scholarly journals Efficiency and Teamwork in Emergency Departments: Perception of Staff on Design Interventions

Author(s):  
Sahar Ahmadpour ◽  
Sara Bayramzadeh ◽  
Parsa Aghaei

Objectives: The goal of this study is twofold: (1) identifying design strategies that enhance efficiency and support teamwork in emergency departments (EDs) and (2) identifying design features that contribute to the spread of COVID-19, based on staff perception. Background: Due to increasing ED visits annually, an efficient work environment has become one of the main concerns in designing EDs. According to the literature, an efficient work environment and teamwork improve healthcare outcomes and positively impact staff satisfaction. During the COVID-19 pandemic, EDs faced various changes such as workflow and space usage. Few studies explored staff perceptions about the influence of design features on efficiency, teamwork, and the COVID-19 spread. Method: An online survey with 14 open- and closed-ended questions was distributed among ED staff members to collect data about unit design features that impact efficiency, teamwork, and the COVID-19 spread. Results: The central nursing station was one of the preferred configurations that increased efficiency and teamwork in EDs. Decentralizing disposal rooms in small-size EDs and decentralizing the medication room in large-size EDs with more than 65 exam rooms can decrease staff walking steps. Flexibility to expand treatment spaces on demand, one-way track circulation path, and changing the air pressure in COVID-19 treatment areas were some of the staff suggestions for future EDs. Conclusion: The findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge that EDs’ physical environments can impact efficiency and teamwork among staff and, consequently, healthcare outcomes. Compartmentalization of the ED layout can reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Author(s):  
Dmitriy Antipin ◽  
Vladimir Vorobev ◽  
Denis Bondarenko ◽  
Gennadiy Petrov

The analysis of the design features of the bogie of the TEM23 shunting diesel locomotive is carried out. In the process of analysis, the directions of its improvement are determined. It is proposed to rotate the bogie frame in the vertical plane by reducing the body supports to two and using a pivot with low lowering, equip the bogies with pneumatic spring suspension in the form of two corrugations installed in series with shortened suspension springs. The proposed options for improving the undercarriage of a diesel locomotive will increase the competitiveness of products and reduce costs


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30
Author(s):  
Yasuhiro Shimotsuura ◽  
Hiroyuki Maezawa ◽  
Yoshiaki Omura

As Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (originated and founded by Prof. Y. Omura in New York, 1997-2020; follow as BDORT)is a diagnosis method that is carried out on the basic theory of the physiological phenomenon called the decline of muscular power of fingers, the examiner, and patients (or mediator) are demanded to do BDORT by constant regular power. Namely BDORT is a diagnosis method that estimates the relative muscular decline of the patients, so there is such a view that the results of BDORT are reflected by consciousness of the examiner. The authors used the ORT tester by using air system to avoid the influence of electromagnetic wave and evaluated the decline of the muscle strength and open degree of the O-ring shaped by the patients. Patients of the Shimotsuura Clinic are subjected and checked by direct BDORT method. When the patients shapes the O-Ring, staff members stimulated the parts of the body by plastic stick and push foot switch. Decline of the muscle strength & open degree was evaluated. When the open degree was more than 20%, stimulated points were evaluated as abnormal. Opposite side arm of the O-Ring shaped arm was checked as control. The results of the direct BDORT method between ORT evaluation apparatus and the patient was consistent with the results of the indirect method of BDORT method between the doctor and the assistant. Even where the patients complain of ill, the muscle strength was declined and opened the O-Ring by using ORT evaluation apparatus. Especially in the parts of the strong response of Integrin α5β1 checked by the doctor, the muscle strength decreased and the open degree was much higher than other parts of the body. Patients could experience of BDORT by numeral objective evaluation of the decline of the muscle strength by using ORT evaluation apparatus.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1142
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Ando ◽  
Takeshi Nabeshima ◽  
Shingo Inoue ◽  
Mya Myat Ngwe Tun ◽  
Miho Obata ◽  
...  

In this study, we investigated severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus (SFTSV) infection in cats in Nagasaki, Japan. In total, 44 of 133 (33.1%) cats with suspected SFTS were confirmed to be infected with SFTSV. Phylogenetic analyses of SFTSV isolates from cats indicated that the main genotype in Nagasaki was J1 and that unique reassortant strains with J2 (S segment) and unclassified genotypes (M and L segments) were also present. There were no significant differences in virus growth in cell cultures or fatality in SFTSV-infected mice between the SFTSV strains that were isolated from recovered and fatal cat cases. Remarkably, SFTSV RNAs were detected in the swabs from cats, indicating that the body fluids contain SFTSV. To evaluate the risk of SFTSV infection when providing animal care, we further examined the seroprevalence of SFTSV infection in veterinarian staff members; 3 of 71 (4.2%) were seropositive for SFTSV-specific antibodies. Our results provide useful information on the possibility of using cats as sentinel animals and raised concerns of the zoonotic risk of catching SFTSV from animals.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 930
Author(s):  
Odysseas Androutsos ◽  
Maria Perperidi ◽  
Christos Georgiou ◽  
Giorgos Chouliaras

Previous studies showed that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown imposed changes in adults’ lifestyle behaviors; however, there is limited information regarding the effects on youth. The COV-EAT study aimed to report changes in children’s and adolescents’ lifestyle habits during the first COVID-19 lockdown and explore potential associations between changes of participants’ lifestyle behaviors and body weight. An online survey among 397 children/adolescents and their parents across 63 municipalities in Greece was conducted in April–May 2020. Parents self-reported changes of their children’s lifestyle habits and body weight, as well as sociodemographic data of their family. The present study shows that during the lockdown, children’s/adolescents’ sleep duration and screen time increased, while their physical activity decreased. Their consumption of fruits and fresh fruit juices, vegetables, dairy products, pasta, sweets, total snacks, and breakfast increased, while fast-food consumption decreased. Body weight increased in 35% of children/adolescents. A multiple regression analysis showed that the body weight increase was associated with increased consumption of breakfast, salty snacks, and total snacks and with decreased physical activity. The COV-EAT study revealed changes in children’s and adolescents’ lifestyle behaviors during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Greece. Effective strategies are needed to prevent excessive body weight gain in future COVID-19 lockdowns.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Scheetz ◽  
Philip Rothschild ◽  
Myra McGuinness ◽  
Xavier Hadoux ◽  
H. Peter Soyer ◽  
...  

AbstractArtificial intelligence technology has advanced rapidly in recent years and has the potential to improve healthcare outcomes. However, technology uptake will be largely driven by clinicians, and there is a paucity of data regarding the attitude that clinicians have to this new technology. In June–August 2019 we conducted an online survey of fellows and trainees of three specialty colleges (ophthalmology, radiology/radiation oncology, dermatology) in Australia and New Zealand on artificial intelligence. There were 632 complete responses (n = 305, 230, and 97, respectively), equating to a response rate of 20.4%, 5.1%, and 13.2% for the above colleges, respectively. The majority (n = 449, 71.0%) believed artificial intelligence would improve their field of medicine, and that medical workforce needs would be impacted by the technology within the next decade (n = 542, 85.8%). Improved disease screening and streamlining of monotonous tasks were identified as key benefits of artificial intelligence. The divestment of healthcare to technology companies and medical liability implications were the greatest concerns. Education was identified as a priority to prepare clinicians for the implementation of artificial intelligence in healthcare. This survey highlights parallels between the perceptions of different clinician groups in Australia and New Zealand about artificial intelligence in medicine. Artificial intelligence was recognized as valuable technology that will have wide-ranging impacts on healthcare.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Moaz Gharib ◽  
Kamaal Allil ◽  
Omar Durrah ◽  
Mohammed Alsatouf

PURPOSE: Trust is vital to all positive relationships. This empirical study explores the effect of three facets of organisational trust (trust in supervisors, in co-workers and in the organisation) on employee commitment in Salalah Mills Co. in the food industry in the Sultanate of Oman. METHODOLOGY: Data were collected via an online survey sent to all employees working in Salalah Mills Co., Oman. The final sample consisting of 102 responses with a response rate of 54 percent were analysed using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The findings revealed that two facets of organisational trust (trust in co-workers and trust in supervisors) were found to have a significant positive effect on employee commitment, while trust in the organisation was found to have no significant effect. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Trust in supervisors and trust in co-workers directly affect employee commitment. Therefore, managers should consider promoting both of these forms of trust to enhance employee commitment. VALUE: Although previous studies have examined the link between organisational trust and employee commitment, a focus on Oman and the food sector has been particularly rare, so this study offers new insights. The findings will help decision-makers on design strategies and policies to improve employee commitment through trust.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1708
Author(s):  
Saeedeh Darzi ◽  
Kallyanashis Paul ◽  
Shanilka Leitan ◽  
Jerome A. Werkmeister ◽  
Shayanti Mukherjee

Aloe vera (AV), a succulent plant belonging to the Liliaceae family, has been widely used for biomedical and pharmaceutical application. Its popularity stems from several of its bioactive components that have anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and even immunomodulatory effects. Given such unique multi-modal biological impact, AV has been considered as a biomaterial for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications, where tissue repair and neo-angiogenesis are vital. This review outlines the growing scientific evidence that demonstrates the advantage of AV as tissue engineering scaffolds. We particularly highlight the recent advances in the application of AV-based scaffolds. From a tissue engineering perspective, it is pivotal that the implanted scaffolds strike an appropriate foreign body response to be well-accepted in the body without complications. Herein, we highlight the key cellular processes that regulate the foreign body response to implanted scaffolds and underline the immunomodulatory effects incurred by AV on the innate and adaptive system. Given that AV has several beneficial components, we discuss the importance of delving deeper into uncovering its action mechanism and thereby improving material design strategies for better tissue engineering constructs for biomedical applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kochu Therisa Karingada ◽  
Michael Sony

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has caught many educational institutions by surprise and warranted an abrupt migration from offline to online learning. This has resulted in an education change, without any time for due consideration, as regards its impact on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) on students. The purpose of this study is to investigate MSD related to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was conducted on undergraduate students in India. In total, 261 students participated in this online survey.FindingsThe study finds that around 80% of students have reported some symptom in the head, neck and eyes since they started online learning. In total, 58% have reported MSD symptom in the right shoulder and 56% in the right hand fingers. Besides, more than 40 % of students experienced some MSD symptoms, in almost all the body parts studied, due to online learning. Correlation analysis is conducted between time spent on online learning per day and MSD symptoms.Originality/valueThis is the first study conducted on MSD and online learning during COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-77
Author(s):  
Igor Мarmut ◽  
◽  
Andriy Kashkanov ◽  
Vitaliy Kashkanov ◽  
◽  
...  

The article discusses the issues of modeling conditions for obtaining diagnostic information about complex objects. As an example, the study of the braking qualities of four-wheel drive cars on an inertial roller stand is considered. Diagnosing the technical condition of cars from the point of view of traffic safety is one of the most important problems. This is especially important for systems whose technical condition affects traffic safety: especially braking systems. Foreign and domestic experience testifies to the effectiveness of instrumental control. The diagnostic equipment includes roller stands, on which you can check the braking properties of cars. As shown by many studies, in particular, carried out at the Department of Technical Operation and Service of Automobiles, KhNADU (HADI), inertial stands provide more reliable information about the technical condition of the car. Such stands allow you to reproduce the real speed and thermal modes of the brakes (especially those equipped with ABS). To improve the accuracy of diagnosing a car on a roller stand, it is necessary to have an idea of the nature of the interaction of the car wheels with the rollers. The studies of wheel rolling on the stand rollers have been carried out by many authors since the 80s of the last century. However, all these studies were carried out on uniaxial stands and for mono-drive vehicles. Nowadays, a large number of passenger cars have four-wheel drive. Rolling of the wheels of such cars on rollers and their interaction has practically not been studied. Therefore, a return to the study of this issue is relevant. A power model of the system of interaction between the car and the stand has been developed, taking into account the design features of the stand and the design features of the car's suspension. The power model of the system under consideration contains the equilibrium equations of the body and two bridges and the equations of motion of the rollers and wheels of the car. Based on the results of the analysis of the acting forces in the "car-stand" system, the braking moments on the wheels M and the coefficients of the use of the load q during the braking tests of a 4x4 vehicle were determined. The obtained research results allowed to improve the theory of interaction of a car wheel with the rollers of an inertial diagnostic stand.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zifei Fay Chen ◽  
Cheng Hong ◽  
Aurora Occa

PurposeDrawing on interdisciplinary insights from stakeholder theory, relationship management and organizational justice, the purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) from an internal and relational perspective. Specifically, it examines the effects of CSR in overall as well as the discretionary, ethical, legal and economic CSR dimensions on organization–employee relationships, respectively. The moderating role of employees’ perceived CSR-culture fit on these effects was also explored.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted with 303 participants from the USA who were full-time employees at for-profit organizations.FindingsResults indicate that CSR performance in overall positively influences organization–employee relationships, and such effect is amplified as employees’ perceived CSR-culture fit increases. Discretionary and ethical CSR positively influence organization–employee relationships, but perceived CSR-culture fit only amplifies the influence from ethical CSR. For legal and economic CSR, the effects on organization–employee relationships are only significant when perceived CSR-culture fit is high.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extends the body of knowledge of CSR and internal relationship management. However, the limitations regarding the factors from culture, business sectors and organizational setting should be addressed in future studies through both quantitative and qualitative approaches.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive understanding of the effects from four different CSR dimensions on organization–employee relationships as well as how such effects were moderated by employees’ perceived CSR-culture fit. Integrating interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks, this study offers insights for corporate communications and public relations professionals on how to effectively build and cultivate relationships with employees through different dimensions of CSR.


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