Building capacity on One Health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: Connecting disciplines in the Philippines

Background and Aim: There have been limited capacity-building activities on One Health in the Philippines. To contribute to capacity development in One Health, the authors conducted the first short course on One Health in the country for health, allied health, and collaborating professionals. This study aimed to review the preparation and implementation of the One Health course and describe the challenges and opportunities of conducting the course during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): The course curriculum was developed by a multidisciplinary group of experts. The objectives for the course were as follows: (1) Describe the concept, scope, and applications of One Health;(2) identify social and economic factors influencing food security and safety, control of zoonoses, and combating antimicrobial resistance;and (3) describe the challenges and opportunities in applying the One Health approach to achieve better public health outcomes. Recruitment of participants was based on predetermined criteria. The 3-day course was conducted online through Zoom. Pre and post-tests as well as the evaluation of the course were administered through Google forms. Result(s): The 3-day online course was attended by 136 participants from 15 of the 17 administrative regions of the country. A multidisciplinary group of experts delivered a total of 11 lectures divided into the following sessions: (1) Fundamentals of One Health;(2) Interrelatedness of Human, Animal, and Environmental Health;and (3) Applications of One Health. Conclusion(s): As the first One Health course in the Philippines, this 3-day course demonstrated the feasibility of conducting capacity-building on One Health for a multidisciplinary group of participants during the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic. It may serve as a model for similar and more in-depth courses on One Health for specific groups in the future and has set the stage for intersectoral communication and education, providing an avenue for collaboration for professionals in various disciplines, and facilitating the expansion of One Health network in the Philippines.Copyright © Ampo, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

Comprehensive medication management services provided via telehealth or hybrid models: A scoping review

Comprehensive medication management (CMM) is increasingly provided by health care teams through telehealth or hybrid modalities. The purpose of this scoping literature review was to assess the published literature and examine the economic, clinical, and humanistic outcomes of CMM services provided by pharmacists via telehealth or hybrid modalities. This scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies were included if they: reported on economic, clinical, or humanistic outcomes;were conducted via telehealth or hybrid modalities;included a pharmacist on their interprofessional team;and evaluated CMM services. The search was conducted between January 1, 2000, and September 28, 2021. The search strategy was adapted for use in Medline (PubMed);Embase;Cochrane;Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature;PsychINFO;International Pharmaceutical s;Scopus;and grey literature. Four reviewers extracted data using a screening tool developed for this study and reviewed for risk of bias. Authors screened 3500 articles, from which 11 studies met the inclusion criteria (9 observational studies, 2 RCTs). In seven studies, clinical outcomes improved with telehealth CMM interventions compared to either usual care, face-to-face CMM, or educational controls, as shown by the statistically significant changes in chronic disease clinical outcomes. Two studies evaluated and found increased patient and provider satisfaction. One study described a source of revenue for a telehealth CMM service. Overall, study results indicate that telehealth CMM services, in select cases, may be associated with improved clinical outcomes, but the methods of the included studies were not homogenous enough to conclude that telehealth or hybrid modalities were superior to in-person CMM. To understand the full impact on the Quadruple Aim, additional research is needed to investigate the financial outcomes of CMM conducted using telehealth or hybrid technologies.Copyright © 2022 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Advancing the prevention and control of zoonoses supported by One Health approach.

With the acceleration of globalization, the sustained increase of mobility, the intensification of global warming and environmental changes, the transmission of diseases has become more diverse. In recent years, the corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19) has caused huge economic losses and social unrest around the world. A single-discipline has been unable to solve such complex public health problems effectively. The proposal and development of the One Health approach is closely related to the issues on veterinary medicine and zoonoses. One Health focuses on intradisciplinary, multi-sectoral, and cross-fields collaboration at three levels, including local, regional and global levels, to explore the humans-animals-environment interface complexity. In this review, the development process of One Health approach was introduced. The relationship between the One Health and zoonoses, the role of the One Health in the prevention and control of zoonoses, and how to effectively implement the One Health approach in the real world were explored, providing references for research on zoonoses prevention and control, anti-microbial resistance, food safety, and the impact of climate change on health.Copyright © 2022, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases. All rights reserved.

The Societal Significance of Informal Economics during the COVID-19 Pandemic in an African City

The COVID-19 pandemic compelled many African countries to make decisions that lim-ited livelihood choices. This article examines how informal traders (IT) in Kumasi, Ghana responded to the COVID-19. It explores the livelihood capacities, socioeconomic, socio-cultural, and sociopolitical values of informal economics. Using data from multiple sources, the purchase and sale of personal protective equipment (PPE) emerged as the dominant livelihood activity. The results show that IT innovated their way of trading, realigned livelihood activities, and created cross-sectoral networks that enhanced social cohesion. The emerging informal market catalyzed spin-off activities that linked values of the informal sector to the public, distributing agencies, producing companies, and the government. We argue that IT constitute a "natural” and "indispensable” share of Ghana's urban economic, cultural, and governance space. The values of IT expressed within and between these distinct societal spheres should be amplified in the development discourses of countries like Ghana. © The Author(s).

The Intersectoral Systemic Risk Shock of Emergency Crisis Events in China's Financial Market: Nonparametric Methods and Panel Event Study Analyses

By employing two systemic risk methods, the marginal expected shortfall (MES) and the component expected shortfall (CES), this paper measures the systemic risk level of all sectors in China's financial market from 2014 to 2022;thereby, it researches the total effect of sectoral systemic risk using a panel event study model during the three main emergency crisis events. Moreover, two nonparametric methods are utilized, the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test and the bootstrap Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, in order to investigate the changes in individual effects and the dominant ranks of sectoral systemic risk. The empirical results show that (1) the mean values and volatilities of CES and MES of all sectors have a higher level of magnitude in the extreme risk status than those in the normal risk status;(2) by comparing the total effects of three crisis events, we find that different from the continuous shock effect caused by two other events, sectoral systemic risk has a hysteresis effect on the entire market after the outbreak of COVID-19;(3) the long-term and short-term individual effects of sectoral systemic risk in all sectors are different from each other during three events;and (4) the dominance tests of MES are more sensitive and thus better demonstrate the changes in the rankings of sectoral systemic risk than the dominant tests of CES during the emergency crisis events. © 2023 by the authors.

A Malaysian Medical Non-Governmental Organization's (NGO) Experience in the Emergency Response for COVID-19, Using the Whole-of-Society Collaborative Concept.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are one of the important players during a pandemic, including the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM) Response and Relief Team (IMARET). During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, IMARET played a key role in assisting health relief efforts in Malaysia. We are sharing this experience as a medical NGO's response to the pandemic. This report presents data from the March 18 to June 10, 2020, retrieved from IMARET's database with approval from the Executive Committee and the IMARET COVID-19 Task Force. We report that IMARET's task force consists of 30 people, mostly medical doctors. Supplies distributed included personal protective equipment with other medical equipment, such as portable ultrasounds and ventilators. IMARET engaged with 33 collaborators and 92 partners and funders. There were 135 volunteers with the majority being medical volunteers. IMARET raised more than RM $3 million (US $740 000) garnering support from over 40 000 donors in 85 days. In conclusion, NGOs play a significant role that effectively enhance and complement the consolidated works by the authorities and public in the effort to overcome COVID-19 challenges.

Determinants of health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the expediency of implementing intersectoral interaction on public health protection in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic with an impact on health determinants that haven't been sufficiently studied. The aim of the work is to study the list and significance of health determinants in the conditions of a pandemic of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Material and methods. An expert survey of forty nine healthcare managers was conducted. The criteria for the selection of experts included management experience in the field of health protection, the level of self-assessment of competence, and congruence of opinions. The list and significance of determinants of health in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic were compared with the data obtained before its occurrence. Results. The list of health determinants that are sufficiently significant for the COVID-19 pandemic was established to include the same 37 factors as without it. However, important differences were identified. The significance of most determinants of health (64.9%) in a pandemic exceeds the borderline level of 7.0 points on a 10-point scale, that is, significant (without a pandemic – 16.2%). At the same time, priority factors determining the health of the population are widely represented in all groups of determinants and among non-group ones (without a pandemic – only in the "Lifestyle” group and "heredity” determinant). The consequence was that during a pandemic, the significance of 70.3% of the determinants of health statistically significantly exceeds that of the same factors without it, the opposite picture was recorded only in relation to 5.4% of the factors (the rest don't differ). Limitations. In the study of the determinants of health in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opinion of healthcare managers whose quantitative and qualitative parameters meet the requirements for experts was evaluated. Conclusion. The data obtained expand the understanding of the scientific apparatus for implementing health-saving activities in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Izdatel'stvo Meditsina. All rights reserved.

One Health activities to reinforce intersectoral coordination at local levels in India.

India's dense human and animal populations, agricultural economy, changing environment, and social dynamics support conditions for emergence/re-emergence of zoonotic diseases that necessitate a One Health (OH) approach for control. In addition to OH national level frameworks, effective OH driven strategies that promote local intersectoral coordination and collaboration are needed to truly address zoonotic diseases in India. We conducted a literature review to assess the landscape of OH activities at local levels in India that featured intersectoral coordination and collaboration and supplemented it with our own experience conducting OH related activities with local partners. We identified key themes and examples in local OH activities. Our landscape assessment demonstrated that intersectoral collaboration primarily occurs through specific research activities and during outbreaks, however, there is limited formal coordination among veterinary, medical, and environmental professionals on the day-to-day prevention and detection of zoonotic diseases at district/sub-district levels in India. Examples of local OH driven intersectoral coordination include the essential role of veterinarians in COVID-19 diagnostics, testing of human samples in veterinary labs for Brucella and leptospirosis in Punjab and Tamil Nadu, respectively, and implementation of OH education targeted to school children and farmers in rural communities. There is an opportunity to strengthen local intersectoral coordination between animal, human and environmental health sectors by building on these activities and formalizing the existing collaborative networks. As India moves forward with broad OH initiatives, OH networks and experience at the local level from previous or ongoing activities can support implementation from the ground up.

Sectoral volatility spillovers and their determinants in Vietnam

Using the vector autoregression (VAR) connectedness approach, this paper investigates dynamic volatility spillovers across 14 sectors in Vietnam's stock market over the period 2012–2021. The study also explores the differences in sectoral spillovers before and after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, the paper also investigates the effects of the current pandemic and macroeconomic fundamentals on intersectoral connectedness in Vietnam. Our findings show that volatility transmission across sectors fluctuates significantly over the research period and spikes during the Covid-19 pandemic. The total spillover index is approximately 64.23 per cent, indicating that volatility spillovers across the Vietnamese sectors are substantial. The risks from the stock market appear to spread quickly and easily across sectors in Vietnam. Among these 14 sectors, food, fisheries, and oil and gas act as net senders of risks while real estate and pharmacy are the greatest receivers of risk. The findings also confirm that the commerce, transportation, manufacturing, and service sectors are more sensitive to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis than other sectors in Vietnam. Furthermore, the empirical results show that an increase in daily Covid-19 infections increases volatility spillover across sectors. Policy implications have emerged based on these findings from this paper for the Vietnamese government and other emerging countries.

Sectoral volatility spillovers and their determinants in Vietnam

Using the vector autoregression (VAR) connectedness approach, this paper investigates dynamic volatility spillovers across 14 sectors in Vietnam's stock market over the period 2012–2021. The study also explores the differences in sectoral spillovers before and after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, the paper also investigates the effects of the current pandemic and macroeconomic fundamentals on intersectoral connectedness in Vietnam. Our findings show that volatility transmission across sectors fluctuates significantly over the research period and spikes during the Covid-19 pandemic. The total spillover index is approximately 64.23 per cent, indicating that volatility spillovers across the Vietnamese sectors are substantial. The risks from the stock market appear to spread quickly and easily across sectors in Vietnam. Among these 14 sectors, food, fisheries, and oil and gas act as net senders of risks while real estate and pharmacy are the greatest receivers of risk. The findings also confirm that the commerce, transportation, manufacturing, and service sectors are more sensitive to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis than other sectors in Vietnam. Furthermore, the empirical results show that an increase in daily Covid-19 infections increases volatility spillover across sectors. Policy implications have emerged based on these findings from this paper for the Vietnamese government and other emerging countries.

Framing policy objectives in the sustainable development goals: hierarchy, balance, or transformation?

Society continues to be confronted with the deep inadequacies of the current global order. Rampant income inequality between and within countries, dramatic disparities in access to resources, as seen during the COVID pandemic, persistent degradation of the environment, and numerous other problems are tied to existing systems of economy and government. Current global economic systems are implicated in perpetuating these problems. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born out of the recognition that dramatic changes were needed to address these intersecting challenges. There is general recognition that transformation of global systems and the relationship between sectors is needed. We conduct a structured, theoretically-informed analysis of SDG documents produced by United Nations agencies with the aim of examining the framing of economic policy goals, a historically dominant domain of consideration in development policy, in relation to health, social and environmental goals. We apply a novel typology to categorize the framing of policy goals. This analysis identified that the formal discourse associated with the SDGs marks a notable change from the pre-SDG development discourse. The 'transformational' agenda issued in the SDG documents is in part situated in relation to a critique of previous and existing approaches to development that privilege economic goals over health, social and environmental goals, and position economic policy as the solution to societal concerns. At the same time, we find that there is tension between the aspiration of transformation and an overwhelming focus on economic goals. This work has implications for health governance, where we find that health goals are still often framed as a means to achieve economic policy goals. Health scholars and advocates can draw from our analysis to critically examine how health fits within the transformational development agenda and how sectoral policy goals can move beyond a crude emphasis on economic growth.

Intersectoral planning in the new coronavirus pandemic: the challenge of returning to face-to-face classes / Planejamento intersetorial na pandemia do novo coronavírus: desafio para retorno às aulas presenciais / Planificación intersectorial en la pandemia del nuevo coronavirus: Reto para la vuelta a las clases presenciales

Objetivo: Relatar a experiência de profissionais da saúde acerca do apoio intersetorial ao Comitê de Planejamento para Retorno das Atividades Presenciais (CPRAP) na construção de instrumentos norteadores para o retorno das aulas presenciais. Síntese dos dados: Trata-se de um relato de experiência que ocorreu em 13 (treze) municípios da Região Litoral Leste Jaguaribe do estado do Ceará, Brasil, no período de junho a outubro de 2020, através da participação no CPRAP da Coordenadoria Regional de Desenvolvimento da Educação de Russas (CREDE-10). As atividades realizadas pela Coordenadoria de Aracati (COORD/Aracati) na contribuição ao Comitê compreenderam a produção de apresentação do panorama de indicadores estratégicos da COVID-19 nos municípios de abrangência da CREDE-10; construção de boletins epidemiológicos da COVID-19 e elaboração de estudo técnico dos indicadores do município de Russas, sede da CREDE-10. Conclusão: A participação dos profissionais de saúde no CPRAP possibilitou a troca de experiências, promovida pelos múltiplos olhares e saberes, possibilitando ampliar a compreensão do contexto pandêmico e, em conjunto, propor soluções. Assim, verificou-se a importância do trabalho intersetorial, sobretudo na pandemia do novo coronavírus.

Objective: To report the experience of health professionals regarding the intersectoral support provided to the Committee for the Planning of the Resumption of Face-to-Face Activities (Comitê de Planejamento para Retorno das Atividades Presenciais ­ CPRAP) in the construction of guidelines on the return of face-to-face classes. Data synthesis: This is a report of an experience that took place in 13 (thirteen) municipalities in the East Coastal Region of Jaguaribe in the state of Ceará, Brazil, from June to October 2020, through the participation of the Regional Coordination Office for the Development of Education in Russas (Coordenadoria Regional de Desenvolvimento da Educação de Russas ­ CREDE-10) in CPRAP. The activities carried out by the Aracati Coordination Office (Coordenadoria de Aracati ­ COORD/Aracati) in contributing to the Committee included the production of a presentation of the panorama of strategic indicators of COVID-19 in the municipalities covered by CREDE-10, the construction of epidemiological bulletins on COVID-19 and the preparation of a technical study of indicators for the municipality of Russas, which is the headquarters of CREDE-10. Conclusion: The participation of health professionals in CPRAP allowed for the exchange of experiences promoted by multiple perspectives and knowledge, thereby making it possible to broaden the understanding of the pandemic context and propose solutions. Thus, the importance of intersectoral work was verified, especially in the new coronavirus pandemic.

Objetivo: Informar la experiencia de profesionales de salud acerca del apoyo intersectorial al Comité de Planificación para Vuelta a las Actividades Presenciales (CPVAP) en la construcción de instrumentos norteadores para la vuelta de las clases presenciales. Síntesis de los datos: Se trata de un informe de experiencia que ocurrió en 13 (trece) municipios de la Región Litoral Leste Jaguaribe del Estado del Ceará, Brasil, en el período de junio a octubre de 2020, por medio de la participación en el CPRVP de la Coordinaduría Regional de Desarrollo de la Educación de Russas (CREDE-10). Las actividades realizadas por la Coordinaduría de Aracati (COORD/Aracati) en la contribución al Comité comprendieron la producción de presentación del panorama de indicadores estratégicos de la COVID-19 en los municipios de alcance de la CREDE-10; construcción de boletines epidemiológicos de la COVID-10 y creación de estudio técnico de los indicadores del municipio de Russas, domicilio de la CREDE-10. Conclusión: La participación de los profesionales de salud en el CPRVP posibilitó el intercambio de experiencias, promovida por múltiples miradas y saberes, posibilitando amplificar la comprensión del contexto pandémico y, en conjunto, proponer soluciones. Así, se verificó la importancia del trabajo intersectorial, sobretodo en la pandemia del nuevo coronavirus.

[The experience of Japan: the application of the intersectoral balance methodology to control health care costs as a factor of mobilization readiness of health care to COVID-19 pandemic].

One of possible reasons for success of Japan in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic (low mortality rates, refusal of hard lock-downs and relatively low fall in economy) is seen in record high (3-4 times higher than in most other developed countries) provision of hospital beds. Its financing was supported during first 2 decades of the XXI century by the policy of relative to GDP advanced growth of public health public expenditures based on assessment of multiplier impact of these expenditures on demand, production and employment in other sectors of the economy using the intersectoral balance method based on "input-output" tables.Purpose of the study is to analyze Japan's economic policy in managing budgetary health care costs.The comprehensive statistical, comparative and retrospective analysis of available data was applied.The study results permit to suggest that high provision of the Japan population with hospital care resources and low mortality rates in 2022 prior to development of vaccines and effective treatment schemes for COVID-19 can be explained, among other things, by long-term policy of managing health care costs using assessment of their effect on production growth, demand and employment in other economy sectors using intersectoral balance method based on regular compilation of "input-output" tables.The data obtained permits to characterize as promising approach of the Japanese government to management of health care costs using assessment of their effect on production growth, demand and employment in other sectors of the economy using intersectoral balance method based on the regular compilation of "input-output" tables. This approach permitted to increase up to 1.5 times health care costs during 2005-2018 in situation of chronic stagnation of the national economy and thus to avoid world-wide trend towards reduction of hospital bed stock and after the start of pandemic severe shortage of hospital beds. The positive experience of Japan is confirmed by encouraging results of 2 pilot projects in the EU countries on applying the intersectoral balance method to assess the multiplier effect of health care costs in 2017-2018. It is considered that using the experience of Japan in managing budgetary health care expenditures through intersectoral balance method is challenging.

The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mother-Infant Mental Health Relationship

Maternal health cannot be separated from infant, child and adolescent health, which includes mental health as well. Expecting mothers go through a number of changes during their pregnancy. Due to the specific alterations of their physique and immune system, pregnant mothers are more vulnerable to the Covid-19 infection. This highlights the importance of the vaccinations in their cases. During the pandemic, mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and stress aroused in greater numbers. This affected mothers, and younger children as well. Expecting mothers, without pre-existing mental disorder (>50%) reported a weightier level of anxiety in their first trimester. Also, infants can suffer developmental disadvantages, as their infected mothers are separated from them. Even though evidence is not yet clear in this topic, vertical transmission seems to be fairly uncommon. Treatment guidelines, that could help Covid-19 infected mothers to handle their infants, are scarce. Hence the importance of telehealth has started to be outlined. Separation from the children might be necessary, while the mental health of mother and infant is continuously screened, since the long-term consequences of the symptoms are still unknown. Hence, prevention is imperative to avoid any negative effects. Even still, WHO advises mothers to breastfeed safely, with good respiratory hygiene, emphasizing the importance of skin-to-skin contact of newborns and sharing the room with them. On policy level: investment into pre-, peri-, post-natal care, family supporting national programs, inter-sectoral collaborations, monitoring and research are important elements of prevention and treatment efforts during the Epidemic and the post-Covid-19 era.

Prevalence of malaria cases in Johor: The cleave on the wall

Introduction: Malaysia made public its intention to eradicate malaria, with the staged objective of attaining zero local transmission of the disease in Malaysia. This strategy was to be implemented according to the guidelines outlined in the National Malaria Elimination Plan. Air travel has developed at a rate that has never been seen before, and this trend is expected to continue. The rates of imported cases of malaria, local outbreaks in non-endemic areas, and the global spread of the disease have all increased as a result of its impacts. Recently, Malaysia is facing a re-emergence in the spread of malaria infections. Objective(s): The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiology of Malaria in Johor this year and to highlight the increase in malarial cases as a result of imported cases following the reopening of international borders during Malaysia's transition to COVID-19 endemicity. Material(s) and Method(s): Malaria is a notifiable disease in Malaysia. A cross-sectional investigation was carried out using the secondary data gathered from the Vector unit JKN Johor. Data analyses was performed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Result(s) and Conclusion(s): A total of 18 cases of Malaria were notified until May 2022, with 94% male and 6% female. Malaria parasites identified from the cases are Plasmodium falciparum 17%, P.vivax 28% and P. knowlesi 55%. In addition, 56% of the cases were indigenous and 44% were imported cases. Bivariate correlation test was conducted to determine 2 continuous variables. The results show a significant relationship between traveller admissions and cases notified in Johor (p value <0.01, correlation coefficient 1.00). Malaria control in Malaysia has reached the eradication stage. Imported Malarial cases, on the other hand, are re-emerging and are becoming a major public health concern. In order to establish a more coordinated effort to restrict imported cases, improved inter-sectoral collaboration is essential. Local political commitment and World Health Organization technical assistance will help to generate focused and coordinated efforts to ensure the success of the National Malaria Elimination Strategic Plan.

Digital participatory workshops with patients and health professionals to develop an intervention for the management of polypharmacy: results from a mixed-methods evaluation and methodological conclusions.

BACKGROUND: In the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous researchers postponed their patient and public involvement (PPI) activities. This was mainly due to assumptions on patients' willingness and skills to participate digitally. In fact, digital PPI workshops differ from in-person meetings as some forms of non-verbal cues and body language may be missing and technical barriers may exist. Within our project HYPERION-TransCare we adapted our PPI workshop series for intervention development to a digital format and assessed whether these digital workshops were feasible for patients, health care professionals and researchers. METHODS: We used a digital meeting tool that included communication via audio, video and chat. Discussions were documented simultaneously on a digital white board. Technical support was provided via phone and chat during the workshops and with a technical introduction workshop in advance. The workshop evaluation encompassed observation protocols, participants' feedback via chat after each workshop on their chance to speak and the usability of the digital tools, and telephone interviews on patients' and health professionals' experiences after the end of the workshop series. RESULTS: Observation protocols showed an active role of moderators in verbally encouraging every participant to get involved. Technical challenges occurred, but were in most cases immediately addressed and solved. Participants median rating of their chance to speak and the usability of the digital tool was "very good". In the evaluation interviews participants reported a change of perspective and mutual understanding as a main benefit from the PPI workshops and described the atmosphere as inclusive and on equal footing. Benefits of the digital format such as overcoming geographical distance, saving time and combining workshop participation with professional or childcare obligations were reported. Technical support was stressed as a pre-condition for getting actively involved in digital PPI. CONCLUSIONS: Digital formats using different didactic and documentation techniques, accompanied by technical support, can foster active patient and public involvement. The advantages of digital PPI formats such as geographical flexibility and saving time for participants as well as the opportunity to prepare and hold workshops in geographically stretched research teams persists beyond the pandemic and may in some cases outweigh the advantages of in-person communication.

Digital patient and public involvement (PPI) activities differ from in-person meetings. For example, some forms of non-verbal cues and body language are limited and technical barriers may exist. Therefore, some research teams were hesitant to switch to a digital PPI format during the COVID-19 pandemic and postponed their PPI activities.In this paper, we aim to describe, how we adapted a PPI workshop series to a digital format, how patients and health care professionals experienced these digital workshops, and which conclusions we have drawn for future digital PPI activities. The workshop evaluation encompassed workshop observation protocols, participants' feedback via chat on their chance to speak and the feasibility of the digital tools, and telephone interviews on participants' experiences.The study results showed that moderators had an active role in verbally encouraging every participant to get involved. Technical challenges occurred, but were in most cases immediately addressed and solved. Most participants rated their chance to speak and the feasibility of the digital format as "very good". They described the atmosphere as inclusive and on equal footing without hierarchy between different stakeholder groups. Participants reported benefits of the digital format such as overcoming geographical distance, saving time and combining workshop participation with professional or childcare obligations. They stressed technical support as a condition for getting actively involved in digital PPI.We conclude that some advantages of digital PPI may persist beyond the pandemic. Therefore, we encourage research teams to discuss the question of digital or in-person PPI with the involved patients and health professionals and decide on a case-by-case basis.

A Novel Interprofessional Education and Supervision Student Placement Model: Student and Clinical Educator Perspectives and Experiences.

Interprofessional student placements can not only cater to the added pressures on student placement numbers but can also enhance the work readiness of new graduates. For rural areas, there is a potential for interprofessional student placements to attract the future healthcare workforce. However, tried and tested models of interprofessional placements in rural areas backed up by rigorous evaluation, remain scarce. The Rural Interprofessional Education and Supervision (RIPES) model was developed, implemented, and evaluated across four rural health services in Queensland to address this gap. Students from two or more professions undertook concurrent placements at RIPES sites, with a placement overlap period of at least five weeks. Eleven focus groups (n = 58) with clinical educators (CEs) and students were conducted to explore student and clinical educator experiences and perspectives. Content analysis of focus group data resulted in the development of the following categories: value of the RIPES placement model, unintended benefits to CEs, work units and rural areas, tension between uni-professional and IPE components, and sustainability considerations. Students and CEs alike valued the learning which arose from participation in the model and the positive flow-on effects to both patient care and work units. This unique study was undertaken in response to previous calls to address a gap in interprofessional education models in rural areas. It involved students from multiple professions and universities, explored perspectives and experiences from multiple stakeholders, and followed international best practice interprofessional education research recommendations. Findings can inform the future use and sustainability of the RIPES model.