Catheter ablation of cardiac arrhythmias during COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia

Catheter ablations of cardiac arrhythmias are nowadays frequently guided by electro-anatomic mapping systems. Technical staff with medical training, or medical staff with technical training, is needed to assist the operator. Travel restrictions because of current COVID-19 pandemics have limited the in person availability for technical support staff. These limitations make us to perform the feasibility of remote support with an internet based communication platform. A total cardiac arrhythmias 25 patients (Male: 10 cases, Female: 15 cases) with different arrhythmias such as Atrial fibrillation (1 case), Atrial flutter (5 cases), Atrial tachycardia (2 cases), Right and Left Ventricular Arrhythmias (19 cases), having undergone ablation procedures between 2020 to 2022. Acute procedure success was obtained 25 cases, no complications. Our experience with remote support for electro-anatomic mapping for complex electrophysiological ablation procedures, showed the feasibility and safety of this approach. It increases the availability of technical support for reducing the costs. Remote support for electroanatomic mapping may therefore facilitate continuous care for patients with arrhythmias during the COVID-19 pandemics. As a result of its advantages beyond COVID-19 pandemics related problems, it will likely play a greater role in the future.

Implementation of remote support services: Pre-COVID-19

In this national survey of departments of developmental disabilities services across the United States, we attempted to establish the number of the states that made remote support services available as an authorized service in some state Medicaid funded developmental disabilities waiver programs. Remote support services were defined as a service that uses technology to support an individual with developmental disabilities and is provided from a location outside of the person's home. Remote support services involve the use of technology to provide real-time assistance from a direct support professional from a remote location. We found that 18 of the 49 states (37%) that responded to our telephone survey reported offering some form of remote support services. This survey was conducted pre-COVID-19 and the implications of the availability of remote support services are discussed especially in light of COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Using a six-step co-design model to rapidly respond to cancer carers support and information needs during a global pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic placed severe strain on cancer carers resulting in an urgent need for information and support. METHODS: The Santin 2019 6-step co-design model was used to rapidly modify an existing online cancer carers resource. Draft content of a COVID-19 module was created via two workshops and six meetings with an expert advisory team (Step 1). This content was then produced into videoed testimonials (Step 2). A module prototype was reviewed by volunteers (Step 3) and modified based on feedback (Step 4). User-testing occurred via two online feedback sessions (Step 5) and modifications were made (Step 6). All steps were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. RESULTS: A COVID-19 support, and information module was rapidly co-designed by n = 45 stakeholders (n = 11 workshop 1 and 2 (3 carers/14 professionals), n = 6 advisory committee (1 carer/5 professionals), n = 4 video content (1 carer/3 professionals) and n = 24 feedback sessions (5 carers/19 professionals). The module contained vaccination information, infection control and how to manage the psychosocial impact of restrictions. Information was delivered in 4 short videos with links to up-to-date guidance and information services. Participants identified that the module included all key information for carers in an accessible and informative way. The use of videos was viewed as an emotive and reassuring. CONCLUSIONS: During a global pandemic, cancer carers urgently required tailored information. Co-designed online resources allow service providers to rapidly respond to emerging and unprecedented issues and provide urgent information and support.

Feasibility of remote technical support for electrophysiological ablation procedures during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Aims: The treatment of heart rhythm disorders has been significantly impacted by direct consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic, as well as by restrictions aimed towards constraining viral spread. Methods and results: Usually, catheter ablations of cardiac arrhythmias are guided by electro-anatomic mapping (EAM) systems. Technical staff with medical training, or medical staff with technical training, are needed to assist the operator. Travel restrictions due to the current COVID-19 pandemic have limited the in-person availability of technical support staff. To overcome these limitations, we explored the feasibility of a trans-atlantic remote technical support for EAM, with an internet-based communication platform, for complex electrophysiological ablation procedures. Conclusion: Our first experience, based on nine ablation procedures of different arrhythmias, highlights the feasibility of this approach. Remote support for EAM might therefore facilitate continuous care for patients with arrhythmias during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in insular settings. Beyond COVID-19-related challenges, this approach will likely play a greater role in the cardiology field in years to come, due to its significant advantages.

Anti-Violence Centers in Italy During the COVID-19 Emergency: Support Strategies for Women Victims of Violence

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted anti-violence centers for women. This study aims to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions affect: the assistance and protection functions of the anti-violence centers;the needs of women victims of violence;and the well-being of the professionals working with these women. Twenty-four Italian anti-violence centers were involved, and 29 women working there were interviewed. From the qualitative analysis of the texts, three main themes were identified regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the anti-violence centers service: 1) transformations and synergies to improve help-seeking, 2) consequences of the pandemic situation on women victims of violence, and 3) the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on professionals. The results show that anti-violence centers need to be restructured to respond to the changes caused by the pandemic and expand their remote support strategies. Their interventions were fundamental in enabling women to seek help during the COVID-19 pandemic. The professionals involved in providing support to victims encountered stressful difficulties specific to the pandemic. © 2022 by the author.

The effect of the rapid increase in online courses on educational accessibility for students with disabilities in Japanese higher education

In 2020, a new coronavirus pandemic led to the rapid introduction of online lessons in higher education in Japan. Online lessons have the characteristic that it is easier to ensure physical accessibility and information accessibility in comparison with face-to-face lessons. However, prior to the pandemic, making face-to-face lessons available online had major barrier. We hoped that more online lessons would qualitatively improve the educational accessibility of students with disabilities, but the rapid changes created new problems. In this study, we discuss the cases of Hiroshima University, and sort out the impact of the rapid replacement of face-to-face classes with online classes on support for students with disabilities. We discuss the challenges and possibilities of online assistance in reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities. © 2021 IEEE.

Remote support to victims of violence against women and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: This paper aims to characterize the type of support provided to victims of violence against women and domestic violence (VAWDV) during the first lockdown, assessing the training of professionals to use remote support (RS). Design/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional study involves a sample of 196 support professionals, mainly women (91.8%) and who integrate the Portuguese National Support Network for victims of domestic violence (NSNVDV) (Mean age = 36.49;SD = 10.52). Findings: Telephone emerges as the main RS communication media used in the lockdown (43.9%) and the emergency state periods (57.1%). Participants reported to have never used any social applications (41.8% vs 41.8%) or videoconference (46.4% vs 58.2%), in both periods assessed, i.e. lockdown and emergency state, respectively, and 82.7% assumed to have no training with RS to assist VAWDV victims. However, support professionals recognized several advantages in using RS such as dealing with isolation, reducing inhibition, fear and shame and in promoting the victims' empowerment. Research limitations/implications: Given the exploratory nature of this study, only descriptive analyzes were conducted. Originality/value: During the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about effective RS given by professionals to victims of VAWDV in the Portuguese context. The paper aims to add knowledge to the studied field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Development of remote support system for robotassisted recreation for older adults

As the percentage of the older adults population increases worldwide, both the risk of social isolation of the older adults and the shortage of nursing care personnel have become major issues. To address these issues, we have developed a recreational program, the scenario-type robot-assisted recreation, to promote communication among the older adults in aged care facilities. While the burden of the facility staff increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we improved the robot operation interface, developed a system to support the operation of this activity by the facility staff from a remote location, and developed a system to realize communication with remote family members, in order to smoothly operate this recreational activity by the facility staff by themselves. © 2022 IEEE.

Remote Support of Elderly Women Participating in Mental Health Promotion Programme during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single-Group Longitudinal Intervention.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the longitudinal changes in mental well-being during the switch of the intervention from a personal contact to a remotely delivered Mental Health Prevention and Promotion Programme in elderly women at high risk of developing depression. The study included 70 women aged over 60 with a mean age of 72.28 years. In order to determine mental well-being, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used at four time points: January, April, September and December 2020. A self-developed questionnaire was used to determine predictors of mental well-being. Two-way ANOVA demonstrated a lack of significant differences between the means in the GDS scores at the four data collection time points (p = 0.21). Frequent use of green areas reduced the GDS score on average by 1.52 points (p = 0.01), while owning a garden by 1.51 points (p = 0.04). The illness of a family member increased the GDS score by an average of 1.7 points (p = 0.02). No significant mood deterioration was found between January 2020 and December 2020 in the studied group of elderly women at a high risk of developing depression, which suggests that the remote support provided in the mental health promotion programme was effective.

Implementing Remote Mudlogging Solutions to Support a Deepwater Project in the Caribbean: A De-Manning Case Study

Today's oil and gas industry is a global endeavor. With technological advances in data management and transfer, the ability for experienced engineers to receive, interpret, and make decisions from all over the globe in near real-time is not only achievable, but is becoming more desirable. Provoked by downturns and reduced personnel numbers, methods of increasing efficiency and cost reduction has gradually moved engineers away from the rig site, while still undertaking the same roles and responsibilities. This paper examines one case for an operator in the Caribbean. One major client drilling in the Caribbean was forced to explore reduced staffing options on one of its deep-water drilling rigs after flight cancellations, border closures, and isolation/quarantine procedures were implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This made getting experienced data engineers and sample collection personnel to the rig site impossible. Two data engineers, two mud loggers, and two sample catchers are on the rig during normal operations, but with the above-mentioned challenges, only two mud loggers remained on site. The mudlogging service provider proposed intercompany collaboration with a region experienced in remote operational support, and a remote monitoring station was set up and manned with experienced data engineers to support real-time operations. A focal point between the remote engineers and the rig team was designated, and was responsible for communicating roles and responsibilities, linking the two teams. A robust communication protocol was established between the mudlogging crew, the remote personnel, the drill floor, and the company man which outlined specifics of which events would trigger communication between parties. Two intermediate hole sections were successfully drilled, without any interruption or delay. The remote engineers successfully participated in the rigs well control drills, calling directly to the rig when needed. During drilling, the experienced remote personnel were able to provide topic specific guidance to the less experienced engineers at the rig site, which accelerated their on-the-job training. This guidance encouraged and allowed for decreased reliance on the remote support over the course of drilling. The operator considered the implementation of the remote engineers a success and looked to implement additional remote resources from other service lines and providers. Development of additional remote support opportunities directly reduces risk and cost of personnel at the rig site throughout all aspects of the oil and gas industry. Reduction of personnel on site reduces overall exposure to the hazards associated with the rig site and would decrease the probability of incident. Recent improvements in technology and communication have made it possible for this to be a viable solution to de-manning the rig site in an evolving industry. © 2021, Society of Petroleum Engineers

Implementation of remote support services: Pre-COVID-19

In this national survey of departments of developmental disabilities services across the United States, we attempted to establish the number of the states that made remote support services available as an authorized service in some state Medicaid funded developmental disabilities waiver programs. Remote support services were defined as a service that uses technology to support an individual with developmental disabilities and is provided from a location outside of the person's home. Remote support services involve the use of technology to provide real-time assistance from a direct support professional from a remote location. We found that 18 of the 49 states (37%) that responded to our telephone survey reported offering some form of remote support services. This survey was conducted pre-COVID-19 and the implications of the availability of remote support services are discussed especially in light of COVID-19.

Advantages and Limits of Remote Care and Stress Management Experienced by Mothers of Students with Specific Learning Disabilities During the Covid-19 Period

These instructions give you guidelines for preparing papers. Use this document as a template if you are using Microsoft Word. Otherwise, use this document as an instruction set.. Define all symbols used in the . Do not cite references in the . Do not delete the blank line immediately above the ;it sets the footnote at the bottom of this column. Page margins are 1,78 cm top and down;1,65 cm left and right. Each column width is 8,89 cm and the separation between the columns is 0,51 cm. -Introduction: The period of confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has harmful consequences on the psychological state of parents and their children, especially those with psychological or neurocognitive problems. The care of these children plays a primordial role in their development, particularly during the COVID-19 period. For this reason, our objective is to assess the state of stress among mothers of children with learning disabilities during the COVID-19 period in Morocco, as well as the support of these children. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted during the period from April to June 2020. To realise it, we used a investigation form which contains three parts. To evaluate the state of stress in mothers, we used the "PSS10d" scale adapted to the Moroccan context. The target population is composed of mothers of children with learning disabilities who are being monitored by Moroccan Association for Learning Disorders and Difficulties (MALDD) in Casablanca. Results: During the period of confinement, only 13% (n=15) of mothers reported that their children "Dys" had benefited from remote remediation by specialists According to the Odds Ratio calculation, the risk factors influencing the care of "Dys" children during this period of confinement are: lack of cooperation from the child (Odds Ratio= 16.8;IC95%=[3.5-79]). 1];P-value=0.001), the educational level of mothers (Odds Ratio= 9.4;IC95%=[2.4-35.7];P-value=0.001), the economic situation (Odds Ratio= 5.1;IC95%=[1.5-17.4];P-value=0.01) and technical problems (Odds Ratio= 5.1;IC95%=[1.5-17.4];P-value=0.01). Conclusion: According to our results, we noticed that the psychological state of the mothers is influenced by the remote care of the "Dys" children. For this the responsible authorities in Morocco must support this population. © This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en_US

Online mathematics supports in lieu of university tutorials during COVID-19: Student and lecturer perspectives

When the first national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, all higher educational institutions in Ireland moved to remote learning and have effectively remained in this mode ever since. The situation presented enormous challenges for many mathematics lecturers who had not delivered lectures or tutorials online before. This study looks closely at what a traditional (in-person) mathematics tutorial encompasses and examines learners' needs with respect to support within a remotely delivered module. The work focuses on how well various formats of remote support address the affordances of the traditional in-person tutorial. The range of support formats explored here includes live tutorials, written homework with feedback, group work via breakout rooms in Zoom, a discussion forum and instant formative feedback through Canvas quizzes and the e-assessment tool Numbas. The effectiveness of the different formats of remote support is assessed through examining student engagement and student and lecturer feedback. Six student cohorts, of levels ranging from first year to MSc level, across three different departments, taking either a mathematics or statistics module, participated in the study and were surveyed on their experience and future preferences. The work highlights some of the key issues surrounding remote support within mathematics modules and discusses the findings in the context of the implications for a lecturer and the factors to consider when deciding on a strategy for remote learning. The paper also analyses student interaction and notes the aspects of remote mathematics support that will have value beyond the pandemic. © 2021 The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved

Google Glass-Supported Cooperative Training for Health Professionals: A Case Study Based on Using Remote Desktop Virtual Support.

PURPOSE: Observation of medical trainees' care performance by experts can be extremely helpful for ensuring safety and providing quality care. The advanced technology of smart glasses enables health professionals to video stream their operations to remote supporters for collaboration and cooperation. This study monitored the clinical situation by using smart glasses for remote cooperative training via video streaming and clinical decision-making through simulation based on a scenario of emergency nursing care for patients with arrhythmia. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The clinical operations of bedside trainees, who is Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2(Glass EE2) wearers, were live streamed via their Google Glasses, which were viewed at a remote site by remote supporters via a desktop computer. Data were obtained from 31 nursing students using eight essay questions regarding their experience as desktop-side remote supporters. RESULTS: Most of the participants reported feeling uneasy about identifying clinical situations (84%), patients' condition (72%), and trainees' performance (69%). The current system demonstrated sufficient performance with a satisfactory level of image quality and auditory communication, while network and connectivity are areas that require further improvement. The reported barriers to identifying situations on the remote desktop were predominantly a narrow field of view and motion blur in videos captured by Glass EE2s, and using the customized mirror mode. CONCLUSION: The current commercial Glass EE2 can facilitate enriched communication between remotely located supporters and trainees by sharing live videos and audio during clinical operations. Further improvement of hardware and software user interfaces will ensure better applicability of smart glasses and video streaming functions to clinical practice settings.

Remote Support for Adults with Intellectual Disability During COVID-19: From a Caregiver's Perspective.

The reality of people with ID changed during the pandemic COVID-19. Most institutions supporting people with ID switched to remote work. This required some major adaptation to these individuals' new realities, their immediate families, and facility staff. Supporting and monitoring the quality of life of individuals with disabilities and their family members during a crisis is an essential topic of current research. This research project aimed to explore the experiences of parents of adults with ID in relation to remote support provided by public support agencies. In a qualitative study, the authors used semistructured individual interviews with caregivers of people with ID. Data analysis distinguished the following categories: parents as therapists, organization difficulties, material problems, lack of social contacts, positive solutions, and difficult behavior. The results show the difficulties of parents in balancing professional, domestic, and supporting tasks. The study was the first in Poland to report on the qualitative assessment of remote support for people with ID during COVID-19. Further, more extensive research is needed to search for solutions that respect the rights of people with disabilities to professional support.

Solutions for Shared Resource Lab Remote Quality Control and Instrument Troubleshooting during a Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected shared resource lab (SRL) staff in-person availability at institutions globally. This article discusses the challenges of ensuring reliable instrument performance and quality data output while facility staff and external service provider on-site presence is severely limited. Solutions revolve around the adoption of remote monitoring and troubleshooting platforms, provision of self-service troubleshooting resources specific to facility instruments and workflows, development of an assistance contact policy, and ensuring efficiency of limited in-person staff time. These solutions employ software and hardware tools that are already in use or readily available in the SRL community, such as remote instrument access tools, video hosting and conferencing platforms, and ISAC shared resources. © 2020 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

The use of online support by people with intellectual disabilities living independently during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 outbreak, service providers in the Netherlands had to switch towards providing remote support for people with intellectual disabilities living independently. This study aims to provide insight into the use of online support during the outbreak. METHODS: We analysed quantitative data on planned and unplanned contacts between the online support service DigiContact and its service users. RESULTS: The results indicate that the COVID-19 outbreak and the related containment measures had a strong impact on online support use, specifically on the unplanned use of online support. CONCLUSION: Offering online support as a standard component of services for independently living people with intellectual disability enables service providers to be flexible and responsive towards fluctuations in both support needs and onsite support availability during a social crisis such as COVID-19.