Preventive and responsive plans to COVID-19 epidemic in a leading teaching hospital in Milan, Italy

Abstract Issue Following the SARS-Cov-2 outbreak in Wuhan, China, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Codogno, Lombardy, Italy, on 20 February 2020. The ongoing epidemic has exposed the health care system to a severe stress. San Raffaele Hospital (OSR) in Milan, Italy - a leader in the emergency management, may provide a benchmarking experience useful for other countries. Description of the Problem OSR has established a task force including the health care director, the Infections Prevention and Control Committee (IPCC) and the head of ward and outpatients' facilities management area in order to assess the situation and to define a multi-step strategy. The management process has been divided in two steps. Firstly, a preventive phase was devised, in a preparedness perspective, to avoid the spread of the infection to the Healthcare Professionals (HCP). Secondly, a reorganizational phase was implemented to guarantee assistance to infected patients, especially the critical ones. Results Before the outbreak, the IPCC updated OSR's procedures, based on the WHO's, national and regional guidance, planned a lectures series and an online survey to train healthcare professionals and proposed to stack Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to face the expected shortage. The Head of the facilities management area defined separate pathways in the Emergency Department in order to isolate patients with respiratory symptoms, set up a new ward, with 26 beds and dedicated personnel, as well as two Intensive Care Units, with 13 beds, Some wards were merged and more healthcare workers were moved to the COVID-19 units. Lessons The coordination between task force members has been crucial for translating the multi-step strategy in a quick reorganization of the whole hospital. Despite early preparations, we could not anticipate the evolution of the outbreak and its logistic impact, especially on the PPE procurement. Key messages A major Hospital was proved to be capable to respond to the changing healthcare requests. Organizational flexibility is crucial for proper emergency management.

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Infection Prevention Considerations for a Multi-Mission Convention Center Field Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2021.210 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-21

Author(s):

Jennifer A. Jones ◽

Zishan K. Siddiqui ◽

Charles Callahan ◽

Surbhi Leekha ◽

Sharon Smyth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Diagnostic Testing ◽

The United States ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Field Hospital ◽

First Case ◽

Convention Center ◽

Set Up ◽

And Control

Abstract The state of Maryland identified its first case of COVID-19 on March 5, 2020. The Baltimore Convention Center (BCCFH) quickly became a selected location to set up a 250-bed inpatient Field Hospital and Alternate Care Site. In contrast to other field hospitals throughout the United States, the BCCFH remained open throughout the pandemic and took on additional COVID-19 missions, including community SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing, monoclonal antibody infusions for COVID-19 outpatients, and community COVID-19 vaccinations. At the time of publication, the BCCFH had cared for 1,478 COVID-19 inpatients, performed 108,155 COVID-19 tests, infused 2,166 COVID-19 patients, and administered 115,169 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. To prevent the spread of pathogens during operations, infection prevention and control guidelines were essential to ensure the safety of staff and patients. Through multi-agency collaboration, utilization of infection prevention best practices, and answering what we describe as “PPE-ESP”, an operational framework was established to reduce infection risks for those providing or receiving care at the BCCFH during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Health Literacy, eHealth Literacy, Adherence to Infection Prevention and Control Procedures, Lifestyle Changes, and Suspected COVID-19 Symptoms Among Health Care Workers During Lockdown: Online Survey

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/22894 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. e22894

Author(s):

Binh N Do ◽

Tien V Tran ◽

Dung T Phan ◽

Hoang C Nguyen ◽

Thao T P Nguyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Online Survey ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Ehealth Literacy ◽

Care Workers ◽

Lower Likelihood ◽

And Control

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a heavy burden on health care systems and governments. Health literacy (HL) and eHealth literacy (as measured by the eHealth Literacy Scale [eHEALS]) are recognized as strategic public health elements but they have been underestimated during the pandemic. HL, eHEALS score, practices, lifestyles, and the health status of health care workers (HCWs) play crucial roles in containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the eHEALS and examine associations of HL and eHEALS scores with adherence to infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures, lifestyle changes, and suspected COVID-19 symptoms among HCWs during lockdown. Methods We conducted an online survey of 5209 HCWs from 15 hospitals and health centers across Vietnam from April 6 to April 19, 2020. Participants answered questions related to sociodemographics, HL, eHEALS, adherence to IPC procedures, behavior changes in eating, smoking, drinking, and physical activity, and suspected COVID-19 symptoms. Principal component analysis, correlation analysis, and bivariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to validate the eHEALS and examine associations. Results The eHEALS had a satisfactory construct validity with 8 items highly loaded on one component, with factor loadings ranked from 0.78 to 0.92 explaining 76.34% of variance; satisfactory criterion validity as correlated with HL (ρ=0.42); satisfactory convergent validity with high item-scale correlations (ρ=0.80-0.84); and high internal consistency (Cronbach α=.95). HL and eHEALS scores were significantly higher in men (unstandardized coefficient [B]=1.01, 95% CI 0.57-1.45, P<.001; B=0.72, 95% CI 0.43-1.00, P<.001), those with a better ability to pay for medication (B=1.65, 95% CI 1.25-2.05, P<.001; B=0.60, 95% CI 0.34-0.86, P<.001), doctors (B=1.29, 95% CI 0.73-1.84, P<.001; B 0.56, 95% CI 0.20-0.93, P=.003), and those with epidemic containment experience (B=1.96, 95% CI 1.56-2.37, P<.001; B=0.64, 95% CI 0.38-0.91, P<.001), as compared to their counterparts, respectively. HCWs with higher HL or eHEALS scores had better adherence to IPC procedures (B=0.13, 95% CI 0.10-0.15, P<.001; B=0.22, 95% CI 0.19-0.26, P<.001), had a higher likelihood of healthy eating (odds ratio [OR] 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.06, P=.001; OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02-1.07, P=.002), were more physically active (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.03, P<.001; OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03-1.05, P<.001), and had a lower likelihood of suspected COVID-19 symptoms (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98, P<.001; OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.95-0.98, P<.001), respectively. Conclusions The eHEALS is a valid and reliable survey tool. Gender, ability to pay for medication, profession, and epidemic containment experience were independent predictors of HL and eHEALS scores. HCWs with higher HL or eHEALS scores had better adherence to IPC procedures, healthier lifestyles, and a lower likelihood of suspected COVID-19 symptoms. Efforts to improve HCWs’ HL and eHEALS scores can help to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and minimize its consequences.

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HERBAL MEDICINES QUESTIONNAIRE AND EVALUATION OF ATTITUDE, PERCEPTIONS AND SELF-USE AMONG HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS IN RAK, UAE: PILOT STUDY

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.22159/ijpps.2019v11i3.29945 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 86-90

Author(s):

AMAD M. AL-AZZAWI ◽

NEHAD MEHDI ◽

ALYAA G. AL-JUBOORI ◽

ANAM EJAZ ◽

HANEEN ALI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Herbal Medicine ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Task Force ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Care Providers ◽

Item Questionnaire

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of different healthcare professionals towards HM. Methods: The 16-item questionnaire on the belief of health care professionals in herbal medicine was designed by the interdisciplinary task force. Eligible participants were health care providers who were English-and Arabic-literate. The response rate was 78% of participants (781 of 1000) were respondents. In total, 553 out of 781 (71%) participants indicated that they had previously used herbal medicines. The remaining 228 participants did not believe in herbal medicine due to lack of scientific evidence, ineffectiveness and other reasons. Results: The findings of this study indicate that health care professionals including pharmacists believe they have a responsibility to provide information on HM to their patients. However, the current consensus among the respondents is that current HM-focused knowledge is inadequate for such an application. Conclusion: Health care professionals believe in using HM for their needs and have a responsibility to provide information on HM to their patients.

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Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Employee Retention among Healthcare Professionals in the United States

Business and Economic Research ◽

10.5296/ber.v6i2.9831 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 235 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mouhamadou Sow ◽

Ambroise Ntamon ◽

Rosa Osuoha

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Transformational Leadership ◽

Organizational Performance ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Turnover Intentions ◽

The United States ◽

Leadership Components

With the endemic health care professional shortage seen both in the United States as well as globally, retaining staff is a high priority. Much like other organizations who rely on human capital, health care professionals are the most important resource for improving patient outcomes, and for achieving organizational performance. Leaders must effectively manage their employees in order to retain top talent and meet organizational goals. One reason for high turnover rates among healthcare professionals is the lack of recognition they are given by their leaders. With this in mind, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between transformational leadership components and turnover intentions of health care professionals. One hundred and twenty-seven healthcare professionals from the United States participated in the survey. Participants were recruited through a LinkedIn group of healthcare professionals. More than 100 healthcare professionals from the United States responded to an online survey that contained the Global Transformational Leadership Scale, The Turnover Intention Scale, and demographic questions to describe the sample. A correlational analysis was conducted to determine the type of relationship between the health care professional’s perceptions of their supervisors’ transformational leadership and their intent to turnover. The results of this study support the theory of transformational leadership. The health care professionals’ turnover intentions were negatively correlated with the transformational leadership components, which indicate that as their turnover intentions increased their positive rating of their supervisors’ transformational leadership behaviors decreased.

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Civilian-Military Collaboration before and during COVID-19 Pandemic—A Systematic Review and a Pilot Survey among Practitioners

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su14020624 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 624

Author(s):

Amir Khorram-Manesh ◽

Luc J. Mortelmans ◽

Yohan Robinson ◽

Frederick M. Burkle ◽

Krzysztof Goniewicz

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Emergency Management ◽

Online Survey ◽

Control Level ◽

Command And Control ◽

Healthcare Organizations ◽

Safety Communication ◽

Communication Assessment ◽

Military Healthcare ◽

And Control

Due to the similarity in skills and assets, Civilian-Military collaboration has emerged as one of the most reliable partnerships during the disaster and public health emergency management to address all necessary elements of surge capacity, i.e., staff, stuff, structure (space), and systems. This study aimed to evaluate this collaboration before and during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic. The outcomes of the systematic review revealed several published reports on successful civilian-military collaboration and proposed a need for further improvement. One hundred sixty-six individuals from 19 countries responded to nine questions, included in an online survey with the possibility to leave comments if necessary. The questionnaire referred to elements such as command and control, safety, communication, assessment, triage, treatment, and transport, as the crucial components of emergency management. The comprehensive examination of the survey results together with registered comments revealed a possible improvement in collaboration particularly on the strategic levels, i.e., meetings at the command-and-control level, safety, communication, and networking issues. While logistic collaboration seemed to be unchanged, the practical parts of the collaboration, i.e., clinical and non-clinical operational partnership (Triage and Treatment), mutual education, training, and operational understanding of each organization remained unchanged. In conclusion, although the current pandemic may have facilitated a more intense collaboration between civilian and military healthcare organizations, it lacks practical partnership and operative engagement, representing two crucial elements necessary for harmony and compatibility of both systems. Such collaboration may require a political will and perhaps a mutual civilian-military authority.

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Canadian Radiologists Do Not Support Screening Mammography Guidelines of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care

Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal ◽

10.1016/j.carj.2016.08.004 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (3) ◽

pp. 257-266 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jean M. Seely ◽

Jiyon Lee ◽

Gary J. Whitman ◽

Paula B. Gordon

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Online Survey ◽

Task Force ◽

Preventive Health Care ◽

Screening Mammography ◽

Preventive Health ◽

Entire Group ◽

Average Risk ◽

Risk Patients

Purpose The study sought to determine screening mammography recommendations that radiologists in Canada promote to average-risk patients and family or friends, and do or would do for themselves. Methods An online survey was delivered from February 19, 2014, to July 11, 2014. Data included radiologists' recommendations for mammography and their personal screening habits based on gender. The 3 radiologists' cohorts were women ≥40 years of age, women <40 years of age, and men. The distribution of responses for each question was summarized, and proportions for the entire group and individual cohorts were computed. Results Of 402 surveys collected, 97% (299 of 309) radiologists recommended screening every 1-2 years, 62% (192 of 309) starting ≥40 years of age and 2% (5 of 309) recommended screening every 2-3 years for women 50-74 years of age. Recommendations were similar for family and friends: 96% (294 of 305) recommended screening every 1-2 years, 66% (202 of 305) recommended screening every 1-2 years for women ≥40 years of age, and 2% (5 of 305) recommended screening every 2-3 years. For women radiologists ≥40 years of age, 76% (48 of 63) underwent screening every 1-2 years and started at 40 years of age, 76% (16 of 21) female radiologists <40 years of age would undergo screening ≥40 years of age, 100% every 1-2 years, and 90% (151 of 167) male radiologists would undergo screening every 1-2 years, with 71% (120 of 169) beginning at 40 years of age. Conclusion The majority of Canadian radiologists recommend screening mammography every 1-2 years for average-risk women ≥40 years of age, whether they are patients or family and friends.

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Attitudes among paediatric healthcare professionals in Sweden towards sperm donation to single women: a survey study

Fertility Research and Practice ◽

10.1186/s40738-020-00078-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Gabriela Armuand ◽

Agneta Skoog Svanberg ◽

Claudia Lampic ◽

Evangelia Elenis ◽

Gunilla Sydsjö

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Clinical Experience ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Single Women ◽

Survey Study ◽

Sperm Donation ◽

Adequate Care ◽

Child Healthcare

Abstract Background The number of families conceived through sperm donation to single women is increasing. However, there is limited knowledge about health care professionals’ attitudes towards solo-mothers by choice, and there is some indication that professionals’ personal opinions influence their care of individuals who use alternate ways to build a family. The primary aim of the study was to investigate attitudes towards, and experiences of, families following sperm donation to single women among healthcare professionals working in primary child healthcare. Methods Between April and November 2016 a total of 712 physicians, registered nurses and psychologists working within primary healthcare in Sweden were invited to participate in a cross-sectional online survey study. The study-specific questionnaire contained the following four domains: Attitudes towards legalization and financing, Attitudes towards the family and the child’s health, Clinical experience and Knowledge about sperm donation to single women. Results The majority of the participants were positive or neutral towards sperm donation being allowed to single women in Sweden. However, one third believed that children risk worse mental health and social stigma. Half of healthcare professionals had own clinical experience of caring for solo-mothers by choice and their children, and of these one third perceived that these families had more need of support than other parents. One out of four indicated that they did not have sufficient knowledge to be able to provide adequate care to these families. Conclusions The present results indicate that while there was a relatively large support for sperm donation being allowed to single women in Sweden among health care professionals, many expressed concerns about the child’s health, as well as low confidence in their knowledge about the specific needs in this patient group. There is a need for educational interventions targeted to healthcare professionals in primary child healthcare in order to provide adequate care to solo-mothers by choice and their children.

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Reporting Cultural Adaptation in Psychological Trials – The RECAPT criteria

Clinical Psychology in Europe ◽

10.32872/cpe.6351 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (Special Issue) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eva Heim ◽

Ricarda Mewes ◽

Jinane Abi Ramia ◽

Heide Glaesmer ◽

Brian Hall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Cultural Adaptation ◽

Online Survey ◽

Common Mental Disorders ◽

Task Force ◽

Psychological Interventions ◽

Consolidation Process ◽

Intervention Adaptation ◽

Set Up ◽

Randomised Controlled

Background There is a lack of empirical evidence on the level of cultural adaptation required for psychological interventions developed in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies to be effective for the treatment of common mental disorders among culturally and ethnically diverse groups. This lack of evidence is partly due to insufficient documentation of cultural adaptation in psychological trials. Standardised documentation is needed in order to enhance empirical and meta-analytic evidence. Process A “Task force for cultural adaptation of mental health interventions for refugees” was established to harmonise and document the cultural adaptation process across several randomised controlled trials testing psychological interventions for mental health among refugee populations in Germany. Based on the collected experiences, a sub-group of the task force developed the reporting criteria presented in this paper. Thereafter, an online survey with international experts in cultural adaptation of psychological interventions was conducted, including two rounds of feedback. Results The consolidation process resulted in eleven reporting criteria to guide and document the process of cultural adaptation of psychological interventions in clinical trials. A template for documenting this process is provided. The eleven criteria are structured along A) Set-up; B) Formative research methods; C) Intervention adaptation; D) Measuring outcomes and implementation. Conclusions Reporting on cultural adaptation more consistently in future psychological trials will hopefully improve the quality of evidence and contribute to examining the effect of cultural adaptation on treatment efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability.

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Impact of Educational Intervention in Knowledge of Infection Prevention and Control among healthcare professionals in Nepal

Journal of Business and Social Sciences ◽

10.3126/jbss.v1i1.22835 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 126-131

Author(s):

Sait Kumar Pradhan ◽

Sweta Shrestha

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Before And After ◽

And Control

Background: Health care-associated infection (HCAI) affects the mortality and morbidity of inpatients worldwide. Nepal is a developing country in which HCAI pose a major problem in terms of patient safety. Improper and inadequate knowledge about HCAI among health care workers is responsible for majority of nosocomial infections resulting in prolonged illness. Thus this study was designed to assess the level of knowledge of infection control among nurses and pharmacists. Methods: A pre and post interventional study was conducted in 22 participants using a self-administered questionnaire which included queries on hand hygiene strategies, cross contamination sources and aseptic services. Each correct answer was scored as 1 and an incorrect answer was scored as zero. The total score for each individual was calculated before and after the intervention which was compared using the Paired t test at 95% confidence interval. Result: 81.8% of the participants possessed a good knowledge on infection prevention and control practices which increased to 100% after intervention. The difference in knowledge score before and after the workshop was found to be statistically significant (p=0.034). Previous training and duration of work experience was found to be correlated with the knowledge score whereas the other independent variables had no association with the knowledge score. Conclusion: Educational intervention has a positive impact in the knowledge level of the healthcare professionals in infection and prevention control.

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