scholarly journals Culture, health and well-being sit in places. Impact of COVID-19 on the African Society: geo-anthropological perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-103
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Varani ◽  
Anna Siri ◽  
Enrico Bernardini
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
African Continent ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Through an interdisciplinary contribution, the authors intend to propose an updated framework of the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent and some critical reflections on various geopolitical and geo-anthropological aspects concerning the new vulnerabilities associated with the pandemic crisis in Africa and the importance of culture and its effects on well-being and health. The pandemic seems to have hit the African continent much less severely than the rest of the world, with a mortality index (2,4%) lower than the global one (3,5%). The spread of the virus in this geographical area is largely underestimated because health care facilities do not have the tracking power that rich countries have, several factors show how Africa is managing to counter the impact of the pandemic. One reason could be the intervention of the immune capacity of a population exposed in the recent past to numerous other infections that could have stimulated greater protection, both in terms of innate and acquired immunity. The dispersion of the rural population, which represents the majority of the African population (43%), could act as a geographical barrier to the virus. It is a complex picture where there are feelings of distrust between the institutions and the population on the management of the pandemic and the circulation of an excessive amount of data that creates confusion. In the African context, the need to understand the relationship between culture and health becomes fundamental. If the role of cultural values is underestimated, the positive potential of culture as a critical element for maintaining and improving health is negated. According to the World Health Organization, traditional medicine is the cornerstone of health care or its complement in the countries where community membership is most deeply rooted. In Africa, the World Health Organisation estimates that 85% of the population uses it because it is more widespread and accessible than traditional healing systems. Only one form of contagion travels faster than a virus. And that’s fear. Dan Brown

scholarly journals Quality of Care and Quality of Life: Convergence or Divergence?

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. HSI.S13283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wadi B. Alonazi ◽  
Shane A. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Effective Treatment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this study was to explore the impact of quality of care (QoC) on patients’ quality of life (QoL). In a cross-sectional study, two domains of QoC and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref questionnaire were combined to collect data from 1,059 pre-discharge patients in four accredited hospitals (ACCHs) and four non-accredited hospitals (NACCHs) in Saudi Arabia. Health and well-being are often restricted to the characterization of sensory qualities in certain settings such as unrestricted access to healthcare, effective treatment, and social welfare. The patients admitted to tertiary health care facilities are generally able to present themselves with a holistic approach as to how they experience the impact of health policy. The statistical results indicated that patients reported a very limited correlation between QoC and QoL in both settings. The model established a positive, but ultimately weak and insignificant, association between QoC (access and effective treatment) and QoL ( r = 0.349, P = 0.000; r = 0.161, P = 0.000, respectively). Even though the two settings are theoretically different in terms of being able to conceptualize, adopt, and implement QoC, the outcomes from both settings demonstrated insignificant relationships with QoL as the results were quite similar. Though modern medicine has substantially improved QoL around the world, this paper proposes that health accreditation has a very limited impact on improving QoL. This paper raises awareness of this topic with multiple healthcare professionals who are interested in correlating QoC and QoL. Hopefully, it will stimulate further research from other professional groups that have new and different perspectives. Addressing a transitional health care system that is in the process of endorsing accreditation, investigating the experience of tertiary cases, and analyzing deviated data may limit the generalization of this study. Global interest in applying public health policy underlines the impact of such process on patients’ outcomes. As QoC accreditation does not automatically produce improved QoL outcomes, the proposed study encourages further investigation of the value of health accreditation on personal and social well-being.

The Great Awakening - Digitalization in Dental Healthcare during the pandemic COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 380-384
Author(s):  
Priyanka Paul Madhu ◽  
Yojana Patil ◽  
Aishwarya Rajesh Shinde ◽  
Sangeeta Kumar ◽  
Pratik Phansopkar
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
World Health ◽  
Record System ◽  
The World

disease in 2019, also called COVID-19, which has been widely spread worldwide had given rise to a pandemic situation. The public health emergency of international concern declared the agent as the (SARS-CoV-2) the severe acute respiratory syndrome and the World Health Organization had activated significant surveillance to prevent the spread of this infection across the world. Taking into the account about the rigorousness of COVID-19, and in the spark of the enormous dedication of several dental associations, it is essential to be enlightened with the recommendations to supervise dental patients and prevent any of education to the dental graduates due to institutional closure. One of the approaching expertise that combines technology, communications and health care facilities are to refine patient care, it’s at the cutting edge of the present technological switch in medicine and applied sciences. Dentistry has been improved by cloud technology which has refined and implemented various methods to upgrade electronic health record system, educational projects, social network and patient communication. Technology has immensely saved the world. Economically and has created an institutional task force to uplift the health care service during the COVID 19 pandemic crisis. Hence, the pandemic has struck an awakening of the practice of informatics in a health care facility which should be implemented and updated at the highest priority.

scholarly journals Coronavirus Pandemic: Coping with the Psychological Outcomes, Mental Changes, and the “New Normal” During and After COVID-19

2020 ◽  
pp. 07-19
Author(s):  
Hiba Takieddine ◽  
Samaa AL Tabbah
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
New Normal ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease that has rapidly swept across the world, inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large and among certain groups in particular, such as older adults, healthcare providers and people with underlying health conditions. Authorities around the world tried to prevent the virus spread by imposing social distancing measures, quarantining citizens and isolating infected persons. Apart from its physical impact, COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous changes to people’s lives. It changed daily routines, caused worldwide economic crisis, increased unemployment, and placed people under emotional and financial pressures. It affected people psychologically and mentally especially in terms of emotions and cognition. During the acute crisis, everyone to varying degrees experienced fear of infection, somatic concerns, worries about the pandemic’s consequences, loneliness, depression, stress, as well as increased alcohol and drug use. As part of its public health response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has worked with partners to develop a set of new guidelines and messages that can be used to prevent, manage, and support mental and psychological well-being in different vulnerable target groups during the outbreak. Whether people like it or not, the psychological sequela of this pandemic will emerge and persist for months and years to come leading to long-term consequences. New lifestyles and “New Normals” will surely emerge. The main purpose of this review is to summarize the impact of coronavirus pandemic on the psychological and mental health of people around the world especially vulnerable groups. It also presents the relevant intervention actions and recommendations to cope efficiently and effectively with the psychological short-term and long-term outcomes, mental changes, and the “New Normal” during and after COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus, Psychological; Mental; New Normal

scholarly journals Exploring the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education: an international cross-sectional study of medical learners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Brown ◽  
Aliya Kassam ◽  
Mike Paget ◽  
Kenneth Blades ◽  
Megan Mercia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The World ◽  
Geographic Regions ◽  
The Impact

Background: The evidence surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on medical learners remains anecdotal and highly speculative despite the anticipated impact and potential consequences of the current pandemic on medical training. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent that COVID-19 initially impacted medical learners around the world and examine global trends and patterns across geographic regions and levels of training. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of medical learners was conducted between March 25–June 14, 2020, shortly after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Results: 6492 learners completed the survey from 140 countries. Most medical schools removed learners from the clinical environment and adopted online learning, but students reported concerns about the quality of their learning, training progression, and milestone fulfillment. Residents reported they could be better utilized and expressed concerns about their career timeline. Trainees generally felt under-utilized and wanted to be engaged clinically in meaningful ways; however, some felt that contributing to healthcare during a pandemic was beyond the scope of a learner. Significant differences were detected between levels of training and geographic regions for satisfaction with organizational responses as well as the impact of COVID-19 learner wellness and state-trait anxiety. Conclusions: The disruption to the status quo of medical education is perceived by learners across all levels and geographic regions to have negatively affected their training and well-being, particularly amongst postgraduate trainees. These results provide initial empirical insights into the areas that warrant future research as well as consideration for current and future policy planning.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers in different regions of the world

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S258-S258
Author(s):  
Mahfuja Islam ◽  
Philip George ◽  
Sindhu Sankaran ◽  
Janet Leu Su Hui ◽  
Tzun Kit
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

AimsThe global health system is facing a serious challenge after the recent outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus infection which was first identified in Wuhan, China in November 2019 and declared as a pandemic in March 2020 by WHO. There is a wide consensus that this pandemic has negative psychosocial consequences as well as unforeseeable provision of mental health care services and just not on physical health alone. The aim of this research study is to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and to identify the sociodemographic variables with the main attributable factors associated with the psychological distress among healthcare workers and suggestions on how to reduce the impact on the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in different regions of the world.MethodWe performed a cross-sectional study from September-November 2020. We used a self-administered survey tool which was distributed electronically to healthcare workers across the globe. The data were stored on an online database with password protected devices where survey responses were restricted to investigators exclusively.Data collected were: 1) Socio-demographic data (age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, religion, role in the healthcare, region of practice); 2) Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) questionnaire which contains 22 standardized items. This is a subjective assessment to score the degree of psychological well-being by focusing on 6 domains: depression; anxiety; positive-well-being; self-control; vitality and general health; 3) Subjective assessment from respondents of the main attributable factors causing psychological distress and suggested methods to help reduce the impact on mental health on health care workers.ResultMajority out of the 217 respondents were from a younger age group; females and married/domestic partnership, mainly from Western Pacific Region, South East Asian and the African Region. More than half the respondents were moderate-severely psychologically distressed and the three main attributable factors causing psychological distress were: fear of family/friends contracting COVID-19 followed by lack of PPE and discomfort caused by wearing PPE for long hours. Respondents suggested that the distress would be reduced if: more resources were provided in hospital; protocols and guidelines were implemented and counselling facilities with recreational activities were available to frontline workers.ConclusionThis study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers and more support or strategies need to come in place to protect frontline workers at the time of crises.

scholarly journals The Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Community Pharmacy

2018 ◽  
pp. 01
Author(s):  
SUNIL JAWLA ◽  
Durg Vijay Rai
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Medication History ◽  
Electronic Prescription ◽  
The World ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Impact

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are transforming health services throughout the world. Health information and technologies (HITs) involve application of information processing using computer for storage, retrieval, sharing and use of information and knowledge for communication by a pharmacist. Similarly electronic prescription (EP) services have made the dispensing and reimbursement processes more efficient. Maintenance of patient record become easy by using ICTs. Barcode identification of medicines can be used to reduce medicine administration errors and to improve the medication history of patients. Telecare using digital communications technology provides healthcare consultations and other health care services to rural, old & handicap patients easily and improves their access to healthcare by reducing their hospital attendance. In developing countries like India, it is quite a challenging task to provide access to information and communication technologies. As the geographical diversity is also a challenging for implementation of ICTs at everywhere. Information and technologies are giving a way to access the data all over the globe. ICTs have brought transformation in education in all over the world. Information and technologies are removing barriers from learning education. ICT applications are becoming indispensable tools for traditional and vocational education. In the field of pharmaceutical sciences, ICTs can further enhance the quality of education. As lots of modifications and newer drugs are coming in the market, it is quite a challenging task to a pharmacist to update knowledge to serve the society in an efficient way. ICT can be utilized in health care to improve quality of patient centric services.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers in different regions of the world

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S258-S259
Author(s):  
Mahfuja Islam ◽  
Philip George ◽  
Sindhu Sankaran ◽  
Janet Leu Su Hui ◽  
Tzun Kit
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact

AimsThe global health system is facing a serious challenge after the recent outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus infection which was first identified in Wuhan, China in November 2019 and declared as a pandemic in March 2020 by WHO. There is a wide consensus that this pandemic has negative psychosocial consequences as well as unforeseeable provision of mental health care services and just not on physical health alone. The aim of this research study is to determine the prevalence of psychological distress and to identify the sociodemographic variables with the main attributable factors associated with the psychological distress among healthcare workers and suggestions on how to reduce the impact on the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in different regions of the world.MethodWe performed a cross-sectional study from September-November 2020. We used a self-administered survey tool which was distributed electronically to healthcare workers across the globe. The data were stored on an online database with password protected devices where survey responses were restricted to investigators exclusively.Data collected were: 1) Socio-demographic data (age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, religion, role in the healthcare, region of practice); 2) Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) questionnaire which contains 22 standardized items. This is a subjective assessment to score the degree of psychological well-being by focusing on 6 domains: depression; anxiety; positive-well-being; self-control; vitality and general health; 3) Subjective assessment from respondents of the main attributable factors causing psychological distress and suggested methods to help reduce the impact on mental health on health care workers.ResultMajority out of the 217 respondents were from a younger age group; females and married/domestic partnership, mainly from Western Pacific Region, South East Asian and the African Region. More than half the respondents were moderate-severely psychologically distressed and the three main attributable factors causing psychological distress were: fear of family/friends contracting COVID-19 followed by lack of PPE and discomfort caused by wearing PPE for long hours. Respondents suggested that the distress would be reduced if: more resources were provided in hospital; protocols and guidelines were implemented and counselling facilities with recreational activities were available to frontline workers.ConclusionThis study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers and more support or strategies need to come in place to protect frontline workers at the time of crises.

scholarly journals Impact of a natural disaster on access to care and biopsychosocial outcomes among Hispanic/Latino cancer survivors

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Rodriguez-Rabassa ◽  
Ruthmarie Hernandez ◽  
Zindie Rodriguez ◽  
Claudia B. Colon-Echevarria ◽  
Lizette Maldonado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Inflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Barriers To Care ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

AbstractCancer is the leading cause of death in Puerto Rico (PR). Hurricane Maria (HM) and its aftermath lead to widespread devastation in the island, including the collapse of the healthcare system. Medically fragile populations, such as cancer survivors, were significantly affected. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of HM on barriers to care, emotional distress, and inflammatory biomarkers among cancer survivors in PR. This exploratory longitudinal study was conducted in health care facilities and community support groups from PR. Cancer survivors (n=50) and non-cancer participants (n=50) completed psychosocial questionnaires and provided blood samples that were used to assess inflammatory cytokines levels. Data were analyzed through descriptive, frequencies, correlational, and linear regression analyses. Cancer survivors that were affected by HM reported increased barriers in accessing medical care, which were directly associated with anxiety, perceived stress, and post-traumatic symptomatology. Moreover, being a cancer survivor, along with closeness in time from HM predicted more barriers to receiving health care. Several inflammatory cytokines, such as CD31, BDNF, TFF3, Serpin E-1, Vitamin D BP, VCAM-1, Osteopontin, Chitinase 3 like 1, MMP-9 and MIF were significantly upregulated in cancer survivors while BDNF, MMP9 and Osteopontin had significant positive correlations with barriers to care. HM significantly impacted Puerto Ricans psychosocial well-being. Cancer survivors had significant barriers to care and showed increased serum inflammatory cytokines, but didn’t show differences in anxiety, stress and post-traumatic symptoms compared to non-cancer participants.

scholarly journals Exchange of experience in the field of medical services as a form of international cooperation between Ukraine and Poland

2021 ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Viktoriia Adamyk ◽  
Khrystyna Shcherbiak
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Technical Equipment ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
The Impact

Introduction. The development of bilateral relations in the context of globalization and European integration involves expanding the range of forms of cooperation, as well as those areas covered by cooperation. The implementation of medical reform in Ukraine necessitates the intensification of the exchange of experience in the medical field with other countries, including Poland. The rapid processes of digitalization against the background of the Kovid-19 pandemic determine the modernization of communication tools and cooperation in the field of health services.The purpose of the article is to study the state and prospects of exchange of experience in the field of medical services between Ukraine and Poland.Research methods. To achieve the goal set in the article, general scientific and special methods were used, namely: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, abstraction and concretization, systematization, as well as elements of comparative analysis. The methodological basis for the study are national and international regulations of Ukraine and Poland, which regulate the functioning of health care and bilateral relations in the field of medical services, scientific works of domestic and foreign researchers, statistical reports and more.Results. The exchange of experience in the provision of medical services between Ukraine and Poland is carried out in a slightly different state of health care and taking into account Ukraine’s integration intentions using tools such as conferences, seminars, webinars, academic mobility of scientists and students, bilateral agreements between medical institutions with the support of local governments and self-government, etc. Digitalization, on the one hand, expands opportunities for collaboration, and on the other - necessitates the need to improve the quality of technical equipment of hospitals and makes new demands on human capital. Improving the exchange of experience in the field of  medical services is enhanced by receiving technical assistance from Polish partners, including under the auspices of international institutions, such as the EU, WHO, UNICEF, etc. Perspective areas are the introduction of the eHealth system in Ukraine, as well as the involvement of Polish specialists to modernize the management system in domestic health care facilities. The article details the recommendations for intensifying the exchange of experience between Ukraine and Poland in areas and tools.Perspectives. Future research is important to focus on an interdisciplinary analysis of the consequences of health care reform in Ukraine and Poland in the context of the impact on the well-being of citizens.

scholarly journals Hospital knowledge and practice of doctors and nurses regarding hand hygiene in a survey

2020 ◽  
pp. 119-132
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
The Impact

INTRODUCTION. The guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009 regarding hand hygiene (HH) in health care provided health care professionals with scientific evidence that argued that HH principles should be respected when dealing with patients. Despite the passage of years and strenuous attempts to introduce these recommendations to the Polish health care facilities for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAI), these principles are still not being implemented in an optimal way for the patient’s safety. OBJECTIVE OF WORK. The aim was to examine the views and attitudes of physicians (L) and nurses (P) towards the WHO rules of hand hygiene. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The study was performed by means of a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire of our own design; random sampling was used. The study involved 231 LP: 173 (74.9%) women, 58 (25.1%) men, including 93 (40.3%) doctors and 138 (59.7%) nurses. The study was conducted in a multiprofile hospital in Małopolska in 2017. The difference between what the respondents think (their views) and what they do in reality (what attitudes they display) was examined in relation to WHO principles, such as wearing natural short nails and jewelry on their hands. RESULTS. Negative practice of observing these HH principles in relation to views was detected (R = -0.014, p<0.05, R2 = 0.016). Respondents supported the view that the ring could affect HAI and rarely used it in practice, the practice was positive (R = 0.298, p <0.001, R2 = 0.085). Women strongly emphasized the view that wearing long nails has an impact on HAI spread, but in practice they often declared keeping long nails, practice was negative (R = -0.241, p <0.01, R2 = 0.054). In response to the question about the impact of nail painting on the spread of HAI, this view was poorly represented, in practice some of them wore painted nails, the practice was negative (R = -0.226, p <0.01, R2 = 0.045). CONCLUSION. Despite high support for the principles of hand hygiene, in practice, these principles were not always respected, the impact on the practice was negative in areas such as: general adherence to the HH principles, wearing long and painted nails. The compatibility of views with practice was detected in relation to wearing a wedding ring.

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