Holiday season…There we go!

The holiday season is usually incredibly stressful. Seems like during this one we will have the extra pressure of having to have a great one. Looks like the world moves from managing the pandemic to having a new wave, less aggressive as the specialists say, but COVID is still here.

Winter wonder worlds

The winter holiday season comes but once a year – on Earth. Eleanor Spring takes a tour through some of the seasonal extremities experienced on distant worlds. A chilly Earth winter never looked so inviting!

Mortality risk from acute aortic dissection among hospital admissions during weekends and holiday season

Background Acute aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition associated with high mortality rate. Findings from previous studies addressing the “weekend effect” on the mortality rate from an acute aortic dissection mortality have been inconsistent. Furthermore, the effect of admission for acute aortic dissection during the holiday season has not been previously investigated. Objective Our aim was to evaluate the effect of admission for acute aortic dissection during holiday season or weekends on the risk of mortality. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of nationwide cohort data from the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. We collected data on all adult patients hospitalized for acute aortic dissection between 2001 and 2017 in Taiwan and classified them into the following three groups based on day of admission: holiday season (at least 4 consecutive days; n = 280), weekend (n = 1 041), and weekday (n = 3 109). The following three outcomes were evaluated: in-hospital mortality, 7-day mortality, and 180-day mortality. Results A multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for possible cofounders on the measured outcomes. Compared to weekday admissions for acute aortic dissection, weekend admissions resulted in a 29% increase in the risk of in-hospital death (aOR = 1.29; 95% CI, 1.05–1.59; P = 0.0153), with a 25% increase in the 7-day (aOR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.001–1.563; P = 0.0492) and 20% increase in the 180-day mortality risk (aOR = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.01–1.42; P = 0.0395). Of note, admission over the holiday season did not result in a higher mortality risk than for weekday admissions; this finding, however, might reflect insufficient statistical power on subgroup analysis. Conclusion Patients admitted for acute aortic dissection during the weekends are at higher risk of mortality compared to those admitted on weekdays. Our finding likely reflects inadequate staffing and team experience of weekend staff and can guide healthcare policy makers to improve patient outcomes.

Effects of food safety and perceived social support on mediating consumers’ attitude toward organic food purchase

The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of organic food purchase (O-FP). Specifically, how do consumers’ attitudes toward O-FP mediate in the links between health safety norms, perceived self-efficacy and perceived social support, and O-FP? To answer this question, a research framework using the theory of bounded rationality as its basis was formulated. Data were collected from the residents of Dhaka city during the 2019 holiday season. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data to answer the questions about the relationships of the aforementioned constructs toward organic food purchase behaviour. Findings suggested that perceived self-efficacy has no association between attitude and O-FP. However, other hypotheses are found to be supported implying attitude has both direct and mediated influence on O-FP.

Healthcare in Croatia

Summer is a traditional holiday season, and most of us tend to spend it at the seaside. Turkey is a favorite vacation spot for Russians, but this year, due to the unfavorable epidemiological situation in this country, many are forced to look for an alternative to the Mediterranean coast and give preference to the warm beaches of the Adriatic. Croatia is one of the countries that has hospitably opened its doors to tourists. This small state, with a population of just over 4 million, is located in Southern Europe, occupying the western part of the Balkan Peninsula. This state gained independence in 1991, and now the form of government in this country is a parliamentary republic. 6.8% of GDP per year is spent on healthcare in this country, while the state share in financing the healthcare system is 84%. In terms of life expectancy, which for 2020 is 78.4 years, with 81.6 years for women, the country ranks 44th in the world.

Disaster preparedness should represent an augmentation of the everyday trauma system, but are we prepared?

BackgroundThe increased frequency, geographical spread and the heterogenicity in mass casualty incidents (MCIs) challenge healthcare systems worldwide. Trauma systems constitute the base for disaster preparedness. Norway is sparsely populated, with four regional trauma centers (TCs) and 35 hospitals treating trauma (non-trauma centers (NTCs)). We wanted to assess whether hospitals fill the national trauma system requirements for competence and the degree of awareness of MCI plans.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of on-call trauma teams in all 39 hospitals during two time periods: July–August (holiday season (HS)) and September–June (non-holiday season (NHS)). A standardized questionnaire was used to evaluate the MCI preparedness.ResultsA total of 347 trauma team members participated (HS: 173 and NHS: 174). Over 95% of the team members were aware of the MCI plan; half had read the plan during the last 6 months, whereas 63% at the TCs and 74% at NTCs were confident with their MCI role. Trauma team exercises were conducted regularly and 86% had ever participated. Only 63% at the TCs and 53% at the NTCs had participated in an MCI exercise. The proportion of resident surgeons and anesthetists with >4 years’ clinical experience was significantly higher in TCs (88% and 63%) than in NTCs (27% and 17%). All the on-call consultant surgeons were at home, leaving interns in charge at several of the hospitals. All resident surgeons at the TCs were ATLS providers compared with 64% at the NTCs, and almost 90% of the consultant surgeons had participated in advanced trauma surgical courses.DiscussionDespite increased national focus on disaster preparedness, we identified limited compliance with trauma system requirements concerning competency and training. Strict guidelines to secure immediate notification and early presence of consultants whenever a situation that might turn into an MCI occurs should be a prerequisite.Level of evidenceLevel IV. Study type: cross- sectional.

Polish Domestic Tourism in the Face of SARS‑CoV–2 Pandemic

The paper focuses on the tourism market in the face of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Its aim is to verify whether Polish tourism in this period actually recorded such a significant drop in interest. The research is based on secondary data from the reports of the Central Statistical Office concerning the use of accommodation bases in Poland by both Poles and foreign tourists. Accommodation services offered by accommodation facilities constitute one of the basic tourist services included in the tourist market. Verifying their situation in the holiday season 2020 is therefore one of the easiest ways to estimate the impact of a pandemic on the tourism market in Poland. The research was conduct with ANOVA analysis of variance.

Strategi Pemasaran Dalam Meningkatkan Penjualan Sepatu Pada Home Industry Yap Yek Di Kota Bukittinggi

The purpose of this study was to determine the chosen marketing strategy in increasing shoe sales at Yap Yek Home Industry in Bukittinggi. Technical analysis of data using the SWOT method, namely analysis of the factors of strength (strength), as well as knowing weaknesses. Meanwhile, analysis of external factors must be able to determine the opportunity (opportunity), and also know the threat (treat) by filling out a questionnaire. After that, these factors are analyzed using the IFE matrix, EFE matrix, SWOT matrix, and weight-score table analysis. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the marketing strategy used by Yap Yek's home industry with the highest total weight score on the Strenghts-Opportunities (S-O) strategy is 3.87. By optimizing the strength to take advantage of existing opportunities. Namely maintaining and improving product quality to attract new customers and retain existing customers, making constant innovations in products, especially in design and color to attract more consumers to use shoe products, maximizing marketing of owned leather shoe products, especially during the holiday season, following every major events and events such as the exhibition of industrial products by providing a bigger discount. Keywords: Marketing Strategy, Sales, SWOT Analysis.

An Empirical Study of Holiday Season Discounts: A Comparison Between Third-Party Marketplace Sellers and Fulfilled by Walmart Sellers

When online retailers allow third-party sellers to place certain products on their platforms, these sellers become not only collaborators but also competitors. The purpose of this study is to compare the differences in price discounts between Third-Party Marketplace (3PM) sellers and Fulfilled by Walmart (FBW) sellers on Walmart.com over time. The results, based on data collected in the form of the daily prices of 54,162 products offered by Walmart during the holiday season, show that the average discount for 3PM sellers is significantly lower than that for FBW sellers. In addition, across product categories, FBW sellers had significantly higher average discounts than 3PM sellers in the electronics, housewares, and toys categories. Furthermore, the level of discount began to increase in early November and peaked around Christmas. Our findings may help retailers manage their dealings with these third-party sellers while also helping consumers to optimize their purchasing decisions.