scholarly journals THE EFFICACY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES RENDERED BY PHYSIOTHERAPISTS SERVING IN COVID WARDS IN ALLEVIATING THE PANIC ATTACKS

Author(s):  
Palak Gandhi ◽  
Amit Deol ◽  
Abhay Manchanda

Covid-19 can disrupt a person’s circadian rhythm, which can impair his sleep, leading to insomnia and snowball into depression, anxiety and other cognitive changes, not infrequently a panic disorder .Present pandemic also witnessed the shortage of essential medicines including oxygen ,unavailability of intensive care beds ,making the patients and attendants panicky, alike. It has been observed that all the efforts are being put forth to understand the epidemiology, clinical symptoms, transmission patterns and the management of the covid-19 outbreak ,but there has been a little concern put forward over the traumatizing effect on one’s mental health. This pandemic witnessed the utter paucity of qualified medical personnel to serve in wards hence forcing physiotherapy students and interns to compliment their medical counterparts. We understood the need of psychological counselling for these admitted patients and we deputed physiotherapists to render the same. The benefit of counselling was quantified as the fall in the incidence of weekly panic attacks. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of physiotherapists posted in covid wards in reducing the panic attacks, since physiotherapist do have a basic knowledge of the psychology as a subject and they usually also have ample spare time in the wards, after they have completed their specialized duties. We studied 552 admitted patients of covid-19 in two medical colleges, identified patients with frequent panic attacks, who were then counselled psychologically. The effects of counselling sessions were observed for average 7 days of admission. We found on an average 64% fall in the number of panic attacks in the psychologically disturbed patients. We hence conclude that the physiotherapists posted in the covid wards should also be utilized in rendering psychological counselling to minimize occurrence of the panic attacks. Keywords: psychological, physiotherapists & Covid.

Author(s):  
Lyubov A. Shpagina ◽  
Lyudmila P. Kuzmina ◽  
Olga S. Kotova ◽  
Ilya S. Shpagin ◽  
Natalya V. Kamneva ◽  
...  

Introduction. Health care workers are at risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, many aspects of the professionally conditioned COVID-19 are still poorly understood. The aim of study is to conduct a brief review and analysis of scientific data on the prevalence, features of clinical and laboratory COVID-19 syndromes in medical professionals. To evaluate the structure of post-COVID syndrome in health care workers who are observed in a large multidisciplinary medical organization that has a center for occupational pathology. To present the current state of the problem of examination of the connection of COVID-19 with the profession and admission to work in conditions of high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Materials and methods. At the first stage, a brief review of the literature on the problem of COVID-19 in health care workers was performed, at the second - a single-center observational prospective study of COVID-19 convalescents. The main group consisted of health care workers (n=203), the comparison group - people who do not have occupational health risks (n=156). The groups were comparable in demographic characteristics. The work experience of the medical staff was 15 (5; 21) years. Of the participants in the main group, 20.2% worked in hospitals, and 79.8% in outpatient institutions. Three of the participants (1.5%) were employees of specialized COVID hospitals. Doctors were 25.6%, secondary medical personnel - 51.7%, junior medical and technical personnel - 22.7%. A severe form of COVID-19 was suffered by 25 (12.3%) people, after the artificial ventilation of the lungs (AVL) - two participants. The observation time is 60 days. Statistical analysis included standard methods of descriptive statistics, determination of relationships by the method of logistic regression. The significance level is p<0.05. Results. Most of the known data on COVID-19 in health care workers is obtained in cross-sectional studies. The possibility of occupational infection has been sufficiently proven. The risk probably depends on the work performed and is higher in conditions of direct contact of medical personnel with adults, potentially infected patients, but not in a specialized hospital. It is possible that the course of COVID-19 in health care workers differs from the general population of patients there is evidence of a greater frequency of weakness and myalgia. Studies of the features of post-COVID syndrome in health care workers in available sources could not be identified. According to the results of their own research, health care workers who had experienced COVID-19 had a higher frequency of central thermoregulation disorders, arrhythmias, heart failure, panic attacks and depression. Conclusions. Health care workers are at risk of COVID-19. Professionally conditioned post-COVID syndrome is characterized by the frequency of violations of the central mechanisms of thermoregulation and arrhythmias. COVID-19 in health care workers meets the definition of occupational disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chemin Lin ◽  
Maria Ly ◽  
Helmet T. Karim ◽  
Wenjing Wei ◽  
Beth E. Snitz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pathological processes contributing to Alzheimer’s disease begin decades prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. There is significant variation in cognitive changes in the presence of pathology, functional connectivity may be a marker of compensation to amyloid; however, this is not well understood. Methods We recruited 64 cognitively normal older adults who underwent neuropsychological testing and biannual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), amyloid imaging with Pittsburgh compound B (PiB)-PET, and glucose metabolism (FDG)-PET imaging for up to 6 years. Resting-state MRI was used to estimate connectivity of seven canonical neural networks using template-based rotation. Using voxel-wise paired t-tests, we identified neural networks that displayed significant changes in connectivity across time. We investigated associations among amyloid and longitudinal changes in connectivity and cognitive function by domains. Results Left middle frontal gyrus connectivity within the memory encoding network increased over time, but the rate of change was lower with greater amyloid. This was no longer significant in an analysis where we limited the sample to only those with two time points. We found limited decline in cognitive domains overall. Greater functional connectivity was associated with better attention/processing speed and executive function (independent of time) in those with lower amyloid but was associated with worse function with greater amyloid. Conclusions Increased functional connectivity serves to preserve cognitive function in normal aging and may fail in the presence of pathology consistent with compensatory models.


2009 ◽  
Vol 35 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 281-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beirne Roose-Snyder ◽  
Megan K. Doyle

Disparities in health outcomes and access to the essential medicines that affect health outcomes are two of the most pressing issues facing the world today. The lack of adequate health care in developing countries is rooted in a number of systemic problems, including insufficient health infrastructure, lack of medical personnel, government corruption and incompetence, and the high price of pharmaceuticals. These problems are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they are mutually reinforcing, particularly in least developed and developing countries.The high cost of drugs and vaccines is undoubtedly one of the driving forces in disparate health outcomes, and partial solutions to poor health in the developing world rightly focus on lowering the cost of health products, while preserving the financial incentive for innovation. The high cost of many medicines is largely due to the international patent system, codified by the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, which grants a monopoly to the innovator and allows it to completely control pricing for a period of years. The result is an access gap, whereby patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMI) cannot afford expensive patented drugs, while patients in wealthy countries can afford and do have access to such treatments.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Ju. Ananiev ◽  
Iv. Vassilev ◽  
G. Arabadjiev ◽  
V. Ramdan ◽  
A. Chokoeva ◽  
...  

Summary The infectious disease of measles is becoming a rarity in the member states of the European Union. After the implementation of the mandatory immunization calendar, cases of measles among children rarely encounter while those that have been registered usually pass lightly and without any significant complications. We present two cases of a measles-type infection with a fatal outcome for two children - 4 and 11 years of age respectively - who had not been immunized by the time of the event and who developed an unfolding clinical picture with the respective complications. In a number of countries in the European Union (as well as within some ethnical groups, the Roma population included), standard-type vaccinations may appear to be problematic. The most frequently encountered complications, resulting from such “blunders”, are pneumonia and encephalitis but controlling the clinical symptoms is not always possible because of: 1) late medical intervention due to the poor knowledge ability of the respective ethnical group (overdue contact with the specialized medical personnel), as well as 2) the superposed bacterial infections which unmask the initial diagnosis. Obtaining a clear picture of the symptoms in such patients is difficult. In the rare cases, when the therapy is rewarded with some success, patients remain partial or permanent invalids because of the irreversible damage to the brain and/or the functions of the lungs.


Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (9) ◽  
pp. 395-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald C. Petersen

A seismic shift in our understanding of the ability to diagnose Alzheimer disease (AD) is occurring. For the last several decades, AD has been a clinical–pathologic diagnosis, and this conceptualization of the disease has served the field well. Typically, the clinician would identify a syndrome such as mild cognitive impairment or dementia, and label the condition as “probable AD” since the diagnosis of definite AD could not be made until an autopsy revealed the presence of amyloid plaques and tau-based neurofibrillary tangles. However, with the advent of biomarkers for AD including neuroimaging and CSF, the identification of AD pathology can be made in life, which greatly enhances the ability of clinicians to be precise about the underlying etiology of a clinical syndrome. Hypothetical models of the temporal relation among the pathologic elements and the clinical symptoms have been proposed and have influenced the field enormously. This has enabled clinicians to be specific about the underlying cause of a given clinical syndrome. As such, the diagnostic capability of the clinician is evolving. However, AD pathology is only a component of the puzzle describing the causes of cognitive changes in aging. Most often, there is a multitude of pathologic entities contributing to the neuropathologic explanation of cognitive changes in aging. AD changes contribute important elements to the diagnosis, but the final answer is more complex. The field of aging and dementia will have to incorporate these additional elements.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Witkoś ◽  
Magdalena Hartman-Petrycka

Abstract Background Stress urinary incontinence worsens living conditions as far as the occupational, social, mental, physical and sexual aspects of a woman’s life. Despite its real impact on the everyday lives of millions of women around the world, this problem is still disregarded and treated only as a discomfort associated with personal hygiene. Could this be due to negligence on the part of medical personnel in this matter and perhaps this lack of knowledge and proper information intended for women with stress urinary incontinence? Implementing educational activities to increase knowledge about urinary incontinence will translate into better educated women and earlier implementation of urinary incontinence treatment in the future. To properly educate women at risk of urinary incontinence, one needs to be familiar with the condition, in particular the risk factors for its development. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the degree of knowledge of students graduating from medical faculties have regarding risk factors for stress urinary incontinence in women and assess where the students’ knowledge of this problem came from. Methods The research involved 1581 final year students of medical faculties: nursing and midwifery (258), medicine (432), physiotherapy (402) and other medical (489). The author’s survey was used for the research. The chi2 test was used for analysis. Results Students in faculties of nursing and midwifery, general medicine, physiotherapy, and other medical faculties could correctly list stress urinary incontinence risk factors in 88.8%, 81.7%, 74.4% and 51.9% of their answers respectively (p < 0.01). The most frequently mentioned source of knowledge about stress urinary incontinence was higher level education in 82.6%, 89.8%, 90.0% and 34.4% of the respective groups’ replies (p < 0.001). Conclusions Nursing and midwifery students had the greatest theoretical knowledge of stress urinary incontinence, and lesser knowledge was found among general medicine students, while physiotherapy students and students of other medical faculties had the least theoretical knowledge about risk factors for urinary incontinence. It is advisable that more emphasis be placed on educating students about stress urinary incontinence due to their insufficient knowledge, in particular for future doctors and physiotherapists who will have direct contact with patients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Christina Andersson ◽  
Doina Logofatu

Teaching a statistics course for undergraduate computer science students can be very challenging: As statistics teachers we are usually faced with problems ranging from a complete disinterest in the subject to lack of basic knowledge in mathematics and anxiety for failing the exam, since statistics has the reputation of having high failure rates. In our case, we additionally struggle with difficulties in the timing of the lectures as well as often occurring absence of the students due to spare-time jobs or a long traveling time to the university. This paper reveals how these issues can be addressed by the introduction of a blended learning module in statistics. In the following, we describe an e-learning development process used to implement time- and location-independent learning in statistics. The study focuses on a six-step-approach for developing the blended learning module. In addition, the teaching framework for the blended module is presented, including suggestions for increasing the interest in learning the course. Furthermore, the first experimental in-class usage, including evaluation of the students’ expectations, has been completed and the outcome is discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-19
Author(s):  
Witold Kołłątaj ◽  
Magda Sowa ◽  
Piotr Książek ◽  
Anna Jurek ◽  
Piotr Dreher

Abstract Introduction. Breast cancer is the second major cause of death in the world, after lung cancer. The purpose of screening tests is to diagnose cancer at non-clinical symptoms stage, when the prognosis is good and treatment less costly. Among different currently available screening methods, mammography plays a key role in early breast cancer detection. Aim. The purpose of this work was to evaluate women’s in pre- and postmenopausal age in Lublin basic knowledge about preventive examination, their participation level and satisfaction with mammography. Material and methods. The study included 258 women, participants of mammography examination at the Witold Chodzko Institute of Rural Health in Lublin and in Specialist Clinic of the Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski Province Specialist Hospital in Lublin, at the turn of years 2011/2012. The research method was a diagnostic survey and research tool – the Original Questionnaire. Results. An opinion that prophylaxis should come as a result of aware lifestyle is not common (22.1% of participants is committed to expand their knowledge about health threats). Almost 20% of women has never participated in any prevention examination. Approximately 39% of respondents admitted that they have received an invitation for free examination in mammography mobile unit (MMU). Almost 52% respondents (out of those who correctly identified the term MMU) said that they are interested in visiting MMUs in the future. Conclusions. The number of participants taking part in preventive examinations and in screening tests is unsatisfactory. Numerous subjective factors cause this situation. Many women still does not trust mammography tests made in mobile mammography facilities.


2020 ◽  
pp. 133-146

In half of newly detected cases of HIV infection in Europe, the diagnosis is made late. This has significant impact on the effects of antiretroviral therapy, long-term consequences of the disease, mortality, and the risk of HIV transmission in the environment. As part of the large “STOP Late Presenters” project, the number of HIV tests was assessed in four multi-specialist hospitals in the Mazowieckie voivodeship, which generally carry out over 112,000 hospitalizations per year. First, under the structured research program, the training of medical personnel was carried out in these hospitals, and then the number of HIV tests ordered was evaluated 2 months and 4 months after the training. 459 HIV tests were performed after the training in all hospitals, which is 2.44% of hospitalizations. It is interesting to note that after 4 months, the number of performed tests fell significantly. Staff training resulted in the number of tests higher by 5.8 %, compared to the same period of previous year. Four positive results were confirmed, which is 0.87% of all tests done. This is almost twice higher than in other European countries. Tests for HIV infection are most often ordered by doctors of infectious diseases, gynecologists and the staff of dialysis departments. We found that there is little interest in HIV testing among other specialists, despite reporting patients with clinical symptoms that suggest the likelihood of this infection. The improvement in HIV testing is of great importance for public health in our country and requires modification of diagnostic algorithms in hospital wards to reduce the number of late diagnoses of HIV / AIDS.


1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuko Yamashita ◽  
Ken Kamiya ◽  
Kazuo Yamada

Object. The goal of this study was to clarify the efficacy of the Codman Hakim programmable valve. Clinical data obtained in 179 patients with hydrocephalus or other intracranial fluid—accumulating diseases were analyzed.Methods. Shunt placement operations were effective in 168 patients, approximately one half (50.6%) of whose devices required reprogramming of opening pressure postoperatively. This was a significantly larger number of shunts than the authors had thought would need reprogramming. Extremely narrowed ventricles observed on computerized tomography scans, as well as clinical symptoms related to inadequate or excessive cerebrospinal fluid drainage, improved in patients after shunt reprogramming. Shunt reprogramming frequently was necessary in patients with posthemorrhagic acute hydrocephalus; the programmable valve proved particularly beneficial for such patients. Subdural effusion and arachnoid cyst also proved to be good indications for use of the valve. Twelve patients (7%) suffered complications postoperatively. The most common complication was valve obstruction, which occurred in five patients, most of whom had brain tumors.Conclusions. The programmable valve was beneficial for the treatment of hydrocephalus and other intracranial fluid—accumulating diseases. It is important to be careful in selecting patients for treatment with the programmable valve, because complications involving the valve seem more likely in brain tumor cases. The valve proved to be poorly resistant to magnetic fields; therefore, it is essential to confirm opening pressure after every magnetic resonance imaging examination. The authors recommend that an identification system for patients be developed so that medical personnel will be aware of the presence of the valve and the previous setting of opening pressure.


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