Attitudes and Practices Regarding Influenza Vaccination Among Healthcare Workers Providing Services to Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 933-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherri L. LaVela ◽  
Bridget Smith ◽  
Frances M. Weaver ◽  
Marcia W. Legro ◽  
Barry Goldstein ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:To examine influenza vaccination status and predictors for vaccine receipt among healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for patients with spinal cord injuries and disorders.Design:Cross-sectional, nationwide anonymous survey.Setting:Twenty-three Veterans Affairs spinal cord injury centers.Participants:One thousand five hundred fifty-six HCWs.Methods:The primary outcome was staff vaccination status. Independent variables included staff demographic and employment characteristics, health status, attitudes and beliefs about the vaccine, and implications for its use.Results:The staff vaccination rate was 51%. Leading motivators of vaccine receipt were self-protection (77%) and patient protection (49%). The most common reasons for nonreceipt were concerns about side effects (49%), preventive quality (20%), and inconvenience (14%). Logistic regression results suggested that age of 50 years or older (OR, 1.47; P = .021), male gender (OR, 2.50; P < .001), strong belief in vaccine effectiveness (OR, 19.03; P = .008), and importance of HCW vaccination (OR, 20.50; P = .005) significantly increased the probability of vaccination. Recommending the vaccine to coworkers, patients, or patients' families was also associated with HCW vaccination (OR, 3.20; P < .001). Providers who did not believe the vaccine was protective (P < .001) or effective P < .001) were less likely to recommend it to patients.Conclusions:Strategies to increase vaccination rates among HCWs should address concerns about side effects, effectiveness, and protective value of the vaccine and access to it. The impact of provider recommendations should be stressed. Vaccination and subsequent prevention of illness may limit morbidity and mortality, thus benefiting HCWs, healthcare facilities, and patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoud Hatefi ◽  
AmirHosein Meisami ◽  
Alalleh Dalvand ◽  
Milad Borji

Background: Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are a variety of chronic diseases that various causes such as trauma may contribute to its onset. One of the problems in these patients is the problem of physical activity and, consequently, daily activities. Objectives: This study aimed to assess daily living of patients with SCI. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study in 2019, 120 patients with SCI in Kermanshah were included in the study using purposive sampling. The instruments used in this study fell into two parts. One part included the demographic characteristics of the SCI patients, and the other part was a questionnaire of the rate of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire (IPA-P). Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 16 using descriptive tests such as mean and standard deviation. Results: The result showed there was a significant relationship between demographic characteristics such as education (P < 0.007), time of spinal cord injury (P < 0.01), and income (P = 0.000). Also, the results showed there was a relationship between Autonomy and Participation, and the age of patients and their autonomy and participation decreased with age (P = 0.000, R = 0.72). Most of the patients had severe problems with daily activities. Also, most patients had very poor scores in relation to daily living activities. Conclusions: Considering the low rate of participation and autonomy in patients with SCI, it is suggested to conduct studies aimed at improving their self-care and social participation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 1078-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda E. Chisholm ◽  
Taha Qaiser ◽  
Alison M. M. Williams ◽  
Gevorg Eginyan ◽  
Tania Lam

Many people with motor-incomplete spinal cord injury (m-iSCI) experience difficulty navigating obstacles, such as curbs and stairs. The ability to relearn walking skills may be limited by proprioceptive deficits. The purpose of this study was to determine the capacity of participants to acquire a precision walking skill, and to evaluate the influence of proprioceptive deficits on the skill acquisition in individuals with m-iSCI. Sixteen individuals with m-iSCI and eight controls performed a precision walking task that required matching their foot height to a target during the swing phase. Proprioceptive deficits were quantified at the hip and knee for joint position and movement detection sense. Participants completed 600 steps of training with visual feedback. Pretraining and posttraining tests were conducted without visual feedback, along with a transfer test with an ankle weight. Posttraining and transfer tests were repeated 1 day later. Participants returned to the laboratory 1 wk later to repeat the training. Performance was calculated as the vertical distance between the target and actual foot height for each step. The posttraining and transfer performances were similar between groups. However, participants with m-iSCI had a slower rate of acquisition to achieve a similar performance level compared with controls. Acquisition rate and posttraining performance of the precision walking task were related to lower limb joint position sense among SCI participants. Although they can achieve a similar level of performance in a precision walking task, proprioceptive deficits impair the rate of learning among individuals with m-iSCI compared with able-bodied controls. NEW & NOTEWORTHY People with motor-incomplete spinal cord injuries are able to achieve the same level of performance accuracy on a precision walking task as able-bodied controls; however, the rate of learning is slower, indicating that more practice is required to stabilize performance. Our findings also show a relationship between impaired sensory function and reduced accuracy when performing a precision walking task after spinal cord injury.


2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Michael Burns ◽  
Sigmund Hough ◽  
Briana L. Boyd ◽  
Justin Hill

Men constitute 82% of the approximately 250,000 people in the United States living with a spinal cord injury. Unfortunately, however, little is known about the impact of men’s adherence to gender norms on their adjustment to such injuries. The present investigation examined the utility of masculine norms in explaining variance in depression beyond that accounted for by commonly identified predictors of men’s adjustment following spinal cord injury. As hypothesized, results suggested that men’s adherence to masculine norms accounted for unique variance in their depression scores beyond that contributed by social support, environmental barriers/access, and erectile functioning. Respondents who adhered to norms stressing the primacy of men’s work demonstrated lower rates of depression, whereas those who conformed to norms for self-reliance demonstrated higher depression scores. The authors discuss future research directions and potential psychotherapeutic strategies for working with men with spinal cord injuries.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina M. Al Marzouqi ◽  
Michael E. Otim ◽  
Leena S. Kehail ◽  
Ramsha A. Kamal

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19 Pandemic) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It is a global health issue that continues to have an impact on many aspects of everyday life. A new variant, Omicron variant, has just been detected in Southern Africa. Most countries are jittery and unsure what the impact of this new variant will be. This study, undertaken in 2021, investigated the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) related to the COVID-19 Pandemic among healthcare workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Methods: We used an online questionnaire to collect data using the Google Forms link in this cross-sectional study. The participants included healthcare workers currently working in UAE healthcare facilities using snowball sampling. The questionnaire contained information on demographic variables and COVID-19 Pandemic-related KAP.Results: Among the participants, the majority (90.7%) knew that the absence of fever did not mean there was no chance of transmission from an infected person. Further, 84.1% agreed that wearing general medical face masks helps prevent one from contracting COVID-19 Pandemic. However, only 36.4% strongly believed that wearing a well-fitting face mask was effective. In addition, only 15.9% reported confidently managing patients with symptoms of COVID-19 Pandemic, while 54.2% indicated they were afraid of contracting the virus from patients. Almost half the participants noted that they avoided patients who had symptoms of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Conclusion: Overall, the COVID-19 Pandemic-related KAP for healthcare workers in UAE healthcare facilities was very high. However, we found gaps in awareness regarding the spread of the virus. We recommend providing healthcare workers with education programs and counseling services to help increase their confidence in treating patients with the COVID-19 Pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Anwar Hossain ◽  
K M Amran Hossain ◽  
Mohamed Sakel ◽  
Md. Feroz Kabir ◽  
Karen Saunders ◽  
...  

AbstractStudy DesignA prospective cross-sectional survey.ObjectiveThe study aimed to examine the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) of people living with Spinal cord injury (SCI) towards COVID-19 and their psychological status during in-patient rehabilitation in Bangladesh.SettingThe Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) and the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), two tertiary level hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh.MethodsFrom July to September 2020, a prospective, cross-sectional survey of SCI subjects, 13-78 years of age, carried out in two SCI rehab centers in Bangladesh. Data has been collected by face to face interview through a pretested, and language validated questionnaire on KAP and Depression, Anxiety, Stress (DASS). Ethical approval and trial registration obtained prospectively. As all the patients were previously living with Spinal cord injury (SCI), therefore, all the patients admitted/ attend SCI rehab centers were considered as SCI positive samples.ResultsA total of 207 people with SCI responded, 87%were male, and 13% were female with mean age34.18±12.9 years. 33.8% was tetraplegic and 66.2% was paraplegic and 63.8% of them were diagnosed ASIA-A, with motor score 45.38±19.5, sensory score 97.2±52, SpO2 95.07±3.3, and Vo2max 35.7±3.7mL/kg/min. 178 people had at least one health issue. Overall knowledge score was 8.59±2.3 out of 12, depression 11.18±8, anxiety 7.72±5.1, and stress was 9.32±6.7 from a total of 21 scores each. There was a correlation between Knowledge and DASS with age (P<.05); and Knowledge with gender (P<.05), and education (P<.01). Binary logistic regression found a higher association of Knowledge and DASS with gender (OR 6.6, 6.6, .95, 6.6; P<.01); and young age (OR.418, P<.01), illiterate (OR3.81, P<.01), and rural people (OR.48, P<.05) with knowledge. A linear relation was noted between depression and anxiety scores (r.45, P<.01) and stress scores (r.58, P<.01). A positive attitude was reported for the majority of subjects. SCI Persons reported they and the caregiver followed health advisory in consulting health professionals (65.7%), isolation (63.8%), droplet precaution (87.4%), and hygiene (90.3%).ConclusionsDuring in-patient rehabilitation in Bangladesh, the majority of SCI reported that they had communicated with health professionals and practiced behaviors that would reduce transmission and risk of COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Mark Züchner ◽  
Manuel J. Escalona ◽  
Lena Hammerlund Teige ◽  
Evangelos Balafas ◽  
Lili Zhang ◽  
...  

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a medically, psychologically and socially disabling condition. A large body of our knowledge on the basic mechanisms of SCI has been gathered in rodents. For preclinical validation of promising therapies, the use of animal models that are closer to humans has several advantages. This has promoted a more intensive development of large animal models for SCI during the past decade. We have recently developed a multimodal SCI apparatus for large animals that generated biomechanically reproducible impacts in vivo. It is composed of a spring-load impactor and support systems for the spinal cord and the vertebral column. We now present the functional outcome of farm pigs and minipigs injured with different lesion strengths. There was a correlation between the biomechanical characteristics of the impact, the functional outcome, and the tissue damage observed several weeks after injury. We also provide a detailed description of the procedure to generate such a SCI in both farm pigs and minipigs, in the hope to ease the adoption of the swine model by other research groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1503-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Fiona Jones ◽  
Grahame Simpson ◽  
Lynne Briggs ◽  
Pat Dorsett ◽  
Malcolm Anderson

Objective: To test a model of spiritual well-being and resilience among individuals with spinal cord injuries and their family members. Design: Prospective cross-sectional observational data were analyzed by structural equation modelling. Setting: Inpatient and community services at one rehabilitation hospital. Subjects: Individual with spinal cord injury ( n = 50) and family member ( n = 50) dyads. Interventions: Standard rehabilitation, both inpatient and community. Main measure(s): Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy – spiritual well-being scale – expanded, Connor–Davidson resilience scale, positive and negative affect scale, depression anxiety and stress scale–21, satisfaction with life scale. Results: Median time post-injury was 8.95 months (IQR (interquartile range) = 14.15). Individuals with spinal cord injury and family members reported high scores for both spiritual well-being (66.06 ± 14.89; 68.42 ± 13.75) and resilience (76.68 ± 13.88; 76.64 ± 11.75), respectively. Analysis found the model had acceptable fit (e.g. chi-square goodness of fit statistic = 38.789; P = .263). For individuals with spinal cord injury, spiritual well-being was positively associated with resilience which, in turn, was associated with increasing positive affect and satisfaction with life. Among family members, spiritual well-being was positively associated with resilience. Resilience was then associated with lowered levels of depression and mediated the impact of depression on satisfaction with life. Limited evidence was found for mutual dyadic links, with the only significant pathway finding that resilience in the individual with spinal cord injury was associated with increased satisfaction with life among family members. Conclusion: Increased spirituality and resilience make a significant contribution (both independently and in combination) to positive psychological outcomes for both individuals with spinal cord injury and their family members.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 766
Author(s):  
Gabriella Di Giuseppe ◽  
Concetta P. Pelullo ◽  
Andrea Paolantonio ◽  
Giorgia Della Polla ◽  
Maria Pavia

This cross-sectional survey was designed to evaluate hospital healthcare workers’ (HCWs) willingness to receive the influenza vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the related determinants, since it is plausible that the two epidemics will coexist in future winters. Overall, 68% out of 490 participants expressed their willingness to receive influenza vaccination in the 2020/21 season, with 95% of those ever and 45.8% of those never vaccinated in the previous six influenza seasons. Belief that influenza vaccine is useful in distinguishing influenza symptoms from those of COVID-19 and that the influenza vaccine is useful to prevent influenza in hospital settings, willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination, having no concern about influenza vaccine side effects, concern about the possibility to transmit influenza to hospitalized patients, and influenza vaccination in previous years were all predictors of willingness to receive influenza vaccination. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a relevant increase in the willingness to undergo influenza vaccination was reported. Therefore, interventions focused primarily on enabling factors are needed to promote the adherence to influenza vaccination in future seasons among HCWs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (Suppl1) ◽  
pp. 52-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Bransford ◽  
Jens R. Chapman ◽  
Andrea C. Skelly ◽  
Ellen M. VanAlstyne

Object The purpose of this paper was to systematically review and critically appraise the evidence for whether there are differences in outcomes or recovery after thoracic spinal cord injuries (SCIs) based on the spinal level, the timing of intervention, or cause of SCI. Methods Systematic searches were conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE through January 5, 2012. From 486 articles identified, 10 included data on the population of interest. Included studies were assigned a level of evidence (LOE) rating based on study quality, and an overall strength of evidence was assessed. To estimate the effect of injury level on patient outcomes, the relative risk and risk difference were calculated when data were available. Results From 486 citations identified, 3 registry studies and 7 retrospective cohort studies met the inclusion criteria. All were rated as being of poor quality (LOE III). Limited literature exists on the epidemiology of traumatic and nontraumatic SCI. Few studies evaluated outcomes based on SCI level within the thoracic spine. Pulmonary complications and thromboembolic events were less common in persons with lower thoracic SCI (T7–12) than in those with higher thoracic SCI (T1–6) in 2 large studies, but no differences were found in functional outcomes in 4 smaller studies. Patients undergoing earlier surgery (< 72 hours) may have fewer ventilator, ICU, and hospital days than those undergoing later surgery. One small study of SCI during repair of aortic aneurysm compared with traumatic SCI reported similar outcomes for both groups. There are substantial deficiencies in the scientific literature on thoracic SCI in regard to assessment, outcomes ratings, and effectiveness of therapy. Conclusions The overall strength of evidence for all outcomes reported is low. Definitive conclusions should not be drawn regarding the prognosis for outcome and recovery after thoracic SCI. From a physiological standpoint, additional methodologically rigorous studies that take into consideration various levels of injury in more anatomically and physiologically relevant form are needed. Use of validated, comprehensive outcomes tools are important to improve our understanding of the impact of thoracic SCI and aid in examining factors in recovery from thoracic SCI.


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