[Methodological challenges for proactive post-Covid care strategies]. / Opportunità-priorità di innovazione metodologica nel tempo dopo Covid.

. Methodological challenges for proactive post-Covid care strategies. In the present global-national scenarios of healthcare systems obliged to recognise their profound failure in the management of the Covid pandemic, the uncertainties on what could possibly be done to reverse the causes of the failures are the dominant terms of reference. The urgent needs of substantially increasing the investments on the scarce human resources and on the structural inequalities in the access to care are, in fact, in profound contrast with policies obedient mainly to economic sustainability and further exclusion from health rights. An epidemiological agenda explicitly centred on the lives of communities as producers of knowledge (not based on administrative and artificially standardised data), and as real bottom-up partners of the classical top-down actors is illustrated. The above perspective is discussed as a provocative and at the same time realistic opportunity for an innovative promotion of an autonomous role of the nursing professions and research.

[Nursing ethics and the mandate of care-current limits using the example of inpatient care for the elderly]. / Pflegeethik und der Auftrag der Pflege ­ Gegenwärtige Grenzen am Beispiel der stationären Altenpflege.

The central guiding ethical principles of professional care are dignity, care, justice, and respect. The current framework conditions and circumstances in the care of the elderly mean that professional care ethics are no longer feasible in many cases. This leads not only to enormous (moral) burdens among the nursing staff, but also to a comprehensive degree to professional dissatisfaction and to leaving the profession. The term "Pflexit" (based on the German word "Pflege" = care) was first raised during the corona pandemic and has not faded. In order to ensure ethically justified and dignified care for the elderly that is also oriented towards human rights, as is conveyed politically in charters and rightly expected by people in need of care, rapid and comprehensive social and political intervention is required.In this context, dignity and respect are also a social mandate. Dignified professional care based on ethical values can only be implemented if nurses are shown this same respect. The clear warnings of a "nursing climate crisis" must finally be followed by action to stop the exodus from the profession. In this discussion paper, the importance of a professional care ethic is first explained. In a second step, the framework and current problems that oppose a comprehensive implementation of core values in nursing care for the elderly are highlighted. The focus here is on the effects of the precarious personnel situation.

Mental disorders and COVID-19 deaths: Clinical, public health, and human rights implications.

Shekhar Saxena and Cindy Chwa discuss the neglect of care for people living with mental disorders during the pandemic, and highlight relevant implications for policy-makers.

Human rights as the key driver for development of Learning Disability services in Qatar.

Growing international consensus in recognising rights of individuals with disability to enabling environments has spurred on provision of services for support for these individuals. The provision of this support has however been variable across the globe, often depending upon the economic development and social stigma associated with disability within individual countries. Individuals with Mental health learning disability have experienced even more stigma and limitations to access care. Qatar, a young and economically prosperous country, has adopted this rights-based approach to developing services for individuals with learning disability. This has led to the development of a specialist mental health learning disability services which is taking its initial steps within the country. This specialist service places the individual and their family at the centre of developing and delivering care and aims at reducing stigma and improving access to specialist evidence-based care.

Capacity in the time of Coronavirus.

In the course of a few short weeks, many of the established legal frameworks relating to decision-making in England & Wales in respect of those with impaired decision-making capacity have been ripped up, or apparently rendered all but unusable. Although the Mental Capacity Act 2005 itself has not been amended, the impact of other legislation (especially the Coronavirus Act 2020) means that duties towards those with impaired decision-making capacity have been radically changed. This article reflects the experience of a practising barrister in England & Wales grappling with the impact of COVID-19 upon the Mental Capacity Act 2005 across a range of fields in the weeks after the world appeared to change in mid-March 2020.

Compulsory vaccination against COVID-19 in the context of the principles of the convention on human rights and biomedicine.

INTRODUCTION: At this stage of the global health crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, an increasing number of countries are considering enacting legislation requiring compulsory vaccination or implementing a mechanism to ensure mass vaccination of the population. Such policy decisions raise a number of legal and deontological issues. AIM: The aim of the study was to analyze the legal and deontological issues related to the introduction of compulsory vaccination against COVID-19 in the context of the principles of the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo Convention). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The analysis looks at the international legal framework that governs the protection of human rights and freedoms, the principles and rules that apply to the achievements of biology and medicine, and, in particular, the Oviedo Convention. RESULTS: Vaccines against COVID-19 are a modern scientific success in biology and medicine, particularly those of the latest genera-tion of vaccines presented by the scientific community as a consequence of revolutionary mRNA technology. It is for this reason that the provisions of the Oviedo Convention should serve as guidelines for countries to follow in their fight against COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Achieving mass vaccination of the population in accordance with the provisions of the Oviedo Convention and other rel-evant international standards for the protection of fundamental human rights, in conjunction with a large-scale information campaign, seems a sensible approach that would contribute to the rapid and peaceful resolution of the current global health crisis.

Pulse Oximeters and Violation of Federal Antidiscrimination Law.

This Viewpoint discusses how some pulse oximeters can provide incorrect oxygen saturation data for dark-skinned patients compared with light-skinned patients, describes the reasons that biased oximeters remained in use, and highlights why a rule recently proposed by the US Department of Health and Human Services may bring about needed change in the use of pulse oximetry for patients with dark skin.

"No Jab, No Entry": A Constitutional and Human Rights Perspective on Vaccine Mandates in Ghana.

As part of global efforts to reach herd immunity to stem the spread of COVID-19, the government of Ghana in 2021 declared December as the month of vaccination. Along with the declaration were statements about the government's intention to make vaccination mandatory in January 2022 for select groups of persons and to restrict access of unvaccinated persons to certain public spaces. The directives attracted varied reactions since they touched on constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights. Later, in March 2022, the president eased some restrictions, such as mask wearing and social distancing at public events but subject to all users being fully vaccinated. This paper analyzes the constitutional and human rights implications of a vaccine mandate in Ghana. It answers the question, Is mandatory vaccination necessary and appropriate given the COVID-19 situation in Ghana? I make a case for finding a reasonable balance between the personal liberties of Ghanaians and the state's responsibility to protect public health. Using the proportionality test, I argue that while mandatory vaccination is permissible within Ghana's legal and constitutional framework, a tiered approach is preferable.

Ableism, Human Rights, and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Healthcare-Related Barriers Experienced by Deaf People in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected global healthcare access and exacerbated pre-pandemic structural barriers. Literature on disabled people's experiences accessing healthcare is limited, with even less framing healthcare access as a human rights issue. This study documents and critically analyses Deaf people's healthcare access experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven self-identified Deaf individuals participated in semi-structured videoconferencing interviews. Discourse analysis was applied to participant narratives with discourses juxtaposed against a human rights analysis. Barriers influencing healthcare access included: (1) the inability of healthcare providers to communicate appropriately, including a rigid adherence to face mask use; (2) cultural insensitivity and limited awareness of Deaf people's unique needs; and (3) the impact of ableist assumptions and healthcare delaying care. Barriers to healthcare access represent consecutive breaches of rights guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Such breaches delay appropriate healthcare access and risk creating future compounding effects. Action is required to address identified breaches: (1) The CRPD should also underpin all health policy and practice development, inclusive of pandemic and disaster management responsiveness. (2) Health professionals and support staff should be trained, and demonstrate competency, in Deaf cultural awareness and sensitivity.

A population-based study on health and living conditions among Sámi in Sweden: the SámiHET study.

The aim of this paper was to describe the study design, data collection procedure and participation of the population-based study "Sámi Health on Equal Terms" (SámiHET) conducted among the Sámi in Sweden in 2021. A Sámi sample was constructed, drawing from three pre-existing-registers: the Sámi electoral roll, the reindeer mark register and the "Labour statistics based on administrative sources" register to identify reindeer herding businesses. All identified persons aged 18-84 were invited to participate during February-May 2021. Among the 9,249 invitations, 3,779 answered the survey (participation rate of 40.9%). More women than men participated, and the age group 45-64 was the most common in both sexes. Around 10% of participants were in the youngest group. A majority of participants were residents of Norrbotten (48%), while almost one fourth were living outside Sápmi (22%). SámiHET has been demonstrated to be a feasible and cost-effective way of investigating health and living conditions among the Sámi in Sweden, providing information easy to compare with Swedish data. The knowledge to be produced may be used to inform policy to guide and improve Sámi health, thus contributing to realising the equal health rights of the Indigenous Sámi in Sweden.