Quantifying optimal resource allocation strategies for controlling epidemics.

Frequent emergence of communicable diseases is a major concern worldwide. Lack of sufficient resources to mitigate the disease burden makes the situation even more challenging for lower-income countries. Hence, strategy development for disease eradication and optimal management of the social and economic burden has garnered a lot of attention in recent years. In this context, we quantify the optimal fraction of resources that can be allocated to two major intervention measures, namely reduction of disease transmission and improvement of healthcare infrastructure. Our results demonstrate that the effectiveness of each of the interventions has a significant impact on the optimal resource allocation in both long-term disease dynamics and outbreak scenarios. The optimal allocation strategy for long-term dynamics exhibits non-monotonic behaviour with respect to the effectiveness of interventions, which differs from the more intuitive strategy recommended in the case of outbreaks. Further, our results indicate that the relationship between investment in interventions and the corresponding increase in patient recovery rate or decrease in disease transmission rate plays a decisive role in determining optimal strategies. Intervention programmes with decreasing returns promote the necessity for resource sharing. Our study provides fundamental insights into determining the best response strategy when controlling epidemics in resource-constrained situations.

Psychological intervention for three COVID patients who suffered online violence.

Three patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were all young women in their thirties who have suffered from Internet violence in their personal life after hospitalization. They showed significant emotional distress such as, depression state, acute stress disorder, and dissociative disorder. The current study adopts short-term, individualized and comprehensive psychological interventions, including psychological support, encouragement, listening, safety confirmation, catharsis, psychological suggestion, and stimulation of internal potential to treat patients. The third case was provided with psychological interventions combined with antipsychotic treatment. After timely psychological interventions all three patients achieved sound results.Copyright © 2021 Chinese Medical Journals Publishing House Co.Ltd.

social welfare advice and health among young people: a scoping review

Social determinants of mental and physical health that influence young peoples' trajectories into adulthood are often remediable through law. To address inequalities, including those exacerbated since the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to better understand young people's need for and uptake of advice for social welfare legal problems. This scoping review aimed to review available evidence and identify gaps to inform further research. To identify studies relevant to social welfare legal advice among young adults we conducted searches of eight bibliographic databases (compiled between January 1998 and June 2020), hand searches of included article reference lists and targeted grey literature searches. 35 peer reviewed and grey literature studies were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria including evaluations of interventions to promote access to advice, general population surveys, observational studies, and audits of charity data or targeted surveys. Evidence suggests considerable and inequitable need for social welfare legal advice among young adults with adverse consequences for health and wellbeing. Needs among higher risk groups are likely underestimated. Evidence for interventions to enhance access/uptake of advice is limited and methodologically weak. We identify several gaps in the literature to inform research and to enable systematic reviews around more specific questions to inform practice.

Youth recommendations for early intervention responses by governments for future pandemics

Aims: During the pandemic, youth were particularly vulnerable to experiencing financial hardship, education and employment disruption, and mental health impacts. Ensuring governments and services are prepared to support youth during future outbreaks or novel pandemics should be a key priority. This work aimed to explore youth experiences during COVID-19 and gather youth opinions on government responses to inform planning, policy, and decision-making for future pandemics. Method(s): Youth (ages 15-25) from Ireland and two provinces in Canada (British Columbia and Ontario) were interviewed at three time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. A thematic analysis was conducted using an inductive approach. This research was primarily youth-led and developed. Result(s): Across all three time points, youth experienced mental health and service uptake challenges, with mixed views on pandemic response. Opportunities for personal and societal growth were identified, with desire for incorporating youth voices into governmental decision making processes. Youth offered recommendations for effectively communicating accurate information, prevention of misinformation, and expressed needs regarding service accessibility throughout the pandemic and beyond. Conclusion(s): This work provides insights into the opinions of young people on government and information sharing during the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations were developed to ensure youth are consulted and represented in future pandemics.

THE SWEDISH OSTEOARTHRITIS REGISTRY. TRENDS IN SWEDISH OSTEOARTHRITIS HEALTH CARE BETWEEN 2008- 2021

BackgroundIn 2012 the Swedish national guidelines for osteoarthritis (OA) were published. The guidelines implicit that all patients with OA should obtain information and supervised exercise as first-line intervention and that OA is a clinical, not radiological diagnosis. The Swedish OA registry contains data which measure compliance to the guidelines since 2008 [2].ObjectivesTo describe the trends over time from 2008 to 2021 for patients who have received first-line interventions for hip and knee OA in Sweden and adherence of the healthcare staff to the national guidelines.MethodsDescriptive registry-based study including patients with hip or knee OA who participated in first-line interventions including education and exercise. Data were extracted from the Swedish OA registry between January 1st, 2008, and December 31, 2021. The registry contains patient-reported outcomes and physiotherapist-reported outcomes. In this study the following physiotherapist-reported outcomes were described over time: radiological examination before first-line intervention, if the first-line intervention was given the first time the patient seek health care caused of OA, which explanation patients had been given about their disease, intake of painkillers before the start of first-line intervention and the percent who got supervised exercise >10 times according to the guidelines of OA in Sweden. The following patient-reported outcomes were described over time: mean BMI at the first visit, and mean age at the first visit. To be included in the study, participants had to meet the following criteria: i) clinical diagnosis of OA, with hip or knee OA as the most symptomatic joint, ii) provided 3-month follow-up.ResultsA total of 175 764 participants with hip or knee OA were included in the study.The trends from 2008-2021 showed that the proportion of patients who had a radiological examination before entering the first-line intervention decreased from 97 % to 65 % in men and from 95% to 62 % in women. The proportion of patients who get assess to first-line intervention the first time they seek for their symptoms increased from 4 % to 10 % both in men and women. People that get the correct information about OA increased from 15% to 40 %, and patients that get the explanation that OA was a tear and wear disease decreased from 30 % to 5%. The mean BMI (28) is unchanged over time. The mean age increased from 64 years to 67 years between 2008-2020 but decreased during the covid-19 pandemic to 64 years. The percentage that was given supervised exercise more than 10 times was constant between 2012-2020 at 30 % but decreased during the covid-19 pandemic to 20%.ConclusionThe results implicit that the implementation of a supported OA self-management program in Sweden has been successful and changed the care given to patients with OA in Sweden. However, the national guidelines for OA, have still not been fully implemented. We need to keep implementing the guidelines so all patients with OA get the first-line intervention at the right time.References[1]Anon. (2012). Nationella riktlinjer för rörelseorganens sjukdomar 2012 - stöd för styrning och ledning. Socialstyrelsen.[2]Thorstensson CA, Garellick G, Rystedt H, Dahlberg LE. Better Management of Patients with Osteoarthritis: Development and Nationwide Implementation of an Evidence-Based Supported Osteoarthritis Self-Management Programme. Musculoskeletal Care. 2015 Jun;13(2):67-75. doi: 10.1002/msc.1085. Epub 2014 Oct 24. PMID: 25345913.Acknowledgements:NIL.Disclosure of InterestsNone Declared.

Online Psycho-Educational Intervention in Mathematical Learning Difficulties

The present study shows the results of six case studies referring to an intervention applied to mathematical learning difficulties. Participants were 8 to 12 years old. The intervention considered mathematics as a language and it is theoretically based on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model, Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Peircean semiotics. The objective was to work on the development of academic skills associating mathematics with interactional social skills. The analysis was based on qualitative data collected during the intervention process and quantitative data from scales and instruments with pre- and post-intervention measures. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic context, some methodological issues were affected, mainly because the evaluations took place before and in the midst of the pandemic. Social impacts of the pandemic have unevenly affected participants, especially adolescents and children. The pandemic had a worse effect on adolescents than on children, especially regarding procedures that involve memory, and those with attentional problems also had worse results.

Effect of an Internet-based Intervention on Motor Behavior in Patients after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background During the containment of COVID-19，the traditional face-to-face interventions conducted at the rehabilitation center were plagued by many limitations，while internet-based interventions can overcome the limitations of geographic location，working hours and transportation，with less medical costs. Objective To examine the effects of internet-based interventions on knowledge，attitude/belief and practice（KAP） toward rehabilitation exercises，physical activity（PA）level，and exercise compliance inpatients after PCI. Methods The subjects were 76 patients who received their first PCI in Department of Cardiology，Tangshan Gongren Hospital from November 2021 to June 2022. They were randomly and equally divided into two groups to receive either internet-based intervention with routine nursing（experimental group） or routine nursing （control group）. Before and three months after the intervention，the Rehabilitation Exercise Knowledge-Belief-Practice Scale for Patients with Coronary Heart Disease（REKBPCHD），the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form （IPAQ-SF），and Patients' Exercise Log were used to assess the KAP level，PA level，and exercise adherence，respectively. The impact of network intervention on exercise adherence in patients after PCI by univariate Logistic regression analysis. Results After 3 months of intervention，a significant increase was found in the average total score of REKBPCHD，and the average scores of the knowledge dimension，attitude dimension and practice dimension of the scale in the experimental group（P<0.05），and the increase was more notable than that in the control group（P<0.05）. Moreover，both post-intervention low PA level and total PA level in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group（P<0.05）. Both post-intervention low PA level and total PA level were higher than the baseline levels in the experimental group（P<0.05）. The post-intervention exercise compliance of experimental group were higher than that in the control group（P=0.003）. Univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of non-adherence to exercise in the experimental group was relatively lower than that in the control group 〔OR=0.143，95%CI（0.034，0.594），P=0.007〕. Conclusion Theinternet-based intervention can effectively improve the KAP level toward rehabilitation，PA level，and exercise adherence in patients after PCI. © 2023 Chinese General Practice. All rights reserved.

Trauma-focused therapy in early intervention for psychosis settings: Results of a feasibility RCT of 'EMDR for psychosis'

Aims: Trauma is particularly prevalent amongst Early Intervention (EI) patients and is associated with adverse clinical and prognostic outcomes. To determine the feasibility of a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an 'EMDR for psychosis' intervention for trauma survivors with active psychotic symptoms supported by EI services, we conducted a single-blind RCT comparing 16 sessions of EMDRp + TAU versus TAU only. Method(s): EMDRp therapy and trial assessments were completed both in-person and remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and key feasibility outcomes (recruitment & retention, therapy attendance/ engagement, adherence to EMPRp treatment protocol, and the 'promise of efficacy' of EMDRp on relevant clinical outcomes) were examined at 6- and 12-month post-randomization assessments. Results and Conclusion(s): 60 participants (100% of the recruitment target) received TAU or EMDR + TAU. The feasibility criteria examined in this trial were fully met, and EMDRp was associated with promising signals of efficacy on a range of valuable post-treatment outcomes, including improved psychotic symptoms (PANSS), subjective recovery (QPR), post-traumatic symptoms (PCL-5;ITQ), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and general health status (EQ-5D-VAS) at the 6-month assessment. Signals of efficacy at 12-month were less pronounced, but remained robust for trauma symptoms and general health status. The findings will be discussed with relevance to future clinical trials of trauma-focused therapy in clients with early psychosis, and the provision of more tailored trauma therapies for EI service users.

Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on unemployment in selected countries and country groups

The economic crisis caused by Covid-19 differs from previous economic crises in several ways. It is a global event that developed unexpectedly and hit the world unprepared, primarily attacking human resources, requiring strong governmental measures. The involvement of the human sphere directly affected people's income and lives through labour market effects. Based on literature and statistical data, this study analyses the evolution of the unemployment data of 11 countries (Australia, Chile, the UK, Israel, Japan, China, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and the US) and two country groups (EU-27 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - OECD) during the economic crisis. Based on the results, the authors identified three distinct groups of countries with 1. moderate growth, slow consolidation;2. robustious upturn, fast then slow correction, and 3. individual patterns. The study demonstrated how government measures took effect differently from the unemployment perspective. The authors referred to the influence of the inhabitants' collective way of thinking and considered it essential to emphasise the positive impact of vaccines.

The Concept of Humanitarian Intervention in the Context of Constitutional and Legal Policy of the State

Current events in the world have exposed new threats to humanity i. e. nuclear terrorism, artificial grain famine, new forms of ecocide, and biocide. All this significantly changes the priorities of international politics and the constitutional as well as the legal policy of nation-states, where natural disasters and the global COVID-19 pandemic have faded into insignificance, and the issue of re-sovereignization is gaining relevance. The article provides a thorough analysis of the essence of the concept of humanitarian intervention. The discussion is based on the analysis of the consequences of humanitarian intervention on the fate of nation-states and their citizens. The article aims to substantiate the harmfulness of the concept of humanitarian intervention for the sovereignty of nation-states and natural human rights. It is noted that state sovereignty does not contradict the nature of human rights. On the contrary, humanitarian intervention allows certain aggressive political actors to violate the sovereignty of the nation-state and harm a person's constitutional and natural rights, first of all, to peaceful coexistence, life, health, and human dignity. It is argued that modern international law needs to be modernized, which should redefine the concepts of "genocide", "ecocide", "biocide", etc. The concept of humanitarian intervention should be openly recognized as not meeting the expectations of the modern international community.

COVID-19 and the changing roles of social workers in minority communities: Lessons from the Israeli ultra-Orthodox community

Minority groups have been disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19's effects. Whereas, social workers have been instrumental in countering those effects, their roles have been understudied, particularly during the ‘new normal' that followed the outbreak. This gap is addressed by drawing on interviews with 28 social workers in the Jewish ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) society in Israel, held after the outbreak and during the ‘new normal'. Three main roles are identified: first responders, during the outbreak;a voice for community needs, in the ‘new normal';and policy translators – throughout. The findings contribute a temporal aspect to the literature by highlighting social workers' dynamic roles. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Social Work is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. 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 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 . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Low-intensity online intervention (LiON) for distressed young people in Hong Kong: Preliminary findings

Previous studies have demonstrated that low-intensity intervention is effective in improving mental health in young people. Whilst interventions have majorly been offered online during COVID-19 pandemic, it is not known whether low-intensity interventions delivered online can also help reduce the level of distress experienced by young people. The study aimed to determine whether a low-intensity online intervention (LiON) can reduce levels of distress in young people greater than those in similar initial distress levels but received no intervention. Young people aged 15 to 24 were recruited for the 4-weekly LiON intervention consisting of three modules namely sleep and relaxation, stress-coping and problem-solving. The reductions in distress level after intervention were compared to those that occurred over a period of 3 months among community young people with similar baseline K6 distress levels. Seventy-four young people (mean age 20.24 [SD 2.26] years, 71.6% female) received the LiON intervention from December 2021 to July 2022. We observed a greater improvement in their distress levels after receiving the intervention than those with no intervention in the community (beta -4.13, 95%CI -5.12, -3.07, p < .001, Cohen's f2 0.027). The findings offered evidence that the LiON intervention significantly reduced young people's distress level in addition to the improvement that may occur naturally. The use of LiON is adaptable to a wider variety of frontline community organizations. Future evaluation of its cost-effectiveness is warranted.

Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Community College Students. Research Report. RR-A2552-1

The United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis, with youth and young adults at the center. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 50 percent of college students reported at least one mental health concern. The COVID-19 pandemic notably exacerbated these issues and underscored the urgent need to identify and implement ways to ameliorate the youth mental health crisis. In 2021, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine called on the field of higher education to address growing concerns about student mental health by identifying and elevating emerging and promising approaches that offer a more holistic way to support students' mental health. Serving as the main entry point for more than 40 percent of students seeking a postsecondary degree, community colleges represent a tremendous and untapped opportunity to better address mental health in the United States, particularly for students who have been traditionally underserved (e.g., students of color, first-generation students, and low-income students). However, community colleges have limited evidence and guidance to inform the implementation of multilevel, holistic approaches to support students with varying mental health needs. To address this knowledge gap, this report shares a descriptive study of eight community colleges at the forefront of implementing multilevel approaches (a combination of prevention, early intervention, and treatment services) to support student mental health, as well as key facilitators for and barriers to their success. [For "How Community Colleges Can Support Student Mental Health Needs. Research Brief. RB-A2552-1," see ED627489.]

How Community Colleges Can Support Student Mental Health Needs. Research Brief. RB-A2552-1

The United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis, with youth and young adults at the center. Even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nearly 50 percent of college students reported at least one mental health concern. Without adequate mental health support, college students, including those at community colleges, may be at risk for a variety of academic and nonacademic consequences that negatively affect their overall well-being, including lower college completion rates, higher rates of substance use, and lower lifetime earning potential. This research brief describes a study examining eight community colleges from across the United States which found that, although the institutions did offer mental health services, most lacked a clear organizing framework for those efforts, and that financial challenges limited the support offered to students. The research also highlighted the importance of community college leaders explicitly prioritizing student mental health, as well as broad staff buy-in to the effort. [For the full report, "Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Community College Students. Research Report. RR-A2552-1," see ED627480.]

Impact of a Mobile Meditation Application Among Hospital-Based Acute Care Nurses

Compassion fatigue has also resulted in increased absenteeism, errors, and other disruptive behaviors and can have negative effects on patient care. Examples may include medication errors and failure to rescue patients with unrecognized declining health status. [...]in a separate study of college students who were randomly assigned to use one of three apps, for ten minutes per day for ten days, Headspace users had positive outcomes. Methods The Professional Quality of Life 5 (ProQOL5) and Mindfulness Attentive Awareness Scale (MAAS) surveys were used to collect pre-and post-intervention data through Survey Monkey online.

Successful School Interventions for Students with Disability during COVID-19: Empirical Evidence from Australia

Children and young people with disability are a "vulnerable" population within a pandemic context as they face structural inequities and discrimination as a result of their impairments. In this paper, we report research that sought to examine the learning experiences of children and young people with disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to understand how this group fared and whether different interventions impacted on these experiences. Data were collected from an online survey organized by Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) that garnered responses from more than 700 families. The study contributes empirical evidence to the growing literature about COVID-19-related impacts on learners already recognized as experiencing multiple disadvantages in schooling. We find some significant gaps in supports offered to students with disability and their families. Notwithstanding that some students did not receive any support from their schools, where supports were offered, social supports had the greatest positive impact on feelings of learner engagement. Our findings support key propositions in the social and emotional learning literature, namely that particular resourcing should be dedicated to social interaction and feelings of belonging as these are crucial to learners engaging in learning processes. There are clear implications of these findings in terms of what educational institutions might do to help engage students with disability in remote learning.

Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Primary Education System of Lahore, Pakistan

Background: The pandemic of Covid-19 impeded all socio-economical, pedagogic, and recreational activities. Pakistan is facing an intensified educational crisis due to previous educational differences, so the era of the pandemic has shown difficulties in the educational framework. Aim(s): Awareness among parents and students to combat challenges of pandemic. Method(s): The current study is based on random quantitatively study which gathered data from 300 respondents assembled from different areas of Lahore, Pakistan from June 2020 to July 2021. The responses were collected from students, teachers, and parents that how homeschooling compromises student's physical, psychological, and emotional health. Result(s): About 76% of the students favoured traditional classes over online classes whereas only 20% of the students found the online session interactive. In the other section, only 15.33% of the teachers were satisfied by the online results and they complained about the poor performance and interaction with the students. Overall, 81.67% parents agreed that there is a decline in the physical activity of their children. The results of this study suggested that social distancing and the emerging challenges associated with Covid- 19 have entirely changed the education system that has caused number of problems for children, parents, and teachers in Pakistan. Practical implication: This study highlights pros and cons of online study;such studies give students and teachers a way to prepare for future challenges. Conclusion(s): Considering all outcomes of study, it is highlighted that policy-level interventions were needed, along with well-designed interactive courses. Hence, integrated approaches based on the mental as well as physical capabilities of the students must be executed, and e-tools must also be practiced in traditional classes to fill the gap of homeschooling.Copyright © 2023 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Assessing perceptions of pedestrian-focused intervention in a car-dependent European island

Apart from the numerous social, economic, and environmental impacts of car dependence, the time people spend sitting in motorised vehicles has been identified as a sedentary behaviour that can negatively impact people's physical and psychological health. The climate breakdown and the COVID-19 pandemic have continued to expose the fragility and vulnerability of the urban environment and the imminent need for response, management, and radical re-thinking through innovation, especially within the transport sector. The incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic has also reiterated the need for urban centres to re-establish a sense of community, extend the benefits reaped from reduced motorised transport usage and boost small/medium-size businesses through the provision of active travel spaces. This paper investigates the role of pedestrian-focused intervention to encourage walking rather than car use for short-distance trips, within the context of the car-dependent small island state of Malta. The research includes the use of semi-structured interviews with a broad range of stakeholders to develop a virtual platform for citizen participation. The platform is an interactive space for participants to identify barriers that discourage walking and explore and evaluate options that encourage walking as a mode of transport. A discussion of preliminary findings sheds light on the impact of pedestrian interventions that encourage active travel and contribute policy-relevant outcomes based on the perceptions and direct feedback from citizens and stakeholders alike. © 2023 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V.

Modeling of Physical Activity Behavioral Interventions Relying on MPC Strategy

Physical inactivity is becoming an important threat to public health in today's society. The COVID-19 pandemic has also reduced physical activity (PA) levels given all the restrictions imposed worldwide. In this work, physical activity interventions supported by mobile devices and relying on control engineering principles were proposed. The model was constructed relying on previous studies that consider a fluid analogy of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), which is a psychological theory that describes how people acquire and maintain certain behaviors, including health-promoting behaviors, through the interplay of personal, environmental, and behavioral factors. The obtained model was validated using secondary data (collected earlier) from a real intervention with a group of male subjects in Great Britain. The present model was extended with new technology for a better understanding of behavior change interventions. This involved the use of applications, such as phone-based ecological momentary assessments, to collect behavioral data and the inclusion of simulations with logical reward conditions for reaching the behavioral threshold. A goal of 10,000 steps per day is recommended due to the significant link observed between higher daily step counts and lower mortality risk. The intervention was designed using a Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm configured to obtain a desired performance. The system was tested and validated using simulation scenarios that resemble different situations that may occur in a real setting.