scholarly journals A Concept for Conducting User Studies in Vehicles and Stationary Test Rooms During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timmy Kantusch ◽  
Advan Sinanovic ◽  
Stefanie Marker
Keyword(s):  
Public Life ◽  
User Studies ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Sars Coronavirus ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Study Planning ◽  
User Test ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Stationary Test ◽  
The Individual

The SARS coronavirus 2 pandemic affected many areas of public life and industry. This also applies to research particularly that which relies on user test studies. In order to minimize the risk of infection, several aspects of experiment design including the setting might require alteration. In order to develop a step-by-step approach to plan a study with regard to infection protection, an extensive review of the latest research involving the SARS coronavirus 2 pandemic as a blueprint for dealing with other health situations. As a result, a six-step concept was developed that is applicable for user test studies in both stationary rooms and vehicles which can be adapted to the respective circumstances. The infection protection measures determined through research were implemented in the individual sub-steps from study planning to execution. They allow a step-by-step approach to prevent infections in user test studies during a pandemic and in situations where increased hygiene measures are required, in order to continue to carry out user test studies.

scholarly journals A Concept for Conducting Scientific Studies in Vehicles and Stationary Test Rooms during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 8556
Author(s):  
Timmy Kantusch ◽  
Advan Sinanovic ◽  
Stefanie Marker
Keyword(s):  
Public Life ◽  
Experiment Design ◽  
Extensive Review ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Study Planning ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Stationary Test ◽  
The Individual

The COVID-19 pandemic affected many areas of public life and industry. This also applies to research particularly that relies on scientific studies with test persons. In order to minimize the risk of infection, several aspects of experiment design including the setting might require alteration. An extensive review of the latest research involving the COVID-19 pandemic as a blueprint for dealing with other health situations has been conducted in order to develop a step-by-step approach to plan a study with regard to infection protection. As a result, a generic six-step concept was developed that is applicable for scientific studies in both stationary rooms and vehicles while being adaptable to the respective circumstances. The infection protection measures determined through research were implemented in the individual sub-steps from study planning to execution. They allow a step-by-step approach to prevent infections in scientific studies with different settings during a pandemic and in situations where increased hygiene measures are required.

scholarly journals Current practice and perceptions of safety protocols for the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the operating room: results of the IP-OR international survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Clerc ◽  
Martin Hübner ◽  
K.R. Ashwin ◽  
S.P. Somashekhar ◽  
Beate Rau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operating Room ◽  
Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
High Volume ◽  
International Survey ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Cleaning Staff ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Or Team

Abstract Objectives To assess the risk perception and the uptake of measures preventing environment-related risks in the operating room (OR) during hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC). Methods A multicentric, international survey among OR teams in high-volume HIPEC and PIPAC centers: Surgeons (Surg), Scrub nurses (ScrubN), Anesthesiologists (Anest), Anesthesiology nurses (AnesthN), and OR Cleaning staff (CleanS). Scores extended from 0–10 (maximum). Results Ten centers in six countries participated in the study (response rate 100%). Two hundred and eleven responses from 68 Surg (32%), 49 ScrubN (23%), 45 Anest (21%), 31 AnesthN (15%), and 18 CleanS (9%) were gathered. Individual uptake of protection measures was 51.4%, similar among professions and between HIPEC and PIPAC. Perceived levels of protection were 7.57 vs. 7.17 for PIPAC and HIPEC, respectively (p<0.05), with Anesth scoring the lowest (6.81). Perceived contamination risk was 4.19 for HIPEC vs. 3.5 for PIPAC (p<0.01). Information level was lower for CleanS and Anesth for HIPEC and PIPAC procedures compared to all other responders (6.48 vs. 4.86, and 6.48 vs. 5.67, p<0.01). Willingness to obtain more information was 86%, the highest among CleanS (94%). Conclusions Experience with the current practice of safety protocols was similar during HIPEC and PIPAC. The individual uptake of protection measures was rather low. The safety perception was better for PIPAC, but the perceived level of protection remained relatively low. The willingness to obtain more information was high. Intensified, standardized training of all OR team members involved in HIPEC and PIPAC is meaningful.

scholarly journals Testing for SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence: experiences of a tertiary eye centre

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000688
Author(s):  
Focke Ziemssen ◽  
You-Shan Feng ◽  
Sven Schnichels ◽  
Tarek Bayyoud ◽  
Marius Ueffing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Kappa Statistics ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Individual Assessment ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Antibody Titres ◽  
Antiviral Antibody ◽  
Sequential Combination ◽  
The Individual

IntroductionThe actual prevalence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection and the individual assessment of being or having been infected may differ. Facing the great uncertainty—especially at the beginning of the pandemic—and the possibility of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, subclinical infections, we evaluate the experience of SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening at a tertiary clinical setting.Methods and analysisAll employees of a tertiary eye centre and a research institute of ophthalmology were offered antibody testing in May 2020, using a sequential combination of different validated assays/antigens and point-of-care (POC) testing for a subset (NCT04446338). Before taking blood, a systematic inquiry into past symptoms, known contacts and a subjective self-assessment was documented. The correlations between serostatus, patient contacts and demographic characteristics were analysed. Different tests were compared by Kappa statistics.ResultsAmong 318 participants, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected in 9 employees. Chemiluminescence assays (chemiluminescence immunoassay and electrochemiluminescence) showed superior specificity and high reproducibility, compared with ELISA and POC results.In contrast to the low seropositivity (2.8%) of healthcare workers, higher than that of the other departments of the hospital, a large proportion mistakenly assumed that they might have already been infected. Antiviral antibody titres increased and remained on a plateau for at least 3 months.ConclusionsThe great demand and acceptance confirmed the benefit of highly sensitive testing methods in the early phase of the pandemic. The coincidence of low seroprevalence and anxious employees may have contributed to internalising the need of hygiene measures.

scholarly journals Assessment of the flood damages on the real estate property in the Czech Republic area

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 317-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Korytárová ◽  
V. Hromádka
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Flood Protection ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
The Real ◽  
The Real Estate ◽  
Estate Property ◽  
Basic Quality ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Given ◽  
Property Index

The problem of floods can be solved by investment activities in the form of the flood protection measures or by the potential liquidation of damages after the flood. In the frame of the solved grant projects, there was developed the basic methodology for the losses on the immovable property in the territory assessment and consequently the database of input data for its use. The output of the described methodology enables the comparison of the potential losses on immovable property with the investment costs for the flood protection measures. In order to be able to estimate the occurred losses, the own method has been developed by the members of the research team. This method consists of the specification of the territorial property valuation and the evaluation of the damage on the territorial property caused by floods. The basic quality of the Territorial Property Index is that it respects the generally defined structure of the real estate property in the given area. The Territorial Property Index is then calculated for the individual area categories. While evaluating the damage, first the measure of the damages of the property representatives depending on the hydrological situation defined in advance must be investigated. The damages are then estimated based on three defined primary parameters. &nbsp;

Corruption: ‘Culture’ in the Dock

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vineet Sahu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Life ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Individual Agent ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Holistic Perspective ◽  
Cultural Milieu ◽  
The Individual

Corruption in public life1 needs to be examined in greater detail as not only an individual lapse but also a feature of the collective that either does or does not put pressure on the individual to lapse. This paper takes a methodological holistic perspective exceeding the methodological individualistic perspective in understanding corruption. The claim is that the locus of responsibility cannot be restricted to the individual alone and the collective (if there be such an entity) be left scot-free. This claim is premised on the conception that an individual’s act which is in deviation of expected and established norms cannot be faulted only at the level of the individual, and careful consideration needs to be made to assess the role of the collective in precipitating the lapse(s) in the actions of the individual. This paper argues for sharing the liability of corruption in public life between the legally responsible individual as agent and the cultural milieu in which the agent operates. At a foundational level this paper calls for a reconceptualization of individual agency and decision making from being isolated and discrete, to being construed by the collective that the individual agent is a part of.

scholarly journals Nurses Perception of Biological Risk

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 44-50
Author(s):  
Rosa Elvira Minchala Urgilés ◽  
Ángel Efraín Palaguachi Tenecela ◽  
Luis Francisco Altamirano Cardenas ◽  
Pedro Carlos Martínez Suárez ◽  
Elvia Narcisa Godoy Durán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Observational Research ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Sense Organs ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Biological Risk ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Nursing Professionals

Biohazard perception is a process in which the sense organs interact with microorganisms that can cause tissue or multi-organic damage. The risk of infection by biological agents is recognized as one of the most important, especially in nursing professionals. Objective: To identify the perception of nursing personnel on biological risk, in the Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital, Cuenca-Ecuador. Methodology: Cross-sectional, descriptive observational research with a quantitative approach. The sample was 164 nurses. A questionnaire validated in Cuba was used for data collection, and the processing and analysis of the results was carried out in the SPSS v25 programme. Results: 59% were between 20 and 30 years old, 92% were female, 50% were single and 44% were nursing professionals. In relation to the individual, 60% have received little training on biological risk, 59% have received protective measures. In the nature of the risks, 92% do consider the consequences of biological risks, 79% report little information on accidents and incidents in the institution. In risk management, 68 per cent report that few managers and supervisors are aware of current biosecurity resolutions. Conclusion: Nurses have received little biohazard training, are unaware of some of the protective measures and accidents and incidents in the facility. Few administrators and supervisors are trained in bio-safety.

scholarly journals A Case-Control Study of Contextual Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreia Leite ◽  
Teresa Leão ◽  
Patrícia Soares ◽  
Milton Severo ◽  
Marta Moniz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Case Control Study ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Case Control ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Control Study

Background: Knowledge on the settings and activities associated with a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is essential to inform decision-making. We thus designed a case-control study to identify relevant settings for community transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Portugal.Methods: We evaluated 1,088 cases, identified through the national surveillance system, and 787 community controls, recruited using random digit dialing. Sociodemographic characteristics, individual protective measures, and activities or visited settings were obtained through telephone interview. We report sex-, age-, education-, and citizenship-adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results: Household overcrowding (aOR = 1.47; 95% CI 1.14–1.91) and work in senior care (4.99; 1.30–33.08) increased while working remotely decreased the risk of infection (0.30; 0.22–0.42). Going to restaurants/other dining spaces (0.73; 0.59–0.91), grocery stores (0.44; 0.34–0.57) or hair salons (0.51; 0.39–0.66), or the use of public transportation did not present a higher risk of infection (0.98; 0.75–1.29), under existing mitigation strategies. Lower education ( ≤ 4 years vs. tertiary education: 1.79; 1.33–2.42) and no Portuguese citizenship (5.47; 3.43–9.22) were important risk factors.Conclusions: The utilization of public transportation, restaurants, and commercial spaces was not associated with increased risk of infection, under capacity restrictions, physical distancing, use of masks, and hygiene measures. Overcrowding, foreign citizenship, low education and working on-site were positively associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

scholarly journals Contamination of personal protective equipment during COVID-19 autopsies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna M Brandner ◽  
Peter Boor ◽  
Lukas S Borcherding ◽  
Carolin Edler ◽  
Sven Gerber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Infectious Virus ◽  
Virus Isolation ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Safe Work ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Positive Controls

Confronted with an emerging infectious disease, the medical community faced relevant concerns regarding the performance of autopsies of COVID-19 deceased at the beginning of the pandemic. This attitude has changed, and autopsies are now recognized as indispensable tools for elucidating COVID-19; despite this, the true risk of infection for autopsy staff is still debated. To elucidate the rate of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in personal protective equipment (PPE), swabs were taken at nine locations of the PPE of one physician and an assistant each from 11 full autopsies performed at four different centers. Further samples were obtained for three minimally invasive autopsies (MIA) conducted at a fifth center. Lung/bronchus swabs of the deceased served as positive controls. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by RT-qPCR. In 9/11 full autopsies PPE samples were tested RNA positive with PCR, in total 21% of all PPE samples taken. The main contaminated parts of the PPE were the gloves (64% positive), the aprons (50% positive), and the upper sides of shoes (36% positive) while for example the fronts of safety goggles were only positive in 4.5% of the samples and all face masks were negative. In MIA, viral RNA was observed in one sample from a glove, but not in other swabs. Infectious virus isolation in cell culture was performed in RNA positive swabs from full autopsies. Of all RNA positive PPE samples, 21% of the glove samples were positive for infectious virus taken in 3/11 full autopsies. In conclusion, in >80% of autopsies, PPE was contaminated with viral RNA. In >25% of autopsies, PPE was found to be even contaminated with infectious virus, signifying a potential risk of infection among autopsy staff. Adequate PPE and hygiene measures, including appropriate waste deposition, are therefore mandatory to enable safe work environment.

scholarly journals A behavioral economic risk aversion experiment in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245261
Author(s):  
Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon ◽  
Thiago Wendt Viola ◽  
Lucas Poitevin Bandinelli ◽  
Sayra Catalina Coral Castro ◽  
Christian Haag Kristensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Classification Tree ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Infection Level ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Individual

We investigated what degree of risk of infection with COVID-19 is necessary so that people intend to stay home, even when doing so means losing their salary. We conducted an online survey across Brazil during the initial outbreak, in which 8,345 participants answered a questionnaire designed to identify the maximum tolerated risk (k’) necessary for them to disregard social distancing recommendations and guarantee their salaries. Generalized linear mixed models, path analysis structural equation, and conditional interference classification tree were performed to further understand how sociodemographic factors impact k’ and to establish a predictive model for the risk behavior of leaving home during the pandemic. We found that, on average, people tolerate 38% risk of infection to leave home and earn a full salary, but this number decreased to 13% when the individual risk perception of becoming ill from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 is considered. Furthermore, participants who have a medium-to-high household income and who are older than 35 years are more likely to be part of the risk-taking group who leave home regardless of the potential COVID-19 infection level; while participants over 45 years old and with good financial health are more likely to be part of the risk-averse group, who stay home at the expense of any salary offered. Our findings add to the political and public debate concerning lockdown strategies by showing that, contrary to supposition, people with low socioeconomic status are not more likely to ignore social distancing recommendations due to personal economic matters.

scholarly journals Contamination of personal protective equipment during COVID-19 autopsies

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna M. Brandner ◽  
Peter Boor ◽  
Lukas Borcherding ◽  
Carolin Edler ◽  
Sven Gerber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Infectious Virus ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Safe Work ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
The Face ◽  
Positive Controls

AbstractConfronted with an emerging infectious disease at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community faced concerns regarding the safety of autopsies on those who died of the disease. This attitude has changed, and autopsies are now recognized as indispensable tools for understanding COVID-19, but the true risk of infection to autopsy staff is nevertheless still debated. To clarify the rate of SARS-CoV-2 contamination in personal protective equipment (PPE), swabs were taken at nine points in the PPE of one physician and one assistant after each of 11 full autopsies performed at four centers. Swabs were also obtained from three minimally invasive autopsies (MIAs) conducted at a fifth center. Lung/bronchus swabs of the deceased served as positive controls, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by real-time RT-PCR. In 9 of 11 full autopsies, PPE samples tested RNA positive through PCR, accounting for 41 of the 198 PPE samples taken (21%). The main contaminated items of the PPE were gloves (64% positive), aprons (50% positive), and the tops of shoes (36% positive) while the fronts of safety goggles, for example, were positive in only 4.5% of the samples, and all the face masks were negative. In MIAs, viral RNA was observed in one sample from a glove but not in other swabs. Infectious virus isolation in cell culture was performed on RNA-positive swabs from the full autopsies. Of all the RNA-positive PPE samples, 21% of the glove samples, taken in 3 of 11 full autopsies, tested positive for infectious virus. In conclusion, PPE was contaminated with viral RNA in 82% of autopsies. In 27% of autopsies, PPE was found to be contaminated even with infectious virus, representing a potential risk of infection to autopsy staff. Adequate PPE and hygiene measures, including appropriate waste deposition, are therefore essential to ensure a safe work environment.

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