ABSTRACT
The cavernous sinus is one of the dural venous sinuses which plays an important role in venous outflow from the brain and eye sockets and in the regulation of intracranial circulation. We report a case of septic cavernous sinus thrombosis in a female patient with COVID-19. The disease often results in alterations of blood rheology, thrombosis in different organs, and septic complications. This article aims to raise awareness of healthcare professionals about the characteristics of COVID-19 that might cause septic cavernous sinus thrombosis in patients with severe comorbidities. Laboratory testing revealed severe comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus and liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C. They manifested with an impaired protein production in the liver and coagulation disorders. Systemic effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the vascular endothelium aggravated preexisting coagulation disorders and led to hemorrhage into retrobulbar tissue and clinical signs of septic cavernous sinus thrombosis, including swelling of the eyelids, bilateral exophthalmos, and ophthalmoplegia, followed by necrosis of the facial skin.Copyright © 2022, Dynasty Publishing House. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
A prerequisite for effective vaccination is the formation of proper collective immunity in society. The attitudes of healthcare professionals towards vaccination directly impact the population's adherence to this method. Objective. To study the attitude of healthcare professionals toward COVID-19 vaccination. Material and methods. The sociological survey method with the author's questionnaire based on GoogleForm was used. In the sur-vey, 450 physicians aged 25 to 70 participated voluntarily. It was a cross-sectional study carried out in the autumn of 2021. Results. Of those surveyed, the majority (86.8%) of physicians and almost all (96.1%) nurses were vaccinated against COVID-19. When studying the motivation for vaccine prophylaxis, a direct average strength of a statistically significant correlation between the adherence to COVID-19 vaccination and the emergence of a sense of safety was established (rxy =0.346;p<0.05). The most common reasons for the refusal of doctors from vaccination were the fear of complications, beliefs about low protection against infection and the subsequent decrease in immunity. According to healthcare professionals, the most effective means of prevention, in descending order, were a healthy lifestyle, the absence of fear of becoming ill, vaccination, drugs that stimulate immunity, the use of barrier measures, and other means. Conclusion. The ambiguous attitude of healthcare professionals towards vaccination against COVID-19 does exist and deserves the closest attention. Considering the issue's complexity, further research on the attitude of healthcare professionals toward vaccination is required.Copyright © 2023, Media Sphera Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
As President Biden's administration works towards a 'fair and humane' immigration overhaul, it becomes critical to examine the implications of immigration policies/laws under the Trump administration on the well-being of undocumented residents to inform equitable reformations. We investigate challenges faced by undocumented Latinx immigrants in accessing health care services in the sociopolitical climate under the Trump administration. This study, which follows a similar study among frontline service providers, presents key findings from 23 in-depth interviews with Latinx individuals. Understanding their experiences is necessary to advance access to health-promoting services and uphold the human right to health. Our study participants' narratives document multiple barriers to health care services, many notably exacerbated by increasingly restrictive immigration policies/laws and heightened punitive interior enforcement practices under the Trump administration. As the nation awaits equitable immigration reform, health care organizations should immediately incorporate, amplify, or alter programs/practices to facilitate access among their undocumented clients. Focused organizational changes have the potential to reduce unmet health needs, minimize financial burdens for families, and curtail potential public health threats, the latter a particularly imperative goal within the current COVID-19 pandemic. We also distill conclusions drawn from our interviews with clients and their convergence with and divergence from conclusions drawn from our related research with providers. While providers recognize the negative impact of sociopolitical factors on their clients' access to health care services, client experiences illuminate potential gaps in their understanding. Bridging understanding between providers and clients can improve access, utilization, and retention in health care services.Copyright © 2022 The Authors
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 outbreak, which was first reported in December 2019, has affected the whole world. The first case in Turkey was confirmed on March11, 2020. Healthcare workers fight at the frontline against this virus with intense infectivity and are the occupational group under the highest risk. 7.428 health workers were infected in Turkey in late April 2020. Anxiety levels of healthcare workers have increased due to this high risk exposure. The aim of this study is to examine the attitudes of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 and the affecting factors. The study is cross-sectional. The study population consists of the healthcare workers working in the province of Samsun (N = 11926). The sample size of the study was determined as 370 people within the 5% margin of error and 95% confidence interval. The study data were collected between April 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020. Questionnaires were used as a data collection tool in the study. The questionnaire consists of two parts. The first part includes descriptive questions to determine individual characteristics. The second part is the covid attitude survey created by reviewing the literature. Descriptive statistics, Student's t test and One-Way Anova were used to evaluate the data. The age distribution of the participants is 34.81 +/- 8.54. In the study, it was determined that gender, marital status, title, working year, having children or not, chronic disease status, and health and life satisfaction were the factors affecting the attitude towards Covid-19 (p <0.05). It was ascertained that the COVID-19 attitudes of women, those who were still married, midwives, those who had been working for 11-20 years, those with children, those with chronic diseases, and those with a poor health perception and life quality were more negative compared to others. COVID-19 causes especially healthcare workers to become concerned both for themselves and their relatives since it is an unrecognized infection and easily transmitted. It might be important to follow different strategies particularly for healthcare workers who are married, have children and have health problems.Copyright © 2020 Necati Ozpinar. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The article offers information on how U.S. Food and Drug Administration is streamlining COVID-19 vaccine to a single formula. Topics include information on how FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) has voted unanimously to simplify the vaccine process;how multiple vaccine doses and boosters have caused confusion and pandemic apathy;and importance of vaccines.
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Background: The use of telepractice as an alternate method of delivering healthcare to people increased significantly after COVID-19 became a global pandemic. Objective(s): This study aimed to identify factors contributing to the accelerated adoption of telepractice during COVID-19 in Singapore. It also sought to examine whether there are differences in the perspectives of staff in nursing facilities and caregivers in personal homes towards telepractice. Method(s): A cross-sectional mixed method design was used. A survey with 20 items was adapted from the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire and translated into Mandarin. Anonymous responses were obtained from 70 patients and caregivers who had received speech therapy services via telepractice from a restructured hospital before and/or during Singapore's Circuit Breaker period. Analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Result(s): Sociodemographic variables of age, gender, education level and language preference did not impact user satisfaction and the likelihood of using telepractice again. Service-related factors were more influential. Participants chose to use telepractice as it saved travelling time (24.0%), was easy to use (19.3%), improved healthcare access (17.5%) and reduced waiting time (17.5%). Although all respondents expressed satisfaction in telepractice, 35.5% from personal homes and 37.5% from nursing facilities were not keen to use it again. Amongst caregivers, 26.7% from personal homes and 37.5% from nursing facilities preferred not to continue telepractice use. Technical and logistical disruptions and the lack of 'personal touch' were contributing factors. Conclusion(s): Improving technological infrastructure, providing training for users and developing guidelines would help sustain telepractice as a form of service delivery beyond COVID-19. Copyright © The Author(s) 2022.
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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the mental health status of Dental Health Care Workers (DHCWs) in a dental emergency university clinic treating urgent patients during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: A hundred fifteen participants were selected from DHCWs who actively worked during the pandemic in a Dental Emergency Clinic of a university. Depression, anxiety and stress levels of participants were measured with the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale and their insomnia levels were assessed with the Insomnia Severity Index. Correlations between independent continuous and dependent variables tested with Spearman test. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used used to evaluate possible effects of independent variables. The psychological data of the aerosol-generating treatment group were compared to the rest of the participants using Mann-Whitney U tests. In all tests α=0.05 significance level was set. Results: The rates of DHCWs scored above the cut-off points were 54% for depression, 40% for anxiety, 36% for stress and 40% for insomnia. Feeling negative emotions before the pandemic significantly interacted with all psychometric measurements. Younger age, feeling anxious about changing working conditions and/or obtaining personal protective equipment was correlated positively with stress points (p=0.035, p=0.008, p=0.007, respectively). A significant percentage of DHCWs presented high scores on depression, anxiety, stress and insomnia in this study. Conclusion: The authorities and healthcare executives must show programmed leadership and support for DHCWs during the COVID-19 outbreak. The integration of programs developed to mitigate stress among DHCWs recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Introduction This study aimed to explore the factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH) among healthcare workers (HCWs) who missed the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. Methods We conducted a qualitative study of the factors contributing to COVID-19 VH among HCWs at the University College Hospital, Ibadan using purposive sampling technique. Each interview session was held through telephone conversation. Qualitative data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Results The mean age of the 15 HCWs was 34.33±3.77 years;10 (66.7%) were females;6 (40.0%) were physiotherapists. Three themes were identified. The first theme, “Factors contributing to COVID-19 VH among healthcare workers” had five clusters: i) Lack of adequate information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine;ii) Challenges with immunization schedule;iii) Fear of side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine;iv) Lack of trust in the government;and v) Concerns about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. The second theme, “Healthcare workers' perception on the solution to COVID-19” had three clusters: i) Adherence to non-pharmaceutical measures;ii) Vaccine production: key to submerging the COVID-19 pandemic;and iii) Healthcare workers' perception of their roles in patient education on the COVID-19 vaccine. The third theme;“Recommendations to encourage COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers” had three clusters: i) Disclosure of extensive information on COVID-19 vaccine components;ii) Decentralization of COVID-19 vaccine collection points;and iii) Procurement of other brands of the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusions Public health authorities should promote information on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Currently the responsibilities and role of each nursing professional has been put to the test with the need to care for thousands of Covid-19 patients, whose demands for technical, cognitive and personal care have exceeded the capacities of many healthcare professionals. Aims & Objective: To know the perspectives of nursing professionals regarding the care of patients diagnosed with Covid-19. Material & Method: the qualitative method was applied with a phenomenological approach, with the consensual participation of 10 HANM professionals, for convenience. The information was collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed in the atlas ti software. V9, using 6 core categories and 11 subcategories with which the hermeneutical unit was built. Results: Nursing care in the time of Covid-19 has faced uncertainty and fear, not knowing accurately the procedures and treatments due to the lack of information in this regard, despite this they maintain the humanization in the treatment of the patient and the Family members, through emotional intelligence, manage their feelings and fears to provide support to their patients. Conclusions: Despite the limited accessibility to protection barriers and biosafety standards, mechanisms were established to provide comprehensive care, considering the needs of the patient and their families, and accompanying them throughout the disease process. The greatest impact for nursing professionals has been to be in constant contact with death, increasing their fear of catching it and bringing the disease to their family members.