Analyzing the Development and Implementation Posibility of the Robotic Ambulance for COVID Pacients

During Covid pandemic, the automation, robotization and digitization were accelerated, but the results do not meet all expectations. Telecommunications have undeniable successes, but in other sectors the benefits of technological advancement are still missing. The "online school" and the "online procedures" of some institutions have been partially upgraded, but things have been as well in other activities which were less suitable for automation, robotization and digitization. The healthcare sector was highly stressed in the context of COVID-19 crisis, but it has not fully benefited from the advantages of the robotic vehicles. Life and death during COVID-19 crisis has affected most people, either as victims or actors in a reality that took them unprepared. Ambulances have been challenged by events which were not always managed successfully. They must respond promptly to save the lives of those who call for help. Staff in this sector are often overworked and highly stressed. The simultaneous existence of robotic ambulances that can take over some of the victims who need medical services could be both a good idea and a life-saving measure. The paper proposes implementation of existing technology for optimizing ambulance services with robotic tools and suitable for digitization. In this way, complementary solutions can be generated for increasing the quality of life, respectively for mitigating the emotional and physical stress when it comes to near death experiences. When on-site complex resuscitation and first aid maneuvers are not necessary, being required only the lifting and transportation procedures by a medical robot, the use of a robotic vehicle mitigates the ambulance’s personnel from stresses. These solutions are complementary, leading to an improvement in life’s quality.

Download Full-text

Literature review: technological interventions and their impact on quality of life for people living with dementia

BMJ Health & Care Informatics ◽

10.1136/bmjhci-2019-100064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. e100064

Author(s):

David Sanders ◽

Philip Scott

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Dementia Care ◽

Assistive Technologies ◽

Healthcare Sector ◽

Supporting Evidence ◽

Technological Advancement ◽

People With Dementia ◽

Person With Dementia

ObjectivesRapid technology-driven innovation in the healthcare sector has led to an increasing ability to effectively respond to health challenges. However, the cognitive challenges faced by a person with dementia exacerbate the difficulty of designing enduring technological dementia care solutions. Despite this, and in the absence of a cure, facilitating well-being and improved quality of life becomes pivotal for those living with dementia and their caregivers. This review aimed to identify and consolidate the provision of technological solutions for dementia care, and how these are perceived to impact the quality of life of a person with dementia.MethodsArticles and journals were identified using keywords including those relating to quality of life, assistive technologies and technology adoption and acceptance. Greater priority was given to resources published after 2010 due to the speed of technological advancement, and peer-reviewed articles were preferred.Results91 resources were identified, with 38 contributing to the final review. In addition to multiple quality of life measurement tools, the literature identified a large variety of solutions that fell into three categories: those used ‘by’, ‘with’ or ‘on’ a person with dementia.ConclusionsThis review concludes that the ‘one size fits all’ approach to many solutions reflects the lack of supporting evidence, negatively impacting trust in their usefulness among caregivers and their subsequent adoption rates. This could be attributed to limited involvement of people with dementia in studies of effectiveness and adoption. Additional research is recommended to further consolidate research on quality of life and to understand the individuality and progression of dementia and its influence on dementia care solutions.

Download Full-text

Decompressive Hemicraniectomy for Large Hemispheric Strokes

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.120.032359 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 1500-1510

Author(s):

Jessica Lin ◽

Jennifer A. Frontera

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Surgical Techniques ◽

Decompressive Hemicraniectomy ◽

Life Saving ◽

Significant Research ◽

Areas Of Interest ◽

Saving Measure ◽

The Impact ◽

Made In

Large hemispheric infarcts occur in up to 10% of all ischemic strokes and can cause devastating disability. Significant research and clinical efforts have been made in hopes of mitigating the morbidity and mortality of this disease. Areas of interest include identifying predictors of malignant edema, optimizing medical and surgical techniques, selecting the patient population that would benefit most from decompressive hemicraniectomy, and studying the impact on quality of life of those who survive. Decompressive surgery can be a life-saving measure, and here we discuss the most up-to-date literature and provide a review on the surgical management of large hemispheric ischemic strokes.

Download Full-text

The Religious Functions of Near-Death Experiences

10.1093/oso/9780190888848.003.0022 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jens Schlieter

Keyword(s):

Religious Experience ◽

Life And Death ◽

Life After Death ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Near Death Experiences

This final chapter secures the result of the survey by discussing the religious functions of near-death experiences for affected individuals, but also the functions of the reports for the audience. It outlines (a) ontological, (b) epistemic, (c) intersubjective, and (d) moral aspects. It has been argued that experiencers feel closer to God, are less attracted to religion, and are significantly more inclined to believe in life after death. A function of the narratives consists in the claim that, in atheistic and secular times, individual religious experience is still possible. Several reports argue with a copresence of life and death. Discussing cognitivist approaches, the chapter finally concludes that, given the Latin etymology of “experience,” harboring, among others, the meaning of “being exposed to danger” or “passing a test,” near-death experiences can be seen as a match for conceptions of religious experience as a transformative, gained by surviving a life-threatening danger.

Download Full-text

Life-saving with a vaginal condom catheter in postpartum haemorrhage due to vaginal lacerations in a low-resource setting

BMJ Case Reports ◽

10.1136/bcr-2021-245199 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (9) ◽

pp. e245199

Author(s):

Indunil Piyadigama ◽

Chinthaka Banagala ◽

Lakshman Kariyawasam ◽

Madura Jayawardane

Keyword(s):

Postpartum Haemorrhage ◽

Foley Catheter ◽

Labia Minora ◽

Low Resource ◽

Resource Setting ◽

Low Resource Setting ◽

Life Saving ◽

Saving Measure ◽

Vaginal Introitus ◽

Condom Catheter

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) due to multiple vaginal lacerations is difficult to manage and tamponade is used as a life-saving measure. Condom catheter with stay sutures at the vaginal introitus for this purpose has not been reported. We describe successfully managing PPH due to multiple vaginal lacerations following a forceps delivery using a condom tied to an 18 FG Foley catheter. The device was introduced to the vagina, inflated with 700 mL of normal saline and was held in situ by sealing the vaginal introitus with interrupted nylon stitches running between the labia minora. Condom catheter is cheap and freely available in low-resource settings. The preparation and application can be done by a less experienced operator.

Download Full-text

The Role of African Students in Technology Transfer

Issue A Journal of Opinion ◽

10.1017/s0047160700504843 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 50-51

Author(s):

Ephraim Nkwute Aniebona

Keyword(s):

Human Society ◽

Technological Advancement ◽

African Students ◽

Human Needs ◽

Power Resources ◽

Human Effort ◽

Basic Human Needs ◽

Developed Nations

The term, “technology,” as used here, refers basically to: (1) the science or art of devising tools and instruments and how to use them; (2) the development of new materials and substances and their application; (3) the development of machines to supplement or replace human effort, where desirable and feasible; (4) the development of energy and power resources for running the machines; and (5) the development of efficient methods of doing work—that is, using tools, machines, and instruments. From an observation of human efforts throughout the world, it is clear that every human society is concerned with technology, for it is a proven means by which man has extended his power beyond his physical capacity and gained some control over his environment. Although technology exists in every society, it is the amount and quality of the technology that separates nations today on a scale of economic development. Whilst the developing, technologically backward countries of Africa constantly face the basic human needs of food, shelter, and clothing, the developed nations consume and enjoy a disproportionate amount of the world’s resources and wealth by reason of their technological advancement.

Download Full-text

Letter to the Editor

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.49.6.926a ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 49 (6) ◽

pp. 926-927

Author(s):

Ralph I. Fried

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Care ◽

Child Behavior ◽

Private Practice ◽

Allied Health ◽

Health Workers ◽

Emotional Problems ◽

Routine Care ◽

Parental Concerns ◽

Life Saving

I gratefully accept your invitation to comment on the letter by Dr. Pick on allied health workers in the private practice of pediatrics. I support Dr. Pick in his statement that this would constitute a regression in the quality of care offered to our children. Dr. Charles A. Janeway remarked in 1957 that during his career the practice of pediatrics had reversed itself from 80% life-saving and 20% routine care, to the opposite figures, so that pediatricians have had to deal increasingly with parental concerns about child behavior and emotional problems.

Download Full-text

Adrenal Insufficiency - Aetiology, Diagnosis and Treatment

Delta Medical College Journal ◽

10.3329/dmcj.v3i1.22238 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 36-47

Author(s):

Nazma Akter ◽

Nazmul Kabir Qureshi

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Adrenal Insufficiency ◽

Presenting Symptoms ◽

Life Saving ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Diagnostic Work ◽

Work Up ◽

Term Management

Adrenal insufficiency is caused by either primary adrenal failure or by hypothalamic-pituitary impairment of the corticotropic axis. Adrenal insufficiency, first codified in 1855 by Thomas Addison, remains relevant in 2014 because of its lethal nature. Though, it is a rare disease but is life threatening when overlooked. Main presenting symptoms such as fatigue, anorexia and weight loss are nonspecific, thus diagnosis is often delayed. The diagnostic work-up is well established but some pitfalls remain. The diagnosis is adequately established by the 250 ?g ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) stimulation test in most cases. Glucocorticoids provide life saving treatment but long-term quality of life is impaired, perhaps because therapy is not given in a physiologic way. Dehydroepiandrosterone-replacement therapy has been introduced that could help to restore quality of life. It may be useful in pubertal girls, but not in adults. Monitoring of glucocorticoid-replacement is difficult due to lack of objective methods of assessment and is therefore largely based on clinical grounds. Thus, long-term management of patients with adrenal insufficiency remains a challenge, requiring an experienced specialist. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dmcj.v3i1.22238 Delta Med Col J. Jan 2015; 3(1): 36-47

Download Full-text

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Innovative Pharmaceutical Corporations. The Case of BIOGEN

Comparative Economic Research ◽

10.2478/cer-2018-0018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 45-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Janina Witkowska

Keyword(s):

Corporate Social Responsibility ◽

Pharmaceutical Industry ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Corporate Philanthropy ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Orphan Drugs ◽

Pharmaceutical Firms ◽

Life Saving ◽

Corporate Social

The aim of this paper is to discuss the common features and specificity of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices of innovative transnational corporations (TNCs) acting in the pharmaceutical industry. The innovativeness of pharmaceutical firms is understood here as their ability to make a breakthrough in the treatment of rare, incurable diseases. The examination of the issue leads to the conclusion that the specificity of CSR in this industry is related to the contradiction between the economic and social/ethical aspects of innovation processes in this field. A key issue of CSR in the innovative pharmaceutical industry seems to be the pricing of drugs, especially orphan and ultra‑orphan drugs, resulting in patients from less developed countries having limited access to life‑saving medicines or those that improve the quality of life. Corporations use their monopolistic position to set extremely high prices. However, without the market/marketing exclusivity offered to pharmaceutical firms by the law, orphan drugs would probably not be developed, produced and commercialized. Traditional CSR practices (corporate philanthropy, community and neighborhood programs, volunteerism etc.) cannot be treated as sufficient ‘compensation’ for the high prices of medicines. Real, true CSR in the innovative pharmaceutical industry requires either abandoning or reducing extreme monopolistic privileges and offering medicines for rare diseases at lower prices.

Download Full-text

Journalism and Numeracy in Context: Four Case Studies

Numeracy ◽

10.5038/1936-4660.14.2.1371 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Steven Harrison

Keyword(s):

Numerical Data ◽

Quantitative Literacy ◽

News Production ◽

News Reporting ◽

Life And Death ◽

The Public ◽

News Reports ◽

Reporting Process ◽

The Relationship

Although research into the relationship between quantitative literacy (QL) and news reporting is sparse, the consensus among researchers is that journalists tend not to place QL very highly among their professional values and that journalism suffers as a consequence. This paper is an attempt to provide concrete examples of the ways in which news reports systemically misinterpret, misrepresent, or misuse numerical data as part of the reporting process. Drawing on scenarios ranging from elections and healthcare to the mundane world of food preparation, it shows how a lack of rigour in the fields of reporting and news production can lead to a diminution in the quality of journalism presented to the public. It is argued that while the effect of this can sometimes be trivial, on occasion it is literally a matter of life and death.

Download Full-text

Problems of formalization of the mentoring institute in healthcare and ways of solving them

Health Care of the Russian Federation ◽

10.47470/0044-197x-2021-65-5-461-466 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (5) ◽

pp. 461-466

Author(s):

Yulia V. Burdastova

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Sector ◽

Highly Qualified ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Sociological Study ◽

Department Of Health ◽

Medical Institutions ◽

Long Time ◽

Quality Of Medical Care ◽

Mentoring System

Introduction. This study focuses on the formalization of the institution of mentoring in health care. The mentoring system in Russia has existed for a long time. Still, there is a particular interest in this topic since the requirements for the quality of medical care are changing, new challenges arise in the healthcare sector, and reducing staff turnover and retaining highly qualified specialists in the workplace arises. Targets and goals. The aim of the study is to clarify the need for institutional consolidation of the institution of mentoring. The tasks of the work included identifying factors motivating or demotivating medical workers to participate in the mentoring system, as well as the search for problems of formalizing the institution of mentoring. Material and methods. The author conducted a sociological study in Moscow: a mass questionnaire survey among doctors and nurses in 6 medical institutions subordinated to the Department of Health of the city of Moscow and a series of in-depth structured interviews with representatives of medical organizations in charge of mentoring in their organizations (17). Analysis of quantitative data was carried out using the construction of classification trees using the CHAID method. Results. The main issue that experts propose to spell out when formalizing mentoring is the skills and abilities. Employee willingness to become mentors varies. The study found that physicians over the age of 27 are most likely to become mentors convinced of the need to introduce and expand mentoring in the workplace. Young doctors under the age of 27 are less likely to take on the mentoring function due to a lack of confidence in their qualifications, as well as older colleagues who are dissatisfied with the working conditions in the workplace and do not consider it necessary to introduce or expand a mentoring system in their organization. Conclusion. The study showed that experts have a positive attitude to formalizing the institute of mentoring, noting that there should be a single document of a recommendatory nature.

Download Full-text