It's been a good pandemic for me': Working with coaching and psychotherapy clients, with a focus on clients with a diagnosis of pure obsessive compulsive disorder

Many of the coaching clients are high achievers and in most of the prepandemic sessions presented as confident, in control and professional. Their reasons for coaching were often focused on their desire to move to the next level, which called for them to identify their strengths and perceived weaknesses and take action to address the identified gaps in their skills and knowledge through the coaching or through further training. This chapter offers a 'good enough' experience for clients and so, during the pandemic, moved reluctantly to working via online platforms or telephone sessions, depending on the client's preference. During the pandemic it is encouraged to build in the time to take walks before and after online sessions and, when it became possible to do so, to start taking that coffee time again rather than going straight from an online psychotherapy session to online business. The client with a pure obsessive compulsive disorder (POCD) diagnosis also saw benefits to their being-in-the-world from the pandemic. POCD often manifests as intrusive, inappropriate and shameful thoughts on which the person will ruminate. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A Project to Distribute Personal Protective Equipment to Homecare Agencies during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Its Association with the Sense of Security Improvement among Homecare Nurses/Helpers

During the early period of COVID-19 pandemic, there was a serious shortage of personal protective equipments (PPEs), which caused difficulty in homecare agencies to make home visits to those (possible) positive COVID-19 cases. An organization with the help of several foundations started a special program to distribute PPEs to those agencies in which there was a possible case or those cases that had close contact with the positive cases. This study examined whether this voluntary activity contributed to increasing the sense of security in providing care among homecare workers. We conducted a survey with homecare agencies that received PPEs from the program between July 2020 and February 2021. The participants were agency managers who applied for PPEs. We conducted the survey twice, before and after receiving PPEs. In the questionnaire, we asked about the overall sense of security in providing care for those infected with COVID-19, reasons for applying for PPE, symptoms of the client or his/her family who caused the PPE request, and the agency's and clients' characteristics. We analyzed the data from 802 responses. Before PPE distribution, the sense of security was associated with the focal client having a cognitive impairment (β = −0.096), having cough (β = −0.088), fatigue (β = −0.085), or headache (β = −0.078). Agencies that did not visits those (possibly) positive cases (β = −0.123) had lower sense of security. Overall, the mean sense of security increased after receiving PPE. Factors that contributed to the increase in sense of security included a lower sense of security before the application (β = −0.529), visiting clients without dyspnoea (β = −0.109), the agency that did not visit positive cases before the application (β = −0.089), and with higher satisfaction with the days of PPEs received (β = 0.144). These results underline the benefit of the special PPsE distribution program.

The importance of the supervisory relationship during adverse and unprecedented times

The article explores supervision during a time of adversity during a global, unforeseen pandemic-Covid 19. This has led to times of extreme struggle, creating an unknown and fearful world for many, ultimately impacting both the therapists and client's worlds as modes of working are restructured and a 'new normal' is sought. The article investigates, through lived experience, how supervision can be used effectively during the health pandemic through using a duoethnography approach. An exploration of working from a position of perceived disempowerment and the challenges of overcoming barriers in an increasingly unsteady socio-political landscape is presented. Vignettes and images of the lived experiences of the supervisor and supervisee are provided, alongside the main body of content, highlighting the importance of the supervisory relationship. Supervision, and the consistency of its practice in this instance, is shown to enable the exploration of the client world and 'meaning making' despite the global pandemic crisis. It is demonstrated that through effective stability within the supervisory relationship, supervisees' can be empowered to continue providing therapeutically sound services for clients through times of national crisis. Supervision is now, more than ever, needed to support therapists in this brash, destructive, uncertain world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Reducing anxiety levels during a pandemic with virtual art therapy: A quasi-experimental pilot study

The COVID-19 pandemic brought an increased need for mental health support. Art therapists, like other mental health providers, made rapid decisions to transition from in-person to virtual formats. The Canadian International Institute of Art Therapy (CiiAT) in Victoria, Canada, provides online diploma and certificate programs in art therapy with a requirement for practice in settings, such as hospitals and community organizations. Due to contact restrictions in early 2020, the non-profit Proulx Global Education and Community Foundation, which oversees CiiAT, set up a Virtual Art Therapy Clinic (VATC) to meet the needs of practicum students and serve clients dealing with anxiety and other challenges. Students could continue with their practicum while providing accessible and affordable art therapy services to clients at home. VATC uses the Jane Application as its video conferencing and scheduling platform, which is privacy compliant following Canadian regulations. Clients can virtually receive art therapy services from VATC anywhere globally by setting up appointments with supervised CiiAT student art therapists. This chapter describes a CiiAT student-initiated pilot quantitative research study in which student art therapists recorded their clients' anxiety levels before and after virtual art therapy sessions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Secondary distribution of HIV self-test kits by HIV index and antenatal care clients: implementation and costing results from the STAR Initiative in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Partner-delivered HIV self-testing kits has previously been highlighted as a safe, acceptable and effective approach to reach men. However, less is known about its real-world implementation in reaching partners of people living with HIV. We evaluated programmatic implementation of partner-delivered self-testing through antenatal care (ANC) attendees and people newly diagnosed with HIV by assessing use, positivity, linkage and cost per kit distributed. METHODS: Between April 2018 and December 2019, antenatal care (ANC) clinic attendees and people or those newly diagnosed with HIV clients across twelve clinics in three cities in South Africa were given HIVST kits (OraQuick Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, OraSure Technologies) to distribute to their sexual partners. A follow-up telephonic survey was administered to all prior consenting clients who were successfully reached by telephone to assess primary outcomes. Incremental economic costs of the implementation were estimated from the provider's perspective. RESULTS: Fourteen thousand four hundred seventy-three HIVST kits were distributed - 10,319 (71%) to ANC clients for their male partner and 29% to people newly diagnosed with HIV for their partners. Of the 4,235 ANC clients successfully followed-up, 82.1% (3,475) reportedly offered HIVST kits to their male partner with 98.1% (3,409) accepting and 97.6% (3,328) using the kit. Among ANC partners self-testing, 159 (4.8%) reported reactive HIVST results, of which 127 (79.9%) received further testing; 116 (91.3%) were diagnosed with HIV and 114 (98.3%) initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART). Of the 1,649 people newly diagnosed with HIV successfully followed-up; 1,312 (79.6%) reportedly offered HIVST kits to their partners with 95.8% (1,257) of the partners accepting and 95.9% (1,206) reported that their partners used the kit. Among these index partners, 297 (24.6%) reported reactive HIVST results of which 261 (87.9%) received further testing; 260 (99.6%) were diagnosed with HIV and 258 (99.2%) initiated ART. The average cost per HIVST distributed in the three cities was US$7.90, US$11.98, and US$14.81, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Partner-delivered HIVST in real world implementation was able to affordably reach many male partners of ANC attendees and index partners of people newly diagnosed with HIV in South Africa. Given recent COVID-19 related restrictions, partner-delivered HIVST provides an important strategy to maintain essential testing services.

Mental Health Client Experiences of Telehealth in Aotearoa New Zealand During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons and Implications.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdowns disrupted mental health service delivery worldwide, accelerating the adoption of telehealth services to provide care continuity. Telehealth-based research largely highlights the value of this service delivery method for a range of mental health conditions. However, only limited research exists exploring client perspectives of mental health services delivered via telehealth during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to increase understanding of the perspectives of mental health clients around services provided via telehealth over the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: Interpretive description methodology underpinned this qualitative inquiry. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 21 individuals (15 clients and 7 support people; 1 person was both a client and support person) to explore their experiences of outpatient mental health care delivered via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand. A thematic analysis approach supported by field notes was used to analyze interview transcripts. RESULTS: The findings reveal that mental health services delivered via telehealth differed from those provided in person and led some participants to feel they need to manage their own care more actively. Participants highlighted several factors affecting their telehealth journey. These included the importance of maintaining and building relationships with clinicians, the creation of safe spaces within client and clinician home environments, and clinician readiness in facilitating care for clients and their support people. Participants noted weaknesses in the ability of clients and clinicians to discern nonverbal cues during telehealth conversations. Participants also emphasized that telehealth was a viable option for service delivery but that the reason for telehealth consultations and the technicalities of service delivery needed to be addressed. CONCLUSIONS: Successful implementation requires ensuring solid relationship foundations between clients and clinicians. To safeguard minimum standards in delivering telehealth-based care, health professionals must ensure that the intent behind telehealth appointments is clearly articulated and documented for each person. In turn, health systems must ensure that health professionals have access to training and professional guidance to deliver effective telehealth consultations. Future research should aim to identify how therapeutic engagement with mental health services has changed, following a return to usual service delivery processes.

Ensuring an Attuned Workforce: Individual and Systemic Factors Impacting Trauma Professionals

While vicarious trauma from hearing traumatic material when working with clients has long been recognised, the concept that much vicarious trauma stems from systemic challenges, and work conditions, is a more recent development. There has been a willingness to recognise the toll on individuals of client stories, however this has allowed organisations to minimise other aspects of the work that are also impactful. Never has this been truer than in the last two years with the Covid-19 pandemic, when workers have experienced their own sense of risk at work, alongside a sense of possible expendability from their organisations. Workers may have felt obliged to keep meeting client need, whilst managing their own personal distress or worry. The article explores areas that contribute to vicarious, work-related trauma, other than hearing the narratives of those who have experienced trauma themselves. Individual and organisational practices, such as organisational culture;variability of the workload;conditions of the work environment;access to professional development;and the provision of quality supervision. The impact of each will be considered, with the aim not just to avoid vicarious trauma or burnout, but to proactively address issues that may impair the functioning of an integrated and fully cognisant professional.

On the online self as an extension of personhood

Social workers must adapt along with the technology that both they and their clients are using and utilize it as a tool for exploration of identity formation, recognizing unique experiences in the online realm shape their perceptions of themselves and the world around them. The speed at which global populations turned to the online world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were perhaps underprepared to do so, has complicated the feelings about being digital and skewed the discussions of online life to focus on the struggles of lacking "normal" human interactions. Adolescents who have already for years been forming their identities through an online world are participating in similar experiential activities that the generations before them have, but the means and mode of doing so have changed. While for years, many people have tried to limit the amount of time and energy that they put into their online lives, the changing landscape has forced many who had little interest in living lives online to grapple with their identity in a virtual world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Thinking Resistance, "Emergency,” and Kismet: A Response to Dylan Rodríguez's Presidential Address

The battles over masking only amplified preexisting culture and race wars in which entrenched libertarianism and neoliberal individualism evaded the economic and existential precarity caused by degraded social welfare and state health care. Counterterrorism projects such as Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) introduced by Barack Obama have relied on recruitment of community members, social service providers, and educators for self-surveillance and self-regulation of political expression and community organizing: a liberal counterterrorism approach for "reformist reform.” 5 Nabeel Abraham and Will Youmans provide important analyses of the "Containment System” in response to the War on Terror, based on "entrepreneurial opportunism” (Rodríguez) by Arab and Muslim American educators, professionals, and community leaders (including in the nonprofit industrial complex), some of whom collaborated with federal and state agencies.6 Academic Containment Reckoning with these critiques from critical Arab American or Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) studies requires grappling with the long history of anti-Arab/Muslim state policies of surveillance, policing, and mass incarceration that preceded 2001. The Zionist lobby and anti-Palestinian organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League have increasingly deployed the language of tolerance and civility to tar critics of Israel with charges of anti-Semitism.7 These liberal strategies, illustrating Rodríguez's argument, can be more damaging than frontal attacks on the Palestine justice movement because the language of racism is harder to challenge

HanAPP Buhay: Android Java-Based Mobile Commerce Application for Freelance Home Service Providers and Client Job Seekers

Service providers from the informal sectors in the Philippines are left unemployed or want to look for part-time jobs due to the sudden COVID-19 pandemic. With the country on lockdown and as strict restrictions are implemented, people started adopting the e-commerce and m-commerce market. The rise in the Filipino masses using smartphones and participating in mobile commerce to purchase products and services over the Internet has given researchers a potential solution for the arising problem. Thus, the primary objective of the research is to design and develop a user-friendly mobile application that will give a platform where potential home service providers can offer their services to potential clients. HanAPP Buhay, a mobile application that is created in Android Studio with Java as a programming language, is a platform where service providers can offer a variety of home services including laundry, plumbing, cleaning, and electrical works to potential clients. As for the Application Programming Interface (API), Stripe and Firebase are the tools utilized for databases and transaction purposes. The researchers conducted a series of surveys and experiments and have determined that in the 38 trials, the HanAPP Buhay mobile application is functioning 100% accurately as expected, 99.995382330563% and 99.994941213182% working at real-time booking of appointments in the 16 trials for clients and 22 trials for workers respectively, have a reliable user's interface and secured data of both users through the Scrypt algorithm, and effective in its overall specifications in terms of customer's satisfaction. © 2022 IEEE.

"i hear you": Exploring the lived experience of counselors' empathic response to clients when conducting telephonic counseling during COVID-19

This study sought to unearth the lived experience of counselors empathically responding to clients via telephonic counseling during COVID-19. The term empathic response refers to as attending to the emotional and mental state of another person in a way that is attuned with the feelings and meanings of the individual's experience. There are few studies that have assessed the merits of telephonic counseling, and even fewer that have examined counselors' empathic response to clients through this medium.To uncover the lived experience of the target population, the participants of the study were purposefully selected to include only those who had actively conducted telephonic counseling with clients in an outpatient setting during the pandemic. This hermeneutic phenomenological study was informed by Clark's (2010) integral model of empathy and Peoples' (2020) general data analysis steps in phenomenological research. The study was conducted with a total of eleven participants who had conducted telephonic counseling during COVID-19. The results of the study identified the master theme of subjective empathy, under which fell the subthemes of identification, imagination, intuition, and felt-level experience. The study also identified the master theme of interpersonal empathy, under which fell the subthemes of understanding barrier to counseling, understanding clients' SES situations, understanding the clients' natural environment, environmental barriers to interpersonal empathy, and emotional barriers to interpersonal empathy. Finally, the study identified the master theme of objective empathy, under which fell the subtheme of information from supervision as a source for objective empathy and information from COVID-related media as a source for objective empathy. The limitations, implications of the study, suggestions for future research, and questions for future research were included. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Effectiveness of videoconferencing psychotherapy delivered by novice clinicians in a training clinic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic forced care providers, including training clinics, to quickly shift mental health services to a remote modality to continue serving vulnerable populations. However, research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy delivered by novice clinicians using videoconferencing technology is limited. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of psychotherapy via videoconferencing technology, delivered by doctoral student trainees in a community training clinic. Participants (n = 34) were ethnically diverse, adult, outpatient psychotherapy clients from a large, urban setting, and the university community. Student clinicians (n = 11) were novice psychotherapy providers in their second or third year of training. Results indicated that client scores on inventories of overall distress Outcomes Questionnaire (OQ), center for epidemiological studies-depression (CES-D), and generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) decreased significantly from baseline to the most recent readministration, and Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised (WAI-SR) increased significantly. Collectively, by Session 16, symptom scores were in the typical range (below the clinical cutoff) for the OQ and GAD-7, and were one point above the CES-D clinical cutoff;by the 24th session, the average score on all measures was below the clinical cutoff, and WAI-SR scores approached the highest possible total score. Additionally, attendance during this time was quite high (87.6%) and was higher than rates during in-person service provision (80.7%). The results from this study suggest that novice clinicians can successfully use videoconferencing to deliver effective, evidence-based treatment in a community clinic, across a range of presenting concerns, and that such services can yield significant improvement of symptom distress and functioning, with patterns comparable to in-person services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Training clinics are utilized by many underserved populations, students, and residents of the surrounding area. If student trainees are able to provide effective mental health care via telehealth, that would remove barriers for many clients that might not otherwise seek treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Clio: Digital Transformation of Legal Practice - At COVID-19 Speed

Professional services firms face evolving client needs and can better meet these needs through digital transformation. We offer the case of Clio, a leading provider of cloud-based legal technology for law firms to better serve their clients. With the onset of COVID-19, the company recognized that remote client access and services, previously embraced by early adopters, would now become essential for all law firms' survival. The company's response resulted in dramatic growth and the transition from a customer base of early adopters to customers spanning most of the innovation adoption curve. Clio's success throughout this period is attributable to three core elements of the company's strategy: (1) Deep, culturally-rooted commitment to customer success, (2) Research-based understanding of the needs of both law firms and their clients, and (3) Industry thought leadership and assistance. These elements generalize beyond Clio and the pandemic and will help guide any organization seeking to become not just a vendor but an essential partner to its customers. © 2022 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Clients' digitalization, audit firms' digital expertise, and audit quality: evidence from China

PurposeThis study aims to examine whether clients' degree of digitalization and audit firms' expertise in information technology (IT) influence audit quality (AQ).Design/methodology/approachData of Chinese A-share firms listed on the primary board of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2011 to 2019 are taken as the sample. All the data are obtained from the China Stock Market and Accounting Research. Clients' digitalization is determined using the keywords "AI technology,” "blockchain,” "cloud computing,” "big data technology” and "digital technology.” Auditor firm's digital expertise is determined by the proportion of higher IT expertise. As the proxy for AQ, this study uses audit fees, given that its quantum reflects the effort auditors expend that in turn affects the AQ.FindingsA fixed-effect regression model shows that clients with high digitalization attain AQ. This study also finds a significant and positive coefficient of audit fees, indicating that AQ is high in the same situation if an audit firm's IT is mature and developed. Furthermore, results confirm the moderating effect of clients' digitalization and auditors' expertise and on AQ. Auditors' expertise in IT mitigates the audit risk and increase AQ.Originality/valueFindings can enhance AQ and corporate governance literature by clarifying how external audits must evolve through digitalization and incorporating newly developed digital tools such as big data, analytics, artificial intelligence and robotic process automation. This study also provides important insights regarding how the development of new digital tools allow the audit profession to perform as a corporate governance mechanism.

FEDERAL DETENTION AND "WILD FACTS" DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Whether to detain or release a defendant in a federal criminal case can be among the most challenging decisions federal judges face. Detention hearings present courts with a wide variety of factual circumstances surrounding defendants and their personal histories, their charged offenses, the evidence against them, the ways in which their detention or release might bear upon the community's safety, and the likelihood that they will appear in court. At least that much is the black letter law. But as the novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 raced through the US in the winter and spring of 2020, touching off widespread infections of the disease labeled COVID-19, a new challenge arose with respect to federal arrestees and defendants already in detention. Citing the threat of COVID-19 infection, many defense attorneys began aggressively pushing for release of their clients. Here, Fuentes offers a framework for considering defendants' arguments for release based on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Developing a partnership for internship training at a community-based animal assisted therapy practice

The effectiveness of a pre-graduation animal assisted therapy internship site was investigated through an ethnographic, phenomenological methodology with mixed-methods components. A total of 12 participants who fit into either the category of supervisor, intern, or administrator involved in the animal assisted therapy practice, were interviewed. A research team analyzed the qualitative interview data and researcher participant field notes and came to a consensus of eight major themes: ranch environment, ranch modalities, community impact, counselor development, relationships, partnership, sense of purpose, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Past historical client data were analyzed (n = 47) to investigate effectiveness of the AAT internship cite through the lens of the clients. Historical client data was divided into three categories, dependent on the client's age and the assessment taken: Adult Self Report (ASR), Youth Self Report (YSR), and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). A paired t-test was run for each assessment group to compare the means of the pre-assessment scores and the means of the post assessment scores for the total problems scale and anxiety problems scale. There was a statistically significant decrease in anxiety problems for the CBCL group. There was a marginally statistically significant decrease in total problems for the CBCL group. There were no significant results found for the YSR or ASR data. Client demographic findings and the statistically significant findings are discussed in relation to the qualitative themes. Implications for future research and counselor education are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Self-awareness, distress disclosure, and peer connectedness as moderators of the relationship between shame and counselor self-efficacy among counseling trainees

Using a sample of 85 counselors in training, this online, survey-based moderation study examined the relationship between shame and counselor self-efficacy using a multiple linear regression model;it also examined self-awareness, distress disclosure, and peer connectedness as potential moderators between the relationship of shame and counselor self-efficacy, utilizing the Hayes PROCESS Macro. A significant inverse relationship was indicated between shame and counselor self-efficacy. Subscales utilized to assess for self-awareness did indicate moderation between the various subscales of internalized shame and counselor self-efficacy. Distress disclosure did moderate the relationship between Embarrassment and Exposed elements of shame and Client Distress subscale of counselor self-efficacy. Peer connection did not indicate moderation as hypothesized. Age and direct client hours were utilized as covariates in this study. Younger participants tended to report higher levels of self-efficacy than older participants, while those who had more direct client hours tended to report higher counselor self-efficacy. Results from this study further expound on the idea that the negative function that shame has on self makes it harder to also hold the positive view of self that relates to counselor self-efficacy. Principles from the Dunning-Kruger effect(Kruger & Dunning, 1999) appeared to give context of results around the moderating relationship self-awareness has with counselor self-efficacy. Key implications within the study highlight the importance of addressing shame within the context of counselor education. Development and purposeful use of self-reflective activities within courses and supervision can aid in buffering the relationship shame has on efficacy in handling relationship conflicts within counseling sessions. Future directions might include more focus on differences in shame found in younger and older counseling students and more development in the theory and assessment of self-awareness to account for principles outlined within the Dunning-Kruger effect. Development of a study that correlates distress disclosure scores with the amount of distress students are currently experiencing may provide fruitful information for supervision and educational development. Replication of the moderation study not during the COVID-19 pandemic may provide different results or further study identifying the benefits that connection with peers has within the counselor education process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Counselor experience with outcomes of telehealth and substance use disorder

Prior to 2020, telehealth, the remote delivery of health care via digital information and communication technologies, was rarely used in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities. The onset of COVID-19 quickly created a shift to telehealth services for the safety and health of providers and patients. Researchers have explored many aspects of telehealth, including the client and counselor/client experience, but have not studied the counselor experience separately. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand counselors' lived experiences pertaining to telehealth use;perceptions of how it impacts clinical performance, self-efficacy, and training;and beliefs about its effectiveness when working with clients with SUD. Bandura's self-efficacy theory was the theoretical framework for the investigation, which featured interpretative phenomenological analysis. Twelve counselors who worked at SUD treatment facilities participated in semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview data occurred by manually coding the data to identify themes, categories, and subcategories. The findings showed that telehealth had benefits for both the client and the counselor, including flexibility, counselor availability, safety from COVID, and the ability to communicate with clients despite the lack of in-person counseling. The findings also revealed a need for more training on developing counseling skills through telehealth services. The positive social change implications of the study include providing a better understanding of the use of telehealth to assist community members and the need for flexible support systems for counselors. Such systems may improve clinical performance and counselor efficacy in delivering telehealth services to patients with SUD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Real-Time Health Monitoring System Using Predictive Analytics

Medical specialists are primarily interested in researching health care as a potential replacement for conventional healthcare methods nowadays. COVID-19 creates chaos in society regardless of the modern technological evaluation involved in this sector. Due to inadequate medical care and timely, accurate prognoses, many unexpected fatalities occur. As medical applications have expanded in their reaches along with their technical revolution, therefore patient monitoring systems are getting more popular among the medical actors. The Internet of Things (IoT) has met the requirements for the solution to deliver such a vast service globally at any time and in any location. The suggested model shows a wearable sensor node that the patients will wear. Monitoring client metrics like blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, etc., is the responsibility of the sensor nodes, which send the data to the cloud via an intermediary node. The sensor-acquired data are stored in the cloud storage for detailed analysis. Further, the stored data will be normalized and processed across various predictive models. Among the different cloud-based predictive models now being used, the model having the highest accuracy will be treated as the resultant model. This resultant model will be further used for the data dissemination mechanism by which the concerned medical actors will be provided an alert message for a proper medication in a desirable manner. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Covid-19 Specific Challenges and Solutions in Digital Transformation for the Retail Sector

Digital transformation is characterized by gathering individuals, data, and processes to generate value for online customers and stay competitive in the new consumer marketplace. This has increasingly become common in retail. Digital consumer retailers are experimenting with numerous ways to adapt to new shoppers' needs, attempting to combine the digital market with the conventional market, and finding various ways to revolutionize the digital transition of modern times. During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, traditional supply chains for food are challenged in an unprecedented manner. This paper recommends the rapid implementation of digital transformation to identify both immediate and mid-level goals which hold the key to sustainable growth and profit. In this paper, I've proposed three main solutions to the challenges mentioned above, which would help satisfy all demands and fulfill the customers' needs during this Covid-19. Still, it is also required to think that these solutions should give good results for technologically sound people like old generations. Hence, making those solutions user-friendly is the important way to be leveraged by all types of customers to improve their experiences effectively, which would also help grow business.