Covid-19: What do the codes of professional ethics say?

The new coronavirus arrived in Brazil in February 2020, with a high rate of transmissibility and lethality. In view of this situation, the Ministry of Health issued Ordinance 639/2020, legitimizing the action “Brazil counts on me – health professionals,” to train and register professionals. In order to identify which professions, listed by the Ordinance, have in their Codes of Professional Ethics guidelines for the current situation and analyze the content found, this documentary research has an exploratory, descriptive nature and qualitative and quantitative character, presenting statistical and content analysis. The data were processed using specificity and similarity analysis techniques, using the Iramuteq software. Of the professions analyzed, presented in their code of ethics content related to covid-19: nursing, pharmacy, speech therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, social services and occupational therapy. The existing guidelines have little connection with the text of the committees, indicating deontological insufficiency. © 2021, Conselho Federal de Medicina. All rights reserved.

The COVID-19 pandemic and nurses' attitudes toward death

OBJECTIVE: to analyze nurses' attitudes toward death in a hospital context after the critical period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal. METHOD: this quantitative, descriptive, exploratory study was conducted in a university hospital and addressed 995 nurses. Revised Death Attitude Profile (DAP-R) was used to collect data, which were analyzed using analytical and inferential statistics. RESULTS: the nurses most frequently agreed with the statements concerning the Neutral/Neutrality Acceptance and Fear. Age, marital status, profession, and unit of work influenced the nurses' attitudes toward death. During the critical pandemic period, the nurses providing care to patients with COVID-19 presented the following means: Fear (28.89/+/-8.521) and Avoidance Acceptance (18.35/+/-7.116), which were higher than the mean obtained in the Escape Acceptance dimension, with significant differences (p=0.004). CONCLUSION: the nurses held Fear and Avoidance attitudes, revealing the need to qualify and support Nursing workers to cope with the death of those they provide care and manage pandemics and catastrophes.

Racial inequalities in times of pandemic in the city of Rio de Janeiro: reflections from 1918 and 2020

This manuscript proposes to compose with the debates about the pandemic of the new coronavirus, still ongoing, seeking to complex discussions about its possible democratic effects for the global context. When looking at the Brazilian reality, focusing on the city of Rio de Janeiro, a democratic illusion is perceived that does not match the unequal impacts in the current context of the pandemic, especially for the black population, mostly poor in our country. In a genealogical exercise, we recovered studies on the so-called “Spanish Flu”, a pandemic that hit Brazil in 1918 seriously. Thus, we took both pandemics as devices of analysis for the Brazilian social reality and as a way to raise the debate on racial inequality, a fundamental analyzer in this context. Social changes towards democratization must always take this inequality into account, a consequence of centuries of enslavement. © 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Follow-up care for premature children: the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE: to analyze elements of the follow-up care provided to premature children amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: qualitative study from the perspective of philosophical hermeneutics, interpreting experiences with childcare provided at home. Twelve mothers and 14 children aged two years old were interviewed online via a text messaging application. Data were analyzed by interpreting meanings. RESULTS: weaknesses stood out in the follow-up care provided to children such as gaps of communication, lack of guidance and delayed immunizations, while care intended to meet health demands was interrupted. Vulnerability aspects affecting child development included: social isolation measures that impeded the children from socializing with their peers, increased screen time, the manifestation of demanding behaviors and irritation and the mothers experiencing an overload of responsibilities. The elements that strengthened maternal care included the mothers being attentive to contagion, enjoying greater experience and satisfaction with the maternal role, spending more time with their children, and recognizing respiratory signs and symptoms, especially fever. CONCLUSION: follow-up care provided to children in stressful situations implies implementing practices that support the wellbeing of children and families, decreasing the likelihood of children being exposed to development deficits, and detecting signs and symptoms timely. The use of nursing call centers can break the invisibility of longitudinal needs and promote health education actions at home.

Meanings of Jiu-jitsu practice at school: students’ perception in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic

The objective of the study was to understand meanings attributed by students to the practice of Jiu-jitsu in a school project, about feelings and emotions during the Covid-19 pandemic. A focus group was formed with the participation of eight students involved of an extension project of the Jiu-jitsu, then the discourse analysis was performed with the aid of the Iramuteq software. Three words classes and six words subclasses related were identified, these together with the analysis of similarity of the terms demonstrated the perceptions and meanings that the students attributed to the experience in the project. For the students, the teachings of the modality and experiences in the school project could help to mitigate negative emotional effects resulting from social isolation. © Este é um artigo Open Access sob uma licença CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19: PROFILE, BEHAVIORS AND ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

Objective: to describe the sociodemographic profile, academic activities, and behaviors of college students in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study, which had data collected between August and September 2020, via Google forms, in Rio Grande de Sul, Brazil. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: of 536 students in the optional discipline of Mental Health in Humanitarian Emergencies, offered by the Federal University of Pelotas, in the alternate semester in 2020, 464 participated. Of these, 53.45% were in isolation and social withdrawal, 40.73% had worsening financial situation, 66.59% sought family support, and 85.96% followed distance activities. Conclusion: the distancing and social isolation were fundamental for the control of the infection by COVID-19, but presented negative factors, such as worsening of the financial situation, and positive, the adaptation to the new approaches for the continuity of the remote classes. © 2022, Universidade Federal do Parana. All rights reserved.

SOCIAL DISTANCING DUE TO COVID-19: SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORK, ACTIVITIES AND FEELINGS OF AGED INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE ALONE

Objectives: to analyze the social support network, the activities performed, and the factors associated with the presence of negative feelings of aged individuals who live alone during social distancing due to COVID-19. Method: a cross-sectional study conducted with 119 aged individuals who live alone in the Macro-region of Triângulo Sul, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The data were collected at the homes and with instruments validated in the country. Descriptive and multiple binary regression analyses were performed (p<0.05). Results: 97.5% had a social support network for health needs and for maintaining social distancing (79.8%). The activity most frequently performed was household chores (77.3%). The presence of negative feelings was associated with the female gender (p<0.001) and with fewer activities (p=0.012). Conclusion: the data contribute to the development of health actions, revealing situations in the daily life of aged individuals that are exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as aspects related to the negative feelings experienced by aged individuals who live alone. © 2022, Universidade Federal do Parana. All rights reserved.

Covid-19 coping-prevention strategies for female sexual workers in the context of various countries

Objective: to analyze the scientific evidence on COVID-19 coping and prevention strategies implemented to female sex workers in the context of several countries. Methods: this is an integrative literature review, with data collected in the PubMed, Scopus, Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar databases using the Boolean descriptors “COVID-19” and “sex workers” and “Delivery of Health Care”, with a time frame from 2019 to 2020. A priori, 215 publications were found. After selection, anchored in the inclusion criteria and in the answer to the guiding question, 19 articles were used, whose information was organized in a synoptic table, and the texts were analyzed using semantic content. Results: after content analysis of actions implemented or recommended in different countries, so that female sex workers can prevent contamination by Sars-CoV-2, four categories were highlighted: programmatic/ governmental actions and responses from society;combating the stigmas involved in sex work;health education through technological/digital and media resources;adjustment of health services. Conclusion: gender, race and class inequalities, as well as social stigmas, have been maintained by states governed by patriarchy and, therefore, are the main barriers for female sex workers to adopt strategies to combat COVID-19. Even so, intersectoral actions have been implemented/recommended in several countries such as the adjustment of sexual health services, financial incentives to improve the services of signal operators and digital technologies to implement effective actions to promote health education and enable the distribution of inputs for individual protection and prevention. © 2021, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. All rights reserved.

Accessibility for deaf persons to information on COVID-19 in the government´s official channels: A descriptive-exploratory study

Objective: To identify possibilities/conditions for deaf persons to access information related to the coronavirus pandemic available at the YouTube platform. Method: Descriptiveexploratory study analyzed vídeos available in the government´s oficial sites from March 2020 to March 2021. The research was centered on indicative aspects of accessibility in the communication (text captions and/or LIBRAS interpreter) in audio-visual contents. Results: Out of the 2.577 videos analyzed, some 60% presented partial accessibility (LIBRAS or text captions);about 30% offered no accessibility at all;and 9.8% offered text captions + LIBRAS. Therefore, the result proved low percentage of records of the expected condition for accessibility in communication (the presence of text captions and LIBRAS), as opposed to the high number of videos with no accessibility. Conclusions: Audio-visual resources are critical for the communication of deaf persons, and adequate conditions favor the access to information provided in video platforms. The theme is relevant, yet not sufficiently discussed, thus demanding further studies. Beyond the pandemic, widening this discussion in order to reduce and/or eliminate communication barriers is also required. © 2022

Use of convalescent plasma in the treatment of COVID-19: a systematic review protocol

Objective: to analyze the therapeutic effectiveness of convalescent plasma used in patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Method: systematic review for health technology assessment to answer the PICO question: Is convalescent plasma effective in reducing the viral load of patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) when compared to not using plasma? A systematic search was performed in Pubmed/Medline, BVS, Embase, CINAHL, LILACS, Cochrane and Google Scholar databases. The initial screening of titles and s will be independently assessed by two reviewers. To assess the risk of bias in systematic reviews, AMSTAR-2 will be used, and to assess the quality of evidence, GRADE will be used © 2022 Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing

First hour of life and COVID-19 from the view of obstetric nurses: a descriptive study

Objective: to analyze how skin-to-skin contact occurred in a municipal maternity hospital in Metropolitan Region II of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of obstetric nurses. Method: a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study with seven obstetric nurses. The information was collected via Google Forms® and subjected to the thematic analysis proposed by Bardin. Results: two categories emerged: “maintenance of skin-to-skin contact and medical decision influence” and “evaluation of flu syndromes and COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, interfering in the process of skin-to-skin contact”. Conclusion: the maintenance of skin-to-skin contact was linked to the recommendations of official protocols. The power of medicine influenced teamwork, directed by the use of procedures, during labor and birth, which, in a way, limited the respective practice in suspected cases for COVID-19. © 2022 Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing

Feelings of the nursing team in the face of COVID-19 in the care of the first patients: descriptive study

Objectives: to analyze the feelings and conflicts experienced by nursing professionals in the care of patients with COVID-19;to analyze the implementation of nursing care for the first patients with COVID-19 in an intensive care unit in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Method: qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research. Participants were 71 professionals from the nursing team who develop work activities in the fight against COVID-19 in an intensive care unit in the city of Rio de Janeiro, through online collection. Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis were used for the analyses. Results: the content analysis revealed feelings in the face of the unknown virus, fear of getting infected, fear of losing one’s life and care aspects in the face of the COVID-19 phenomenon. Conclusion: nursing presented feelings and conflicts, such as insecurity and fear. The group built knowledge and skills to handle the realization of this care in the pandemic, including creative aspects and collective construction. Descriptors: Coronavirus Infections;Nursing Care;Nursing Team. © 2022 Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing

Covid-19 and ageism: ethical assessment of health resources distribution

Ageism is the prejudice or discrimination of older adults, whether through stigmatization or discriminatory practices by society and its institutions. The current covid-19 pandemic context has shown Western society’s ageist stance and, consequently, of its protocols on the distribution of health resources, leading to severe negative repercussions to the care of this population. This theoretical essay discusses the manifestations and consequences of ageism in the context of health resource distribution policies during the pandemic, considering the bioethical implications involved in this type of discrimination when considering the principles of justice and human dignity. © 2021, Conselho Federal de Medicina. All rights reserved.

Experiences of intensive care unit nurses with COVID-19 patients

Objective: To understand the experiences of intensive care unit nurses who provide care to patients with COVID-19. Methods: Qualitative study grounded in Alfred Schütz’s social phenomenology in which 20 nurses who work in intensive care units at public and private hospitals were interviewed between July and September 2020. Data were analyzed according to the adopted theoretical-methodological framework and the literature related to the subject. Results: The interviewed nurses mentioned demands about working conditions, professional recognition and training, and support to physical and mental health, which proved necessary considering the care intensity experienced by these professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Learning the nurses’ experiences evidenced the need to adjust to a new way of providing care that included the physical space, new institutional protocols, continuous use of protective equipment, and patients’ demand for special care. This originated the necessity to be around situations that interfered with their health and motivated them to carry out professional projects after the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Paternal experiences of premature babies, music therapy and the kangaroo position: Content analysis

Objective: To understand the experiences and perceptions of fathers of premature babies regarding the realization of the kangaroo position with or without music. Method: Qualitative study with the Family-Centered Care theoretical framework. The sample consisted of parents aged between 19 and 39 years old, who had hospitalized premature newborns and who had the opportunity to perform a kangaroo position with or without music therapy. The collection took place from April to June 2020. The Content Analysis methodological framework was used. Results: The speeches allowed the identification of five categories: Feelings provided by the first kangaroo position;Skin-to-skin contact and the awakening of fatherhood;Re-signifying the kangaroo care method through music;Music and its meanings;Paternal feelings regarding music and COVID-19. Conclusion: Music therapy associated with the kangaroo position for the father was considered a moment which strengthened the father-child bond, as well as reducing sadness and anxiety. © 2021. Online Brazilian Journal of Nursing. All Rights Reserved.

Factors associated with chemsex in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the factors associated with the practice of sex under the influence of drugs (chemsex) among Portuguese men who have sex with men during the period of social distancing to prevent the COVID-19. METHOD: online survey applied in May 2020 to a sample of 1,301 participants living in Portugal, recruited according to Respondent Driven Sampling and via social media Facebook R. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed along with logistic regression to calculate adjusted Odds Ratio (ORa). RESULTS: the prevalence of chemsex was 20.2%. The likelihood of practicing chemsex increased with group sex (ORa: 28.4, 95%CI 16.93-47.49);unprotected sex (ORa: 7.1 95%CI 4.57-10.99);the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent COVID-19 (ORa: 4.2, 95%CI 2.71-6.39) and COVID-19 testing (ORa: 1.9, 95%CI 1.15-3.10). CONCLUSION: the practice of chemsex among men who have sex with men during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal was very frequent and may support greater understanding of the role and impact of sexual behavior on the COVID-19 transmission rates and the current pandemic situation in Portugal.