studies that derived the essential and recommended facilities for screening clinics. The required unit module of the modular screening clinic was set as A, B, and C, and the combination was reviewed. As a result of the study, A+B(3)+C type was found to be the most appropriate in terms of function and movement. The results also indicated that a module unit with a size of 1800 × 3,000 mm was the most suitable for module assembly and transportation. A plan, elevation, and cross-sectional view were then designed by connecting the derived units into five combinations. The essential elements of the space consisted of a reception room, a treatment room, a medical staff space, a locker room, and a waste disposal room. The third, serial, parallel, and mixed layout scenarios were prepared in anticipation of site utilization by a public health center. © 2022 Architectural Institute of Korea.

Children with COVID-19 after reopening of schools, South Korea

Purpose: To describe pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases after the reopening of schools in the Republic of Korea and their transmission routes. Methods: All case report forms and epidemiologic investigation forms for children aged 3–18 years reported as COVID-19 cases to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System from May 1 to July 12, 2020, were reviewed. Results: After the schools were reopened in May 2020, a total of 127 pediatric COVID-19 cases were confirmed until July 12. Of these, 59 children (46%) were exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 through family and relatives, followed by 18 children (14%) through cram schools or private lessons, 8 children (6%) through multi-use facilities, and 3 children (2%) through school. Conclusions: The present data do not suggest an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission in the context of stringent school-based infection prevention measures introduced across the country. © 2020 The Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.