scholarly journals Schulich students for emergency childcare: Results of a community initiative during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Zhang ◽  
Nadeesha Samarasinghe ◽  
Jessica Garabon ◽  
Gali Katznelson ◽  
Montana Hackett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Health Law ◽  
Similar Nature ◽  
Community Initiative ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical And Dental Students

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to the abrupt suspension of many businesses and services in Ontario including schools and childcare centres. This resulted in many parents struggling to identify options for childcare, including frontline healthcare workers (HCWs). A volunteer initiative composed of medical and dental students was developed to provide emergency childcare support to HCWs in Southwestern Ontario. Experts in areas of public health, law, and bioethics were consulted to minimize the risks associated with participation and develop a clear policy to prioritize the health and safety of all participants. Social media was utilized to recruit volunteers and HCWs who were matched on a first-come, first-served basis. 59 medical and dental students were recruited to provide emergency support for 21 HCWs within the unique safety and ethical conditions posed by COVID-19. By reflecting on the strengths of this initiative and the challenges faced during its completion, key areas of improvement were identified that should be addressed in future initiatives of a similar nature.

The Jay Healey Technique: Teaching Law and Ethics to Medical and Dental Students

1994 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-455
Author(s):  
Barbara B. Blechner ◽  
Christie L. Hager ◽  
Nancy R. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Dental Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Health Law ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Law And Ethics ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Connecticut ◽  
Case Based ◽  
Medical And Dental Students

Health law and medical ethics are both integral parts of undergraduate medical curricula. The literature has addressed the importance of teaching law and ethics separately in medical school settings, yet there have been few descriptions of teaching law and ethics together in the same curriculum. A combined program in law and ethics required for first-year medical and dental students was developed and implemented by Professor Joseph (Jay) M. Healey, Jr., at the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine from 1975 until his death in 1993. This Article describes the thirty-hour, interactive, case-based course he created. The course, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Medicine and Dental Medicine (LEA), has continued after Jay 's death, and is one of his many legacies to us. LEA consists of fifty-six actual and hypothetical cases written by Jay from which basic legal and ethical principles are extracted by participants and reinforced by instructors.

scholarly journals WILLINGNESS TO WORK AMONGST AUSTRALIAN FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS DURING AUSTRALIA’S FIRST WAVE OF COVID-19 COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION: RESULTS OF AN ONLINE SURVEY

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Michella Hill ◽  
Erin Smith ◽  
Brennen Mills
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Objectives The majority of research investigating healthcare workers’ (HCWs) willingness to work during public health emergencies asks participants to forecast their perceptions based on hypothetical emergencies, rather than in response to actual public health emergencies they have experienced. This research explored frontline HCWs willingness to work during Australia’s first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic among frontline HCWs. Methods Participants (n=580) completed an online questionnaire regarding their willingness to work during the pandemic. Results Forty-two percent of participants reported being less willing to work during the pandemic compared to before. Availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), concern expressed by family members, and viral exposure were significant barriers. One-third of participants disagreed that some level of occupational risk for exposure to infectious disease was acceptable. One-quarter of participants had received communications from their workplace concerning obligations to work during COVID-19. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Australian frontline HCWs’ willingness to work. Scarcity of PPE and exposure to the virus were the most cited reasons impacting on willingness to work. Appropriate policies and practices should be implemented and communicated efficiently to frontline HCW’s. This research provides insight into the lived experiences of Australian healthcare professionals’ willingness to work during a pandemic.

How to Quarantine False Information: What the U.S. Government May Do as False Information Spread on Social Media during a Public Health Crisis Becomes a Biosecurity Threat

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonam James
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
False Information ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Global Spread ◽  
Public Health And Safety

Abstract With the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation about the pandemic spread prolifically on social media. False or harmful information about the coronavirus pandemic spread on social media included hate-speech, vaccine misinformation, and misinformation about public health and safety measures. In the midst of a serious public health crisis, where public cooperation for mandated health and safety measures hinges on trust in government and facts, false information rapidly spread through social media becomes a biosecurity threat. This article explores whether false or harmful information can be regulated during a serious public health emergency.

scholarly journals Frontline Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge and Perception of COVID-19, and Willingness to Work during the Pandemic in Nepal

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipak Prasad Upadhyaya ◽  
Rajan Paudel ◽  
Dilaram Acharya ◽  
Kaveh Khoshnood ◽  
Kwan Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Government Response ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
Public Health Workers ◽  
The Government ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers

This study investigated the contextual factors associated with the knowledge, perceptions, and the willingness of frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) to work during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal among a total of 1051 FHWs. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to identify independent associations between predictors and outcome variables. Of the total study subjects, 17.2% reported inadequate knowledge on COVID-19, 63.6% reported that they perceived the government response as unsatisfactory, and 35.9% showed an unwillingness to work during the pandemic. Our analyses demonstrated that FHWs at local public health facilities, pharmacists, Ayurvedic health workers (HWs), and those with chronic diseases were less likely, and male FHWs were more likely, to have adequate knowledge of COVID-19. Likewise, nurses/midwives, public health workers, FHWs from Karnali and Far-West provinces, and those who had adequate knowledge of COVID-19 were more likely to have satisfactory perceptions towards the government response. Further, FHWs—paramedics, nurse/midwives, public health workers, laboratory workers—FHWs from Karnali Province and Far-West Province, and those with satisfactory perceptions of government responses to COVID-19 were predictors of willingness to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results suggest that prompt actions are required to improve FHWs’ knowledge of COVID-19, address negative perceptions of government responses, and motivate them through specific measures to provide healthcare services during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Development and validation of scale for measuring attitudes towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students: SMePROF-S scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko Marelić ◽  
Joško Viskić ◽  
Lovela Machala Poplašen ◽  
Danko Relić ◽  
Dražen Jokić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Oblique Rotation ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha ◽  
Medical And Dental Students

Abstract Background Social media permeated everyday life and consequently it brought some changes to behaviour of health professionals. New form of professionalism emerged called e-professionalism depicting professional behaviour while using social media. There are a number of studies conducted in the past several years measuring behaviour of different populations of health professionals on social media and social media sites. Many studies have investigated aspects of e-professionalism of medical or dental students as future health professionals, but there are no validated instruments made for assessing attitude towards e-professionalism of those two populations. Objective of this paper is to validate a newly developed scale for measuring attitudes towards e-professionalism among medical and dental students. Methods The original 32-item scale was developed and administered to 411 medical students (RR 69%), and 287 dental students (RR 49.7%). Exploratory factor analysis was used to investigate the existence of underlying factors. Principal component analysis was used as an extraction method with oblimin as selected oblique rotation method. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess reliability. Results Total of 698 student answers entered analysis. The final scale had 24 items that formed seven factors named: ethical aspects, dangers of social media, excluding physicians, freedom of choice, importance of professionalism, physicians in the digital age, negative consequences. Cronbach’s alpha indicating scale reliability was .72. Reliability conducted on each factor ranged from .570 to .877. Conclusions The scale measures seven factors of attitude towards e-professionalism and exhibits satisfactory reliability. Based on insights from validation, some possible improvements are suggested.

Social media prevalence, habits and attitudes on e-professionalism of medicine and dental medicine students: A quantitative cross-sectional study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josko Viskic ◽  
Drazen Jokic ◽  
Marko Marelic ◽  
Lovela Machala Poplasen ◽  
Danko Relic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Health Products ◽  
Medical And Dental Students

BACKGROUND Social media (SM) has infiltrated all levels of the healthcare profession with students being at the forefront. Professional behavior on the internet, or “e-professionalism”, is paramount for adequate usage of SM for students, and their interaction with patients online. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to describe and compare SM use by medical and dental students. We also wanted to assess and compare differences in attitudes between medical and dental students on e-professionalism, determine their opinion on potentially unprofessional behavior and posts and their interaction with patients on SM. METHODS A quantitative cross-sectional questionnaire study on the use of SM and attitudes about e-professionalism of students was carried out in the School of Medicine University of Zagreb, Croatia and the School of Dental Medicine University of Zagreb, Croatia. RESULTS Of the 714 collected responses 698 entered final analysis (411 medical and 287 dental students). Facebook (99%) and Instagram (80.7%) were the most commonly used SM. Unprofessional content was recognized both by medical and dental students with most interesting significant differences between groups when asked which of the following types of posts/behaviors (posted on SM) do they consider unprofessional: post with patient photos (61% dental vs. 89.8% medical, χ21=81.547, P<.001), interaction with a patient not revealing any personal identifiable information (23% dental vs. 41.8% medical, χ21=26.729, P<.001); advertising of pharmaceutical or health products without disclosing conflict of interest (26.8% dental vs. 41.1% medical, χ21=15.121, P<.001); critical comments about faculty (53% dental vs. 39.7% medical, χ21=12.076, P=.001); critical comments about teaching materials, study program, school, or university (36.2% dental vs. 25.1% medical, χ21=10.118, P=.001). Dental students believe significantly more that people have the opportunity to post photos and document aspects of their professional life which would otherwise remain private (89.5% dental vs. 84.2% medical, χ21= 4.132, P=.026), and that they should be able to do what they want online (68.3% dental vs. 60.8% medical, χ21= 4.083, P=.043). Dental students are also more open to communication through social media than medical students (39.7% dental vs. 16.3% medical, χ22=81.686, P<.001), will (41.5% dental vs. 12.2% medical, χ24= 87.344, P<.001) and have (28.2% dental vs. 5.6% medical, χ21=68.235, P<.001) accepted friend request/follow/track from patients more readily, and even sent friend requests/follow/track their patients (5.2% dental vs. 1.2% medical χ21=9.763, P=.002). CONCLUSIONS Social media use is ubiquitous among the studied student population. Awareness of e-professionalism is relatively high for both student groups with dental students being more desensitized to visual representations of patients, and more prone to interaction with patients on SM. Medical students are more open to criticism of school program and faculty. Our research also highlights previous findings that both student groups would find useful the existence of guidelines about e-professionalism.

scholarly journals Sleep in Frontline Healthcare Workers on Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy H Stewart ◽  
Anya L Koza ◽  
Serena Dhaon ◽  
Christiana Shoushtari ◽  
Maylyn Martinez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Family Work ◽  
Career Information ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers

AbstractImportanceDuring the pandemic, healthcare workers on social media are sharing their challenges, including sleep disturbances.ObjectiveTo assess sleep using validated measures among frontline healthcare workers on social mediaDesignA self-selection survey was distributed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for 16 days (August 31-September 15, 2020) targeting healthcare workers (HCW) who were clinically active during the pandemic. Study participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and reported demographic/career information. Poor sleep quality was defined as PSQI>5. Moderate-to-severe insomnia was defined as an ISI>14. The mini-Z was used to measure burnout. Multivariate logistic regression tested associations between demographics, career characteristics, and sleep outcomes.SettingOnline self-selection survey on social mediaParticipants963 surveys were completed. Participants were predominantly White (92.8%), female (73.4%), aged 30-49 (71.9%), and physicians (64.4%). Mean sleep duration was 6.1 (SD 1.2) hours. Nearly 90% reported poor sleep (PSQI). One third (33.0%) reported moderate or severe insomnia. Many (60%) experienced sleep disruptions due to device usage or had bad dreams at least once per week (45%). Over 50% reported burnout. In multivariable logistic regressions, non-physician (OR 2.4; CI: 1.7, 3.4), caring for COVID-19 patients (OR 1.8; CI 1.2, 2.8), Hispanic ethnicity (OR 2.2; CI: 1.4, 3.5), being female (OR 1.6; CI 1.1, 2.4), and having a sleep disorder (OR 4.3; CI 2.7,6.9) were associated with increased odds of insomnia. In open-ended comments (n=310), poor sleep mapped to four categories: children and family, work demands, personal health, and pandemic-related sleep disturbances.ConclusionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, 90% of frontline healthcare workers surveyed on social media reported poor sleep, over one-third reported insomnia, and over half reported burnout. Many also reported sleep disruptions due to device usage and nightmares. Sleep interventions for frontline healthcare workers are urgently needed.Key pointsQuestionHow are frontline healthcare workers on social media sleeping during the pandemic?FindingsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, 90% of frontline healthcare workers on social media are reporting poor sleep, and one third are reporting insomnia. Those who report sleep disturbances were more likely to report burnout.MeaningInterventions aimed at improving the sleep of frontline healthcare workers are warranted.

scholarly journals Sleep in Frontline Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Social Media Survey Study (Preprint)

10.2196/27331 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy H Stewart ◽  
Anya Koza ◽  
Serena Dhaon ◽  
Christiana Shoushtari ◽  
Maylyn Martinez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers

scholarly journals Dental and Medical Students’ Knowledge and Attitude toward COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study from Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (S 01) ◽  
pp. S97-S104
Author(s):  
Saqib Ali ◽  
Beenish Fatima Alam ◽  
Faraz Farooqi ◽  
Khalid Almas ◽  
Sara Noreen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Dental Students ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Medical And Dental Students

Abstract Objective The aims of this study were to investigate the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of Pakistani medical and dental undergraduate students toward COVID-19 during the surge of its outbreak. Materials and Methods The multicentered, cross-sectional study was carried out nationwide among undergraduate medical and dental students. A convenience sampling technique was used. A self-developed online questionnaire was pretested to be completed by the participants. It was distributed using social media. The survey was comprised of questions related to demographics, health status, general hygiene perception, understanding, and the learning attitudes of the students. Comparisons of the knowledge scores and the attitude responses with the demographic information were done using the independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Chi-square, as appropriate. Results Of the 937 total respondents, 353 (38%) were males and 582 (62%) were females; two students did not mark their gender. Of these, 680 (73%) were dental students and 257 (27%) were medical students. The mean knowledge score of the female dental students (5.15 ± 1.08) was significantly higher than that of the male students (4.87 ± 1.09). Overall, the mean knowledge score was statistically higher among the medical students in comparison to the dental students (5.21 ± 1.15, 5.05 ± 1.09; p = 0.054), respectively. Conclusion The medical and dental students were both aware of the importance of the use of a mask. The medical students had a greater awareness regarding the mode of transmission, symptoms, and origin of COVID-19. However, the dental students showed better understanding of the use of surgical masks and the correct protocol for hand washing. Social media was considered the main source for COVID-19 related information.

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