The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Chronic Rheumatic Diseases: A Study in 15 Arab Countries

Abstract Aim. To evaluate the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19) on the access to rheumatology care for patients with chronic rheumatic diseases (CRD) in the Arab countries.Method. A web-based cross-sectional survey was designed by the Arab Adult Arthritis Awareness group (AAAA) consisting of 16 rheumatologists representing countries from the Arab League of Associations for Rheumatology (ArLAR), and was validated by the ArLAR scientific committee. The survey was disseminated through social media and patients' associations' channels between May 8 and May 22, 2020. The steering committee developed recommendations to improve the care of patients with CRD during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results. A total of 2163 patients were included in the analysis; 72% were females; mean age was 40 years (SD 11.9). The Levant, the Gulf, and North Africa contributed almost equally to the sample. The pandemic had a significant negative impact on rheumatology visits in 82% of cases, on access to hydroxychloroquine (47%), and on chronic medication persistency (28%). The negative impact on rheumatology visits was associated with female gender, country, medication non-persistency, isolation due to COVID-19, and impact on mental health. Sixty-one patients (2.8%) stated that they had COVID-19, 5% said that a close contact was infected, and 47% were in isolation because of COVID-19.Conclusion. The current study highlights the deleterious consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continuity of rheumatology care. Therefore, an action plan, including establishing a telemedicine platform, securing drug availability, and promoting medication persistence through the appropriate communication channels, is strongly recommended.

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OP0265-HPR IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON RHEUMATOLOGY PATIENTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND – A WEB BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases ◽

10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-eular.3200 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. 161.2-162

Author(s):

P. McKee ◽

A. Irvine ◽

C. Riddell ◽

E. Ball

Keyword(s):

Northern Ireland ◽

Rheumatic Disease ◽

Rheumatic Diseases ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Biological Drugs ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

The Impact

Background:Concern for the susceptibility of rheumatology patients to severe COVID-19 illness has been raised since the start of the pandemic. Rheumatic disease and their immunosuppressant therapies placed many patients into the ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ group when the UK’s shielding guidance commenced on 23 March 2020. The impact of DMARDs/glucocorticoids/biologics on COVID-19 remains under investigation 1. A recent study suggested caution may be required with rituximab and sulfasalazine in COVID-19 patients 2.Objectives:The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rheumatology patients in Northern Ireland by assessing demographics, rheumatic disease, medications, disease progress, shielding advice, access to primary & tertiary care and incidence of COVID-19 infection.Methods:A web-based cross-sectional survey was completed in Northern Ireland. The study duration was between 23rd November 2020 and 22nd January 2021. The questionnaire included consent, demographic details, medication history, comorbidities, disease course, patient experience, shielding advice, COVID-19 illness and hospitalisation. The survey was publicised by sending 6,032 Belfast Trust NHS patients a link via SMS, posters were displayed in rheumatology departments, and links made available via NHS/Versus Arthritis social media platforms.Results:There were 2,615 responses and of these 2,539 had been completed and were analysed. Most respondents were aged 45+ (78.27%) and female (N=1819). Rheumatoid arthritis (41%) and psoriatic arthritis (29%) were the most common diagnoses. Just over one third (35.27%, N=896) of patients were on biological drugs. Most patients were taking methotrexate (28.04%) followed by hydroxychloroquine (15.20%) and adalimumab (12.52%). The majority (79.6%) continued treatment during the pandemic. There was evidence of disease ‘flaring’ in 30.75% of patients who had stopped treatment. Of the respondents surveyed 7.8% (N=198), tested positive for Covid-19 and of these 77.55% reported that they had received adequate shielding advice, primarily from GP or UK government sources. Only 11.11% (N=22) of those who tested positive for Covid-19 required hospital admission and 2 patients required intensive care support. Both patients requiring ICU were not on immunosuppression. Less than one third of patients testing positive for COVID-19 were on biological drugs (30.3%, N=60). Cardiovascular disease was the most prevalent comorbidity. Of the 22 patients hospitalised with COVID-19, 13.64% (N=3) were on solitary sulphasalazine therapy.Conclusion:The survey showed low levels of COVID-19 hospitalisation despite most patients continuing DMARD/biologic/glucocorticoid therapy. This has been replicated in other studies 1, however data continues to be gathered on the safety of some biologic drugs particularly rituximab 2. Most of our patients received clear understandable shielding guidance from a variety of sources. Many patients expressed fear of mortality, isolation and mental health issues. The survey findings indicated that stopping medication can have a negative impact on disease control.References:[1]Robinson PC, Yazdany J. The COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance: collecting data in a pandemic. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2020 Jun;16(6):293-294.[2]Strangfeld A, Schäfer M, Gianfrancesco MA, et al. Factors associated with COVID-19-related death in people with rheumatic diseases: results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician-reported registry. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases Published Online First: 27 January 2021. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-219498Disclosure of Interests:None declared

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Quality of Life in People Living With HIV: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Survey in Belgium

AIDS Education and Prevention ◽

10.1521/aeap.2021.33.3.249 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 249-264

Author(s):

Gert Scheerder ◽

Sandra Van den Eynde ◽

Patrick Reyntiens ◽

Ria Koeck ◽

Jessika Deblonde ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Sexual Life ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Related Stigma ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

The Impact

This cross-sectional survey explored the quality of life in 505 people living with HIV in Belgium. Several domains of quality of life were impaired: 26% had been diagnosed with depression and 43% had weak social support. HIV-related stigma is still widespread, with 49% believing most people with HIV are rejected and 65% having experienced discrimination due to HIV. The impact of HIV was limited on professional life, but 40% experienced a negative impact on life satisfaction and 41% a negative impact on sexual life. For several domains, people with a recent diagnosis of HIV and long-term survivors had significantly worse scores. This survey also uncovered strengths of people living with HIV, such as positive coping and HIV self-image. Expanding the scope of quality of life in people living with HIV may provide a more complete picture of relevant life domains that may be impacted by living with HIV, but this needs further validation.

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Alcohol-related harm to others in England: a cross-sectional analysis of national survey data

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021046 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. e021046 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Caryl Beynon ◽

David Bayliss ◽

Jenny Mason ◽

Kate Sweeney ◽

Clare Perkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Harm To Others ◽

Using Data ◽

Socioeconomic And Demographic Factors ◽

The Impact ◽

Alcohol Related Harm ◽

Related Harm

ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence, the frequency and the perpetrators of alcohol-related harm to others (AHTO) and identify factors associated with experiencing harm and aggressive harm.DesignCross-sectional survey.SettingEngland.ParticipantsAdults (general population) aged 16 and over.Outcome measuresPercentage of respondents who experienced harm. Socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with the outcomes. Outcomes were (1) experienced harm/did not experience harm and (2) experienced aggressive harm (physically threatened, physically hurt and forced/pressured into something sexual)/did not experience an aggressive harm (no aggressive harm plus no harm at all).ResultsData to support a response rate calculation were not collected; 96.3% of people surveyed completed the AHTO questions. The weighted sample was 4874; 20.1% (95% CI 18.9 to 21.4, N=980) reported experiencing harm in the previous 12 months and 4.6% (95% CI 4.0 to 5.4, N=225) reported experiencing an aggressive harm. Friends and strangers were the dominant perpetrators. Most harms (74.8%) occurred less than monthly. Factors associated with experiencing harm were: younger age (p<0.001), drinking harmfully/hazardously (p<0.001), white British (p<0.001 compared to other white groups and Asian groups and p=0.017 compared to black groups), having a disability (p<0.001), being educated (p<0.001 compared to no education) and living in private rented accommodation (p=0.004 compared with owned outright). Being in the family stage of life (defined as having children in the household) had significantly lower odds of harm (p=0.006 compared to being single), as did being retired (p<0.001 compared to being employed). Factors associated with experiencing an aggressive harm were similar.ConclusionsThis exploratory study, using data collected through the Alcohol Toolkit Survey, shows that AHTO affects 20.1% of the population of England. Even apparently minor harms, like being kept awake, can have a negative impact on health, while aggressive harms are clearly of concern. Using a standard methodology to measure harm across studies would be advantageous. Policies that focus on alcohol must take into consideration the impact of drinking on those other than the drinker.

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Impact of skeletal related events (SREs) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and healthcare resource utilization (HRU) in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases (BM).

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2013.31.15_suppl.e16046 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e16046-e16046

Author(s):

Jorge Arellano ◽

Kristina S Chen ◽

Carolyn Atchison ◽

Alex Rider ◽

Andrew Worsfold ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prostate Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Underlying Disease ◽

Cord Compression ◽

Healthcare Resource Utilization ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cancer Disease ◽

The Impact

e16046 Background: Advanced prostate cancer often leads to the development of BM and as a result SREs. Treatment and management of SREs, as well as the underlying disease, influences the patient’s HRQoL and HRU. We evaluated the impact of SREs on HRQoL (FACT-P) and HRU in patients with BM. Methods: Data were extracted from the Adelphi Prostate Cancer Disease-Specific Programme (DSP), a cross-sectional survey of 150 urologists and oncologists and their prostate cancer patients conducted from March to June 2012 in the US. Each specialist completed comprehensive record forms on 12 of their patients being treated for prostate cancer. Patients were invited to complete a questionnaire, which included the FACT-P HRQoL instrument. Patients were stratified by SRE experience to assess the impact of SRE on patients with BM. SRE was defined as an event of bone radiation, bone surgery, fracture, or spinal cord compression. Results: Data were collected from 1,749 prostate cancer patients, of which 941 were identified with BM; SRE status was recorded in 499 BM patients (Table). HRQoL was significantly lower in patients experiencing SREs, while the rate of consultations and likelihood of being hospitalized was significantly higher. Conclusions: SREs result in a significant economic burden on the healthcare system and negative impact on HRQoL in prostate cancer patients with BM. [Table: see text]

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Participation factors for asthma education programs - a cross sectional survey

BMC Pulmonary Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12890-019-0979-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Oxana Atmann ◽

Klaus Linde ◽

Christoph Werner ◽

Ulrike Dorn ◽

Antonius Schneider

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Patient Education ◽

Action Plan ◽

Education Programs ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Asthma Education ◽

Open Questions ◽

Asthma Patients ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Although the impact of asthma education on important outcomes (e.g. emergency visits) has been well established, only an estimated quarter of asthma patients in Germany have received patient education yet. The aim of the study was to identify patient factors that could increase participation in asthma education programs. Methods This cross-sectional study investigated participation factors and differences between trained (n = 64) and untrained (n = 65) asthma patients from a large outpatient center in Germany. The survey included answers to asthma-related questions and open questions on patient education as well as such about knowledge of health literacy and eHealth. Results Mean age of participants was 55 ± 19 years and 61% were female. Trained patients were more likely to participate in disease management programs (odds ratio (OR) 6.85; 95%CI 2.17–21.59), were more frequently non-smokers (OR 0.07; 95%CI 0.01–0.85) and more often had an asthma action plan (OR 20.2; 1.55–263.41). Open questions’ analysis of untrained asthma patients revealed that patients felt they were not adequately informed about asthma education (37%). About one-third of all patients (27%) showed openness to online asthma education. Analysis of HL and eHealth showed no difference between the groups. Conclusion Untrained asthma patients should be informed even more intensively by their physicians about the importance and value of asthma education. Asthma education does not seem to benefit patients’ health literacy. Online asthma education is of interest to approximately one-third of asthma patients. This should be motivation to develop and implement online asthma education concepts.

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The moderating effect of coworkers’ training participation on the influence of peer support in the transfer process

European Journal of Training and Development ◽

10.1108/ejtd-07-2021-0102 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Janos Salamon ◽

Brian D. Blume ◽

Gábor Orosz ◽

Tamás Nagy

Keyword(s):

Peer Support ◽

Training Programs ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Training Transfer ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Motivation To Transfer ◽

The Impact ◽

And Training

Purpose The impact of the number of coworkers participating in training on transfer outcomes has largely been overlooked. This paper aims to examine whether the number of coworkers participating in training interacts with peer support (PS) to influence training motivation and transfer. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a cross-sectional survey from a sample of 688 employees working in 14 midsize and large companies. All participants were recent trainees in various open skill (e.g. leadership) training programs. Moderated mediation was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Motivation to transfer (MTT) mediated the relationship between PS and perceived training transfer. When more coworkers participated in the training, PS had a stronger influence on trainee MTT. Practical implications Organizations should consider training coworker cohorts at the same time to influence MTT and training transfer. Generally, whole-team training programs could be used to boost training transfer outcomes, although it could potentially have a negative impact on transfer if PS is low. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first study to demonstrate that the number of coworkers participating in training can moderate the effect of PS on MTT and training transfer.

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How the COVID-19 pandemic affects specialty training: An analysis of a nationwide survey among otolaryngology residents in Chile

Medwave ◽

10.5867/medwave.2021.01.8097 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (01) ◽

pp. e8097-e8097

Author(s):

Matías L Álvarez ◽

Sofia Waissbluth ◽

Claudia González ◽

Carla Napolitano ◽

Mariela Torrente ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Residency Training ◽

Online Survey ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Peritonsillar Abscess ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Journal Clubs ◽

Surgical Data ◽

The Impact

Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, has become a global pandemic. Given that the highest viral load of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is found in the airway, otolaryngologists are at high risk of infection. As a result, multiple recommendations have emerged regarding protective measures for surgical teams, including suspending non-urgent procedures and surgeries. Objectives To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on otolaryngology residency training programs nationwide. Methods A cross-sectional survey-based study was completed in April 2020. The participants were recruited through an online survey, sent by email to all Chilean otolaryngology residents. Demographics, clinical activities, on-call shifts, COVID-19 infection status, exposure to COVID-19 patients, deployment to other specialties, diagnostic/therapeutic procedures, and surgeries performed were analyzed. Self-reported surgical data logs from previous years were used to compare results. Results Forty-seven residents completed the survey (84% response rate); 64% of residents refer seeing patients ten days or less during April 2020. Commonly performed procedures such as flexible nasolaryngoscopy, rigid nasal endoscopy, and peritonsillar abscess drainage were not performed by over 40% of the residents in that month. Only 38% participated in surgeries, with an average of 0.6 surgeries as a first surgeon, a dramatic decrease in surgical exposure when comparing the data logs from previous years. Most residents refer the following measures taken by their residency program to improve residency training: bibliographic videoconferences (87%), online clinical case seminars (60%), weekly journal clubs (38%), among others. Conclusions Clinical and surgical opportunities decreased dramatically during April 2020. Adjustments to the regular academic curricula should be considered to decrease the negative impact of this pandemic on residency training.

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effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psyche and Productivity of Pharmaceutical Sales Workforce in an African Country; A descriptive case study

Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal ◽

10.14738/assrj.85.10161 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 586-604

Author(s):

Theophilus Ehidiamen OAMEN

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Sales Representatives ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Pharmaceutical Sales ◽

Daily Work ◽

The Difference ◽

The Impact

Pharmaceutical sales representatives are a pivotal workforce in the healthcare system. Due to the global impact of COVID-19, the impact on the psyche and morale of the pharmaceutical sales workforce has to be examined. The primary objective of the study was to assess the possible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psyche and productivity of the pharmaceutical sales workforce in Nigeria. A questionnaire-guided cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from pharmaceutical sales personnel across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria using purposive sampling. The final sample was 225. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 25. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation were used for demographic data. Cluster analysis was used to identify key demographic predictors of importance. X2 test was used to test the association between the sociodemographic characteristics of respondents and work-attributes. The difference of means was determined with a t-test. Highest and lowest-ranked work-attributes were information provider (3.62±1.36), and involvement in COVID screening activities (1.80±1.20). Average daily work hours before and during COVID-19 lockdown (2.16±0.04 vs. 1.88±0.11, p<0.05)) were affected. Average sales were significantly affected (3.15±0.48 vs. 1.35±0.36, p<0.0001). Psychological states of Anxiety and Increased burden have a medium to high impact on the psyche of respondents. The study revealed an association of both extremes of pessimism and optimism with regards to Frustration state of mind. Study suggests an overall negative impact on pharmaceutical sales representatives’ psyche and productivity. Attention to sales workforce welfare is required to safeguard medicine supply.

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The Impact Of Death Anxiety On Quality Of Life Among Cancer Patients: A Case Of Bahawalpur And Multan District

Psychology and Education Journal ◽

10.17762/pae.v58i1.2162 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 58 (1) ◽

pp. 5473-5477

Author(s):

Siraj Hussain Et al.

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Death Anxiety ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Difference ◽

The Impact

The current study aimed to carved the impact of death anxiety on quality of life among cancer patients. The study focused to find out the difference of death anxiety in the context of gender and socio-demographic factors; and to seek out the impact of death anxiety on the quality of life of cancer patients. Purposive sampling technique was opted to collect the N= 110 cancer patients from Victoria hospital Bahawalpur and the Minar hospital Multan though the cross-sectional survey research design. The instrument was adopted from Lemming fear of death anxiety scale and WHOQOL. To cognizant the study Correlation t-test was computed which put forth that women cancer patients have a positive correlation between death anxiety and the quality of life. The conclusion is there is an impact of death anxiety on quality of life among patients who were hospitalized. Death anxiety has a negative impact on quality of life among cancer patients. Patients both male and female experience death anxiety at a certain level that may impact their quality of life, cancer patients who were hospitalized they have more death anxiety than other cancer patients. Septate Psychological counseling sessions can assist to decline the death anxiety among cancer patients.

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Impact of Completing CLEFT-Q Scales That Ask About Appearance on Children and Young Adults: An International Study

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal ◽

10.1177/1055665620902877 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 57 (7) ◽

pp. 840-848

Author(s):

Anne F. Klassen ◽

Louise Dalton ◽

Timothy E. E. Goodacre ◽

Karen E. Harman ◽

Rona Slator ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cleft Lip ◽

Outcome Measure ◽

Negative Impact ◽

International Study ◽

Female Gender ◽

Patient Reported Outcome ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Patient Reported ◽

The Impact

Objective: To describe the impact of completing the CLEFT-Q appearance scales on patients with cleft lip and/or palate and to identify demographic and clinical characteristics and CLEFT-Q scores associated with reporting a negative impact. Design: International cross-sectional survey. Setting: Recruitment took place between October 2014 and November 2016 at 30 craniofacial clinics located in 12 countries. Patients: Aged 8 to 29 years with cleft lip and/or palate. Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants were asked 4 questions to evaluate the impact of completing the field test version of a patient-reported outcome measure (the CLEFT-Q) that included 154 items, of which 79 (51%) asked about appearance (of the face, nose, nostrils, teeth, lips, jaws, and cleft lip scar). Results: The sample included 2056 participants. Most participants liked answering the CLEFT-Q (88%) and the appearance questions (82%). After completing the appearance scales, most participants (77%) did not feel upset or unhappy about how they look, and they felt the same (67%) or better (23%) about their appearance after completing the questionnaire. Demographic and clinical variables associated with feeling unhappy/upset or worse about how they look included country of residence, female gender, more severe cleft, anticipating future cleft-specific surgeries, and reporting lower (ie, worse) scores on CLEFT-Q appearance and health-related quality-of-life scales. Conclusion: Most participants liked completing the CLEFT-Q, but a small minority reported a negative impact. When used in clinical practice, CLEFT-Q scale scores should be examined as soon as possible after completion in order that the clinical team might identify patients who might require additional support.

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