Improving Clinician Well-being and Patient Safety Through Human-Centered Design.

This Viewpoint discusses the need for clinicians to be involved in every stage of the development of patient safety interventions in order to not only improve patient care, but also maximize the interventions' effectiveness and ensure clinician well-being and buy-in.

Universal Design and Interoperable Digital Platforms Between Conservation and New Fruition Opportunities. The Case Study of Arianna's Domus in Pompeii.

The paper aims to examine the last results of experimental and interdisciplinary research, started in the archaeological area in Pompeii by the "Federico II" University in 2010, on the enlarged fruition in Pompeii. After Covid-19 pandemic is necessary to rethink the use of the archaeological site considering the need put in place by the health emergency, combining instances of a perception of the archaeological heritage in safety with those of a direct and indirect experience, rationalized and increased thanks to the Universal Design and the use of new interoperable technologies. The increase of knowledge, the survey, and the digitalization of the acquisition processes, by developing optimized methodologies for integrated surveying and modeling for the Heritage Building Information Modeling (H-BIM) and for the archiving and management of data relating to the heritage, facilitate the sharing of cognitive elements starting from new methodologies and processes of knowledge. The searches, in line with the themes of the Universal Design and thanks to an interoperable web-based platform, experiment technological devices for the accessibility in relationship with the changed needs of cultural fruition due to the pandemic. A special focus analyse on how the conscious use of new technologies may be the key to understand the material and immaterial traces of the case study: Arianna's domus, in the Regio VII, Insula IV.

Interpreting Inclusion for Sanitation Perspectives from India: A Contextual Approach to Universal Design.

Access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for all is fundamental for sustenance. Goal 6 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals urges that 'universal access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene' is fundamental as a response in the current post-COVID scenario. Despite Government of India's efforts through programs like Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission, there is a long way to go to integrate equity and inclusion in the sanitation facilities of the public realm. This paper is an attempt to understand the aspect of inclusion in sanitation systems of urban public spaces of India, limiting the study to Delhi and Noida, which are in the National Capital Region (NCR). The aim is to explore the contextual challenges of universal design in public sanitation and develop an understanding of what makes a public toilet inclusive in the urban Indian context. A field-based, mixed methods approach is followed which begins with a literature review of government policies & schemes and theoretical understanding of inclusion as well as the role of universal design as an approach to achieve inclusion. This is followed by on-ground studies involving ethnographic surveys, analysis of imagery and field observations. The results show an analysis of the inclusive aspects of sanitation under the thematic domains of public perception, usage preferences and issues in the public toilet experience. The sanitation facilities in urban public spaces are used by a diverse population and the results showcase a collection of the qualitative experiences of a varied set of user groups. The subjective challenges of inclusive sanitation are highlighted through the various stages and components of the entire sanitation system - the design & infrastructure, operations & maintenance, and behavioural patterns. This paper tries to raise new grounded questions to further explore the highlighted marginal distinctions between inclusion and accessibility in the urban public sanitation experience of India.

Understanding the Quality of Life of Indian Elderly During COVID-19 Pandemic from Universal Design Perspective.

India is rapidly growing towards a demographic future where a significant proportion of the population is over 60 years and above. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the restrictions imposed to minimize the virus transmission have a detrimental effect on the Quality of Life (QoL) of the elderly, limiting their mobility and social interaction. As a result, social isolation and loneliness have become significant health issues. This study attempts to understand the QoL of Indian elderly during COVID-19 pandemic from universal design (UD) perspective. The objectives were: (a) Discuss the QoL of Indian elderly during COVID-19; (b) Identify the factors affecting QoL of elderly during pandemic; (c) Find the link between factors associated with QoL and UD philosophy. These objectives were achieved by desk-based literature review and a pilot study of Solanipuram, a typical urban neighborhood in Roorkee located in Northern India. Personal in-depth interview sessions with limited number of (n=20) participants aged 60 years and above; belonging to upper-middle income group, are conducted and analyzed using the inductive thematic technique. The previous research suggests that, to date, QoL has been described as well-being resulting from physical, functional, emotional, social, and environmental factors. Whereas, UD allows for the inclusion of the 'cultural' dimension into the discussions. Especially in a country with diversity like India, where elderly discusses the impact of physical distancing, limited mobility, and social interactions on their QoL during COVID-19. This study indicates that the application of UD philosophy in response to pandemic can promote well-being and enhance the QoL of elderly.

Return to work considerations in the lingering COVID-19 Era: Long COVID, multiple chemical sensitivity, and universal design.

This article discusses how COVID-19 has impacted the American workforce, symptoms of Long COVID syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and ways to avoid triggering its symptoms when sanitizing the workplace and using Universal Design practices to increase accessibility and decrease transmission of COVID-19 among workers. Interface with healthcare providers, rehabilitation professionals, and employers is emphasized.

Online Training in Accessibility and Design for All: A Tool to Train Post-COVID Inclusive Graduates.

Agenda 2030 expresses, through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and in particular through No. 4, the need to ensure an inclusive and equitable education, which promotes learning opportunities for all. At the university level, all students are urged to acquire the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge to promote sustainable development, so that they become graduates capable of facing the challenges of the future and the real demands of a society marked by heterogeneity, including the needs of people with some kind of disability. In this sense, the present work analyzed the impact of a transversal training program in Design for All on university degree students. For this purpose, a descriptive and comparative ex post facto study was developed in which the impact of an online training program was quantified by establishing comparative pre- and post-training. The results indicate that the approach, through the delivery of a training xplain eon Design for All, contributed to a change in the perceptions of students regarding disability, its role in the university and in the future workplace. Furthermore, it increased the knowledge of institutional action undertaken in terms of awareness and approach to human disability.

Innovation Through Universal Design in Agile UX Software Development Teams. A Collaborative Case Study of an Under Graduate AR Tourist Guide Project.

The study has the objective of designing AR tourist guide mobile app within an academic teaching framework facilitating collaborative (e.g. external commercial partners), cooperative (i.e. external academic experts) and user-centred design (UCD). [1]The tourist guide app, VisitAR, is a digitized tour application that portrays information in the form of landmarks and information windows. VisitAR provides a seamless walking experience in real-time by using your location, and triggering pop up information windows while you walk at Carlingford Ireland. The application testing was completed by using several usability evaluation methods i.e. technical field testing, living lab testing including speaking thoughts out loud, usability focus group testing and usability analysis As a result, by teaching UD within an experiential, living lab, a more realistic design context is provided, addressing realistic UX and SD, allowing deployment of potentially commercially viable solutions, which address the needs of a more diverse range of end users. As part of this case study, both qualitative and quantitative data related to UX, usability and SD from each stage of development was evaluated.

Accessibility Planning for Higher Education Campuses in India: A Contextual Approach to Universal Design.

Accessibility in higher education campuses of India paves way for inclusion.This paper shares perspectives from three diverse campuses from India and highlights the accessibility paradigms in their respective contexts. It further elaborates the contextual measures of accessibility and universal design from these examples with larger focus on physical attributes of accessibility. Challenges of historic and mixed use campus alongwith high ecological footprint pose distinct perspectives to accessible built environments in higher education. Comparative understanding of accessibility through structured metrics and mapping with Universal Design goals leads to development of a framework to assess and guide universal design approach in higher education in similar contexts. It argues that Universal design approach requires a contextual interpretation for contexts like these and may reflect new interpretations to existing theories. New Education Policy by the Government of India and Covid'19 as pandemic have furthered the need and understanding of accessibility in higher education with some degree of universaliaton and some degree of contextualization.

A novel fully automatic design approach of a 3D printed face specific mask: Proof of concept.

The use of high quality facemasks is indispensable in the light of the current COVID pandemic. This study proposes a fully automatic technique to design a face specific mask. Through the use of stereophotogrammetry, computer-assisted design and three-dimensional (3D) printing, we describe a protocol for manufacturing facemasks perfectly adapted to the individual face characteristics. The face specific mask was compared to a universal design of facemask and different filter container's designs were merged with the mask body. Subjective assessment of the face specific mask demonstrated tight closure at the nose, mouth and chin area, and permits the normal wearing of glasses. A screw-drive locking system is advised for easy assembly of the filter components. Automation of the process enables high volume production but still allows sufficient designer interaction to answer specific requirements. The suggested protocol can be used to provide more comfortable, effective and sustainable solution compared to a single use, standardized mask. Subsequent research on printing materials, sterilization technique and compliance with international regulations will facilitate the introduction of the face specific mask in clinical practice as well as for general use.

How to Leverage Collaborations Between the BME Community and Local Hospitals to Address Critical Personal Protective Equipment Shortages During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains across the world, resulting in a critical shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers. To preserve PPE for healthcare providers treating COVID-19 positive patients and to reduce asymptomatic transmission, the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Colorado, Denver | Anschutz Medical Campus collaborated with National Jewish Health to design and test patterns for cloth face coverings. A public campaign to sew and donate the final pattern was launched and over 2500 face coverings have been donated as a result. Now that nearly three million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the United States, many state and local governments are requiring cloth face coverings be worn in public. Here, we present the collaborative design and testing process, as well as the final pattern for non-patient facing hospital workers and community members alike.

A Universal Design of Betacoronavirus Vaccines against COVID-19, MERS, and SARS.

Vaccines are urgently needed to control the ongoing pandemic COVID-19 and previously emerging MERS/SARS caused by coronavirus (CoV) infections. The CoV spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) is an attractive vaccine target but is undermined by limited immunogenicity. We describe a dimeric form of MERS-CoV RBD that overcomes this limitation. The RBD-dimer significantly increased neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers compared to conventional monomeric form and protected mice against MERS-CoV infection. Crystal structure showed RBD-dimer fully exposed dual receptor-binding motifs, the major target for NAbs. Structure-guided design further yielded a stable version of RBD-dimer as a tandem repeat single-chain (RBD-sc-dimer) which retained the vaccine potency. We generalized this strategy to design vaccines against COVID-19 and SARS, achieving 10- to 100-fold enhancement of NAb titers. RBD-sc-dimers in pilot scale production yielded high yields, supporting their scalability for further clinical development. The framework of immunogen design can be universally applied to other beta-CoV vaccines to counter emerging threats.

Application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Principles to Surgical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we have faced unprecedented challenges in the delivery of surgical education. At the time of writing, changes to the structure and nature of the surgical workforce are occurring rapidly, even daily. Surgical educators are utilizing remote learning solutions, including flipped classroom approaches, online educational materials, telemedicine, and simulations, to continue education for surgical residents despite cancelations of face-to-face instruction. Our objective is to delineate an interdisciplinary strategy, utilizing the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), by which we can optimize learning during this pandemic. DESIGN: This perspective describes the UDL framework which can be used to situate solutions to issues with delivery of surgical education during this pandemic within the broader view of strategic inclusive instructional design to meet diverse learning needs.. CONCLUSION: The principles of UDL can inform curricular and pedagogical changes in surgical education that may be employed during a time of social distancing, isolation, and quarantine. UDL involves planning flexibility into curricular design from the outset, recognizing that learners are varied in their learning preferences and capabilities, motivational characteristics, and environmental constraints. Viewing the design of remote learning opportunities through the UDL lens aims to remove barriers to learning during this pandemic by targeting three areas: expansion of the means that information is communicated, ways that learners are supported and motivated, and approaches to assessing learning through available distance learning technologies.