Faculty Perceptions of Health Professional Students' Hybrid-Online Learning Strategies: A Multi-Center Qualitative Study

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the utilization of hybrid-online and fully-online instruction in health professional education. Physical (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) programs have become increasingly reliant upon this mode of instruction. Therefore, it is important to understand advising strategies for this educational environment. Faculty advisors may endorse specific learning strategies over others. However, advising strategies of faculty are not well represented in the scientific literature. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological design used a six-item, open-ended questionnaire to purposefully survey faculty members teaching and advising students in hybrid-online PT and OT graduate programs during COVID-19. Dedoose® v.9.4 qualitative software (Los Angeles, CA;2021) was used to perform coding and thematic analysis. Three investigators performed data analysis to reach consensus on the organization of emerging codes and themes. Results: A sample of N = 36 participants was collected from three states: Florida 14 (38.9%);Texas 12 (33.3%);California 10 (27.8%). Total N (%) of PT and OT faculty enrolled were 26 (72%) and 10 (28%), respectively. Years teaching in hybridonline programs N (%) was: 1e4 years 20 (55.6%);5e9 years 8 (22.2%);10e14 years 5 (13.9%);15þ years 4 (11.1%). Thematic analysis revealed three major themes: Self-regulated Behaviors, Student Engagement, and Studying Strategies. Self-regulated Behaviors and Student Engagement were most prevalent among participant narratives. Coded responses such as " ‘time management', ‘preparedness', ‘chunking study time', ‘daily engagement with learning material', ‘work/ life balance', and ‘peer-to-peer teaching'” were positively associated with perceived student success. Conversely, "'procrastination/cramming', ‘poor work ethic', ‘lack of engagement', ‘lack of preparedness', and ‘rote memorization'” were negatively associated with perceived student success. Discussion: This study identified faculty perceptions of student strategies for success in hybrid-online health professional learning. The self-regulated behaviors of time management, preparedness, work/life balance, and the engagement behaviors of daily engagement with course materials, content application, class participation, and peer collaboration strongly emerged. These findings may help guide novice faculty advisors as hybrid-online instruction becomes more frequently leveraged across health professional education programs. © 2023 Association of Medical Education in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (AMEEMR).

Focus on Suicidal Behaviours - The experience of the11th EPA Summer School

Every year, the European Psychiatric Association organizes the EPA Summer School, an intensive program that aims to support and promote the education of young psychiatry professionals through numerous activities. The program returned to being an in-person event this year, after changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. From September 29 to October 2, 2022, young psychiatrists selected by the EPA Committee on Education, 21 in total, gathered together in Strasbourg, France, to attend the activities organized around the topic "Focus on Suicidal Behaviours - One Step Beyond." This year's event adopted a blended learning format;the participants were required to attend and complete a 6-week online course entitled "Focus on Suicidal Behaviours", before coming to the in-person sessions held by a distinguished group of lecturers. The activities designed during the training days allowed the participants to not only expand their knowledge about suicide and related issues but also to exchange experiences from different European countries, and they encouraged critical thinking about what can be done more or better. In addition, they encouraged the participants to get to know each other, to socialize, and to building relationships with each other. This article presents step-by-step the activities organized during the Summer School and also attempts to describe the way the participants experienced them. © 2023 John Libbey Eurotext. All rights reserved.;Chaque année, l'Association Européenne de Psychiatrie organise une Université d'été, un programme intensif qui vise à soutenir et à promouvoir l'éducation des jeunes professionnels de la psychiatrie par le biais de nombreuses activités. Elle a pu se tenir de nouveau en présentiel en 2022, après 2 ans d'organisation en distanciel, imposée par la pandémie de covid-19. Du 29 septembre au 2 octobre 2022, les jeunes psychiatres sélectionnés par le Comité d'éducation de l'EPA, 21 au total, se sont retrouvés à Strasbourg, en France, pour assister à cette formation autour du thème « Focus sur les conduites suicidaires - One step beyond ». L'événement de cette année a été que le format était un enseignement mixte. Pour débuter, la 1re partie de la formation s'est déroulée en ligne, sous la forme d'un MOOC « Focus sur les comportements suicidaires », pour une durée de 6 semaines, la seconde partie était la formation en présentiel avec des experts internationaux, sur une durée de 2 jours 1/2. Ces journées de formation ont permis aux participants non seulement d'élargir leurs connaissances sur le suicide et les questions connexes, mais aussi d'échanger autour des expériences de différents pays européens et d'encourager la réflexion critique sur ce qui peut être fait de plus ou de mieux, en termes de prévention et de soins. De plus, la possibilité de rencontres et d'échanges entre les participants a permis la création d'un réseau social européen unique. Cet article présente étape par étape les activités de formation organisées pendant l'université d'été de l'EPA et témoigne du vécu des participants. © 2023 John Libbey Eurotext. All rights reserved.;Cada año, la Asociación Europea de Psiquiatría organiza una Escuela de Verano, un programa intensivo cuyo objetivo es apoyar y promover la formación de jóvenes profesionales de la psiquiatría a través de una gran variedad de actividades. Ha podido volver a celebrarse en persona en 2022, tras 2 años de organización a distancia, impuesta por la pandemia de la covid-19. Del 29 de septiembre al 2 de octubre de 2022, los jóvenes psiquiatras seleccionados por el Comité de Educación de la EPA, 21 en total, se reunieron en Estrasburgo (Francia) para asistir a esta formación sobre el tema "Enfoque en las conductas suicida - One step beyond (Un paso más allá"). Lo más destacado del acto de este año fue que el formato era una formación combinada. Para empezar, la 1a parte de la formación fue online, en forma de MOOC "Focus en conductas suicidas", con un duración de 6 semanas, la segunda parte fue la formación presencial con expertos internacionales, con una duración de 2 días y medio. Estas jornadas de formación les permitieron a los participantes no sólo ampliar sus conocimientos sobre el suicidio y cuestiones afines, sino también intercambiar en torno a experiencias de distintos países europeos y fomentar el pensamiento crítico sobre qué más o mejor se puede hacer, en términos de prevención y asistencia. Además, la posibilidad de encuentros e intercambios entre los participantes permitió crear una red social europea única. Este artículo presenta paso a paso las actividades de formación organizadas durante la escuela de verano de la EPA y da fe de la experiencia de los participantes. © 2023, John Libbey Eurotext. Tous droits réservés. © 2023 John Libbey Eurotext. All rights reserved.

The impact of perceived social support and coping on distress in a sample of Atlantic Canadian health professional students during COVID-19 compared to pre-COVID peers.

PURPOSE: Students pursuing higher education and health professional (HP) programs (e.g., nursing, pharmacy, social work, medicine) experience stressors including academic pressures, workload, developing professional competencies, professional socialization, the hidden curriculum, entering clinical practice and navigating relationships with colleagues. Such stress can have detrimental effects on HP students physical and psychological functioning and can adversely affect patient care. This study examined the role of perceived social support and resilience in predicting distress of Atlantic Canadian HP students during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared the findings to a pre-COVID population of age and sex matched Canadians. METHOD: Second year HP students (N = 93) completed a survey assessing distress, perceived social support, and resilience and open-ended questions on student awareness of supports and counselling available to them, their use/barriers to the services, and the impact of COVID-19 on their personal functioning. HP student responses were also compared with age and sex matched Canadian peers from data collected prior to COVID-19. RESULTS: It was found that HP students reported moderate to severe psychological distress, and while they reported high levels of social support on a measure of perceived social support they also reported that the COVID-19 pandemic made them feel isolated and that they lacked social support. It was found that the sample of HP students reported significantly higher psychological distress than the mean scores of the age and sex matched sample of Canadian peers. CONCLUSIONS: These findings call for creation of more tailored interventions and supports for HP students.

Healthcare-acquired Sars-Cov-2 infection: A viable legal category?

In the context of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, according to the various periods of emergency and the rate of infections, hospitalized subjects also contracted the infection within the ward, sometimes with the development of disease (COVID-19) and sometimes with permanent damage. The authors wondered if Sars-Cov-2 infection should be considered on a par with other infections acquired in the healthcare setting. The non-diversified diffusion between the health and non-health sectors, the ubiquity of the virus and the high contagiousness, together with the factual inability to prevent it by the health structures, despite the adoption of entry control, practices of isolation of positive subjects, and staff surveillance, lead to consider COVID-19 in a different way, in order to otherwise burden health structures in the face of unmanageable risks, clearly also dependent on exogenous and uncontrollable factors. The guarantee of care safety must, in the pandemic, be able to compare with the real capacity for intervention according to the asset of the current health service, requesting State intervention with alternative instruments, such as una tantum compensation, for COVID-19 damage reparation occurred in the health sector.

Electronic Medical Record System Use and Determinants in Ethiopia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The strategic plan of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health recommends an electronic medical record (EMR) system to enhance health care delivery and streamline data systems. However, only a few exhaustive systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted on the degree of EMR use in Ethiopia and the factors influencing success. This will emphasize the factors that make EMR effective and increase awareness of its widespread use among future implementers in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the pooled estimate of EMR use and success determinants among health professionals in Ethiopia. METHODS: We developed a protocol and searched PubMed, Web of Sciences, African Journals OnLine, Embase, MEDLINE, and Scopus to identify relevant studies. To assess the quality of each included study, we used the Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool using 9 criteria. The applicable data were extracted using Microsoft Excel 2019, and the data were then analyzed using Stata software (version 11; StataCorp). The presence of total heterogeneity across included studies was calculated using the index of heterogeneity I2 statistics. The pooled size of EMR use was estimated using a random effect model with a 95% CI. RESULTS: After reviewing 11,026 research papers, 5 papers with a combined total of 2439 health workers were included in the evaluation and meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of EMR usage in Ethiopia was 51.85% (95% CI 37.14%-66.55%). The subgroup study found that the northern Ethiopian region had the greatest EMR utilization rate (58.75%) and that higher (54.99%) utilization was also seen in publications published after 2016. Age groups <30 years, access to an EMR manual, EMR-related training, and managerial support were identified factors associated with EMR use among health workers. CONCLUSIONS: The use of EMR systems in Ethiopia is relatively low. Belonging to a young age group, accessing an EMR manual, receiving EMR-related training, and managerial support were identified as factors associated with EMR use among health workers. As a result, to increase the use of EMRs by health care providers, it is essential to provide management support and an EMR training program and make the EMR manual accessible to health professionals.

Moral injury and suicidal ideation among health professionals: The role of mental health.

BACKGROUND: The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has burdened health professionals mentally and physically. This study aims to explore the relationship between moral injury (MI) and suicidal ideation (SI), and the role of mental health conditions in this relationship. METHODS: Three-wave repeated online cross-sectional study with a total of 10,388 health professionals were conducted in different stages (2020-2022) of the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China. Participants completed the Chinese version of the Moral Injury Symptoms Scale-Health Professional, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 coupled with a blanket of scales. RESULTS: The prevalence of SI and MI among health professionals was 9.8 % and 40.2 %, respectively. The prevalence risk of SI was lower in wave 2 (OR = 0.64, 95 % CI: 0.54-0.77) and wave 3 (OR = 0.71, 95 % CI: 0.60-0.84) when compared with wave 1. MI (OR = 4.66, 95 % CI: 3.99-5.43), medical error (OR = 1.15, 95 % CI: 1.00-1.32), workplace violence (OR = 1.13, 95 % CI: 0.97-1.32), depression (OR = 94.08, 95 % CI: 63.37-139.69), anxiety (OR = 25.54, 95 % CI: 21.22-30.74), PTSD (OR = 24.51, 95 % CI: 19.01-31.60) were associated with a higher risk of SI. The mediation model revealed that depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms explained 90.6 % of the total variance in the relationship between MI and SI. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of SI has reduced among health professionals since the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. MI may contribute to prevalent SI, and mental health conditions, especially depressive symptoms, play a significant role as mediators. LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional design precludes the investigation of casual relationships. The nonrandom sampling method limits the generalization.

COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods study investigation of a health science system faculty's adaptations to an online (non-traditional) teaching environment for health professional students

The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore the transition to an online educational platform for future health professional students at a southern health sciences system due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The majority of health professional students received their education via face-to-face prior to the pandemic. The pandemic altered their traditional pedagogical method of face-to-face to online instruction. The health professional school faculty offer the best instruction in a lecture hall not on a computer screen using Zoom. This study was designed to analyze how the faculty adapted in moving to an online instructional method, the support offered by administration, and what method carried over to the spring semester. The research study participants consisted of faculty members from six health profession schools/programs within one health sciences system. A survey consisting of a Likert-scale, multiple choice, and open-ended short answer questions was emailed to all faculty members. Following the survey, one-on-one, face-to-face interviews with six of the faculty members were conducted to gain insight and understanding of their experiences transitioning to an online platform. The results of this study suggest that the transition to an online instructional environment, created within the health sciences system due to the pandemic, was not as seamless as it could have been. The faculty described their experience as one without administrative support, technology training, or guidance. The transition to online instruction caused a disconnect and inability to mentor the healthcare professional students. The faculty were, however, optimistic about the online transition and plan to incorporate this method into future courses in a hybrid method. Pre-pandemic, the United States healthcare professional schools were moving at a snail's pace with regard to the progression of an online educational method. The pandemic thrust the healthcare professional schools/program into using online pedagogical instruction. The COVID-19 virus has changed the educational approach for future healthcare student training. Only time will tell what affect this will have on global education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

WORKPLACE ANXIETY: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL COMPARISON STRATEGIES

The article presents the results of a study of the relationship between the tendency to social comparisons and the workplace-anxiety. The relevance is due to the presence of cases of mental distress among workers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study was to search for the psychological characteristics of people experiencing anxiety in the process of work. Characteristics of the surveyed groups. Social comparison orientation along with workplace-anxiety were measured in the sample of 231 medical interns of young age (M=24,5;SD=2,14). The «Job-Anxiety Scale» (JAS), «Iowa-Nietherlands (INCOM) Social Comparison Orientation Scale» and the «Social Orientation Scale» were used. The results of the study demonstrate that the social comparison processes can influence workplace-anxiety. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.

Benefits and Risks of Teleworking from Home: The Teleworkers' Point of View

Using a qualitative research-based approach, this study aimed to understand (i) the way home-based teleworkers in France perceive and organize their professional activities and workspaces, (ii) their teleworking conditions, (iii) the way they characterize the modalities and the nature of their interactions with their professional circle, and more broadly (iv) their quality of life ‘at work'. We performed a lexical and morphosyntactic analysis of interviews conducted with 28 teleworkers (working part-time or full-time from home) before the COVID-19 crisis and the associated establishment of emergency telework. Our results confirm and complement findings in the literature. Participant discourses underlined the beneficial effects of teleworking in terms of professional autonomy, flexibility, concentration, efficiency, performance, productivity, and being able to balance their professional and private lives. Nevertheless, they also highlighted the deleterious effects of teleworking on temporal workload, setting boundaries for work, work-based relationships and socio-professional integration. Despite the study limitations, our findings highlight the need for specific research-based and practical strategies to support the implementation of a sustainable telework organization in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. © 2022 by the authors.

Psychological distress and fear of Covid-19 in student nurses before clinical placement: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To determine the degree of psychological distress and fear of COVID-19 experienced by undergraduate student nurses who were about to begin their clinical placements. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 100 second and third-year undergraduate student nurses of the University of Zaragoza (Spain). Measures included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Results: Regularly, student nurses did not think of themselves as vulnerable to COVID-19. However, a significant association was observed between the student nurses' level of psychological distress and cohabiting with relatives or people who were considered vulnerable to the infection (p = 0.035). The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale results revealed a low level of psychological distress in general;the Fear of COVID-19 Scale indicated moderate fear (2.94). Conclusion: Student nurses who lived with their relatives experienced higher levels of stress due to the perceived risk of transmission, but were less fearful of loss of work and income. Anxiety in our sample was associated principally with not knowing their upcoming placement location © Este é um artigo de acesso aberto distribuído sob os termos da Licença de Atribuição Creative Commons

Feeling supported and engaged during COVID-19: the role of family and colleagues in promoting teachers' well-being

The present study aimed at analysing the impact of teachers' perceived family and colleague support and work engagement on their well-being and life satisfaction during the first European wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. While implementing distance learning and complying with school closures, 1036 Italian teachers took part in an online survey. A structural equation path model showed that perceiving to be supported by family members directly influenced teachers' well-being and life satisfaction. The perceived support of colleagues promoted life satisfaction directly and indirectly via increased teachers' work engagement, whereas teachers' well-being only indirectly. Our findings offer insights into how to better support teachers during times of crisis by creating a good and healthy work environment, which promotes teachers' well-being.

Nursing performance in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 units: Implications for occupational health

Objective: to analyze the implications of the pandemic on the Nursing team's occupational health according to its performance in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 units. Method: a multicenter and mixed-methods study, with a sequential explanatory strategy. A total of 845 professionals took part in the first stage, answering an electronic form which contained sociodemographic and work-related variables, as well as about the pandemic and their health, in addition to the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. 19 professionals were interviewed in the second stage. The quantitative data were submitted to statistical analysis and the qualitative ones to thematic content analysis, with integration by connection. Results: the pandemic exerted impacts on the professionals' health, both in the COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 areas. However, composition of the teams presented different characteristics between the areas, as well as the risk perceptions and the work demands. Conclusion: the professionals working in areas COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 areas are equally affected, although with different work exposure regarding the requirements at work in the COVID-19 units and the fear of contamination in non-COVID-19 units. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

How Older Adults Learn Medical Instruction: A Narrative Review of Health Literacy Skills and Learning Styles among Older Adults

Not only is aging a risk factor for a wide range of conditions, but it is also difficult to manage and educate older people. Patient education, including that for older adults, is important for achieving positive health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic, which affects older adults disproportionately, necessitates the use of telemedicine or digital medicine, as well as patient self-management. Telemedicine and self-care management, on the other hand, is heavily reliant on a person's level of health literacy. As a result, a narrative review of literature on older adults' literacy skills and learning styles is conducted to better understand how they comprehend and process health-related information. According to the findings of this study, tailored medical education that takes into account older adults' learning styles and literacy skills improve overall health outcomes among this population.

[Psychological impact of involvement of medical and psychological emergency unit professionals in the medical and psychological care system of the COVID-19 epidemic]. / Impact psychologique de l'implication des professionnels des CUMP dans le dispositif de soins médico-psychologique face à l'épidémie COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences have put into great difficulty health professionals, and the general population, fostering the emergence of various psychological and psychiatric disorders. Medical and psychological emergency units' mission is the medical and psychological emergency care of people impacted during a traumatic event. Given their expertise in crisis management, they set up an important medical and psychological support system adapted to the health crisis' characteristics. The unusual modalities of intervention, the specific clinic that these professionals faced in this context of great tension may have unsettled workers and generate a psychological impact. This study aims to assess the existence of such repercussions among medical and psychological emergency unit professionals involved in this new system. METHOD: In all, 313 medical and psychological emergency unit professionals agreed to participate at the online survey. They filled surveys and visual analog scales assessing the difficulties encountered in the system, as well as their level of satisfaction, post-traumatic stress, burnout, level of anxiety and depression and coping strategies put in place. RESULTS: Results show few significant emotional difficulties. However higher scores are found among women, among professionals who felt a negative impact on their personal lives, as well as for those who thought they had been infected with COVID-19. The establishment of coping strategies such as active coping, planning, expressing feelings, positive reinterpretation and acceptance helped to decrease the level of emotional complexities and brought more compassionate satisfaction. We note that participants with more medical and psychological emergency unit experience tend to show less emotional hardship and more compassionate satisfaction. It appears that older as well as younger professionals have lower burnout scores, as do workers who conducted more interviews for the same person. Likewise, participants who were satisfied of the system organization and of the support - a majority in this study - report less emotional challenges and more compassionate satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Psychological impact in this new system among medical and psychological emergency unit professionals is overall low. It appears that some coping strategies, perceived usefulness, satisfaction with the organization and the received support are associated with a lower level of emotional difficulties. A supportive framework and an operative organization of the medical and psychological emergency unit system in times of crisis has a protective effect on the participants.

Evaluation and guide for embedding opioid use disorder education in health professions' curricula.

BACKGROUND: Morbidity and mortality from Opioid Use Disorder is a health crisis in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a devastating increase of 38.4% in overdose deaths from the 12-month period leading up to June 2019 compared with the 12-month period leading up to May 2020, primarily driven by synthetic opioids. Buprenorphine is an effective medication for opioid use disorder but uptake is slow due in part to lack of provider knowledge, confidence, and negative attitudes/stigma toward patients with OUD. Addressing these barriers in academic training is a promising approach to building workforce able to effectively treat opioid use disorder. METHODS: Our university developed a training for pre-licensure physicians, physician assistants and psychiatric nurse practitioners that included the DATA Waiver training and a shadowing experience. Expected outcomes included improved knowledge, skills and attitudes about persons with OUD and buprenorphine treatment, plans to provide this treatment post-graduation, for pre-licensure learners to have completed all requirements to prescribe buprenorphine post-graduation, and for the training to be embedded into school's curricula. RESULTS: Results were positive overall including improved knowledge and attitudes toward persons with OUD, better understanding of the benefits of this treatment for patients, increased confidence and motivation to provide this treatment post-graduation. The training is now embedded in each program's graduation requirements. CONCLUSION: Developing a didactic and experiential training on buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder and embedding it into medical, physician assistant, and psychiatric nurse practitioner licensure programs can help prepare future providers to treat opioid use disorder in a range of settings. Key to replicating this program in other university settings is to engage faculty members who actively provide treatment to persons with OUD to ensure shadowing opportunities and serve as role models for learners.

Anxiety Among Correctional/Detention Health Professionals and Associated Risk Factors During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Correctional health professionals are vulnerable to the negative mental health outcomes associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess anxiety symptoms in health professionals who work in correctional/detention facilities and identify associated risk factors. Data were collected from 192 health professionals from March 23 to June 30, 2021. The prevalence and degree of anxiety symptoms were assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scale. Chi square, Mann-Whitney U, and Pearson's correlation were used to assess the associations among anxiety scores and demographic data, COVID-19 exposures, medical and psychological history, and isolation practices. Of the sample, 27.1% had at least moderate levels of anxiety (GAD-7 score >10), which is highly suggestive of a diagnosis for GAD. Main factors associated with higher levels of anxiety included female gender, younger age, type of facility, less access to personal protective equipment, and a history of chronic medical problems. The psychological burden of COVID-19 on correctional/detention health professionals is significant, and behavioral health interventions should be considered for this unique population.

Impact of COVID on Professionals Addressing Psychosocial Needs of People With Diabetes: An International Survey.

We investigated how COVID-19 has disrupted the work of health professionals who address behavioral and psychosocial needs of people with diabetes (PWD). English language emails were sent to members of five organizations that address psychosocial aspects of diabetes, inviting them to complete a one-time, anonymous, online survey. On a scale from 1=no problem, to 5=serious problem, respondents reported problems with the healthcare system, their workplaces, technology, and concerns about the PWD with whom they work. Respondents (n=123) were from 27 countries, primarily in Europe and North America. The typical respondent was a woman, aged 31-40 years, who worked in an urban hospital in medicine or psychology/psychotherapy. Most judged that the COVID lockdown in their region was moderate or severe. Over half felt moderate to serious levels of stress/burnout or mental health issues. Most participants reported moderate to severe problems due to the lack of clear public health guidelines, concerns with COVID safety of themselves, PWD, and staff, and a lack of access or knowledge on the part of PWD to use diabetes technology and telemedicine. In addition, most participants reported concerns with the psychosocial functioning of PWD during the pandemic. Overall, the pattern of findings reveals a high level of detrimental impact, some of which may be ameliorated with changes in policy and additional services for both health professionals and the PWD with whom they work. Concerns about PWD during the pandemic must go beyond their medical management and also consider the health professionals who provide them with behavioral and psychosocial support.

Nonintensivist Training to Increase the Staff Capacity of Intensive Care Units During COVID-19 Pandemic Surge in Argentina.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report the results of a nationwide critical-care course for non-intensivists to increase staff capacity of intensive care units (ICUs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Argentina. METHODS: Three academic organizations, with special funding from 55 private companies, developed a short virtual course comprised of Web-based videos, virtual tutorials, and a forum chat. Each state assigned scholarships to non-ICU staff from public hospitals. Students received active follow-up for the completion of the course and took a survey upon course completion. RESULTS: After 4 m, there were 10,123 students registered from 661 hospitals in 328 cities. Of these, 67.8% passed the course, 29.1% were still ongoing, and 3.1% were inactive. Most students were female (74.2%) with a median of 37 y old (IQR 31-44). The group was composed of 56.5% nurses, 36.2% physicians, and 7.4% physiotherapists, of whom 48.3% did not have any experience in critical care. Mean overall satisfaction was 4.4/5 (standard deviation, 0.9), and 90.7% considered they were able to apply the contents to their practice. CONCLUSIONS: This course was effective for rapid training of non-ICU personnel. The assignment strategy, the educational techniques, and the close follow-up led to low dropout and high success rates and satisfaction.

Comparison of the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Self-Employed Private Healthcare Workers with Respect to Employed Public Healthcare Workers: Three-Wave Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain.

(1) Background: Coronavirus disease, also called COVID-19, is a worldwide pandemic with a major impact on all aspects of the individual (health status, psychological, and economic aspects, among others). The perception of health professionals in this situation has been influenced by their economic and psychosocial situations. On the economic level, self-employed workers have no state subsidies, with the added disadvantage of not having sufficient means to cope with contagion. This could potentially have an impact on their health and indirectly on their family members, creating additional stress. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the level of anxiety of health professionals working in private practice compared to healthcare workers working in public institutions during the first three waves of COVID-19. (2) Methods: A cohort study on 517 subjects comparing anxiety between a group of health workers and a group of health professionals working in the public sector at three key moments during the pandemic was performed. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were found between self-employed private health professionals compared to those working as public health workers. The perception of impact was worse in the self-employed; however, a higher level of anxiety was evident in public employees in all assessed domains (cognitive, physiological, and motor, p = 0.001). (4) Conclusions: There were significant changes when comparing the first phase between both groups; employed public healthcare workers manifested a sense of lower risk of COVID-19 contagion than privately employed professionals, who had a higher level of anxiety. In the second and third waves, negative feelings improved for both groups, and the fear of showing anxiety to the patient decreased over the course of the waves.

Self-care, anticipated stigma, and personal therapy in mental health professional trainees

Self-care has increasingly become encouraged as a means for maintaining well-being for mental health professionals;yet, there exists an unsettling lack of research and guidance on this topic for those within the field (Callan et al., 2021;Colman et al., 2016;Norcross & VandenBos, 2018). This has led to call for change and reform to recognize the importance of self-care as an ethical imperative and to incorporate it within the education and training of mental health professionals (Barnett et al., 2007;Barnett & Cooper, 2009;Wise & Reuman, 2019;Zahniser et al., 2017). These calls for reform and the increased importance of self-care have only grown given the realities of the strains included within the work that mental health professionals do and the increased stress placed on the field from the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic (El-Ghoroury et al., 2012;Posluns & Gall, 2020;Sciberras & Pilkington, 2018). Given the need for research on self-care and ways to implement it combined with the lack of prior research, the current research set out to contribute quantitative research on areas related to self-care for mental health professional trainees. The first purpose was to determine how much of the variation in the five factors of self-care was explained by anticipated stigma and attendance in personal therapy. The second purpose was to determine the contribution of both anticipated stigma and personal therapy separately on the variation within self-care. The third purpose was to determine if there was a difference in self-care between mental health professional trainee groups who had experienced personal therapy. In the current study, the Self-Care Assessment for Psychologists was used (Dorociak, Rupert, Bryant, et al., 2017). The other variables of interest anticipated stigma and attendance in personal therapy were measured by the Anticipated Stigma Scale (Quinn & Chaudoir, 2009;Quinn et al., 2014) and having participants detail their therapy experience similarly to what prior researchers had done (Bike et al., 2009;Byrne & Ost, 2016;Byrne & Shufelt, 2014;Geller et al., 2005;Kalkbrenner & Neukrug, 2019;Kalkbrenner et al., 2019;Norcross, 2005;Norcross et al., 2008;Orlinsky et al., 2011;Ziede & Norcross, 2020). A multivariate multiple linear regression was used to analyze the data of 100 participants (Keith, 2019;Remler & Van Ryzin, 2015;Rencher & Christensen, 2012). The results did not provide any evidence that anticipated stigma and personal therapy explained a significant amount of the variation within self-care for mental health professional trainees;no evidence was found for either of the variables separately nor was there evidence found for a difference between groups of those who did and did not attend therapy. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications are discussed suggesting how further inquiry might be conducted to better understand self-care for the mental health trainee population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)