Mental health, self-efficacy and university adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This mixed study evaluated changes and stability in health indicators (depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol consumption and amount of hours of sleep) and the belief in academic self-efficacy of Brazilian university students, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first step, quantitative and longitudinal, investigated 20 students (average age=20.8;SD=3.4) in the period of 2019 and 2020, suggesting the maintenance of mental health indicators and the reduction of alcohol consumption and self-efficacy. In the second, qualitative stage, interviews during the quarantine revealed processes of personal and academic adaptation, in addition to concerns about mental health in the face of the pandemic. Institutional responses by universities to these ongoing challenges are recommended, as opposed to an individual analytical perspective.Copyright © 2023 Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru. All rights reserved.

Mental health, self-efficacy and university adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic

This mixed study evaluated changes and stability in health indicators (depression, anxiety, stress, alcohol consumption and amount of hours of sleep) and the belief in academic self -efficacy of Brazilian university students, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first step, quantitative and longitudinal, investigated 20 students (average age=20.8;SD=3.4) in the period of 2019 and 2020, suggesting the maintenance of mental health indi-cators and the reduction of alcohol consumption and self-efficacy. In the second, qualitative stage, interviews during the quarantine revealed processes of personal and academic adapta-tion, in addition to concerns about mental health in the face of the pandemic. Institutional responses by universities to these ongoing challenges are recommended, as opposed to an individual analytical perspective.

COVID-19 and Candida auris co-infection: an increasing threat

Candida auris has emerged in recent years as an important cause of hospital infection outbreaks around the world. C. auris is an intensive care unit (ICU) environmental colonizer and many hospital environments may harbor C. auris transmission. In addition, in 2020, other countries: Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Colombia and the United States - documented cases of C. auris infection, mostly in patients with a history of COVID-19 infection, highlighting that in the first three countries no isolates were reported prior to this period. Therefore, it is noteworthy that both COVID-19 and C. auris share at least six characteristics that should be highlighted: (a) both pathogens may remain on surfaces, including hospital floors, beds, bedrails, poles, air conditioners and windows;(b) both may present high mortality rates;(c) both pathogens require standard laboratory methods for diagnosis;(d) both present treatment difficulties due to multidrug resistance (C. auris) or no effective medical therapy (SARS-Cov-2);(e) both are globally distributed causing outbreaks in healthcare facilities;(f) both present risk factors, including in cases of mechanical ventilation, diabetes mellitus, protracted ventilator-assisted management, immunosuppression, chronic kidney disease, etc. There is much to be learned about these infectious diseases, particularly in countries with poor hygiene, high population density and intense migratory flows, not to mention international travel contributing substantially to both pandemics. Vigilance practices by hospital committees for infection control and routine diagnostic processes for determining C. auris fungal infection in COVID-19 patients should be implemented. Modern diagnostic tests must be made available worldwide, as well as access to adequate antifungal therapy to manage C. auris infection. All of the aspects mentioned will effectively contribute to reducing mortality by COVID-19 and enable monitoring the emergence of C. auris.

Distance learning in nursing training: Reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: to reflect on the use of distance learning in nursing graduate programs in Brazil in the scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: critical essay through reflections anchored in the literature about the use of distance learning in the training of nurses and circumscriptors resulting from the pandemic. Results: discussions on the use of distance learning in nursing education in Brazil respond to different educational, professional, political and economic interests. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, since 2020, such debates have been intensified due to the use of distance learning methodologies in the continuity of many training courses, once exclusively in person. Conclusion: although the methodologies of distance learning allow, at first, the continuity of the training processes in nursing, it is reaffirmed that teaching-learning for health care demands proximity and contact. © 2020 Universidade Federal da Bahia. All rights reserved.