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1.
JMIR Res Protoc ; 12: e33492, 2023 May 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20232321

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Law enforcement officers are routinely exposed to hazardous, disturbing events that can impose severe stress and long-term psychological trauma. As a result, police and other public safety personnel (PSP) are at increased risk of developing posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSIs) and disruptions to the autonomic nervous system (ANS). ANS functioning can be objectively and noninvasively measured by heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Traditional interventions aimed at building resilience among PSP have not adequately addressed the physiological ANS dysregulations that lead to mental and physical health conditions, as well as burnout and fatigue following potential psychological trauma. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we will investigate the efficacy of a web-based Autonomic Modulation Training (AMT) intervention on the following outcomes: (1) reducing self-reported symptoms of PTSI, (2) strengthening ANS physiological resilience and wellness capacity, and (3) exploring how sex and gender are related to baseline differences in psychological and biological PTSI symptoms and response to the AMT intervention. METHODS: The study is comprised of 2 phases. Phase 1 involves the development of the web-based AMT intervention, which includes 1 session of baseline survey measures, 6 weekly sessions that integrate HRV biofeedback (HRVBF) training with meta-cognitive skill practice, and 1 session of follow-up survey measures. Phase 2 will use a cluster randomized control design to test the effectiveness of AMT on the following prepost outcomes: (1) self-report symptoms of PTSI and other wellness measures; (2) physiological indicators of health and resilience including resting HR, HRV, and RSA; and (3) the influence of sex and gender on other outcomes. Participants will be recruited for an 8-week study across Canada in rolling cohorts. RESULTS: The study received grant funding in March 2020 and ethics approval in February 2021. Due to delays related to COVID-19, phase 1 was completed in December 2022, and phase 2 pilot testing began in February 2023. Cohorts of 10 participants in the experimental (AMT) and control (prepost assessment only) groups will continue until a total of 250 participants are tested. Data collection from all phases is expected to conclude in December 2025 but may be extended until the intended sample size is reached. Quantitative analyses of psychological and physiological data will be conducted in conjunction with expert coinvestigators. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to provide police and PSP with effective training that improves physical and psychological functioning. Given that help-seeking for PTSI is reduced among these occupational groups, AMT is a promising intervention that can be completed in the privacy of one's home. Importantly, AMT is a novel program that uniquely addresses the underlying physiological mechanisms that support resilience and wellness promotion and is tailored to the occupational demands of PSP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05521360; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05521360. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/33492.

2.
Borderlands Journal ; 20(2):1-3, 2021.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2317685

ABSTRACT

Governments in many nations responded to these upheavals with public spending programmes on vaccines and medical equipment, and financial support for businesses and workers during lockdowns and public safety mandates. Taking a visual approach to borders, through the photographic self-representations of the study's participants, Biglin finds that legal status and a sense of belonging, being at home in one's space, do not correspond. BRETT NICHOLLS is Head of Media, Film and Communication at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

3.
Asian American Policy Review ; 33:8-13, 2023.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2316252

ABSTRACT

Krishnan and Park's communities of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in New York City - home to a 75,000-strong, rapidly growing Asian American population - were the epicenter of not one, but two pandemics in 2020. As COVID-19 claimed the lives of their elders, trapped in nursing homes and cramped apartments, anti-Asian hate awaited them at every turn, stalking them on subway platforms and sidewalks. As these twin pandemics surged through their communities, their parks saved their lives. Their open spaces allowed them to escape the physical, mental, and social constraints of quarantine into fresh air. They allowed them to exist in community with their neighbors. And today, from daily t'ai chi ch'uan and yoga to annual Diwali, Eid, and Lunar New Year celebrations, their parks have become places of continued healing and growth. Here and across New York City, their public open spaces are essential to meeting the multiple challenges they face, from public health to public safety. They must recognize the extraordinary value of their park system and deepen their investment for all neighborhoods, and for future generations. Every community needs and deserves space to thrive.

4.
Eur J Psychotraumatol ; 14(2): 2205332, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2318650

ABSTRACT

Background: Moral injury (MI) has become a research and organizational priority as frontline personnel have, both during and in the years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, raised concerns about repeated expectations to make choices that transgress their deeply held morals, values, and beliefs. As awareness of MI grows, so, too, does attention on its presence and impacts in related occupations such as those in public safety, given that codes of conduct, morally and ethically complex decisions, and high-stakes situations are inherent features of such occupations.Objective: This paper shares the results of a study of the presence of potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) in the lived experiences of 38 public safety personnel (PSP) in Ontario, Canada.Method: Through qualitative interviews, this study explored the types of events PSP identify as PMIEs, how PSP make sense of these events, and the psychological, professional, and interpersonal impacts of these events. Thematic analysis supported the interpretation of PSP descriptions of events and experiences.Results: PMIEs do arise in the context of PSP work, namely during the performance of role-specific responsibilities, within the organizational climate, and because of inadequacies in the broader healthcare system. PMIEs are as such because they violate core beliefs commonly held by PSP and compromise their ability to act in accordance with the principles that motivate them in their work. PSP associate PMIEs, in combination with traumatic experiences and routine stress, with adverse psychological, professional and personal outcomes.Conclusion: The findings provide additional empirical evidence to the growing literature on MI in PSP, offering insight into the contextual dimensions that contribute to the sources and effects of PMIEs in diverse frontline populations as well as support for the continued application and exploration of MI in the PSP context.


The objective of this study was to understand the types of events that Canadian public safety personnel (PSP) experience as potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) as well as the impacts that they associate with these events.The findings illuminate that contextual dimensions are significant in the origin of PMIEs, which PSP experience in the completion of routine duties, because of the organizational culture, or as a result of issues in the broader healthcare system, which led to many negative consequences in their personal and professional lives.PMIEs reduced the trust PSP had in their leadership and the healthcare system to protect the public and themselves, were associated with feelings of anger, frustration, resignation, and helplessness, and connected to internal struggles marked by inner conflict and the erosion of self-concept.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Humans , Pandemics , Canada/epidemiology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology , Occupations
5.
Electronics ; 12(7):1514, 2023.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2293268

ABSTRACT

We aimed to research the design and path-planning methods of an intelligent disinfection-vehicle system. A ROS (robot operating system) system was utilized as the control platform, and SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technology was used to establish an indoor scene map. On this basis, a new path-planning method combining the A* algorithm and the Floyd algorithm is proposed to ensure the safety, efficiency, and stability of the path. Simulation results show that with the average shortest distance between obstacles and paths of 0.463, this algorithm reduces the average numbers of redundant nodes and turns in the path by 70.43% and 31.1%, respectively, compared to the traditional A* algorithm. The algorithm has superior performance in terms of safety distance, path length, and redundant nodes and turns. Additionally, a mask recognition and pedestrian detection algorithm is utilized to ensure public safety. The results of the study indicate that the method has satisfactory performance. The intelligent disinfection-vehicle system operates stably, meets the indoor mapping requirements, and can recognize pedestrians and masks.

6.
Smart Cities ; 6(2):987, 2023.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2305662

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in many aspects of daily life, including learning, working, and communicating. As countries aim to recover their economies, there is an increasing need for smart city solutions, such as crowd monitoring systems, to ensure public safety both during and after the pandemic. This paper presents the design and implementation of a real-time crowd monitoring system using existing public Wi-Fi infrastructure. The proposed system employs a three-tiered architecture, including the sensing domain for data acquisition, the communication domain for data transfer, and the computing domain for data processing, visualization, and analysis. Wi-Fi access points were used as sensors that continuously monitored the crowd and uploaded data to the server. To protect the privacy of the data, encryption algorithms were employed during data transmission. The system was implemented in the Sri Chiang Mai Smart City, where nine Wi-Fi access points were installed in nine different locations along the Mekong River. The system provides real-time crowd density visualizations. Historical data were also collected for the analysis and understanding of urban behaviors. A quantitative evaluation was not feasible due to the uncontrolled environment in public open spaces, but the system was visually evaluated in real-world conditions to assess crowd density, rather than represent the entire population. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of leveraging existing public Wi-Fi infrastructure for crowd monitoring in uncontrolled, real-world environments. The monitoring system is readily accessible and does not require additional hardware investment or maintenance. The collected dataset is also available for download. In addition to COVID-19 pandemic management, this technology can also assist government policymakers in optimizing the use of public space and urban planning. Real-time crowd density data provided by the system can assist route planners or recommend points of interest, while information on the popularity of tourist destinations enables targeted marketing.

7.
12th International Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering, ICECE 2022 ; : 76-79, 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2297743

ABSTRACT

The vaccination program which helps avert pandemics is facing new hurdles, including the emergence of hazardous new virus strains and public distrust. Analyzing the sentiment expressed in social media interactions related to vaccines may aid the health authority in implementing public safety procedures and guide the government in developing appropriate policies. The purpose of this research is to identify the public sentiments toward the COVID-19 vaccination in Bangladesh from social media comments. Comments posted on social media platforms often mix formal and informal language known as code-mixed text and do not adhere to any particular grammatical standards. In addition, the Bangla language lacks computational models and annotated resources for sentiment analysis. To overcome this, we created CoVaxBD, a Bangla-English code-mixed and sentiment-annotated corpus of Facebook comments. This paper also proposes a model for sentiment analysis based on the multilingual BERT. It achieves a validation accuracy of around 97.3 % and a precision score of approximately 97.4%. © 2022 IEEE.

8.
Statisztikai Szemle ; 101(1):53-74, 2023.
Article in English, Hungarian | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2275521

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to provide a complex overview of the dimensions of the sense of security of domestic tourists and Hungarians travelling abroad based on a sample of 500 people. Through mathematical-statistical analyses, I identified the main factors that play a role in the respondents' perception of safety, with particular regard to the risks arising during the trip. The survey was conducted in the second half of 2019, before the outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic. In addition to the theoretical aspects, the results of the survey offer a wide range of practical applications for the research, identifying areas where there is an opportunity to intervene at the level of public administrations. Preventive tasks cover crime prevention, environmental safety, more stringent monitoring and enforcement of consumer protection rules, as well as the elimination of financial/ transactional risks © 2023, Statisztikai Szemle.All Rights Reserved.

9.
2022 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics, SSRR 2022 ; : 335-340, 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2273327

ABSTRACT

This article examines 152 reports the use of robots explicitly due to the COVID-19 pandemic reported in the science, trade, and press from 24 Jan 2021 to 23 Jan 2022 (Year 2) and compares with the previously published uses from 24 Jan 2020 to 23 Jan 2021 (Year 1). Of these 152 reports, 80 were new unique instances documented in 25 countries, bringing the total to 420 instances in 52 countries since 2020. The instances did not add new work domains or use cases, though they changed the relative ranking of three use cases. The most notable trend in Year was the shift from a) government or institutional use of robots to protect healthcare workers and the Public to b) personal and business use to enable the continuity of work and education. In Year 1, Public Safety, Clinical Care, and Continuity of Work and Education were the three highest work domains but in Year 2, Continuity of Work and Education had the highest number of instances. © 2022 IEEE.

10.
British Journal of Criminology ; 63(2):444-460, 2023.
Article in English | Academic Search Complete | ID: covidwho-2271553

ABSTRACT

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials have introduced measures to preserve the health of incarcerated individuals and prison employees. To understand the impact of COVID-related correctional policies on individuals with incarcerated friends and family members, we conducted 181 longitudinal interviews from April 2020 to January 2021 with 29 such 'loved ones.' Participants emphasized concerns about (1) health and safety;(2) unclear, unpredictable and untrusted communications;and (3) diminished personal intimacy. We analyze these findings using an 'administrative burden' framework and discuss possible reforms. We also suggest a wider applicably of this framework for studying individuals who have diverse encounters with the criminal justice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of British Journal of Criminology is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

11.
2022 IEEE Future Networks World Forum, FNWF 2022 ; 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2270671

ABSTRACT

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Future Networks International Network Generations Roadmap (INGR) Applications and Services Working Group developed a Transdisciplinary Framework that is sustainable, structured, flexible, adaptable, and scalable framework that extends across end-to-end ecosystems, and caters to different stages of priorities, resources, and technologies. The framework may be used by academic stakeholders for new research topics of interest, industry stakeholders to develop solutions for roadmap identified opportunities while minimizing negative risks, and government stakeholders for governance and policy development. The 2022 edition provides additional details on the Applications and Services Transdisciplinary Framework from Smart Cities, developed in the 1st edition, and was extended towards Smart Communities that include both urban and non-urban areas in the 2021 edition. This edition of the IEEE INGR Application and Services roadmap chapter includes: •Applications and Services Framework: a dynamic sustainable framework for applications and services that extends across end-to-end ecosystems, and caters to the priorities, resources, and technologies for local urban and non-urban areas. ○ Ecosystem of Ecosystems: intra-ecosystem and inter-ecosystem alignments for agriculture, education, electrical power, health care, media and entertainment, public safety, transportation, and water distribution and wastewater treatment ecosystems. ○ Network of Networks: Future networks components (access, service delivery, operations and service management, and network extensions), use case categories and network operations enhancements. ○ Governance Function of Functions: strategic and governance related functions to support local area objectives that include economic development, quality of life, stakeholder attraction and retention, and policy development. •Transdisciplinary Framework Scenarios and Use Cases: smart cities, smart regions, and pandemic planning scenarios The Applications and Services working group will extend the reach and depth of this framework to add new ecosystems and enhance the existing ecosystems already addressed for future INGR editions. © 2022 IEEE.

12.
Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications ; : 3-16, 2023.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2285095

ABSTRACT

The Science Technology and Innovation (STI) domain must evolve with emerging risks and threats that characterize the new defence, safety and security landscape. From CRTI to CSSP programs, starting with the crucial counter-terrorism approach after 9/11, and evolving to an all-hazards approach, DRDC CSS' STI community continued to look ahead as the current and future defence, safety and security landscape is now exponentially more diverse and complex. Indeed, it is now characterized by such issues as: mass migration and refugee crisis, economic slowdowns in emerging markets, ever-rising numbers of terrorists, activists, extremists, cyberattacks, pandemics, active shooters, climate related disasters, global water shortages, energy security and food security. These regional national and global risks have been in the headlines particularly in the last few years and pose significant security challenges both nationally and globally: in fact, national security is no longer just national. Non-state actors, cyber NGOs, rising powers, hybrid wars and crimes in strategic areas pose complex challenges to global security. The recent COVID 19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine illustrate the dramatic spillover effects across borders. Further, CSS with its large, capable and responsive community of partners continue to foresee, adapt and respond to newer incredibly difficult challenges such as pandemics, climate emergencies, highly "contagious” extremism/ polarization/ radicalization and fast-spreading mis-/dis-information campaigns across the globe. This chapter presents an overview of the complex safety and security landscapea and illustrates how the uptake/exploitation/impact of DRDC CSS' STIb, within a remarkable culture that also embraced a Whole of Government approach, evolved over 20+ years into an era-defining program that is postured to continue to close otherwise extremely difficult-to-close Safety and Security gaps in Canada. © 2023, Crown.

13.
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society ; 2023.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2263124

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss characteristics of Korea's system responses with a research framework of the structure, conduct and performance theory and explain the role of information, communication technologies (ICT) and Big Data from a technology-mediated control (TMC) perspective. Design/methodology/approach: This study examines the contextual nature of Korea's diagnostic, preventive and treatment efforts. Particular attention is paid to issues related to the effective use of Big Data analytics and its applications, reporting mechanisms and public safety measures. The research model defines key factors in assessing the effectiveness of Korea's responses. Findings: Findings of this research suggest: effective strategic planning and operational execution use well-tested and designed crisis-responsive manuals;linkage role of ICT/Big Data is prominent in trace, test and treat and participation (3T + P);and aggressive epidemic investigations require synergistic efforts of national and local government units, broad societal support and participation and contribution of global firms offering their domestic and global supply chain network capabilities. Research limitations/implications: The Korean Government's effective response experiences suggest the synergy of political, social, cultural and technological factors. Future studies may explore how personal privacy and public safety are both achieved in different social–cultural–political contexts (Ahn et al., 2020;Delgado et al., 2020;Sharma and Bashir, 2020). Other emerging organizational issues and international comparative studies are worth further investigation in future studies. Practical implications: This case study suggests how to apply ICT capabilities for organizing a national response to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) pandemic. Public and private partnership in the framework of sociotechnological synergy (i.e. integration of ICT and social orchestration) is essential for the 3T process. In support of public policy initiatives, global firms share their IT infrastructure and supply chain integration experiences to accommodate global-level crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Social implications: This study extends the TMC framework to a national level. In the adapted TMC framework, the control source, control target and linkage mechanism are specified. Using TMC, this shows the dynamic roles of ICT/Big Data in Korea's COVID-19 response experiences. Originality/value: The impacts of the COVID-19 are rapid and enormous. Despite the controversial early policy decisions and the rapid rise of confirmed patients, the world has recognized Korea's effective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

14.
Front Public Health ; 11: 1140983, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2257919

ABSTRACT

The work of public safety personnel (PSP) such as police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, and paramedics, as well as other PSP, makes them vulnerable to psychological injuries, which can have profound impacts on their families and the communities they serve. A multitude of complex operational, organizational, and personal factors contribute to the mental health of PSP; however, to date the approach of the research community has been largely to explore the impacts of these factors separately or within single PSP professions. To date, PSP employers have predominantly focused on addressing the personal aspects of PSP mental health through resiliency and stress management interventions. However, the increasing number of psychological injuries among PSPs and the compounding stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate a need for a new approach to the study of PSP mental health. The following paper discusses the importance of adopting a broader conceptual approach to the study of PSP mental health and proposes a novel model that highlights the need to consider the combined impacts of operational, organizational, and personal factors on PSP mental health. The TRi-Operational-Organizational-Personal Factor Model (TROOP) depicts these key factors as three large pieces of a larger puzzle that is PSP mental health. The TROOP gives working language for public safety organizations, leaders, and researchers to broadly consider the mental health impacts of public safety work.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Mental Health , Humans , Pandemics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Police/psychology , Occupations
15.
BMC Public Health ; 23(1): 341, 2023 02 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2251120

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Opioid addiction and overdose is a public health problem in the United States and is expected to remain with substance use increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities that approach this issue through multi-sector partnerships experience more positive health outcomes. Understanding motivation for stakeholder engagement in these efforts is essential to successful adoption, implementation, and sustainability particularly in the shifting landscape of needs and resources. METHODS: A formative evaluation was conducted on the C.L.E.A.R. Program in Massachusetts, a state heavily impacted by the opioid epidemic. A stakeholder power analysis identified appropriate stakeholders for the study (n = 9). The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) guided data collection and analysis. Surveys (n = 8) examined perception and attitudes on the program; motivations and communication for engagement; and, benefits and barriers to collaboration. Stakeholder interviews (n = 6) explored the quantitative findings in more detail. Surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a content analysis with deductive approach was conducted for stakeholder interviews. The Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory guided recommendations for communications to engage stakeholders. RESULTS: Agencies represented a range of sectors and the majority (n = 5) were familiar with the C.L.E.A.R. PROGRAM: Despite the many strengths of the program and existing collaboration, based on the coding densities of each CFIR construct stakeholders identified crucial gaps in the services the program provided and noted that the overall infrastructure of the program could be enhanced. Opportunities for strategic communication to address the stages of DOI align with the gaps identified in the CFIR domains to result in increased agency collaboration and expansion of services into the surrounding communities to ensure sustainability of the C.L.E.A.R. CONCLUSIONS: This study explored factors necessary for ongoing multi-sector collaboration and sustainability of an existing community-based program especially given the changing context from COVID-19. Findings informed both program revisions and communication strategies to promote the program to new and existing collaborating agencies and the community served, and identify effective communication approaches across sectors. This is essential for successful implementation and sustainability of the program, especially as it is adapted and expanded to address post-pandemic times. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study does not report results of a health care intervention on human participants, however it was reviewed and determined an exempt study with the Boston University Institutional Review Board (IRB #H-42107).


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Opiate Overdose , Humans , United States , Pandemics , COVID-19/prevention & control , Delivery of Health Care/methods , Communication
16.
Risk Anal ; 2022 Apr 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2288552

ABSTRACT

During public emergencies, the level of public safety will be resilient and follow a process from decline to rise. Regarding the concept and influencing factors of public safety resilience, a three-level public safety resilience framework that includes personal, community, and government levels was proposed in this study. It provided the overall metrics that used the resistance and recovery ability to describe the dynamic characteristics of public safety resilience as well as the resilience assessment indexes on three levels. In the context of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this study applied the proposed framework in a case study on public safety resilience at the Beihang community, Beijing, China through descriptive statistics, structural equation model, and principal component regression analysis of questionnaire data. The data analysis results showed that community resilience was the most important of the three levels of public safety resilience. In addition, community resilience could improve personal resilience, and government resilience had a positive effect on community and personal resilience. Compared with the resistance ability, the recovery ability was influenced more by the operation and improvement of the community. This study is conducive to understanding and improving public safety resilience on the personal, community, and government levels and can help relevant parties improve their ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the methods used in this study can be extended to other studies on public emergencies.

17.
Int J Environ Res Public Health ; 20(4)2023 Feb 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2242494

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on emergency medical communication centres (EMCC). A live video facility was made available to second-line physicians in an EMCC with a first-line paramedic to receive emergency calls. The objective of this study was to measure the contribution of live video to remote medical triage. The single-centre retrospective study included all telephone assessments of patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms from 01.04.2020 to 30.04.2021 in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation of the EMCC and the characteristics of patients who called the two emergency lines (official emergency number and COVID-19 number) with suspected COVID-19 symptoms were described. A prospective web-based survey of physicians was conducted during the same period to measure the indications, limitations and impact of live video on their decisions. A total of 8957 patients were included, and 2157 (48.0%) of the 4493 patients assessed on the official emergency number had dyspnoea, 4045 (90.6%) of 4464 patients assessed on the COVID-19 number had flu-like symptoms and 1798 (20.1%) patients were reassessed remotely by a physician, including 405 (22.5%) with live video, successfully in 315 (77.8%) attempts. The web-based survey (107 forms) showed that physicians used live video to assess mainly the breathing (81.3%) and general condition (78.5%) of patients. They felt that their decision was modified in 75.7% (n = 81) of cases and caught 7 (7.7%) patients in a life-threatening emergency. Medical triage decisions for suspected COVID-19 patients are strongly influenced by the use of live video.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Emergency Medical Services , Humans , Retrospective Studies , Pandemics , Prospective Studies , Triage , Communication , Internet
18.
Can J Public Health ; 114(3): 502-506, 2023 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2217746

ABSTRACT

The work of public safety personnel (PSP; e.g. firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, among others) is essential to society but is practically and ethically complex, especially with the increased challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strain on mental health in this population of workers and volunteers has been the focus of recent research. New programs and strategies are being developed and implemented in order to address the causes and implications of mental health problems at the individual and organizational levels in Canada and elsewhere. Yet, the properly ethical aspects of the work and work conditions of PSP have largely fallen outside the scope of public health research. There are few empirical studies on moral distress and moral injury of Canadian PSP, and the rich and complex moral life of these workers is often obfuscated by a pervasive, stoic, militaristic moral model that generally aligns with narrow biomedical treatment approaches. We argue that the lack of attention to the public, social, and ethical aspects of the moral distress and moral injuries experienced by PSP in Canada warrants greater public and academic awareness, more research on experiences of moral distress and moral injury in PSP, and evidence-informed training and support programs for individuals and organizations.


RéSUMé: Le travail du personnel de la sécurité publique (PSP; incluant, entre autres, les pompiers.ères, les officiers.ères de police, les ambulanciers.ères paramédicaux) est essentiel à la société, mais il est complexe sur le plan pratique et éthique, en particulier avec les défis accrus posés par la pandémie de COVID-19. La pression exercée sur la santé mentale de cette population de travailleurs et de bénévoles a fait l'objet de recherches récentes. De nouveaux programmes et des stratégies sont élaborés et mis en œuvre afin de s'attaquer aux causes et aux répercussions des problèmes de santé mentale aux niveaux individuel et organisationnel au Canada et ailleurs. Pourtant, les aspects proprement éthiques du travail et des conditions de travail du PSP sont peu abordés dans la recherche en santé publique. Il existe peu d'études empiriques sur la détresse morale et les blessures morales du PSP canadien, et la vie morale riche et complexe de ces travailleurs est souvent obscurcie par un modèle moral omniprésent, stoïque et militariste qui s'aligne généralement sur des approches de traitement biomédicales étroites. Nous soutenons que le manque d'attention aux aspects publics, sociaux et éthiques de la détresse morale et des blessures morales subies par le PSP au Canada justifie une plus grande sensibilisation du public et des universitaires, plus de recherche sur les expériences de détresse morale et de blessures morales chez le PSP, et des programmes de formation et de soutien individuels et organisationnels éclairés par des données probantes.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Humans , Pandemics , Canada , COVID-19/epidemiology , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology , Mental Health
19.
5th International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Communication Technologies, CCICT 2022 ; : 418-421, 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2136138

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has made face masks an imperative whenever an individual is going out in public. However, many people are remiss in fulfilling their duty to society. They are deviating from the lockdown norms and violating the regulatory measures set by the government. Such a situation only proliferates the spread of COVID-19 and makes it difficult to control it. In this paper, we use Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to detect whether a person is wearing a face mask. This research uses TensorFlow and Keras to build a CNN which detects face masks with an accuracy of over 98% within 10 epochs. This algorithm will be a boon in places like malls or public areas where automated doors can be shut tight if the prospect trying to enter the store is not wearing a mask. Overall, this paper will help create products that can be used to safely break the COVID-19 chain. © 2022 IEEE.

20.
Public Administration Quarterly ; 46(4):334-358, 2022.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2125385

ABSTRACT

This paper examines roles of the government in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The paper provides theoretical background of government's roles in the market system and in the public health profession. Based on practical cases, academic studies, and public survey data during the first year of the pandemic, the paper analyzes government's roles as: protector of public health and safety, regulator of business operations and individual behaviors, and manager of economic stability and growth. The paper concludes with discussions about the characteristics of governmental intervention, critiques of governmental failure, and challenges of government collaboration.

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