ABSTRACT
Background: "Covishield" and "Covaxin" were the two vaccines which were approved for emergency use in India. As there is uncertainty regarding these vaccines, this study aimed to estimate the proportion of acceptance of vaccination against COVID-19 in West Bengal;to identify the possible barriers of vaccine acceptance prevalent among the study population and;to find out the association of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination with the socio-demographic and other predictor variables. Methods: Oobservational study with cross sectional design was conductedon 294 participants in Muchisa, Budge Budge II and Ward No. 81 of Borough 10, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) selected by Stratified Random Sampling in 2021 using a predesigned, pretested and structured schedule. The statistical analysis was done using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 16.0. The data were explored using Pearson's chi-square test and logistic regression. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The potential acceptance of Covid-19 vaccination was 59.5% with higher adoption in urban population. The most potential barrier in acceptance of vaccine was "fear of side effects". Higher level of education and history of Covid-19 in the locality were associated with higher acceptance of the vaccination in both the urban and rural areas. Conclusion: A study emphasized on the need for mass campaigns and other behavior change communication activities for addressing the myths surrounding the disease and the newer vaccines and hence improving the currently low vaccine acceptance.
ABSTRACT
We examine the impact of the Bank of Japan's exchange traded fund (ETF) purchases on two aspects of market efficiency—long-range dependence and price delay—of the TOPIX and Nikkei 225 indices. An increase in ETF purchases results in lower long-range dependence for both indices while the impact on the price delay varies according to index and measure. A sub-period analysis shows that the impact on market efficiency varies over time, with the dominant pattern being a delayed harmful effect, followed by a positive impact and thereafter a negative effect. The implications of these findings are discussed.
ABSTRACT
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an immense impact on psychic health. Children and adolescents are considered especially vulnerable which is why health promotion and prevention programs are important and should be designed in a motivating way to be attractive to this age group. The aim of this work is to investigate whether young people can be reached with the help of innovative digital formats for health promotion. Methods: An app-based training to promote self-regulation was offered to adolescents in lower secondary education in autumn 2020. Data were collected using an app. The types of motivation to participate in the training were analyzed. In addition, the students were able to rate the attractiveness of the training with the help of a self-designed evaluation sheet. Results: Of the 91 registered participants, 39.56% completed the study. In all, 40.91% of the students stated that the training was "very" helpful and 36.36% rated it as "quite" helpful. Although 50% of the respondents found the app-based training "modern and motivating", the other half would have preferred more personal support. Conclusion: The results confirm previous study results with health apps in children and adolescents. This age group is interested in digital formats, but health apps are not used continuously in this age group unless obligatory.
ABSTRACT
Providing research pathways for coursework master's programme (CMP) students is a feature in the Australian higher education system. While a burgeoning number of international students in Australian CMPs participate in research units, it is constraining to rigidly categorise international students as belonging to either research or coursework streams. Acknowledging that, this chapter explores the detailed experiences of international students who have recently completed the research pathway in their CMP. Combining the concepts of self-formation and positioning theory, it investigates international students' interactions with social actors, negotiations with the self and external rules, such as social codes and educational structures. Through collaborative autoethnography, this chapter identifies four stages of self-formation, namely pre-positioning, positioning, performing, and transformation, and highlights the influences of COVID-19 on these four stages. This chapter suggests that collective efforts on an institutional level are required to improve the wellbeing of international students in four main areas, namely developing agency, resolving career anxiety, addressing financial difficulties, and handling mental issues. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.
ABSTRACT
Obesity in childhood and adolescence is a growing public health problem, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Multicomponent weight management programmes with a focus on nutrition, exercise, medical and psychosocial care, including parents over a period of 6 to 12 months, have shown the best evidence for treatment. However, there is still no comprehensive care for those affected. This is mainly due to inconsistent cost coverage by different responsibilities and health insurance companies. The development of a disease management programme (DMP) for obesity represents a possible step towards adequate care structures. In order to cope the special features of children and adolescents, a DMP for this age group should be designed in addition to a DMP for adults with obesity. In addition, this DMP Obesity in childhood and adolescence should be embedded in an overall concept, whichis patientcentred and meets the needs of those affected in terms of outpatient and inpatient measures. Additionally, innovative approaches such as community-based counselling centres are also desirable.Copyright © 2023 Georg Thieme Verlag. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Relevance: The global consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic emphasize today the importance of the concept of "One Health" for the health system, which provides for the use of a coordinated, joint, interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach to eliminate potential or existing risks arising at the interface of the "environment-animal-human-ecosystem". The aim of the work is to study the experience of countries in implementing the concept of "One Health". Search strategy: comparative analysis of publications on the research topic, sources indexed in the databases of the electronic library e-Library, Google Academy, Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus. 26 countries from the European Union, South America and Africa were subject to analysis. The criteria defined are: institutional framework;mechanisms of intersectoral interaction and programs/tools for the implementation of the concept of "One Health". Results: The literature review provides a comparative analysis of the experience of implementing the concept of "One Health" in 26 countries. Realizing the importance of "One Health" in the general concept of public safety, countries have launched an active policy to promote it in the last decade. Characteristic features of country policies are the intersectoral approach with appropriate support from the government of the country, the activity of all participants in promoting the initiative and their investment.
ABSTRACT
Talent Management plays a crucial role to support the business continuity and empower the most important asset for the company - its people. The role that Talent Management has played was highlighted in different aspects across the organization, starting from developing competent HR team and HR department structure that can influence company culture by taking an active approach in this regard. The journey started by working with the executives and stakeholders across the business to evaluate the current company culture, assess potential gaps or opportunities, and create a strategic plan to align the organization's culture with its values and goals. Moreover, a deliberate building of core and supplementary HR systems serving the business strategy while respecting culture readiness has taken place. This started off with developing leadership development programs, conducting a competency management system for better training and skills development, relying on assessment tools in recruitment and using these tools in the on-boarding, knowledge sharing approach, creating a performance management culture and working on continuous development and improvement. The Leadership Development Program was achieved on 3 phases: Assessment phase, Development phase and re-assessment phase. One of the main objectives that we tried to focus on while implementing the leadership development program was to find employees who are potential leaders and nurture them early enough. In addition, it was crucial to identify a Leadership Competency Profile to have a clear, compelling vision of how the skills we were building in the leadership development program connect to the leadership road map in the company. In addition, and in the light of Covid-19 and the absence of Employee Training in 2020, the HR department came out with an initiative to carry out internal knowledge sharing workshops across the company. These workshops aimed at increasing employees' awareness with the different functions across the company in addition to increasing the level of engagement, communication, and presentation skills for employees. There is always a need to measure where we are and the progress done so far to know where we want to be and adjust the process accordingly. Therefore throughout all of these processes and programs, different feedback surveys were conducted to take necessary action plans. This helped in getting all employees onboard with us. Ultimately the alignment that was made between the Talent Management and the overall company's business strategy resulted in the company's ability to maintain a competitive advantage. A huge progress was made but the process continues to sustain this role. Copyright © 2023, Society of Petroleum Engineers.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A common secondary effect after SARS-CoV-2 immunization is an increased in size of the axillary lymph nodes ipsilateral to the vaccinated site. Eventually, an increased in size of the axillary lymph nodes may lead to a misinterpretation of the breast screening mammogram, performed in asymptomatic women between the age 50 to 69 years old for early breast cancer diagnosis. The aim of our research was to evaluate the impact of the vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 in the breast screening programmes in terms of recall rates and number of false positive results. As a secondary purpose we would analysed the protocols adopted by different breast screening units around the world after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. METHODS: Observational and retrospective study analysing breast screening mammograms from a single Breast Cancer Screening Unit in Madrid. The mammograms of previously vaccinated women were analysed, reviewing the axillary lymph nodes and the re-call rate secondary to axillary lymphadenopathies. RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty three screening mammograms were performed in May 2021 in the University Hospital Ramon y Cajal in Madrid, which is part of the Breast Screening Programme in Madrid, Spain. None of the women previously vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 were recalled for complementary studies due to an increased in the axillary lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: The protocol stablished by the Spanish Society of Breast Image that stands up for a routine breast screening mammogram after SARS-CoV-2 immunization, has no increase in the recall rate or increase in number of false positives.
ABSTRACT
The paper examines challenges that the global COVID-19 pandemic has created for responsibility frameworks and practices in law. Building on Ulrich Beck's account of the risk society, it argues that the basic qualities of COVID-19 related risks, when juxtaposed with the standard legal framework for responsibility, result in organised irresponsibility in law (OI). Also the most common legal response to current problems, namely liability shields and waivers, contribute to OI. As a result, the paper presents the case for the metamorphosis of the current responsibility framework. Conceptually speaking, the metamorphosis should be based on the commonality of risk experience - on 'shared risk communities'. Possible normative ('common but differentiated responsibility' principle) and institutional consequences (alternative compensation programmes) are discussed in terms of their potential to contribute to metamorphosis. © Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2022.
ABSTRACT
This paper upholds the classical Keynesian position that a laissez-faire market economy lacks a spontaneous tendency to full employment. Focusing on the UK case, it argues that monetary policy could not prevent the economic collapse of 2008-9 or achieve full recovery from the Great Recession that followed. The paper then outlines the case for fiscal policy to regain a permanent status of primacy in modern macroeconomic management, beyond the pandemic emergency. It distinguishes between public investment and automatic stabilisers, reducing discretionary actions to a minimum. It presents the case for re-empowering the State'spublic investment function and for reforming the system of automatic counter-cyclical stabilisers by means of public jobs programmes.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infection was an unprecedented pandemic with unprecedented global health and socio-economic impact. More than 13 million cases had been confirmed in Spain by August 2022, and diagnostic testing to detect cases of infection in the country has helped to partially mitigate the spread of the virus. In 2021, the first self-testing antigen tests were marketed for dispensing in community pharmacies, and over-the-counter dispensing was allowed from July of that year. The network of community pharmacies played a key role, not only in the informed dispensing of these tests, but also in actively participating in the performance, supervision and reporting of results to the health authorities, and even in the issuing of digital certificates. A compilation has been made of all the available data on the subject, with a deadline of 13 February 2022, which is considered to be the end of the sixth wave of the epidemic in Spain. The results of the action taken by community pharmacies in twelve Autonomous Communities, which somehow participated in these initiatives by carrying out or supervising a total of 1,043,800 tests, from which 109,570 positive cases (10.5% of the total) were detected and reported to the National Health System, are presented in this article. Although the results are provisional, because many of the programmes are still ongoing, they are a clear demonstration of the potential that community pharmacies can play in Public Health work.
ABSTRACT
This article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latino immigrants age sixty and older from Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Based on 178 interviews with immigrants in Florida and Massachusetts, this study identifies the financial and health hardships they endured, the kinds of government and nonprofit aid they accessed, the factors keeping many from accessing aid, and the coping strategies they adopted. Respondents faced unemployment, hunger, and loss of income. Unauthorized immigrants and people in mixed-status families were deliberately excluded from federal aid. Many other immigrants who qualified were reluctant or refused it. Immigrants without legal status and those who had more recently arrived were the most severely affected. Individuals and families responded to these challenges by doubling up, going without food and medicine, and working while sick. Greater outreach and more humane public policies could have prevented much of this suffering.
ABSTRACT
After about a year and a half (at the moment these lines are being written) since the start of the massive vaccination campaign in which, thanks to the high coverage achieved in all groups eligible for vaccination, it has been possible to significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19, it is important to review the scientific basics that have supported the recommendations implemented to date and those that could be adopted in the near future taking into consideration the epidemiological situation. The objective of this article is, therefore, to address the foundations of some of the technical decisions proposed by the Committee on Programme and Registry of Vaccinations (National Immunization Technical Advisory Group in Spain) and the Technical Working Group on Vaccination against COVID-19. Throughout the eleven updates of the Vaccination Strategy against COVID-19 in Spain, several issues pose intense debate as the vaccination intervals between doses, the convenience of using different types of vaccines, the use of heterologous schemes of vaccination, the benefits of hybrid immunity and the use of a fourth dose (second booster dose) for selected populations. All this without forgetting essential aspects of safety of vaccines. This article is divided into the following sections: Vaccination intervals;Heterologous or mixed scheme;Hybrid immunity (vaccination after infection and infection after vaccination [breakthrough]);Second booster dose.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 does not distinguish between age, race or sex. Children and young people constitute a sector of the population that does not escape this reality. Background: to design an educational intervention aimed at raising awareness and preparedness about COVID-19 in adolescents aged 15 to 18 years, admitted to Facultad de Ciencias Medicas de Guantanamo isolation center for suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2. Method: between January 2021 and March 2021, an experimental study of an educational intervention type was carried out. The population was made up of adolescents admitted in the center, all included in the aforementioned age range. A total of 97 intentionally selected adolescents were included in the study. Inquires about the level of information they had on the subject were made, before and after applying the educational intervention. Results: before the implementation of the educational intervention, 50.5% of the adolescents expressed having an insufficient level of information regarding COVID-19, and this proportion decreased to 21.6% after applying it;which meant a 57.2% reduction in adolescents with theoretical deficiencies regarding the subject. The percentage that increased their preparation was 36.9% (p <0.05), which indicated the advantage of implementing the educational intervention. Conclusions: the educational intervention aimed at adolescents suspected of SARS-Cov-2 infection makes it possible to improve knowledge regarding COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
In 2017, the French National Health Authority (HAS) reassessed its human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening strategy and in 2018, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) set the goal of screening 95% of people living with HIV by 2030. The HAS recommends an approach based on target population and gives the general practitioner (GP) a key role in its implementation. It is therefore important to facilitate HIV testing by GPs and to reduce missed opportunities. To this end, a pilot study was conducted on a panel of 2,000 GPs over a 10-month period in 2020 in order to evaluate the impact of a pop-up displayed within prescription assistance software reminding about the frequency of targeted screening recommended by the HAS. The pop-up was displayed for patients with a history of sexually transmitted infection and/or hepatitis C and/or tuberculosis in the previous 12 months and without a known HIV serology or diagnosis. The impact was measured by comparing the prospective follow-up of consultations made during the "pilot" in 2020 with the retrospective follow-up of consultations made during the "pre-pilot" period in 2019. The results showed a significant increase in HIV serology prescriptions during the pilot study, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Difficulties in objectively identifying target patient profiles and in organizing regular follow-ups to HIV testing were also revealed. This pop-up tool represents an additional means of facilitating the prescription of HIV testing by GPs.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: despite the devastating effect of COVID-19, many nations have lifted their restrictions. It is necessary to keep addressing this problem using the promotion via, in order to increase people's health training. Background: to assess the efficacy of an educational program performed to increase the level of knowledge concerning COVID-19 in patients who live in the Aponwao Village, Caroni, Venezuela, during the period November 2021-February 2022. Method: a pre-experimental intervention study was carried out, with a before-and-after design implied. A total of 85 patients were chosen as sample, selected by simple random sampling. It was applied a survey to all the patients selected, an educationaldidactic and interactive program was designed and implemented, and a final evaluation was carried out to verify the effectiveness of the program. Results: female sex was the most representative group (54.1%) and 41.2% of patients were in the age group of 25 to 44. The predominant risk factor was the non-use of means for prevention against COVID-19 infection (28.6%) and 17.6% of patients surveyed suffered from hypertension. Before carried out the intervention study, 48.2% of participants had an insufficient level of knowledge;after applied the educational program, 52.9% increase their knowledge passing to "Good" knowledge level. Conclusions: the implementation of the educational program made possible to increase the level of knowledge concerning COVID-19, so that its efficacy for preventing this infection in Primary Health Care it is effective.
ABSTRACT
Mental health is inextricably linked to both poverty and future life chances such as education, skills, labour market attachment and social function. Poverty can lead to poorer mental health, which reduces opportunities and increases the risk of lifetime poverty. Cash transfer programmes are one of the most common strategies to reduce poverty and now reach substantial proportions of populations living in low- and middle-income countries. Because of their rapid expansion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have recently gained even more importance. Recently, there have been suggestions that these cash transfers might improve youth mental health, disrupting the cycle of disadvantage at a critical period of life. Here, we present a conceptual framework describing potential mechanisms by which cash transfer programmes could improve the mental health and life chances of young people. Furthermore, we explore how theories from behavioural economics and cognitive psychology could be used to more specifically target these mechanisms and optimise the impact of cash transfers on youth mental health and life chances. Based on this, we identify several lines of enquiry and action for future research and policy.Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press.
ABSTRACT
This article discusses the worldwide routine vaccination coverage in 2021, as part of the Immunisation Agenda 2030, a global immunisation strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases. The report presents global, regional, and national estimates and trends in vaccination coverage through 2021, based on reviews of country-specific data, including administrative and survey-based coverage. Global estimates show that coverage with 3 doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis-containing vaccine (DTPcv3) and the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) decreased to their lowest levels since 2008. In 2021, 25.0 million infants were not vaccinated with DTPcv3, 2.1 million more than in 2020, and 5.9 million more than in 2019. The number of zero-dose children was 37% higher than in 2019, with 18.2 million infants not receiving any DTPcv dose by the age of 12 months. The report highlights that the full recovery from disruptions to immunisation programmes due to the COVID-19 pandemic will require context-specific strategies to find missed children, prioritise essential health services, and strengthen immunisation programmes to prevent outbreaks.
ABSTRACT
Recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of increase in the ability of public health workforce to detect and respond to the public health threats. For timely implementation of an adequate response and mitigation measure, the standardized and sustainable capacity building programme for frontline public health workforce is the need of hour. National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in partnership with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developed a three-month in-service Basic Epidemiology Training programme. This is a tailor-made programme for frontline public health workforce to strengthen epidemiological skills. This training was a practical interactive approach to field epidemiology for three months on the job training for frontline public health workforce that addressed the critical skills needed to conduct surveillance effectively at the local level while focusing on improving disease detection, reporting and feedback. The training also demonstrated the role of learning model in form of interaction between the mentor and the mentees. The importance of handhold support given by the mentors to the mentees in quality outbreak investigations and documentation.
ABSTRACT
Background. In early 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic forced communities around the globe to shut down and isolate. Routine graduate medical education activities have also been suspended as resident and fellow physicians-in-training have been re-deployed to support critical patient care services.Innovation. We developed a two-part hybrid telesimulation model to teach COVID-19 ventilator management strategies while physically separating a group of learners and an instructor from one another. Learners consisted of non-ICU health care providers with limited experience in ventilator management being redeployed to manage ICU level COVID-19 infected patients. In the first week, the video tutorial has been viewed over 500 times and we have facilitated 14 telesimulation sessions, including 48 participants comprised of hospitalists, emergency medicine physicians and physician assistants, pediatric residents, nurses, and a nurse educator.Conclusion. We believe that the combination of a video tutorial followed by an interactive telesimulation was successful in providing timely education during a coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, it reinforced the value and flexibility in which simulation education could continue conveniently for learners despite significant restrictions in place during the coronavirus pandemic. Research is needed to assess the efficacy of this hybrid intervention in preparing healthcare workers and to determine if the knowledge is successfully transferred to the clinical setting.