scholarly journals ‘…you just put up with it for the sake of humanity.’: an exploratory qualitative study on causes of stress in palliative care nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e051550
Author(s):  
Susann May ◽  
Kerstin Stahlhut ◽  
Matthew Allsop ◽  
Martin Heinze ◽  
Felix Mühlensiepen
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Care Nursing

ObjectiveTo explore and analyse causes of stress among nurses in palliative and inpatient hospice care settings in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignExplorative, qualitative study using problem-centred interviews. Interview data were analysed using structured qualitative content analysis.SettingTelephone interviews with nurses of different settings of palliative and inpatient hospice care.Participants16 nurses from inpatient hospice, palliative care units and specialised palliative home care were recruited.ResultsCOVID-19 infection control measures placed both physical and psychological strain on palliative care nurses. Due to changes in infection control information, workflows were being readjusted on a daily basis, preventing everyday routines and hindering relief from stress. There are reduced and limited opportunities for sharing and reflecting on daily working routines with team colleagues. Specific causes of stress in the individual settings of palliative and inpatient hospice care were identified. Overall, there is a tension between the nurses’ perceptions of proper palliative care nursing, in terms of closeness, psychosocial and emotional support and compliance with infection control measures.ConclusionsPalliative care nurses have been exposed to high levels of both physical and psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. This requires rapid relief and support, with a need to ensure continuity of professional supervision and peer-support, which may be facilitated via digital technologies. The unique role of nurses in inpatient hospice and palliative care during COVID-19 ought to be recognised and valorised.

scholarly journals Content Analysis of the Free COVID-19 Telephone Consultations Available during the First Wave of the Pandemic in Japan

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1593
Author(s):  
Kyoko Yoshioka-Maeda ◽  
Yuka Sumikawa ◽  
Noriha Tanaka ◽  
Chikako Honda ◽  
Riho Iwasaki-Motegi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Telephone Consultation ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Consultation Services

This cross-sectional study aimed to (1) describe the unclassified contents of telephone consultation services provided by a public health center during the first wave of COVID-19 in Japan and (2) examine whether the contents required assistance from public health nurses (PHNs). We analyzed a total of 207 calls in which the purpose of the call was unclassified into pre-set categories. PHNs transcribed the exact text of the consultation conversations recorded from 25 March to 20 April 2020 in City A. Approximately half of the calls were from residents. Seven categories were extracted through a qualitative content analysis. The most common topic was infection control measures, where the presence of COVID-19 infection was assumed (n = 62); the second most common was extreme anxiety and fear of infection (n = 50). Questions about the COVID-19 response system (n = 30), discrimination and misunderstandings about COVID-19 (n = 24), and response measures for COVID-19 outbreaks within organizations (n = 18) were also included. The unclassified consultations included various topics, several of which required the expertise of a PHN. Each local government should consider sharing and task-shifting telephone consultation services among PHNs and other staff to reduce their burden and allow them to concentrate on conducting infection control more effectively.

Coronavirus: the science behind infection control and human exposure

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Alison Phillis
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Human Exposure ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Viral Particles ◽  
Therapeutic Development ◽  
Environmental Decontamination ◽  
The Individual ◽  
New Reservoir

Coronavirus SARS-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible for the disease known as COVID-19. The global community is struggling with the health and economic repercussions of this novel disease, and this article is part of a series that seeks to explore and explain the science behind the foci of infection control measures being considered at both the individual and population health levels. Understanding the factors influencing the ability of this virus to select an appropriate host, breach initial defences and successfully assume a new reservoir from which to disseminate and disperse infective viral particles is considered here. Brief reference is made to infection control measures such as effective hand hygiene, glove usage, environmental decontamination and social distancing guidance against the context of the specific evidence around COVID-19 transmission. Predictors of poorer outcome are introduced in the light of these being target themes for therapeutic development.

scholarly journals The Ethics of Infection Control: Philosophical Frameworks

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 1077-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles S. Bryan ◽  
Theresa J. Call ◽  
Kevin C. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Ethical Frameworks ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Individual

Recent developments that are relevant to the ethics of infection control include the patient safety movement, the appearance of new diseases (notably, severe acute respiratory syndrome) that pose threats to healthcare workers, data confirming the suspicion that infection control measures such as isolation may compromise patient care, and, in philosophy, renewed interest in virtue ethics and communitarianism. We review general ethical frameworks and relevant vocabulary for infection control practitioners and hospital epidemiologists. Frameworks for the ethics of infection control resemble those of public health more than those of clinical medicine but embrace elements of both. The optimum framework, we suggest, takes into account a virtue-based communitarianism. The virtue ethics movement stresses the need to consider not only rules and outcomes but also the character of the individual(s) involved. Communitarianism emphasizes the well-being and values of local communities, best determined by shared, democratic decision making among stakeholders. Brief discussions of 15 consecutive cases illustrate the extent to which the daily practice of infection control poses problems heavily freighted with ethical overtones.

scholarly journals Risk of infection and appeal to public benefit increase compliance with infection control measures

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Bjørkheim ◽  
Bjørn Sætrevik
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
The Public ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Societal Benefits ◽  
Risk Scenario ◽  
The Individual

To handle an infectious outbreak, the public must be informed about the infection risk and be motivated to comply with infection control measures. Perceiving the situation as threatening and seeing public benefits to complying may increase the public’s motivation to comply. The current study used a preregistered survey experiment to investigate if emphasizing high infection risk and appealing to societal benefits impacted intention to comply with infection control measures. The results show main effects of risk and of appeals to societal benefits. There was no interaction between risk scenario and motivational emphasis. The results suggest that to maximize compliance, information about disease outbreak should emphasize the individual risk of contracting the disease, and could also underline the public value of limiting infection spread. These findings can inform communication strategies during an infectious disease outbreak and help health authorities limit transmission.

scholarly journals Implementation of COVID-19 Infection Control Measures by German Dentists: A Qualitative Study to Identify Enablers and Barriers

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5710
Author(s):  
Anne Müller ◽  
Florentina Sophie Melzow ◽  
Gerd Göstemeyer ◽  
Sebastian Paris ◽  
Falk Schwendicke
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Theoretical Domains Framework ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Dental Practices ◽  
Guidelines And Recommendations

Objectives: COVID-19 infection control measures have been recommended for dental practices worldwide. This qualitative study explored barriers and enablers for the implementation of these measures in German dental practices. Methods: Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted in November/December 2020 (purposive/snowball sampling). The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the Capabilities, Opportunities and Motivations influencing Behaviors model (COM-B) were used to guide interviews. Mayring’s content analysis was employed to analyze interviews. Results: All dentists (28–71 years, 4/8 female/male) had implemented infection control measures. Measures most frequently not adopted were FFP2 masks, face shields (impractical), the rotation of teams (insufficient staffing) and the avoidance of aerosol-generating treatments. Dentists with personal COVID-19 experience or those seeing themselves as a role model were more eager to adopt measures. We identified 34 enablers and 20 barriers. Major barriers were the lack of knowledge, guidelines and recommendations as well as limited availability and high costs of equipment. Pressure by staff and patients to ensure infection control was an enabler. Conclusions: Dentists are motivated to implement infection control measures, but lacking opportunities limited the adoption of certain measures. Policy makers and equipment manufacturers should address these points to increase the implementation of infection control measures against COVID-19 and potential future pandemics.

scholarly journals The Consistency of Islamic and Medical Perspectives in the Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Mossad Abdelhak Shaban Mohamed ◽  
Hans Van Rosternberghe ◽  
Noraida Ramli ◽  
Nor Rosidah Ibrahim ◽  
Manar Mossad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Care Guidelines ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
Control Authority ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Medical Recommendations ◽  
Medical Guidelines

Controlling the current COVID-19 pandemic requires infection control at both the individual and global levels.  There is insufficient information on the consistency between Islamic principles and medical guidelines regarding infection control measures. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the consistency between Islamic principles and evidence-based medical recommendations during the pandemic time. A comparison was made between the latest medical infection control recommendations and Islamic references (the Quran and its interpretation, and Sunnah and its explanation). Relevant materials such as books and research articles in Arabic or English were reviewed. The information was then classified into different levels of infection control strategies, which were individual, household, community and healthcare unit levels. This study demonstrated that both Islamic principles and medical guidelines are consistent in terms of infection control, which involves crisis supervision by the infection control authority and specialised agencies, hand and general hygiene, personal protection, seeking specialist consultation and treatment, comprehensive care, guidelines in the event of limited resources, home isolation, travel bans and quarantine. Moreover, it was observed that Islamic principles combine and optimise both the individual frame and societal cohesion.

scholarly journals Aftermath of Covid-19 Pandemic on oral surgery and orthodontic practices in Northern India

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 102-107
Author(s):  
Variyta ◽  
Monika Chhabra ◽  
Ravi Narula
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Oral Surgery ◽  
Maxillofacial Surgery ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery ◽  
Northern India ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

The scuttlebutt is already churning out projections about what the post COVID-19 work environment might look like. While we get ‘old-school’ in tackling challenges, we may also want to consider getting ‘tech savvy’ in regards to oral health delivery via teledentistry for prior consultation ultimately decreasing footfall in OPDs. The COVID-19 outbreak serves as both a reminder and an opportunity to assist. This is an ever evolving dynamic situation, and recommendations discussed herein are based on the best currently available information. However, the decision of the treatment of patients still rests with the individual practitioner. The blanket instruction is to dodge all aerosol related procedures in dental setups. It’s dentist prerogative to install all fail-safes and perform restorative procedure requiring AGPs with all efforts to mitigate the risk of transmission of the SARS-Cov-2 virus and for minimal working times with the appropriate PPE and infection control protocols. Even when not using AGPs, it is important that robust infection control measures are employed as this isn’t a perfect world, and we’re still in the throes of a pandemic, making it imperative to cultivate the right mind-set within ourselves. The intent of the present review is to consider changes in the clinical oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontic workflow and, allow for a smoother transition, with less risk to our patients and healthcare personnel.

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