scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pandemic of Lockdown Loneliness and the Role of Digital Technology

10.2196/22287 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. e22287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah ◽  
David Nogueras ◽  
Hugo Cornelis van Woerden ◽  
Vasiliki Kiparoglou
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Technology Tools ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Social Disconnection

The focus of this perspective is on lockdown loneliness, which we define as loneliness resulting from social disconnection as a result of enforced social distancing and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also explore the role of digital technology in tackling lockdown loneliness amid the pandemic. In this regard, we highlight and discuss a number of the key relevant issues: a description of lockdown loneliness, the burden of lockdown loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, characteristics of people who are more likely to be affected by lockdown loneliness, factors that could increase the risk of loneliness, lockdown loneliness as an important public health issue, tackling loneliness during the pandemic, digital technology tools for social connection and networking during the pandemic, assessment of digital technology tools from the end users’ perspectives, and access to and use of digital technology for tackling lockdown loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people who are more prone to lockdown loneliness are provided with access to digital technology so that they can connect socially with their loved ones and others; this could reduce loneliness resulting from social distancing and lockdowns during the COVID-19 crisis. Nonetheless, some key issues such as access to and knowledge of digital technology tools must be considered. In addition, the involvement of all key stakeholders (family and friends, social care providers, and clinicians and health allied professionals) should be ensured.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pandemic of Lockdown Loneliness and the Role of Digital Technology (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Ghulam Sarwar Shah ◽  
David Nogueras ◽  
Hugo Cornelis van Woerden ◽  
Vasiliki Kiparoglou
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Technology Tools ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Social Disconnection

UNSTRUCTURED The focus of this perspective is on lockdown loneliness, which we define as loneliness resulting from social disconnection as a result of enforced social distancing and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also explore the role of digital technology in tackling lockdown loneliness amid the pandemic. In this regard, we highlight and discuss a number of the key relevant issues: a description of lockdown loneliness, the burden of lockdown loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, characteristics of people who are more likely to be affected by lockdown loneliness, factors that could increase the risk of loneliness, lockdown loneliness as an important public health issue, tackling loneliness during the pandemic, digital technology tools for social connection and networking during the pandemic, assessment of digital technology tools from the end users’ perspectives, and access to and use of digital technology for tackling lockdown loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest that the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people who are more prone to lockdown loneliness are provided with access to digital technology so that they can connect socially with their loved ones and others; this could reduce loneliness resulting from social distancing and lockdowns during the COVID-19 crisis. Nonetheless, some key issues such as access to and knowledge of digital technology tools must be considered. In addition, the involvement of all key stakeholders (family and friends, social care providers, and clinicians and health allied professionals) should be ensured.

scholarly journals Reimagining Undergraduate Health and Social Care Education: A Workforce Fit for Purpose in a Changing Landscape of Care. A Position Paper

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin King ◽  
Alison Chambers ◽  
Eula Miller ◽  
Angela Hook ◽  
Laura Jackson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Position Paper ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Care Models ◽  
Professional Health ◽  
Key Issues

NHS England’s Five Year Forward View outlines new care models and the need for a workforce that has the skills, values, and competencies to deliver this vision. This is a position paper detailing the context, method, and intentions of a Health Education England funded project led by Manchester Metropolitan University in the North West of England, which the authors see as making a key contribution to addressing issues of illness, crisis, and loss in the changing landscape of health and social care provision in England. Using an action research methodology and drawing together key stakeholders from the sector, the project aims to explore the potential for creating a professional health and social care graduate workforce which meets the needs of an integrated service delivery landscape by identifying key issues to be addressed when redeveloping the undergraduate curriculum.

scholarly journals The identity and role of stakeholders in the medical tourism industry: state of the art

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Kamassi ◽  
Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf ◽  
Azura Omar
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Stakeholders

Purpose This paper aims to address and identify the major stakeholders in the medical tourism industry, based on their participation in medical tourism activities and their support for medical tourism development. Design/methodology/approach This paper systematically reviews the content of medical tourism studies from literature to identify key stakeholders and address the roles they play in the medical tourism industry. Findings This study shows that the key stakeholders in the medical tourism industry are eight, namely, medical tourists, health-care providers, government agencies, facilitators, accreditation and credentialing bodies, health-care marketers, insurance providers and infrastructure and facilities. These stakeholders strongly influence medical tourists’ decision-making process in seeking medical treatment abroad. Besides, a successful medical tourism development depends greatly on the excellent partnership between all stakeholders. Practical implications This paper sheds light on the crucial role of these stakeholders that can be an important consideration in medical tourists’ decision-making process and industry growth. The study can facilitate policymakers in designing and developing policies to improve medical tourism practices. Originality/value This paper expands the knowledge about medical tourism literature by identifying and explaining the significant role of each stakeholder in the industry. The results of this paper are quite revealing to all practitioners in terms of the potential strategies and medical tourism growth. The study establishes a foundation for future medical tourism research in the rapidly growing industry.

scholarly journals Key Stakeholders’ Perceptions Regarding Role of Mentors in Primary Schools

sjesr ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 469-476
Author(s):  
Dr. Farrukh Munir ◽  
Dr. Misbah Akhtar ◽  
Syeda Tehmina Naz Bukhari
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

The paper aimed to examine part of mentors in the primary schools under the eyes of key stakeholders, the teachers of primary schools (TPSs). This study was carried out in one major district of the Punjab Province. The mixed-methods approach was used to meet the objectives of the study. The population of the research work was all TPSs in the district under study. The study sample was comprised of 1127 TPSs selected through random sampling in layers. Quantitative data was collected on a self-developed structured questionnaire while qualitative data was taken through semi-structured interview protocols from the 32 participants by convenient sampling. Descriptive statistics was employed for analyzing the data through qualitative analytical techniques for the explanation of qualitative data. The results of this research work explored most of the mentoring services of the District teacher educators’ were unsatisfactory. The authoritative behavior, less attention towards instructing, and lack of confidence were the key issues of coaching and mentoring. The results of this research work can be supportive in improving the current practices of the mentors for better results of the CPD framework.

ADAPTATION OF LABOUR MIGRANTS FROM CENTRAL ASIA IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA: THE ROLE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

2019 ◽  
pp. 122-144
Author(s):  
Vadim E. Vasilev ◽  
◽  
Julia I. Eremenkova ◽  
Alina N. Ermokhina ◽  
Alexander A. Nikiforov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Digital Technology

Practices of inclusion for carers who are higher education students

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Taylor ◽  
Paula Gleeson ◽  
Tania Teague ◽  
Michelle DiGiacomo
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Students With A Disability ◽  
Crucial Part

The role of unpaid and informal care is a crucial part of the health and social care system in Australia and internationally. As carers in Australia have received statutory recognition, concerted efforts to foster engagement in carer participation in work and education has followed. However, little is known about the strategies and policies that higher education institutions have implemented to support the inclusion of carers. This study has three components: first, it employs a review of evidence for interventions to support to support carers; second, it reviews existing higher education institutions’ policies to gauge the extent of inclusive support made available to student carers, and; third it conducts interviews with staff from five higher education institutions with concerted carer policies in Australia were held to discuss their institutions’ policies, and experiences as practitioners of carer inclusion and support. Results indicate difficulty in identifying carers to offer support services, the relatively recent measures taken to accommodate carers in higher education, extending similar measures which are in place for students with a disability, and difficulties accommodating flexibility in rigid institutional settings. A synthesis of these findings were used to produce a framework of strategies, policies and procedures of inclusion to support carers in higher education.

The So-Called Prothetic i- and the sḏm-f Paradigms II: The “Nominal” sḏm-f and a Reappraisal

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 259-267
Author(s):  
Sami Uljas
Keyword(s):  
Present Author ◽  
Textual Data ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Syllabic Structure ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Partial Revision

This article discusses, first, the role of the i-prefix in the so-called “nominal” sḏm-f paradigm in earliest Old Egyptian textual data. It is argued that this represented a means of facilitating the creation of a distinctive syllabic structure with 2rad roots and of harmonising it with that of the 2red and 3inf classes. Second, the study contains a partial revision of some of the key issues treated in an earlier article by the present author on the role of the similarly written prefix in the subjunctive and “circumstantial” sḏm-f paradigms.

Covid-19 In Man: A Very Dangerous Affair.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lisco ◽  
Vito A. Giagulli ◽  
Giovanni De Pergola ◽  
Anna De Tullio ◽  
Edoardo Guastamacchia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Poor Prognosis ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Immune System Dysfunction ◽  
Data Support ◽  
Systemic Spread ◽  
The Impact

Background: The novel pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has becoming a public health issue since March 2020 considering that more than 30 million people were found to be infected worldwide. Particularly, recent evidences suggested that men may be considered as at higher risk of poor prognosis or death once the infection occurred and concerns surfaced in regard of the risk of a possible testicular injury due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Several data support the existence of a bivalent role of testosterone (T) in driving poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19. On one hand, this is attributable to the fact that T may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 entry in human cells by means of an enhanced expression of transmembrane serine-protease 2 (TMPRSS2) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). At the same time, younger man with normal testicular function compared to women of similar age are prone to develop a blunted immune response against SARS-CoV-2, being exposed to less viral clearance and more viral shedding and systemic spread of the disease. Conversely, low levels of serum T observed in hypogonadal men predispose them to a greater background systemic inflammation, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and immune system dysfunction, hence driving harmful consequences once SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred. Finally, SARS-CoV-2, as a systemic disease, may also affect testicles with possible concerns for current and future testicular efficiency. Preliminary data suggested that SARS-CoV-2 genome is not normally found in gonads and gametes, therefore sex transmission could be excluded as a possible way to spread the COVID-19. Conclusion: Most data support a role of T as a bivalent risk factor for poor prognosis (high/normal in younger; lower in elderly) in COVID-19. However, the impact of medical treatment aimed to modify T homeostasis for improving the prognosis of affected patients is unknown in this clinical setting. In addition, testicular damage may be a harmful consequence of the infection even in case it occurred asymptomatically but no long-term evidences are currently available to confirm and quantify this phenomenon. Different authors excluded the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in sperm and oocytes, thus limiting worries about both a potential sexual and gamete-to-embryos transmission of COVID-19. Despite these evidence, long-term and well-designed studies are needed to clarify these issues.

Case study 2

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewan Ferlie ◽  
Sue Dopson ◽  
Chris Bennett ◽  
Michael D. Fischer ◽  
Jean Ledger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Think Tanks ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Think Tank ◽  
Significant Potential ◽  
Key Stakeholders

This chapter analyses the role of think tanks in generating a distinctive mode of policy knowledge, pragmatically orientated to inform and shape issues of importance to civil society. Drawing on political science literature, we argue that think tanks exploit niche areas of expertise and influence to actively mobilize policy analyses and recommendations across diverse stakeholders. Through our exploratory mapping of think tanks, geographically concentrated within London, we characterize their influence as significantly boosting knowledge intensity across the regional ecosystem. In particular, we study the empirical case of one London-based think tank which powerfully mobilized policy knowledge through its formal and informal networks to build influential expert consensus amongst key stakeholders. We conclude that such organizations act as key knowledge producers and mobilizers, with significant potential to influence policy discourses and implementation.

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