Time management for STEMM students during the continuing pandemic.

One of the biggest obstacles to success is a lack of practical time management skills. Here, we provide suggestions on how to optimize time management.

Conducting online OSCEs aided by a novel time management web-based system.

BACKGROUND: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are an essential part of the assessment process for medical students. They have traditionally been face-to-face assessments, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools have been forced to attempt to carry them out remotely. OSCEs are difficult to carry out online due to rotation management aspects which make it difficult to synchronize movement of students from one station to another. METHODS: The authors have developed a dynamic OSCE time management website which aids in solving the movement synchronization issue. This secure website enables participants to view the list of stations they are allowed to enter, and the start and end time of each station. OSCE administrators can control time of entry and monitor progress of the OSCE remotely. RESULTS: The authors have used the system to conduct several exams successfully, showing the feasibility and cost effectiveness of this method, as well as user acceptance and satisfaction. In contrast to traditional OSCEs, students are set up in individual virtual rooms for the whole exam while examiners, simulated patients and proctors rotate between them. CONCLUSIONS: This online OSCE implementation shows feasibility, cost effectiveness and acceptance of this method. The authors found that student outcomes are comparable to traditional OSCEs conducted in the past. There was no significant difference in student marks in one exam compared to last year, while marks were slightly higher in two exams, potentially due to lack of physical exam stations. An unresolved drawback is the inability to assess physical exam stations online, although having students verbally describe what they would do in physical exam situations may be a partial solution.

Effect of a prioritization score on the inter-hospital transfer time management of severe COVID-19 patients: a quasi-experimental intervention study.

BACKGROUND: The overburdening of the healthcare system during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is driving the need to create new tools to improve the management of inter-hospital transport for patients with a severe COVID-19 infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the usefulness of the application of a prioritization score (IHTCOVID-19) for inter-hospital transfer of patients with COVID-19 infection. METHODS: The study has a quasi-experimental design and was conducted on the Medical Emergency System, the pre-hospital emergency department of the public company belonging to the Autonomous Government of Catalonia that manages urgent healthcare in the region. Patients with a severe COVID-19 infection requiring inter-hospital transport were consecutively included. The pre-intervention period was from 1 to 31 March 2020, and the intervention period with the IHTCOVID-19 score was from 1 to 30 April 2020 (from 8 am to 8 pm). The prioritization score comprises four priority categories, with Priority 0 being the highest and Priority 3 being the lowest. Inter-hospital transfer (IHT) management times (alert-assignment time, resource management time and total central management time) and their variability were evaluated according to whether or not the IHTCOVID-19 score was applied. RESULTS: A total of 344 IHTs were included: 189 (54.9%) in the pre-intervention period and 155 (45.1%) in the post-intervention period. The majority of patients were male and the most frequent age range was between 50 and 70 years. According to the IHTCOVID-19 score, 12 (3.5%) transfers were classified as Priority 0, 66 (19.4%) as Priority 1, 247 (71.8%) as Priority 2 and 19 (5.6%) as Priority 3. Overall, with the application of the IHTCOVID-19 score, there was a significant reduction in total central management time [from 112.4 (inter-quartile range (IQR) 281.3) to 89.8 min (IQR 154.9); P = 0.012]. This significant reduction was observed in Priority 0 patients [286.2 (IQR 218.5) to 42.0 min (IQR 58); P = 0.018] and Priority 1 patients [130.3 (IQR 297.3) to 75.4 min (IQR 91.1); P = 0.034]. After applying the IHTCOVID-19 score, the average time of the process decreased by 22.6 min, and variability was reduced from 618.1 to 324.0 min. CONCLUSION: The application of the IHTCOVID-19 score in patients with a severe COVID-19 infection reduces IHT management times and variability.

Intervention Effect of Time Management Training on Nurses' Mental Health during the COVID-19 Epidemic.

BACKGROUND: The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has put nurses into a severe test, both physiologically and psychologically. While being required to provide patients with high-quality medical services, nurses also bear the responsibilities and pressures from work, face trauma, disease and even death events, and are thereby more inclined to negative psychological feelings, decline in mental health, and reduction in the quality of their clinical nursing services. Under the background of the COVID-19 epidemic, it is urgent to carry out related intervention in nurses' psychological crisis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The mental health of 400 nurses from three tertiary hospitals in Shanghai, China was assessed from September to December 2020. Then, time management training was conducted for 66 nurses who were voluntarily enrolled in the study. They were divided into the intervention group (35 participants) and the control group (31 participants). RESULTS: After the 16-week intervention, (1) there is a significant decrease in the total SCL-90 score of the intervention group and significant decreases in the scores in the 9 dimensions of the scale, suggesting significant improvement in the mental health level; (2) there is a significant increase in the score of the intervention group in subjective well-being, while there is no significant increase in the control group; (3) There is a significant decrease in the score of the intervention group in work stress reaction, but there is no significant decrease in the control group, and there is a significant increase in the physiological reaction of the control group in the measurement after 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: It is critical to pay attention to and solve the low mental health level of nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic; Time management training can effectively improve the mental health level of nurses, and it is an effective intervention model to promote nurses' mental health and relieve their work stress.

Shortening Door-to-Needle Time by Multidisciplinary Collaboration and Workflow Optimization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate shortening door-to-needle time of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator of acute ischemic stroke patients by multidisciplinary collaboration and workflow optimization based on our hospital resources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included patients undergoing thrombolysis with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator from January 1, 2018, to September 30, 2020. Patients were divided into pre- (January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019) and post-intervention groups (January 1, 2020, to September 31, 2020). We conducted multi-department collaboration and process optimization by implementing 16 different measures in prehospital, in-hospital, and post-acute feedback stages for acute ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis. A comparison of outcomes between both groups was analyzed. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-three patients received intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in our hospital during the study period, with 128 and 135 patients receiving treatment in the pre-intervention and post-intervention groups, respectively. The median (interquartile range) door-to-needle time decreased significantly from 57.0 (45.3-77.8) min to 37.0 (29.0-49.0) min. Door-to-needle time was shortened to 32 min in the post-intervention period in the 3rd quarter of 2020. The door-to-needle times at the metrics of ≤ 30 min, ≤ 45 min, ≤ 60 min improved considerably, and the DNT> 60 min metric exhibited a significant reduction. CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary collaboration and continuous process optimization can result in overall shortened door-to-needle despite the challenges incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effect of Web-Based Time-Use Intervention on Occupational Balance During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND.: Restrictions implemented to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to disruptions in occupational balance among university students. PURPOSE.: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based time-use intervention on the occupational balance of university students. METHOD.: A total of 60 participants were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received eight sessions of web-based time management intervention, while the control group received a single-session web-based time management intervention. Pre-and post-intervention occupational balance of the participants was evaluated with Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ). FINDINGS.: The eight-session intervention was more effective than the single-session intervention in improving OBQ total scores and all individual OBQ item scores except for "Having sufficient things to do during a regular week." IMPLICATIONS.: Occupational therapists can implement web-based time management interventions to promote the occupational balance of university students during the Covid-19 pandemic.

[Pager-supported waiting time management in a university hospital ENT outpatient department : A pilot project for more distance and more comfort]. / Pager-gestütztes Wartezeitmanagement in einer universitären HNO-Ambulanz : Pilotprojekt für mehr Abstand und für mehr Komfort.

BACKGROUND: Due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, sufficient distance between people is absolutely necessary, especially in waiting rooms of medical care institutions. This is frequently difficult to realize due to restricted spatial capacities. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the possibility of enabling patients to spend the waiting period outside of the waiting room of the ENT outpatient department, in order to reduce the number of patients in the waiting rooms and therefore observe distancing rules. This was realized by the use of a pager system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the timeframe of 12.5 weeks (04.06.2020-31.08.2020), ENT outpatients were issued with pagers. The patients could thus move freely within the hospital and grounds. The pager system was activated 10-15 min before the appointment, to call patients back to the outpatient ENT clinic. questionnaires were used to evaluate the system and examine patients' acceptance and satisfaction. RESULTS: The 137 questionnaires analyzed showed satisfaction with the system, not only regarding distancing rules but also with the more comfortable waiting time. CONCLUSION: Introduction of a pager system for patients could help to meet hygiene and distance rules, and also increase comfort during (often unavoidable) waiting times for patients in the university hospital ENT outpatient department. The long-term use of such a system seems promising.

Anticipated health effects and proposed countermeasures following the immediate introduction of telework in response to the spread of COVID-19: The findings of a rapid health impact assessment in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The health effects of telework, which was introduced extensively in the immediate context of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in Japan, on teleworkers, their families, and non-teleworkers, are unknown. Accordingly, we developed a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) to evaluate positive and negative health effects of telework on these groups and recommended easily implementable countermeasures. METHODS: Immediately after an emergency was declared in Japan, we implemented a rapid, five-step HIA. We screened and categorized health effects of telework for the three above-mentioned groups, extracting their content, directionality, and likelihood. Following a scoping exercise to determine the HIA's overall implementation, five experienced occupational health physicians appraised and prioritized the screened items and added new items. We outlined specific countermeasures and disseminated the results on our website. A short-term evaluation was conducted by three external occupational health physicians and three nurses. RESULTS: Following screening and appraisal, 59, 29, and 27 items were listed for teleworkers, non-teleworkers, and family members of teleworkers, respectively, covering work, lifestyle, disease and medical care, and home and community. Targeted countermeasures focused on the work environment, business management, communications, and lifestyles for teleworkers; safety and medical guidelines, work prioritization, and regular communication for non-teleworkers; and shared responsibilities within families and communication outside families for family members of teleworkers. CONCLUSION: The HIA's validity and the countermeasures' practical applicability were confirmed by the external evaluators. They can be easily applied and adapted across diverse industries to mitigate the wider negative effects of telework and enhance its positive effects.

Self-perceived competency of the medical faculty for E-Teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-perceived competency (FSPC) of medical faculty in E-Teaching and support received during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An online well-structured and validated faculty self-perceived competency questionnaire was used to collect responses from medical faculty. The questionnaire consisted of four purposely build sections on competence in student engagement, instructional strategy, technical communication and time management. The responses were recorded using a Likert ordinal scale (1-9). The Questionnaire was uploaded at www.surveys.google.com and the link was distributed through social media outlets and e-mails. Descriptive statistics and Independent paired t-test were used for analysis and comparison of quantitative and qualitative variables. A p-value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 738 responses were assessed. Nearly 54% (397) participants had less than 5 years of teaching experience, 24.7% (182) had 6-10 years and 11.7% (86) had 11-15 years teaching expertise. 75.6% (558) respondents have delivered online lectures during the pandemic. Asynchronous methods were used by 61% (450) and synchronous by 39% (288) of participants. Moreover, 22.4% (165) participants revealed that their online lectures were evaluated by a structured feedback from experts, while 38.3% participants chose that their lectures were not evaluated. A significant difference (p < 0.01) was found between FSPC scores and online teaching evaluation by experts. The mean score of FSPC scale was 5.62±1.15. The mean score for student's engagement, instructional strategies, technical communication and time management were of 5.18±1.60, 5.67±1.61, 5.49±1.71 and 6.12±1.67 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Medical faculty members were found somewhat competent in E-teaching for student engagement, instructional strategy, technical communication and time management skills. Faculty receiving feedback was more competent in comparison to peers teaching without feedback.

Commentary: Challenges for PhD students during COVID-19 pandemic: Turning crisis into an opportunity.

COVID-19 results in the suspension of life all over the world. Universities suspended their academic activities except for online courses for undergrad and grad students. However, PhD students in both biochemistry and molecular biology fields must hold their experiments at the laboratories. Even under these extreme circumstances, the academic journey of a master's or PhD student should not be stopped; on contrary, they need to use these times to improve their knowledge related to their fields. Therefore, they can turn this COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for themselves.