scholarly journals The perspectives of young general practitioners/family physicians on MOOC as part of continuous education: a descriptive semi-qualitative multinational study

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Özden Gökdemir ◽  
Nurşah Özkan Bayrakçı ◽  
Olgu Aygün ◽  
Kyle Hoedebecke
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Group Learning ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Family Physicians ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Group Activity ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Activity

Abstract Objectives In 2018, Harvard University provided a 10-week online course titled “Improving Global Health: Focusing on Quality and Safety” as using Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) web-based platform. The course was designed for those who care about health and healthcare and wish to learn more about how to measure and improve that care – for themselves, for their institutions, or for their countries. The goal of this course was to provide visual and written education tools for different countries and different age groups. In respect to the aim of this study is to evaluate the impressions and benefits of group learning activity and educational needs after this “Improving Global Health” courses experience with an online survey among the participants. Methods Sixty-six family medicine practitioners and trainees who were among the participants of the course were the universe of the study. These young General Practitioners/Family Physicians (GPs/FPs) from different countries were organized among themselves to follow the course as a group activity. Two weeks after the course, an online survey was sent to all the participants of this group activity. Results Twenty-eight out of 66 participants (42.4%) completed the survey and provided feedback on their perspectives and experience. Most of them were female (70.4%), and have not attended any MOOC course before (63%). This international group achieved a completion rate of approximately 65% by the deadline and nearly 90% including those finishing afterward. The majority felt that the group activity proved beneficial and supportive in nature. Conclusions Well-structured, sustainable e-learning platforms will be the near futures’ medical learning devices in a world without borders. Future studies should further explore facilitators and barriers among FPs for enrolling and completing MOOCs. Furthermore, there is a need to evaluate how these group-learning initiatives may help participants incorporate lessons learned from the course into their daily practice.

scholarly journals Core Values of Family Physicians and General Practitioners in the African Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry J. O. Lawson ◽  
David N. N. Nortey
Keyword(s):  
Family Medicine ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Family Physicians ◽  
Core Values ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Core ◽  
Daunting Task

Introduction: Family Medicine is a growing specialty in the medical world. While it is expected that the specialty should have its own unique and established core values and tasks, the breath of the practice in several countries of the world has made this a daunting task. Core values and Tasks have far reaching effects on professions. They guide development of curricula, methods of instruction, standards of performance and even the culture of the profession. We aimed to explore the core value system of Family Physicians and General Practitioners practicing in Africa.Methods: Using the Delphi technique, a purposive selection of African Family Medicine practitioners in academia, public service, private practice and clinical training across Central, East, North, South and West Africa was conducted. Participants were asked to select five core values from an alphabetically collated global list of 29 core values in an online survey. The five most selected core values were collated and sent out in the second round to the participants to rank in order of importance.Results: Practitioners from nine African countries in three out of the five United Nations subregions of Africa completed the study. The first round of the study saw participation of a team of nineteen experts who selected the following five core values—Comprehensive care, Continuity of Care, Collaborative Care, Patient centered care, and Life-long learning.Discussion/Conclusion: The core values selected were not very different from global literature. These core values should guide the development of curricula, standardization of training methods and creation of benchmarks for standards of practice for the specialty in Africa.

scholarly journals Australia’s national zoster vaccination program: Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of general practitioners

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harunor Rashid ◽  
Aditi Dey ◽  
Ramesh Manocha ◽  
Mohamed Tashani ◽  
Kristine Macartney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Herpes Zoster ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Vaccination Program ◽  
Zoster Vaccine ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
One Year

Objectives To assess knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of Australian general practitioners (GPs) regarding herpes zoster vaccination under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) from 2016 for adults aged 70–79 years. Design, setting, participants National cross-sectional online survey of GPs, October–November 2017. Outcome measures Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding zoster vaccination, including challenges experienced and recommendations for improvement. Results Of the 1026 GPs who responded (response rate 7.9%), 98.5% were aware that zoster vaccine is NIP-funded for adults aged 70–79 years and 85.4% that it is recommended for age 60–69 years; however, 51.3% incorrectly thought it is routinely recommended for age 50–59 years. A minority (4.6%) incorrectly believed that being immunocompromised is not a contraindication to zoster vaccination and 16.0% that it cannot be co-administered with influenza or pneumococcal vaccine. Almost half (48.9%) rarely or never reported zoster vaccination data to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). Challenges perceived included lack of adequate information on vaccine contraindications; efficacy and safety concerns; and difficulty applying age criteria for NIP eligibility in general practice. Respondents indicated a desire for program expansion to include younger and older adult age groups. Conclusion This Australian GP survey, conducted one year after the introduction of the national zoster vaccination program, identified some knowledge gaps. A repeat survey of GPs is warranted to determine whether these issues persist, particularly regarding contraindication to vaccination for immunocompromised individuals. We encourage all GPs to offer zoster vaccination in line with current Australian evidence-based guidelines, particularly for the NIP-funded 70–79 years cohort; ensuring compliance with relevant contraindications; and reporting to AIR. Keywords: general practitioner; herpes zoster; immunocompromise; national zoster vaccination program; post-herpetic neuralgia; zoster vaccine.

scholarly journals Conceptualizing COVID-19 and Public Panic with the Moderating Role of Media Use and Uncertainty in China: An Empirical Framework

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Tao Xu ◽  
Usman Sattar
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Public Mental Health ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
External Information ◽  
News Reporting ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

Uncertainty puts people in a binary state of mind, where every piece of external information can positively or negatively affect their state of health. Given the uncertain situation created by the new coronavirus pandemic, this study claims to be the first empirical analysis of the real-time status of public panic in China. It frames peoples’ intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli, creating a psychosocial analysis of public panic. We conducted an online survey of WeChat and QQ users in February 2020 and collected 1613 samples through a QR code questionnaire. We used the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression equation model to conceptualize public panic pathways in different gender and age groups. This underlines the psychological origins of fear and anxiety and points out how the media uses socially constructed public panic. The results show that the outbreak of COVID-19 created uncertainty among the public, and the official media intensified it because of the late dissemination of news about the outbreak’s real-time status. Hence, unofficial media remained faster in news reporting, but the news reporting remained contradictory with official reports. This created doubts about the authenticity of the given information and caused public mental health abnormalities. The study provides a conceptual framework based on lessons learned from physiology, psychology, and social psychology and real-time public analysis to inform policymakers and public administrators about the contextual dynamics of public panic in China. It provides useful insights into the wise handling of this uncertain time and controlling the fatal conditions of public panic created by COVID-19. It has implications for other countries as well.

scholarly journals Design and Evaluation of an Online Squat Fitness System: Lessons Learned During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianyi Wang ◽  
Masamitsu Kamon ◽  
Shima Okada ◽  
Shuji Sawada ◽  
Rui Ogawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Exercise Habits ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Squat Exercise ◽  
System Body

COVID-19 has changed our lives and limited our ability to have adequate physical activity (PA). It is necessary to replace outdoor PA with home-based fitness. However, people lack access, skills, and even motivation for home-based fitness. To address these issues, we designed a free access self-monitoring and coaching and music-based interactive online squat fitness system. Body weight squat was utilized for fitness exercise and evaluated based on three indices: knee width, hip depth, and rhythm. An online survey on changes in exercise due to the COVID-19 pandemic and exercise habits was conducted to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on PA. We collected data from 557 respondents 5 months after the system first released and analyzed 200 visitors' performance on squat exercise and the other relevant parameters. Visitors were divided into three groups according to their age: younger, middle, and older groups. Results showed that the younger group had better squat performance than the middle and older groups in terms of hip depth and rhythm. We highlighted the lessons learned about the system design, fitness performance evaluation, and social aspects, for future study of the design and development of similar home-based fitness systems. We provided first-hand results on the relation between the COVID-19 pandemic and physical exercise among different age groups in Japan, which was valuable for policy making in the post-COVID-19 era.

scholarly journals General Practitioners' Experiences During the First Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: A Critical Incident Technique Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Konstantin Kurotschka ◽  
Alice Serafini ◽  
Michela Demontis ◽  
Arianna Serafini ◽  
Alessandro Mereu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
At Risk ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Critical Incident Technique ◽  
Care Provision

Since February 2020, when coronavirus disease began to spread in Italy, general practitioners (GPs) were called to manage a growing number of health situations. The challenges experienced by Italian GPs remained unrevealed. This study aimed at exploring Italian GPs' care experiences and practices associated with critical incidents during the first wave of the pandemic. A qualitative study design involving the critical incident technique through an online survey was applied. Sociodemographic data and open-ended responses were collected. While participants' characteristics were analyzed through descriptive statistics, qualitative data were thematically analyzed employing the framework method. 149 GPs responded to the survey and 99 participants completed the survey (dropout rate = 33%). Eight themes emerged indicating factors related to the organization of the healthcare system and factors related to the clinical management of patients, that were perceived as impacting on the GPs' care provision. The analysis revealed difficulties in communicating with other local services. This, together with the lack of coordination among services, was reported as a major challenge. Primary care was perceived as having been undervalued and criticalities in the organization of GP courses, led in a bureaucratic fashion, posed at risk some trainees to be infected. The digital technologies adopted for remote patient consultations were seen as useful tools for daily practice helping the GPs to stay emotionally connected with their patients. Besides, the improvement in the GP–patient relationship in terms of solidarity between patients and doctors and compliance to rules, had a positive impact. Moreover, many respondents addressed the importance of professional collaboration and teamwork, in terms of both support in practical issues (to find PPE, diagnostics and guidelines) and emotional support. At the same time, the lack of resources (e.g., PPE, swabs) and of specific guidelines and protocols impacted on the care provision. Our findings suggest that GPs in Italy are at risk of being left behind within the epidemic management. Communication and coordination among services are essential and should be substantially improved, and primary care research should be initiated to collect the context-specific evidence necessary to enhance the system's preparedness to public health emergencies and the quality of primary care services.

scholarly journals Impact of guideline awareness on the counseling of patients with acute cough among general practitioners and pharmacy personnel

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0254086
Author(s):  
Peter Kardos ◽  
Kai-Michael Beeh ◽  
Ulrike Sent ◽  
Guido Bissmann
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Case Vignette ◽  
Guideline Recommendation ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Acute Cough

Objective To explore the awareness and knowledge of applicable guidelines on acute cough among general practitioners, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and to compare their recommendation behavior and clinical decision making to the evidence-based recommendation in the applicable guidelines. Methods An anonymous online survey was performed among 303 members of an existing panel of healthcare professionals (HCPs). They were presented with a hypothetical case vignette representative of their daily practice and asked for their treatment recommendations. After being shown an excerpt from the applicable guidelines, these questions were repeated. Results Forty-six % of participants reported to seek information on cough and respiratory conditions very often or often. Among 12 non-prescription treatments-commonly used over-the-counter-products for acute cough, HCPs most often recommended various plant extract-based products (phytotherapeutic remedies) for the acute cough case, whereas chemically defined options such as ambroxol or N-acetyl-cysteine were recommended less often. Following presentation of the guidelines excerpt, recommendations of the phytotherapeutic remedies decreased moderately whereas that of the guideline-recommended ambroxol more than doubled. Among stated reasons for the recommendation guideline conformity increased from 5% to 35% among the top-3 reasons. Conclusions The recommendations for the treatment of acute cough by professionals involved in primary healthcare deviated considerably from the applicable guideline recommendation but changed after presentation of a guidelines excerpt and knowledge thereof. We conclude that dissemination of applicable guideline knowledge is relevant to improve evidence-based healthcare and clinical decision making.

A new medical Internet system in healthcare: innovation of Telegeriatrics and healthcare demands of older patients of different age groups (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Gong ◽  
Jianyuan Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
World Health ◽  
New Model

BACKGROUND Healthcare for older patients is a worldwide challenge for public health system. A new medical Internet system in healthcare which is a new model of telegeriatrics system has been established. The key innovation is the new telegeriatrics system was conducted jointly by general practitioners in the Community Health Service Center and specialists in university teaching hospital. Unlike the typical telemedicine that has been practiced in other countries, the new model provides a solution for the key issues in telemedicine where a doctor is unable to conduct a direct physical examination and the associated potential diagnostic error. OBJECTIVE This study is to introduce the operation mechanism of the new Telegeriatrics system and analyze healthcare demands of older patients in different age groups applying the new Telegeriatrics system. METHODS 472 older patients (aged≥60) were enrolled and divided into the young older group (aged 60 to 74), the old older group (aged 75 to 89) and the very old group (aged≥90) according to the age stratification of World Health Organization. Proportion of the top 10 diseases of older patients of different age groups was analyzed. RESULTS The process of older patients’ diagnosis and treatment made by specialist and general practitioners formed a closed loop. It ensures the timeliness and effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment of older patients. The treatment effect can be observed by general practitioners and specialist can adjust the treatment plan in time. In this study, it was found that older patients in different age groups have different healthcare demands. Coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus were found to be the main diseases of the older patients and the young older patients as well as the old older patients applying Telegeriatrics. CONCLUSIONS The new telegeriatrics system can provide convenient and efficient healthcare services for older patients and overcome the disadvantage of currently used models of telegeriatrics. Older patients in different age groups have different medical care demands. Cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases have become the main diseases of the elderly applying the new Telegeriatrics system. Healthcare policy makers should invest more medical resources to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases in the elderly.

scholarly journals Polarized nature of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: associations with population age structure and behaviours

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junko Okumura
Keyword(s):  
Age Structure ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Population Age Structure ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Drinking Places

Abstract Background Although the scale of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was relatively small in Japan compared with the rest of the world, the polarisation of areas into high- and low-COVID-19-incidence areas was observed among the 47 prefectures. The aims of this study were not only identifying the factors associated with the polarised COVID-19 pandemic in Japan but also discussing effective preventive measures. Methods This was an ecological study using online survey data which was cross-sectionally conducted by the author. A total of 6000 respondents who resided in 10 low- and 10 high-COVID-19 incidence prefectures, with a wide gap in terms of COVID-19 incidence, in Japan were recruited. Data on COVID-19 cases and geodemographic information were obtained from official government sites. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare variables between the two areas and age groups. Results This study revealed that that age influenced people’s behaviours and perceptions, except one behaviour of ‘wearing facemasks’. The major factors significantly associated with the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people were ‘commuting by private automobile’ (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.444; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.394–0.501), ‘commuting by public transportation’ (AOR, 6.813; 95% CI, 5.567–8.336), ‘washing hands’ (AOR, 1.233; 95% CI, 1.005–1.511), ‘opening windows regularly’ (AOR, 1.248; 95% CI, 1.104–1.412), ‘avoiding crowded places (AOR, 0.757; 95% CI, 0.641–0.893), ‘non-scheduled visits to drinking places’ (AOR, 1.212; 95% CI, 1.054–1.392) and ‘perceived risk of contracting COVID-19’ (AOR, 1.380; 95% CI, 1.180–1.612). These factors were strongly associated with age groups. Conclusions Effective preventive measures for COVID-19 transmission can be developed by understanding the characteristics of populated areas, such as public transportation infrastructure and younger people’s movements and behaviours in relation to the population age structure to contain the current epidemic and protect the most vulnerable elderly people.

scholarly journals Exploring the Frequency of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in a Brazilian Sample during the COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4847
Author(s):  
Fabiana Silva Ribeiro ◽  
Flávia H. Santos ◽  
Luis Anunciação ◽  
Lucas Barrozo ◽  
Jesus Landeira-Fernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Severe Depression ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Brazilian Sample

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency of international concern, and the main measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus causing COVID-19 were social distancing, quarantine, and self-isolation. Although these policies are effective in containing the spread of the virus, they might represent a challenge to psychological well-being, increasing levels of depressive and anxiety-related symptoms. Aims: We explored the frequency of anxiety and depression symptoms during COVID-19 restrictions and associations with sociodemographic factors in a Brazilian sample. Method: Data of a total of 936 Brazilian adults (68.2% women) aged 18 to 77 years old (M = 38.95, SD = 13.91) were collected through an online survey. Results: In general, we observed a frequency of 17.36% for severe anxiety and 66.13% for severe depression symptoms, in which younger participants (18–39 years old) and women showed higher scores in anxiety and depression scales compared to older age groups. Logistic regressions showed that women were more likely to present severe symptoms of anxiety (20.4%) compared to men (10.9%), as well as respondents in the educational sector (24.3%) compared to those in the health sector (10%). Conclusions: We highlight the importance of mental health professionals in developing strategies to help younger adults to mitigate the effects of social restriction.

scholarly journals Analysing the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on everyday travel behaviour in Germany and potential implications for future travel patterns

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoriya Kolarova ◽  
Christine Eisenmann ◽  
Claudia Nobis ◽  
Christian Winkler ◽  
Barbara Lenz
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Travel Behaviour ◽  
German Population ◽  
Travel Patterns ◽  
Home Office ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction The global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a great impact on all areas of the everyday life, including travel behaviour. Various measures that focus on restricting social contacts have been implemented in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Understanding how daily activities and travel behaviour change during such global crisis and the reasons behind is crucial for developing suitable strategies for similar future events and analysing potential mid- and long-term impacts. Methods In order to provide empirical insights into changes in travel behaviour during the first Coronavirus-related lockdown in 2020 for Germany, an online survey with a relative representative sample for the German population was conducted a week after the start of the nationwide contact ban. The data was analysed performing descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Results and Discussion The results suggest in general an increase in car use and decrease in public transport use as well as more negative perception of public transport as a transport alternative during the pandemic. Regarding activity-related travel patterns, the findings show firstly, that the majority of people go less frequent shopping; simultaneously, an increase in online shopping can be seen and characteristics of this group were analysed. Secondly, half of the adult population still left their home for leisure or to run errands; young adults were more active than all other age groups. Thirdly, the majority of the working population still went to work; one out of four people worked in home-office. Lastly, potential implications for travel behaviour and activity patterns as well as policy measures are discussed.

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