scholarly journals Advancing Healthcare for COVID-19 by Strengthening Providers’ Capacity for Best Practices in African, Caribbean and Black Community Service Provision in Ontario: A Multisite Mixed-Method Study Protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Josephine Etowa ◽  
LaRon Nelson ◽  
Egbe Etowa ◽  
Getachew Abrha ◽  
Janet Kemei ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as an unprecedented challenge for public and private life, and healthcare systems worldwide. African, Caribbean, and Black communities (ACB) represent some of the most vulnerable populations in terms of their susceptibility to health hazards, difficulty receiving adequate health care and relatively lower chances of recovery. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study is to improve the health system’s response during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by developing evidence-based models to inform policy and collaborative best practices to mitigate its spread and ameliorate related health consequences in vulnerable communities. METHODS: This is a mixed-method, multisite study based in Ottawa and Toronto that will involve in-depth qualitative interviews and surveys using a structured questionnaire. Data will be analyzed using NVivo for qualitative interviews, Stata 16 and IBM SPSS version 26 for statistical analyses. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study gained from highly professional health practitioners will produce strong evidence on current gaps in knowledge and practice in the healthcare system’s capacity to meet the health needs of ACB population. The distinct insights and perspectives will be disseminated with policymakers and researchers at all levels which will facilitate strategic policy making with the goal of addressing the unique challenges for health

2000 ◽  
pp. 60-67
Author(s):  
M. M. Nikitenko

The inclusion of Eastern Slavs in the sphere of religious and cultural influences of Byzantium was a tremendous event both in national and in world history. Since then, the main center of the culture of Kievan Rus, incorporating a complex of ideas and functions of the spiritual, public and private life of ancient Russian society, became the Eastern Christian temple in its local version


Author(s):  
Rev George Handzo ◽  
Rev Brian Hughes

Gomez and her colleagues have presented a helpful study of the relationship of the chaplains in her health system to physicians which highlights several barriers to a well-integrated relationship and thus to more optimal patient care. We have seen these same barriers as we have consulted with health systems nationally and have also identified many best practices that mediate or even eliminate many of these barriers. This commentary describes some of what we have seen as chaplain-generated causes of those barriers and effective strategies that have been employed to overcome them. We also provide some resources for chaplains who wish to institute some of these best practices themselves.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812110192
Author(s):  
Francisco Perez-Dominguez ◽  
Francisca Polanco-Ilabaca ◽  
Fernanda Pinto-Toledo ◽  
Daniel Michaeli ◽  
Jadi Achiardi ◽  
...  

The global pandemic caused by coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) disrupted both public and private life for many. Concerning medical students, practical teaching and classrooms were substituted with a virtual curriculum. However, how this new academic environment has affected students’ health and lifestyles has yet to be studied. In this study, we surveyed 2,776 students from nine different countries about changes in their university curricula and potential alterations in their daily habits, physical health, and psychological status. We found negative changes across all countries studied, in multiple categories. We found that 99% of respondents indicated changes in their instruction delivery system, with 90% stating a transition to online education, and 93% stating a reduction or suspension of their practical activities. On average, students spent 8.7 hours a day in front of a screen, with significant differences among countries. Students reported worsened studying, sleeping, and eating habits with substantial differences in Latin American countries. Finally, the participants frequently expressed onset and increase in both mental and physical health symptoms: backache, asthenopia, irritability, and emotional instability. Altogether, these results suggest a potential risk in the health and academic performance of future doctors if these new academic modalities are maintained.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 616-617
Author(s):  
Corinna Tanner ◽  
Michael Caserta ◽  
Jia-Wen Guo ◽  
Margaret Clayton ◽  
Paul Bernstein ◽  
...  

Abstract This mixed method study describes posttraumatic growth (PTG) accruing form experience with vision loss caused by severe age related macular degeneration (AMD) and explores relationships between depression, social support, and cognitive processing, on the path to PTG. Research describing the psychological and social issues surrounding AMD has focused on negative outcomes. However, learning from highly challenging experiences, such as vision loss, can offer benefits. In this study, these included an increased sense of personal strength, increased spirituality, and empathy for others (all domains of PTG). 89 participants with severe vision loss (mean age = 85.3 years, age range = 74–98 years) completed the interviewer-administered composite questionnaire, which identified elements of Tedeschi and Calhoun’s model of PTG. Relationships between variables were examined using path analysis. Findings were contextualized with data from 15 qualitative interviews. Findings underscored the importance of supportive others and deliberate cognitive processing in the path to PTG.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lessard ◽  
Kim Engler ◽  
Yuanchao Ma ◽  
Adriana Rodriguez Cruz ◽  
Serge Vicente ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 are instructed to self-isolate at home. However, during self-isolation, they may experience anxiety and insufficient care. Some patient portals can allow patients to self-monitor and share their health status with healthcare professionals for remote follow-up, but little data is available on the feasibility of their use. OBJECTIVE This manuscript presents the protocol of the Opal-COVID Study which has four objectives: 1) assess the implementation of using the Opal patient portal for distance monitoring of COVID-19 patients self-isolating at home; 2) identify influences on the intervention’s implementation; and describe 3) service and 4) patient outcomes of this intervention. METHODS This mixed-method pilot study aims to recruit 50 COVID-19 patient participants tested at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC, Montreal, Canada) for 14 days of remote follow-up. With access to questionnaires through the Opal patient portal smartphone app, configured for this study, patients will complete a daily self-assessment of symptoms, vital signs, and mental health, monitored by a nurse, and receive subsequent teleconsultations, as needed. Study questionnaires will be administered to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical background, implementation outcomes (acceptability, usability, and respondent burden) and patient satisfaction. Coordinator logbook entries will inform on feasibility outcomes, namely, recruitment/retention rates and fidelity, as well as on the frequency and nature of contacts with healthcare professionals via Opal. The statistical analyses for Objectives 1 (implementation outcomes), 3 (service outcomes), and 4 (patient outcomes) will evaluate the effects of time and sociodemographic characteristics on the outcomes. For Objectives 1 (implementation outcomes) and 4 (patient outcomes), the statistical analyses will also examine the attainment of predefined success thresholds. As to the qualitative analyses, for Objective 2 (influences on implementation), semi-structured qualitative interviews will be conducted with four groups of stakeholders (i.e., patient participants, healthcare professionals, technology developers and study administrators) and submitted to content analysis, guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to help identify barriers and facilitators of implementation. For Objective 3 (service outcomes), reasons for contacting healthcare professionals through Opal will also be submitted to content analysis. RESULTS Between December 2020 and March 2021, 51 patient-participants were recruited. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 39 involved stakeholders, from April to September 2021. Delays in the study process were experienced due to implemented measures at the MUHC to address COVID-19 but the quantitative and qualitative analyses are currently underway. CONCLUSIONS This protocol is designed to generate multidisciplinary knowledge on the implementation of a patient portal-based COVID-19 care intervention and will lead to a comprehensive understanding of feasibility, stakeholder experience, and influences on implementation that may prove useful for scaling up similar interventions. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04978233.


2021 ◽  
pp. 136754942110302
Author(s):  
Vanessa Ciccone

In this article, I draw from several months of fieldwork from 2019 to assess professional subjectivity in the software industry of Canada. I assess employees’ constructions of and feelings about their own productivity. I argue that the ways in which subjects understand and feel about their productivity says a great deal about how power is ‘willfully’ negotiated within everyday professional tech settings of neoliberal societies. My findings suggest that optimization is emerging as a technology of self among the individuals I studied, and bringing political consequences. In the first section of the article, I provide a brief overview of the productivity imperative’s cultural trajectory, and show its relation to optimization. Then, in the empirical analysis and discussion, I outline that the technology of optimization involves a discourse around bringing one’s best to public and private realms, offering a specific set of moral ideals. I then show that another facet of this technology of self is centered on willfully entangling public and private life. Finally, I theorize subjects’ reported feelings about their own productivity, assessing how the technology of optimization relates to a politics of privilege. With this study, I seek to make a contribution to the relation between the culture of productivity and professional subjectivity in the software industry, in an effort to expose how power is negotiated at the level of the self in an increasingly influential sector.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 612-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlene Haddon ◽  
Catherine Loughlin ◽  
Corinne McNally

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain a nuanced understanding of what employees want from leaders in an organizational crisis context. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a mixed methods approach to explore employee leadership preferences during organizational crisis and non-crisis times using the Multi Factor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio and Bass, 2004), and qualitative interviews. The authors also investigate sex roles using the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1981). Findings – The mixed method approach reveals some potential limitations in how leadership is typically measured. The qualitative findings highlight employees’ expectations of leaders to take action quickly while simultaneously engaging in continuous communication with employees during crisis. None of the components of transformational leadership encapsulate this notion. Originality/value – The mixed methods approach is novel in the crisis leadership literature. Had the authors relied solely on the quantitative measures, the importance of continuous communication during crisis would not have been apparent. As a result of this approach, the findings suggest that widely used and accepted measures of leadership may not adequately capture leadership in a crisis context. This is timely as it aligns with current literature which questions the way this construct is operationalized (Van Knippenberg and Sitkin, 2013).


Author(s):  
Stephan Wolting

The present article tries to attract attention to the connection between the idea of the European Commision to create in 2008 a Year of the interculturaal dialogue and empiric studies in researching of being abroad. It will be one of the most important purposes in future to develop the studies in intercultural communications in the premise of consulting, coaching and mediation for foreign assignment or a deployment abroad. In this fields there's no doubt that there's a need for focussing new researches on the public and private life of employers abroad or on that what's called the working migration.


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