System advantages and limits of China’s national system to respond to public health emergencies —Based on the responses of novel coronavirus pneumonia

Background: Hospice agencies face unique challenges during times of widespread public health emergencies. The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 is widely affecting global healthcare systems. Aim: This study assesses effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. hospice agencies, staff, and patients as reported by hospice agency staff. Design: An anonymous electronic survey was developed. Free-text comments were assessed for impacts on hospice agencies, staff, and patients and their families. Setting/Participants: The target audience was members of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association who self-identified as being active with hospice agencies in the United States. Results: Reported impacts include inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment, changes in hospice services, and decreased access by hospice personnel to patients in long term care facilities. Flow of patients through hospice care settings was impeded. Agencies experienced changes in workforce availability and increased emotional support needs of staff. Patient and families experienced increased bereavement needs. Nearly one-third of respondents reported negative effects on patient outcomes, such as inadequate symptom management and negative psychosocial effects. Conclusion: Respondents indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic had negative effects on both hospice patient care and hospice agency functioning. Hospice agencies appear to face challenges unique among U.S. healthcare agencies due to their service delivery model and focus on interdisciplinary care. There is need for further exploration of the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has on hospice agencies in order to improve care for their patient population during public health emergencies.

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Construction of a Medical Resource Sharing Mechanism Based on Blockchain Technology: Evidence from the Medical Resource Imbalance of China

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9010052 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 52

Author(s):

Hu Liu ◽

Yuxuan Liu

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Resource Sharing ◽

Medical Resource ◽

Medical Resources ◽

Technology System ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Blockchain Technology ◽

Short Period ◽

Resource Storage ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Health equity is a very important part of social equity. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) in a short period of time exposed the problems existing in the allocation of medical resources and the response to major public health emergencies in China. By using Kernel density estimation and Data envelopment analysis (DEA), it is found that the allocation and imbalance of medical resources in China are greatly different among regions, and the polarization phenomenon is obvious. As an important part of the information technology system, blockchain technology is characterized by decentralization and non-tampering. It can realize sharing of medical resources through a mechanism of resource storage, circulation, supervision, and protection. The construction of a medical resource sharing mechanism under the condition of blockchain technology will greatly improve the degree of medical resource sharing, will narrow the differences in resource allocation between regions, and can effectively respond to an outbreak of major public health emergencies.

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COVID-19–Related Rumor Content, Transmission, and Clarification Strategies in China: Descriptive Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.27339 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Peishan Ning ◽

Peixia Cheng ◽

Jie Li ◽

Ming Zheng ◽

David C Schwebel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Popular Science ◽

The Novel ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Medical Supplies ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Media Reports ◽

Novel Coronavirus

BACKGROUND Given the permeation of social media throughout society, rumors spread faster than ever before, which significantly complicates government responses to public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE We aimed to examine the characteristics and propagation of rumors during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in China and evaluated the effectiveness of health authorities’ release of correction announcements. METHODS We retrieved rumors widely circulating on social media in China during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and assessed the effectiveness of official government clarifications and popular science articles refuting those rumors. RESULTS We show that the number of rumors related to the COVID-19 pandemic fluctuated widely in China between December 1, 2019 and April 15, 2020. Rumors mainly occurred in 3 provinces: Hubei, Zhejiang, and Guangxi. Personal social media accounts constituted the major source of media reports of the 4 most widely distributed rumors (the novel coronavirus can be prevented with “Shuanghuanglian”: 7648/10,664, 71.7%; the novel coronavirus is the SARS coronavirus: 14,696/15,902, 92.4%; medical supplies intended for assisting Hubei were detained by the local government: 3911/3943, 99.2%; asymptomatically infected persons were regarded as diagnosed COVID-19 patients with symptoms in official counts: 322/323, 99.7%). The number of rumors circulating was positively associated with the severity of the COVID-19 epidemic (ρ=0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.93). The release of correction articles was associated with a substantial decrease in the proportion of rumor reports compared to accurate reports. The proportions of negative sentiments appearing among comments by citizens in response to media articles disseminating rumors and disseminating correct information differ insignificantly (both correct reports: χ12=0.315, P=.58; both rumors: χ12=0.025, P=.88; first rumor and last correct report: χ12=1.287, P=.26; first correct report and last rumor: χ12=0.033, P=.86). CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight the importance and urgency of monitoring and correcting false or misleading reports on websites and personal social media accounts. The circulation of rumors can influence public health, and government bodies should establish guidelines to monitor and mitigate the negative impact of such rumors.

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A PRACTICAL STUDY ON LOGISTICS RESPONSE TO PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FINE MANAGEMENT—TAKING LOGISTICS SUPPORT OFFICE OF CHINA UNIVERSITY OF GEOSCIENCES (WUHAN) AS AN EXAMPLE

10.12783/dtem/mebit2021/35610 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

LI XU ◽

LUN LI

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Higher Education ◽

Strong Support ◽

Colleges And Universities ◽

Healthy Development ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

The World ◽

The Future ◽

The Face ◽

Novel Coronavirus

The healthy development of higher education cannot be separated from the strong support and guarantee of university logistics. In the face of public health emergencies, if we want to further strengthen the function of logistics support and support in colleges and universities, and enhance the awareness and ability of coping, we should first start with delicacy management. After the baptism of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic, it is necessary for the logistics of universities to sum up their experience carefully, make good plans ahead of time, and make full response and preparation for all kinds of public health emergencies that may occur in the future. And this provides Chinese wisdom and Chinese plan for colleges and universities around the world to deal with public health emergencies.

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Surviving the stigma: lessons learnt for the prevention of COVID-19 stigma and its mental health impact

Mental Health and Social Inclusion ◽

10.1108/mhsi-05-2020-0030 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 145-149

Author(s):

Shweta Singh ◽

Saniya Bhutani ◽

Huma Fatima

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Health Impact ◽

Communicable Diseases ◽

Health Consequences ◽

Content Type ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Prevention Methods

Purpose The spread of novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has affected more than four million lives worldwide. Unfortunately, incidents of stigmatisation associated with COVID-19 are being reported worldwide. Studies conducted during and after public health emergencies because of communicable diseases have highlighted the development of stigmatisation and associated mental health consequences. This study aims to explore the past pandemics and current incidents of stigmatisation to understand COVID-19 stigma, its mental health impact and how they can be prevented by using primary and secondary prevention methods. Design/methodology/approach Researches were shortlisted using keywords such as “infectious diseases and mental health”, “COVID 19 stigma and mental health”, “Contagious disease stigma” and “mental health of survivors”. Findings Studies conducted during and after public health emergencies because of communicable diseases have highlighted the development of stigmatisation and associated mental health consequences. The emphasis is on universal prevention of stigmatization. Early psychological intervention may reduce the long-term psychological effects of the illness and reduction of stigma may contribute to treatment. Originality/value This paper predicts the chances of stigmatisation that COVID-19 survivors may face and possible strategies to prevent it.

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An in-depth analysis of 10 epidemiological terminologies used in the context of COVID-19

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/14034948211057736 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 140349482110577

Author(s):

Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy ◽

Ravinder Mamtani ◽

Sohaila Cheema

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Public Health Approach ◽

Fatality Rate ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Epidemiology And Public Health

Aim: In this paper, we explore the contextual use of 10 epidemiological terminologies, their significance, and interpretation/misinterpretation in explaining various aspects of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods and Results: We first establish the different purposes of the terms ‘pandemic’ and ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern.’ We then discuss the confusion caused by using the ‘case fatality rate’ as opposed to ‘infection fatality rate’ during the pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding the limited usefulness of identifying someone as ‘pre-symptomatic.’ We highlight the ambiguity in the ‘positivity rate’ and the need to be able to generate data on ‘excess mortality’ during public health emergencies. We discuss the relevance of ‘association and causation’ in the context of the facemask controversy that existed at the start of the pandemic. We point out how the accepted epidemiological practice of discussing ‘herd immunity’ in the context of vaccines has been twisted to suit the political motive of a public health approach. Given that a high proportion of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, we go on to show how COVID-19 has blurred the lines between ‘screening/diagnosis’ and ‘quarantine/isolation,’ while giving birth to the new terminology of ‘community quarantine.’ Conclusions: Applying the lessons learned from COVID-19 to better understand the above terminologies will help health professionals communicate effectively, strengthen the scientific agenda of epidemiology and public health, and support and manage future outbreaks efficiently.

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The Management of Social Media in Major Public Health Emergencies

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202125702044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 257 ◽

pp. 02044

Author(s):

Xin Li

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Basic Theory ◽

The Novel ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Novel Coronavirus

In this study, the concept, basic theory and application of the management of social media in major public health emergencies were expounded with the management of social media in the novel coronavirus pneumonia as the breakthrough point. With the related reports or information of the novel coronavirus pneumonia as the analysis sample, the role of social media in the pandemic was discussed from multiple aspects and perspectives by using the method of content analysis. On this basis, the management strategies of social media in major public health emergencies were further proposed.

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The role of triage in the prevention and control of COVID-19

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2020.185 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (7) ◽

pp. 772-776 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Qiaoxia Wang ◽

Xiaoping Wang ◽

Huanping Lin

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Outpatient Clinic ◽

Shaanxi Province ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Republic Of China ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Set Up ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

And Control

AbstractObjective:To prevent and control public health emergencies, we set up a prescreening and triage workflow and analyzed the effects on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:In accordance with the requirements of the level 1 emergency response of public health emergencies in Shaanxi Province, China, a triage process for COVID-19 was established to guide patients through a 4-level triage process during their hospital visits. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on positive COVID-19 nucleic acid testing according to the unified triage standards of the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial version 4),4 issued by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China.Results:The screened rate of suspected COVID-19 was 1.63% (4 of 246) in the general fever outpatient clinic and 8.28% (13 of 157) in the COVID-19 outpatient clinic, and they showed a significant difference (P = .00).Conclusions:The triage procedure effectively screened the patients and identified the high-risk population.

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Shelter Hospital: Glimmers of Hope in Treating Coronavirus 2019

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2020.105 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. e3-e4

Author(s):

Feng Zhou ◽

Xuan Gao ◽

Mengwei Li ◽

Ying Zhang

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Beneficial Effect ◽

Maintenance Treatment ◽

Primary Treatment ◽

Treatment Mode ◽

Treatment Methods ◽

First Report ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Prevention And Treatment ◽

Novel Coronavirus

ABSTRACTSince the first report of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the outbreak of the disease has been continuously evolving. Until March 17, 2020, 185, 178 cases had been confirmed, including 81,134 cases in China and 104,044 cases outside of China. In this comment, we report the unexpected beneficial effect of a deployable rapid-assembly shelter hospital on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We describe the shelter hospital maintenance, treatment mode and primary treatment methods, which will provide a valuable experience in dealing with public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, for other countries and areas.

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Correlation between the migration scale index and the number of new confirmed Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia cases in China

10.21203/rs.2.24409/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Huijie Chen ◽

Ye Chen ◽

Baijun Sun ◽

Ping Wang ◽

Lihai Wen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

Hubei Province ◽

Downward Trend ◽

Good Effect ◽

Atypical Pneumonia ◽

Public Health Emergencies ◽

Autonomous Regions ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

High Level

Abstract Background: In late December, 2019, patients of atypical pneumonia due to an unidentified microbial agent were reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Subsequently, a novel coronavirus was identified as the causative pathogen which was named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). As of Feb 12, 2020, more than 44,000 cases of 2019-nCoV infection have been confirmed in China and continue to expand. Provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China have launched first-level response to major public health emergencies one after another from Jan 23.2020, which means restricting movement of people among provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The aim of this study was to explore the correlation between the migration scale index and the number of confirmed Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (NCP) cases and to depict the effect of restricting population movement. Methods: Excel 2010 was used to demonstrate the temporal distribution at the day level and SPSS 23.0 was used to analyze the correlation between the migration scale index and the number of confirmed NCP cases. Results: Since January 23, 2020, Wuhan migration scale index has dropped significantly and since January 26, 2020, Hubei province migration scale index has dropped significantly. New confirmed NCP cases per day in China except Wuhan gradually increased since January 24, 2020, and showed a downward trend from February 6, 2020. New confirmed NCP cases per day in China except Hubei province gradually increased since January 24, 2020, and maintained at a high level from January 24, 2020 to February 4, 2020, then showed a downward trend. Wuhan emigration scale index from January 9 to January 22, January 10 to January 23 and January 11 to January 24 was correlated with the number of new confirmed NCP cases per day in China except Wuhan from January 22 to February 4. Hubei province emigration scale index from January 10 to January 23 and January 11 to January 24 was correlated with the number of new confirmed NCP cases per day in China except Hubei province from January 22 to February 4.Conclusions: People who left Wuhan from January 9 to January 22 may lead to the outbreak in China except Wuhan and people who left Hubei province from January 10 to January 24 may lead to the outbreak in China except Hubei province. “Wuhan lockdown” and Hubei province launching first-level response to major public health emergencies may have had a good effect the control NCP epidemic. Because there were still new confirmed NCP cases in China except Wuhan and in China except Hubei province and this may indicate that the occurrence of second-generation cases.

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