Long-Term Consequences of COVID-19 Disease Specific to Women: Exploratory Research.

This study was designed to explore COVID-19 in a biopsychosocial model, taking into account the different mental and social consequences of the disease in women and men. A sociodemographic questionnaire containing anthropometric data, socioeconomic data, lifestyle data, health status before COVID-19, course of COVID-19, symptoms, and complications after COVID-19 was administered to 83 women and 64 men to investigate their mental health (MH) and quality of life (QoL). The Hospital Anxiety (HADS-A) and Depression (HADS-D) Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) were adopted. Abnormal results in HADS-D and HADS-A were obtained in 33 (39.8%) women and 10 (15.6%) men and in 26 (31.3%) women and 14 (21.9%) men, respectively. Women experienced a lower level of QoL than men. The prolonged duration of COVID-19 symptoms was associated with increased anxiety in women during recovery. Good self-reported health before COVID-19 in women was associated with reduced QoL. Women had more symptoms of COVID-19 than men, and they experienced neurological complications more often. The presence of neurological complications in women appears to be associated with increased perceived anxiety and reduced QoL. This is an exploratory study whose results can influence future research with larger and more diverse samples.

COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and practice of United Arab Emirates heath providers at the start of the pandemic 2020.

BACKGROUND: Early in 2020, healthcare providers faced the novel virus COVID-19 that had unprecedented risk to them and the community they serve. With COVID-19 high infectivity rate and considerable morbidity and mortality, healthcare providers ' precautionary practices to protect themselves, colleagues, and patients were determinantal to provide safe health services. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare providers in the United Arab Emirates toward COVID-19 and to examine its determinants. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) of healthcare providers in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, from April to July 2020, using an online anonymous self-administered questionnaire. A convenient sampling method was used to distribute the online survey link through the organization's email network admin list and smartphone messaging. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multivariant linear regression were used. RESULTS: A total of 2371 healthcare providers responded to the survey. A total of 1091 worked in inpatient hospitals, 494 in primary health care, and 388 in emergency and ICU care. The overall performance score for all healthcare providers was as follows: 49.1%, poor score; 41.8%, intermediate score; and 9.2%, good score with a mean result of 17.14. Factors leading to better overall performance scores were years of experience, pediatricians' specialty, and specialist occupation. A total of 55.7% received good direct knowledge from all healthcare providers. In practice, 48% had good practices toward COVID-19. The overall attitude mean was 2.8, with a maximum score of 7, indicating a positive attitude toward COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Although this study describes a dynamic learning status and could reflect the early pandemic situation in Abu Dhabi health care, it does provide a method to assess the precursor of the critical outcome. It is recommended to follow this study with an assessment of the training program targeting all healthcare providers to ensure a better response to emerging infections.

The effectiveness of COPA-based training program on the infection-control competencies of newly hired healthcare professionals.

Competency-based education that relies on nurses' and healthcare professionals' needs assessment is crucial to tackling healthcare crises such as COVID-19. Strengthening the capacities of human resources by implementing customized infection control training programs is therefore mandatory. This study aims to measure the effectiveness and satisfaction of the Competency Outcomes and Performance Assessment (COPA)-based training program. The study implemented a single group pretest-posttest experimental design. A single-stage cluster sampling technique was used. All field hospitals in Jordan were listed, and one hospital was randomly selected. A total of 87 personnel from different disciplines agreed to participate after reading the letter of information and signing the informed consent. A panel of experts representing different disciplines and hospital units initially met and agreed upon a list of competencies required for the training program, and the program was accordingly developed. The study measured the healthcare professionals' competencies in infection control and prevention before and after the administration of the competency-based training program. The results revealed significant differences between participants' pretest and posttest scores in all infection control domains and the total scores. For example, the increase in participants' total competency scores after the training was statistically significant (P < 0.007). The mean total satisfaction score was 61.18 + 7.00 reflecting that the participants were highly satisfied with the provided training. In conclusion, it is imperative to provide healthcare professionals with adequate clinical training to ensure that healthcare services are going to be delivered in the highest possible quality and minimize the possible adverse events.

Healthcare professionals' experiences and perceptions of providing support for mental health during the period from pregnancy to two years postpartum.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health issues in the perinatal period are common, and can have negative consequences for maternal and child health. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) who provide women with perinatal care are well-placed to detect mental health issues and provide support. This study therefore examines HCPs' experiences and perceptions of providing mental health support during the perinatal period, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: An exploratory realist qualitative study was conducted. SETTING: Republic of Ireland PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sampling strategy was employed to recruit HCPs (e.g., general practitioners, midwives, public health nurses, practice nurses, doulas, and breastfeeding counsellors), via professional bodies in Ireland. An invitation to participate was also circulated via Twitter. A total of 18 HCPs participated in semi-structured interviews conducted between 18/8/2020 and 24/5/2021. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted according to a topic guide designed by a multidisciplinary team. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were developed: 'Supporting women in healthcare settings,' 'Skills and capacity to provide adequate care,' 'Structural barriers to care provision,' and 'The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress support.' KEY CONCLUSIONS: HCPs reported providing emotional support and advocacy, but highlighted challenges, including limited capacity to address women's concerns, clinical culture and hierarchy, insufficient organisational investment, and social inequities in support access. Some HCPs felt these barriers could lead to additional psychological harm. HCPs also reported that the pandemic had introduced novel stressors and changed the nature of the mental health support they provided. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Interventions incorporating education and physical resources for HCPs, increased investment in specialist perinatal mental health services, increased investment in holistic supports, and changes to address cultural challenges in care environments, may facilitate - or enhance - support for women.

Epilepsy care delivery during COVID-19 in resource-limited countries: A survey in collaboration with International Epilepsy Equity Group.

BACKGROUND: The impact of pandemic has had worse effects in countries with already stretched healthcare resources. study's The study aimed to explore changes in epilepsy care delivery in resource-limited countries during and since the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 22 countries among healthcare providers (HCPs) caring for persons with epilepsy (PWE), in collaboration with newly formed global collaborators, the International Epilepsy Equity Group. Findings were compared based on the World Bank Ranking (WBR) and HCPs' practice type. Data were analyzed using Chi-square tests (α = 0.05) and pairwise multiple comparisons with α = 0.017 (Bonferroni adjustment). Open-ended responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: A total of 241 HCPs participated in the study. Of these, 8.30%, 65.98%, and 21.99% were from high-income (HIC), upper-middle-income (UMIC), and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), respectively. Among HCPs, 31.12% were adult specialists, and 43.98% were pediatric specialists. During the acute phase of the pandemic, HCPs reported that the major barrier for PWE was difficulty reaching physicians/healthcare providers. Except for difficulty reaching physicians/healthcare providers (WBR P = 0.01 HIC < LMIC), no other significant differences in barriers during the acute phase were observed. Since the acute phase of the pandemic, the major concern for PWE was fear of getting infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Significant differences in concerns since the acute phase included lockdowns (WBR: P = 0.03 UMIC < LMIC), fiscal difficulties (WBR: P < 0.001 UMICs < LMICs, UMICs < HIC; practice type: P = 0.006 adult < others, pediatrics < others), clinic closure (WBR: P = 0.003 UMIC < HIC; practice type: P =< 0.001 adult < others, pediatric < others), and long waiting times (WBR: P = 0.005, LMIC < UMIC, LMIC < HIC; practice type: P = 0.006 pediatric < adults). Diagnostic services, including EEG, MRI, CT (practice type: P < 0.001, adult < others; pediatric < others), and lab work (WBR: P = 0.01 UMIC < HIC), were restricted. The telephone was the most reported teleconsultation method used. Except for SMS/texting (WBR P = 0.02 UMIC < LMIC), there were no significant differences in teleconsultation methods used. DISCUSSION: There is a high probability that the initial wave and consequent reduction of in-person care, restriction of health services, and fiscal difficulties affecting all involved in care delivery, led to the disruption of epilepsy care. Additional support are needed in resource-limited countries to cope with future pandemics.

Longitudinal Analysis of Antiphospholipid Antibody Dynamics after Infection with SARS-CoV-2 or Vaccination with BNT162b2.

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) comprise a group of autoantibodies that reflect prothrombotic risk in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) but may also be present in a small proportion of healthy individuals. They are often transiently elevated in infections, including SARS-CoV-2, and may also be associated with vaccine-induced autoimmunity. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the dynamics of aPL in COVID-19 patients and in individuals (healthcare professionals-HCPs) after receiving BNT162b2 vaccine and to compare aPL levels and positivity with those found in APS patients. We measured solid-phase identifiable aPL, including anticardiolipin (aCL), anti-ß2 glycoprotein I (anti-ß2GPI), and anti-prothrombin/phosphatidylserine (aPS/PT) antibodies in 58 HCPs before and after vaccination (at 3 weeks, 3, 6, and 9 months after the second dose, and 3 weeks after the third booster dose), in 45 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the ICU, in 89 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the non-ICU (at admission, at hospital discharge, and at follow-up), and in 52 patients with APS. The most frequently induced aPL in COVID-19 patients (hospitalized in non-ICU) were aCL (50.6% of patients had positive levels at at least one time point), followed by anti-ß2GPI (21.3% of patients had positive levels at at least one time point). In 9/89 COVID-19 patients, positive aPL levels persisted for three months. One HCP developed aCL IgG after vaccination but the persistence could not be confirmed, and two HCPs developed persistent anti-ß2GPI IgG after vaccination with no increase during a 1-year follow-up period. Solid-phase aPL were detected in 84.6% of APS patients, in 49.4% of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the non-ICU, in 33.3% of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the ICU, and in only 17.2% of vaccinated HCPs. aPL levels and multiple positivity were significantly lower in both infected groups and in vaccinated individuals compared with APS patients. In conclusion, BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine may have induced aPL in a few individuals, whereas SARS-CoV-2 infection itself results in a higher percentage of aPL induction, but the levels, persistence, and multiple positivity of aPL do not follow the pattern observed in APS.

The Role of Perceived Social Support and Resilience in Predicting the Mental Health of Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study from Indonesia

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). Social support and resilience were seen as protective factors for mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate the role of perceived social support and resilience in predicting Healthcare Professionals' mental health during the outbreak in Indonesia. Methods: 202 HCPs (143 women and 59 men) completed a digital self-reported survey during the outbreak. A cross-sectional study was applied, and participants were recruited through a purposive sampling technique. The online survey collected information on sociodemographics, perceived social support, resilience, and mental health problems. Perceived social support was measured by The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), resilience by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)–10, and mental health problems by the Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ). Multivariate regression was applied to analyze the data. Results: Results indicated that a high resilience score was associated with low scores for depression, anxiety, and somatoform symptoms (β =-4.72, p = 0.000). On the contrary, perceived social support did not predict mental health or PTSD symptoms (β =-0.56, p = 0.412). Conclusion: Considering the role of resilience in reducing mental health problems, we suggest government and health authorities design an intervention program to increase HCPs' resilience. © 2023 Siswadi et al.

Empathy of Healthcare Professionals During Covid-19 Crisis

Background: Empathy is one of the most vital parts of medical ethics that is a prerequisite for good clinical practice, yet the level of empathy of the doctors has not been up to the mark. Objective(s): To measure empathy of healthcare professionals during COVID-19 crisis Material(s) and Method(s): This was a cross Sectional Study done in almost all public and private tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar. The study duration was 6 months (10 September 2021-10 Febuary 2022) after the approval of research proposal. The sampling method was non probability convenient sampling. The inclusion criteria were health professionals involved in the care of the COVID 19 patients like pulmonogists, physicians, trainee doctors, nurses and chest physiotherapists. Exclusion criteria were the doctors from other specialties who were not taking in the management of such patients. Empathy scale was used to collect responses of the participants.The data was analyzed using SPSS latest version Results: Significant association was seen between Consultants, Nurses and PGRs with that they were not interested in patient's personal matters as these are not relevant to medical treatment. i.e. p-value <0.001. Significant association was seen between Consultants, Nurses and PGRs they Viewed things from patient' perspectives might confuse me and make me too distracted to take the right clinical decision (cognitive). I.e. p-value=0. 026 Conclusion(s): The level of empathy did get affected to a colossal extent during the COVID-19 pandemic as reflected by the above results. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

[COVID-19 Pandemic: Psychosocial impact among healthcare professionals in Tunisia]. / Pandémie COVID-19 : impact psychosocial sur le personnel de santé en Tunisie.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the psycho-affective impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of health professionals in Tunisia and to estimate the associated factors. METHODS: This is a multicenter, cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study of health professionals carried out from May 2, 2020 to June 30, 2020 in Tunisia. Healthcare professionals included doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists. The participants answered a pre-established questionnaire using an electronic "Google Form". This questionnaire gathered demographic data and medical history. It included two psychometric scales, the GAD-7 (General Anxiety Disorder-7) and the PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) to assess the prevalence and intensity of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms respectively. RESULTS: The study included 203 healthcare professionals. The professionals had a mean age of 30.74±6.33years, 69.5 % were women, and the majority were doctors (77.8 %). Among professionals, 9.4 % were nurses, 7.4 % were dentists, and 5.4 % were pharmacists. A third of the participants 34.3 % worked in departments with Covid-19 patienfor having moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSION: In order to ensure better patient care, early detection of psychiatric disorders and the implementation of specific strategies to ensure better mental health among healthcare professionals are priorities not only during the current pandemic but also in the event of a future similar pandemic.

Kanpumasatsu: A superficial self-massage with a dry towel to enhance relaxation and immune functions.

Prior to 2020, healthcare professionals in the United States already had high rate of burnout. Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created an urgent need for public health measures to effectively mitigate its negative health impacts. Despite these measures including vaccination, masking, handwashing, and physical distancing, people continue to be affected by post-COVID conditions (PCC) or newly acquired infections. Promoting one's well-being and self-care, especially the methods that promote one's relaxation and immune functions will serve as valuable tools among all healthcare practitioners and educators. For example, Kanpumasatsu, a skin rubdown using a dry towel, is simple to instruct, safe, and a cost-containing self-care approach that has the potential to promote relaxation and improve one's immune functions. At the present moment, the evidence is limited and the mechanism of how kanpumasatsu improves immune functions has not been clearly documented. However, this author postulates this superficial massage causes the skin to stretch and enhances the lymphatic flow beneath the skin in a mechanism similar to that of lymphatic drainage massage. While the limited evidence of the health benefits of kanpumasatsu is available today, there is a potential for creating and enhancing instructional resources, conducting research and practice through awareness of kanpumasatsu among interprofessional educators and practitioners as a pilot self-care program to prevent burnout.

Evaluation of Health Care Professionals' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice to Prevent the Pandemic Spread of COVID-19: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study from Abha, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) are at risk of transmitting the lethal COVID-19 virus globally and increasing its prevalence. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among HCPs in the Asir region for the first time. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional analysis with 491 healthcare professionals was tested using a pre-tested questionnaire in a tertiary care facility. The association between research variables and questions was determined using Chi-square tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: Pharmacists and other HCPs exhibited good knowledge, a positive attitude, and a negative practice pattern regarding COVID-19. There was a strong association between knowledge and attitude (correlation coefficient: 0.17; p < 0.001). However, healthcare practitioners had a suboptimal practice score of 2.09 ± 0.62 regarding COVID-19. CONCLUSION: This study discovered that despite relatively insufficient practices for adherence to recommended techniques regarding COVID-19 prevention during the outbreak, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals have a high level of awareness and a positive attitude towards COVID-19 as a medical condition. There is a need for more involved HCPs, improved COVID-19 management training, and approaches to make healthcare providers feel less anxious.

Dementia palliative care education and training for healthcare professionals: A scoping review protocol.

Background: Global mortality rates from dementia continue to rise.  Evidence suggests that there is limited provision of palliative care for people with dementia and this is a cause of grave concern. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has further exposed the inequalities of care for this vulnerable population. Proactive palliative care, delivered by multidisciplinary healthcare professionals (HCPs), can offer significant benefits to people with dementia.  However, little is known about the components of effective education and training for HCPs who care for people with advancing dementia at end of life. Objective: The aim of this scoping review is to identify effective education and training interventions for HCPs, who care for people with advanced dementia approaching end of life. Inclusion criteria: Studies that used a palliative care educational intervention for HCPs working with patients with dementia will be included. Studies that explore undergraduate or postgraduate education and training in dementia palliative care for HCPs will be included.  Study designs such as quantitative, qualitative, mixed method studies, and case studies will be included. Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews will be used for this review. The following databases will be searched: CINAHL, ERIC, Medline, SocIndex, PsycINFO. In addition, grey literature searches will be limited to the first 100 searches using Google Scholar and Open-Grey. Study selection will involve the reviewer screening titles and abstracts. Then, two independent reviewers will further assess the studies in full for those that meet the inclusion criteria. In line with the JBI framework, data will be extracted using a draft data extraction tool. This will facilitate a chronological narrative synthesis of results in line with the study's overall aim to identify effective education and training interventions for HCPs, who care for patients with dementia, nearing end of life.

Social media use by cardiovascular healthcare professionals in Portugal.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Social media (SoMe) has a flourishing role in cardiovascular (CV) medicine as a facilitator of academic communication not only during conferences and congresses, but also by scientific societies and journals. However, there is no solid data illustrating the use of SoMe by CV healthcare professionals (CVHP) in Portugal. Hence, the main goal of this national cross-sectional survey was to accurately characterize SoMe use by Portuguese CVHPs. METHODS: A 35-item questionnaire was specifically developed for this study, approved by the Digital Health Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (SPC), and sent, by e-mail, to the mailing list of the SPC (including 1293 potential recipients). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There were 206 valid answers. Fifty-two percent of respondents were female and 58% were younger than 44 years of age with almost two out of three participants being physicians. Ninety-two percent of the survey participants reported that they are currently using SoMe; LinkedIn was the most common platform used for professional purposes. Sixty-four percent believed SoMe had had a positive impact on their clinical practice; 77% and 49% had used SoMe for acquiring and sharing information related to COVID-19, respectively. In conclusion, the majority of Portuguese CVHPs that participated in this survey are actively using SoMe, with a greater participation of those <45 years of age; its clinical impact is positive, with a leading role in the dissemination of evidence during the COVID pandemic.

'I didn't feel like I was a doctor': a qualitative interview study exploring the experiences and representations of healthcare professionals' capacity to deliver compassionate care and to practice self-care during the Covid-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The increased demand on healthcare professionals (HCPs) during the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) pandemic reduces opportunities for HCPs to deliver compassionate care to patients and to maintain self-care. This study explored how HCPs understand and experience compassionate working practices during the Covid-19 pandemic to better support HCPs' wellbeing and to sustain quality of care. DESIGN: All nineteen participants worked as an HCP during the Covid-19 pandemic, resided in the United Kingdom (UK) and took part in individual semi-structured interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Using a thematic analysis approach, we developed three themes: (a) The art of compassionate care: Feeling and action, (b) The impact of Covid-19 on compassionate care and (c) Suffering during Covid-19: The importance of self-compassion and self-care. RESULTS: Overall, the analysis illustrated the strong and negative impact that Covid-19 had on the ability to deliver compassionate care, resulting in moral injury and psychological and behavioural difficulties for HCPs, particularly in terms of self-care. CONCLUSIONS: This research demonstrates an imperative need for organisations to better support HCPs' health and wellbeing, through a self-care system that promotes self-compassionate and self-care practices.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on critical care healthcare professionals' work practices and wellbeing: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Burnout and other psychological comorbidities were evident prior to the COVID-19 pandemic for critical care healthcare professionals (HCPs) who have been at the forefront of the health response. Current research suggests an escalation or worsening of these impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to undertake an in-depth exploration of the impact of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic on the wellbeing of HCPs working in critical care. METHODS: This was a qualitative study using online focus groups (n = 5) with critical care HCPs (n = 31, 7 medical doctors and 24 nurses) in 2021: one with United Kingdom-based participants (n = 11) and four with Australia-based participants (n = 20). Thematic analysis of qualitative data from focus groups was performed using Gibbs framework. FINDINGS: Five themes were synthesised: transformation of anxiety and fear throughout the pandemic, the burden of responsibility, moral distress, COVID-19 intruding into all aspects of life, and strategies and factors that sustained wellbeing during the pandemic. Moral distress was a dominant feature, and intrusiveness of the pandemic into all aspects of life was a novel finding. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted critical care HCPs and their work experience and wellbeing. The intrusiveness of the pandemic into all aspects of life was a novel finding. Moral distress was a predominate feature of their experience. Leaders of healthcare organisations should ensure that interventions to improve and maintain the wellbeing of HCPs are implemented.

Respiratory infection prevention: perceptions, barriers and facilitators after SARS-CoV-2.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory hygiene, especially in context of COVID-19, is of upmost importance. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) play an important role in the prevention of infections. Their perceptions of the subject are needed to tailor effective communication and training on prevention. METHODS: 20 French HCPs were questioned about their perceptions on respiratory hygiene and infections, by the means of recorded semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The interviews and focus group were transcribed then analysed through lexicometric and thematic content analyses. RESULTS: HCP discourse revolved around the use of face masks, the prevention and the characteristics of respiratory infections and the means to prevent them.COVID-19 excepted, HCPs considered respiratory infections as benign. They associated respiratory hygiene to the observance of cough etiquette, the preservation of lung health, the act of protecting oneself and others, and the adherence to safety protocols. Main barriers to good practices were organizational ones, such as the lack of consultation and mobilization of HCPs in the development of preventive measures, suboptimal information sharing and the physical and relational constraints of face masks. They advised means of improving communication and information promotion. CONCLUSION: Since the pandemic crisis, HCPs have developed a better awareness about the prevention of respiratory infections. Except for COVID-19, respiratory infections are mostly considered as benign. Barriers and facilitators evoked by HCPs will help to build national communication and tools.

The severity of mental health problems in healthcare professionals and its associated risk factors during COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: This study assesses the severity of mental health problems in healthcare professionals (HCPs) and its associated risk factors during COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary hospital in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was done from November 01 to 15, 2020. Data was col-lected by using a web-based self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis, cross tabs, and logistic regressions were utilized. Results: Out of 238 HCPs, 54.6% of them had a mental health problem. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 44.1%, 48.3%, and 29.0%, respectively. Cigarette smoking was the only factor associated with depression. Being female, a cigarette smoker, and previously diagnosed with COVID-19 were associated with anxiety, while cigarette smoking and previous COVID-19 suspect had a significant association with stress. Conclusion: The burden of mental health problems among HCPs is high. The Federal Ministry of Health should incorporate psychosocial support for healthcare professionals during pandemics. This study highlights the need for developing policies to decrease mental health problems among HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

Designing and evaluating post-registration education in advanced respiratory care for healthcare professionals

‘Advanced Respiratory Practice/Care' (ARP/C) has been offered at the University of Bradford since the summer 2020. Initially developed in response to one district general hospital's quest for respiratory staff education during COVID-19, student numbers of ARP/C have grown steadily. Thirty-five students from across the healthcare professions in West Yorkshire undertook the module in the spring of 2022. ARP/C was designed to promote multi-disciplinary peer learning through simulated practice scenarios. This paper discusses students' evaluations of ARP/C and how the module has been designed to embrace multi-disciplinary team learning. ARC/P students were divided into two groups based on critical care experience. This division aimed to tailor taught content and improve students' experiences in simulated practice learning. However this divide was resource-intensive and some students felt the differential teaching was disadvantaging. Simulated practice followed morning sessions of overarching theory. Simulated practice scenarios encouraged students' multi-disciplinary team problem-solving in supportive environments. Students particularly reported powerful learning in relation to human factors. Many students valued simulated practice learning, but some felt it lacked authenticity and personal fears debarred their positive experience. For ARP/C, in spring 2023, there has been investment in additional high-fidelity equipment and students will not be sub-divided for theoretical teaching.

Perception and Practice on Different COVID-19 Vaccines and Precautionary Dose: A Study among Health Care Workers

Background: Health care workers (HCW's) belong to high-risk group and at the same time being the role model to the general population. Current study was undertaken to assess the general level of trust, acceptance and fear on different COVID-19 vaccines among them. Material(s) and Method(s): An online questionnaire were distributed to all the HCW's through WhatsApp link between 1 March 2022 and 30 April 2022 to evaluate the perception and practices on different COVID 19 vaccines and precautionary dose using a snowball sampling method using self-designed structured questionnaire. Result(s): A total of 434 HCWs participated, with doctors (38.5%) and nursing staff (44.30%) nursing students (9.50%), medical students (6%) and others (1.70%). 96% were vaccinated for both first and second dose with only 32.3% for precautionary dose. The main reason for not receiving second dose is that 30 were recently positive for COVID infection and 17 respondents were not convinced with study results. Only 2% took different vaccine for second dose due to non-availability of first vaccine, doubt regarding the efficacy of the vaccine, belief in taking two different vaccines for stronger immunity. Participants took different vaccine for precautionary dose due to non-availability of the vaccine (15.4%), belief in taking two different vaccines provides stronger immunity (76.9%) and shift of residence (7.7%). Conclusion(s): Majority of the HCW's in our study have a modest acceptance towards second dose and precautionary dose. Institutions and other health care set up should scale up educational efforts to disseminate reliable information about different COVID vaccine and provide recommendations about receiving a vaccine booster to promote herd immunity. Copyright © 2023, Dr Yashwant Research Labs Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.

DTLCx: An Improved ResNet Architecture to Classify Normal and Conventional Pneumonia Cases from COVID-19 Instances with Grad-CAM-Based Superimposed Visualization Utilizing Chest X-ray Images.

COVID-19 is a severe respiratory contagious disease that has now spread all over the world. COVID-19 has terribly impacted public health, daily lives and the global economy. Although some developed countries have advanced well in detecting and bearing this coronavirus, most developing countries are having difficulty in detecting COVID-19 cases for the mass population. In many countries, there is a scarcity of COVID-19 testing kits and other resources due to the increasing rate of COVID-19 infections. Therefore, this deficit of testing resources and the increasing figure of daily cases encouraged us to improve a deep learning model to aid clinicians, radiologists and provide timely assistance to patients. In this article, an efficient deep learning-based model to detect COVID-19 cases that utilizes a chest X-ray images dataset has been proposed and investigated. The proposed model is developed based on ResNet50V2 architecture. The base architecture of ResNet50V2 is concatenated with six extra layers to make the model more robust and efficient. Finally, a Grad-CAM-based discriminative localization is used to readily interpret the detection of radiological images. Two datasets were gathered from different sources that are publicly available with class labels: normal, confirmed COVID-19, bacterial pneumonia and viral pneumonia cases. Our proposed model obtained a comprehensive accuracy of 99.51% for four-class cases (COVID-19/normal/bacterial pneumonia/viral pneumonia) on Dataset-2, 96.52% for the cases with three classes (normal/ COVID-19/bacterial pneumonia) and 99.13% for the cases with two classes (COVID-19/normal) on Dataset-1. The accuracy level of the proposed model might motivate radiologists to rapidly detect and diagnose COVID-19 cases.