scholarly journals Evidence-based preschool-age vision screening: health policy considerations

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deena Rachel Zimmerman ◽  
Hadas Ben-Eli ◽  
Bruce Moore ◽  
Monique Toledano ◽  
Chen Stein-Zamir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Subsequent Treatment ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Vision Screening ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Abstract Background There are many causes of visual impairment, and even blindness, which are treatable or at least preventable. Two such conditions are strabismus (crossed-eye, squint) and refractive error (visual image not focused on the most sensitive part of the retina). If these are not detected and corrected at an early age, they can lead to an irreversible impairment known as amblyopia (lazy eye). Pediatric vision screening and subsequent treatment for amblyopia and amblyogenic risk factors are thus key to preventing vision loss. Furthermore, vision screening can detect moderate to high hyperopia, which has been found to be associated with poor school readiness. Evidence-based recommendations call for screening children at 3–5 years of age; they are old enough to cooperate, but still within the window of effective intervention. However, these recommendations have yet to be universally implemented as the standard of care. Methods This paper integrates a review of the literature and the international experience of preschool vision screening with the findings from a preliminary feasibility study of expanded screening in Israel to formulate a discussion of the current health policy challenge in Israel and the options for addressing it. The advantages and disadvantages of various venues for vision screening are discussed. Findings Screening by optometrists in Mother and Child Health Centers, as implemented in a recent pilot project in the Jerusalem District, would allow the most comprehensive testing. Photo-screening in preschools would reach the most children, but at the cost of missing hyperopia (farsightedness). Either approach would probably constitute improvements over the current situation. The relative strengths of the two approaches depends in part on the ability to purchase automatic screening equipment (and the efficacy of that equipment) vs. the ongoing cost of paying trained personnel. Conclusions Further research should be conducted in Israel to determine the prevalence of refractive errors, so that best practices can be established for Israel’s population and social needs. In the interim, the Ministry of Health should promptly implement the inclusion of preschool visions screening for children in the approved “basket of services” covered by the National Health Insurance Laws, using photo-screening, including collection of the clinical data.

scholarly journals Psychological and pedagogical bases of preparation for school in preschool institutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 00100
Author(s):  
Z.V. Masaeva ◽  
I.V. Abakumova ◽  
L.Ts. Kagermazova
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Theoretical Aspect ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Developmental Approach ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
School Preparation ◽  
Traditional Approaches

In the modern world, there is a trend towards the demand for preparing children for school from preschool age. There are many different points of view of scientists on determining indicators of school readiness, as well as considering the understanding of school preparation from the point of view of psychological and pedagogical features. In this paper, an attempt is made to generalize existing theories of understanding school preparation, as well as an experimental study of the preparation of children in kindergarten. This issue is revealed through a developing and traditional approach. In the theoretical aspect, these approaches are disclosed and the advantages and disadvantages of the developmental and traditional approaches in preparing preschool children for school are empirically verified. The study revealed that the traditional approach does not consider personal readiness in comparison with the developmental approach. Children who studied using the traditional approach showed low results in terms of seeking help, disclosure of creative opportunities with friends, empathic feelings, control of aggression, etc. In General, summarizing the results, we can say that the traditional and developmental approaches ensure readiness for school. It should be emphasized in the context of comparative analysis that the developmental approach shows high results in comparison with the traditional approach to preparing children for school.

scholarly journals How Can Scientific Literature Support Decision-Making in the Renovation of Historic Buildings? An Evidence-Based Approach for Improving the Performance of Walls

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2266
Author(s):  
Valentina Marincioni ◽  
Virginia Gori ◽  
Ernst Jan de Place Hansen ◽  
Daniel Herrera-Avellanosa ◽  
Sara Mauri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Performance ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Cultural Value ◽  
Correct Selection ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Assessment Design

Buildings of heritage significance due to their historical, architectural, or cultural value, here called historic buildings, constitute a large proportion of the building stock in many countries around the world. Improving the performance of such buildings is necessary to lower the carbon emissions of the stock, which generates around 40% of the overall emissions worldwide. In historic buildings, it is estimated that heat loss through external walls contributes significantly to the overall energy consumption, and is associated with poor thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Measures to improve the performance of walls of historic buildings require a balance between energy performance, indoor environmental quality, heritage significance, and technical compatibility. Appropriate wall measures are available, but the correct selection and implementation require an integrated process throughout assessment (planning), design, construction, and use. Despite the available knowledge, decision-makers often have limited access to robust information on tested retrofit measures, hindering the implementation of deep renovation. This paper provides an evidence-based approach on the steps required during assessment, design, and construction, and after retrofitting through a literature review. Moreover, it provides a review of possible measures for wall retrofit within the deep renovation of historic buildings, including their advantages and disadvantages and the required considerations based on context.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic as an Opportunity for Operational Innovation at 2 Student-Run Free Clinics

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272199363
Author(s):  
Gabriela D.M. Ruiz Colón ◽  
Bianca Mulaney ◽  
Ruby E. Reed ◽  
Sierra K. Ha ◽  
Victoria Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Needs ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Free Clinics ◽  
Training Module ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Student Management ◽  
Student Volunteers ◽  
Operational Innovation ◽  
Key Innovations

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent county shelter-in-place order forced the Cardinal Free Clinics (CFCs), Stanford University’s 2 student-run free clinics, to close in March 2020. As student-run free clinics adhering to university-guided COVID policies, we have not been able to see patients in person since March of 2020. However, the closure of our in-person operations provided our student management team with an opportunity to innovate. In consultation with Stanford’s Telehealth team and educators, we rapidly developed a telehealth clinic model for our patients. We adapted available telehealth guidelines to meet our patient care needs and educational objectives, which manifested in 3 key innovations: reconfigured clinic operations, an evidence-based social needs screen to more effectively assess and address social needs alongside medical needs, and a new telehealth training module for student volunteers. After 6 months of piloting our telehealth services, we believe that these changes have made our services and operations more robust and provided benefit to both our patients and volunteers. Despite an uncertain and evolving public health landscape, we are confident that these developments will strengthen the future operations of the CFCs.

scholarly journals Evidence-Based Management of the Anzali Wetland System (Northern Iran) Based on Innovative Monitoring and Modeling Methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5503
Author(s):  
Roghayeh Sadeghi Pasvisheh ◽  
Marie Anne Eurie Forio ◽  
Long Tuan Ho ◽  
Peter L. M. Goethals
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Modeling ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Anzali Wetland ◽  
Northern Iran ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Modeling Techniques ◽  
State Changes ◽  
Wetland System

As an “international aquatic ecosystem” in Northern Iran, the Anzali wetland is a nursery for fish and a breeding and wintering area for a wide variety of waterfowl. The wetland is threatened by human activities (deforestation, hunting, tourism, and urbanization), leading to habitat destruction, eutrophication, and sediment accumulation. To stop the degradation and to set up effective protection and restoration in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, scientific insights must be integrated into a practical framework for evidence-based support for policymakers and managers of the Anzali wetland. In this study, the Drivers–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework is used as a suitable tool to link human pressures and state changes to derive an overview of the potential impacts. Population growth, intensive agriculture, increased urbanization, and industrialization are the major driving forces that have led to a complex cascade of state changes. For instance, during recent years, water quality deterioration, habitat degradation, and the overgrowth of invasive species in the Anzali wetland watershed have caused negative socio-economic and human health impacts. Integrated and innovative monitoring programs combined with socio-environmental modeling techniques are needed for a more evidence-based management approach as part of a multiresponse strategy for the sustainable development of the wetland system. In this respect, there is a critical gap in useful information concerning biological composition and innovative monitoring methods. Moreover, the relation of biota with human activity and environmental conditions needs to be better quantified. Therefore, ecological modeling techniques based on machine learning and statistics were reviewed for their advantages and disadvantages. The overview of approaches presented here can serve as the basis for scientists, practitioners, and decision-makers to develop and implement evidence-based management programs for the Anzali wetland.

scholarly journals Contrasting Public and Scientific Assessments of Fracking

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6650
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
John A. Rupp ◽  
John D. Graham
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Opinion Survey ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Local Media

This paper examines whether public perceptions of the claimed advantages and disadvantages of fracking are consistent with an evidence-based assessment of the claimed advantages and disadvantages. Public assessments are obtained from an internet-based opinion survey in 2014 in six states: California, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The survey presented eleven advantages and eleven disadvantages of fracking derived from local media stories, from advocacy claims made by pro- or anti-fracking groups, and from think tank pieces. Then the respondents were asked to indicate their feelings about how important each claimed advantage and disadvantage was to their support of/opposition to fracking. Scientific assessments regarding the same claims are compiled from available peer-reviewed literature and evidence-based reviews. We classify each claim as either (a) supported by the weight of the available evidence, (b) not supported by the weight of the available evidence, or (c) there is inadequate evidence to assess it. We find less consistency with respect to the disadvantages than advantages. Respondents perceive four disadvantages out of eleven as extremely important while there is inadequate evidence to assess them or the available evidence does not support them. Our comparison has interesting implications for understanding the controversy about fracking.

Premature birth (Clinical lecture)

2018 ◽  
pp. 9-12
Author(s):  
I.B. Ventskovskaya ◽  
◽  
V.V. Bila ◽  
O.S. Countryside ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnesium Sulfate ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Evidence Based Medicine ◽  
Premature Birth ◽  
Preterm Labor ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Based Medicine ◽  
Tocolytic Agents

The article presents modern views on the pathogenesis of preterm labor, their relevance and classification. From the perspective of evidence-based medicine methods of prevention are considered. A comparison of the main tocolytic agents, their advantages and disadvantages is presented. Key words: premature birth, perinatal and infantile mortality, tocolysis, magnesium sulfate, gestational age.

Vision Screening and Eye Examination in Children

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 918-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Vision Screening ◽  
Newborn Period ◽  
Eye Muscle ◽  
Retrolental Fibroplasia ◽  
Eye Problems ◽  
Eye Examination

Vision screening and eye examination are important for the detection of conditions that distort or suppress the normal visual image and, ultimately, may lead to blindness in children. Examination of the eyes can and should be performed at any age, beginning in the newborn period. Vision screening should be performed at as early an age as is practicable. Conditions that interfere with vision are of grave import because visual stimuli are critical to the development of normal vision. Decreased visual acuity often contributes to inadequate school performance. In addition, retinal abnormalities, cataract, glaucoma, retinoblastoma, eye muscle imbalance, and systemic disease with ocular manifestations may all be identified by careful examination. Vision screening should be carried out as part of a regular plan of continuing care, beginning in the preschool years. Screening examinations may be effectively performed by paramedical personnel under appropriate medical supervision. As with other specialty areas, it is important for the pediatrician to establish contact with an area ophthalmologist in the same geographical area who is familiar with children's eye problems. A close working relationship with such a specialist will clarify questions about procedures for eye screening as well as indications for referral. TIMING OF EXAMINATION AND SCREENING Children should have age-appropriate assessment for eye problems in the newborn period and at subsequent health supervision visits. Vision screening can begin as early as 3 years of age. Infants at risk for eye problems, such as retrolental fibroplasia, or those with a family history of congenital cataracts, retinoblastoma, and metabolic and genetic diseases should have an ophthalmologic examination in the nursery.

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