COVID-19
Fazlollah Keshavarzi; Berry Wei Qi Ting; Betty Zhi Xin Tang; Kai Xin Chang; Fei San Chee; Kar Mey Chen
Abstract
Background. The worldwide economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is comparable with the largest disastrous events of modern human history, such as the first and second world wars. This study investigated the nationwide impact of the pandemic on the local Malaysian firms. Methods. A cross-sectional, ...
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Background. The worldwide economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is comparable with the largest disastrous events of modern human history, such as the first and second world wars. This study investigated the nationwide impact of the pandemic on the local Malaysian firms. Methods. A cross-sectional, online survey was carried out in East and West Malaysia by inviting the Malaysian firms’ executives to fill in a questionnaire that was adopted from previous similar studies in other countries. The final questionnaire included 16 questions distributed in three categories. The executives of firms were contacted through email and social media. SSPS was used to analyse the collected data. Results. A total of 379 responses were received. Nearly 42% of firms reported a small impact with some difficulties in business operations but overall stability. Approximately 32% of businesses were severely impacted, and operations were barely maintained. Six percent of the firms had no significant difficulties and 5.3% reported that the pandemic provided new opportunities for development. Conclusion. Almost one-third of the Malaysian firms are affected significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic. The business operation of half of the Malaysian firms is also affected to some extent. Supportive policies are needed to reduce the companies’ manufacturing costs and assist them in surviving and eventually returning to normal business operations.
COVID-19
Virendra Mane; Poorva Bhalerao
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to affect India severely; cases rose exponentially from May-June 2020, but around mid-September reached their peak and started declining. It showed a sign of the wave’s completion by the end of January 2021. This decline was not predicted by any models ...
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to affect India severely; cases rose exponentially from May-June 2020, but around mid-September reached their peak and started declining. It showed a sign of the wave’s completion by the end of January 2021. This decline was not predicted by any models and the authors have not come across any explanation. Winter seasonality of influenza and similar viruses is well known and observed fact and that it has a direct correlation to the colder temperatures as well as lower humidity. Similarly, in low humidity, viruses are most viable, and they become ineffective as the humidity increases and reaches its maximum extent. This article hypothesizes and tries to explain the cause behind the first major decline and shows the subsequent rise of the second wave, and one short low humidity period followed by a high humidity period between the first and second waves. Methods: The humidity cycles in India were studied to find high and low relative humidity periods, which then corresponded to the daily cases in the country (macro-level), region (mid-level), and smaller regions (micro-level). Results: A definite correlation was observed between Monsoon-induced humidity and the incidence rate decline. This happens in 8 to 10 weeks. Incidence rates start declining about 4 weeks after the peak humidity is reached in a particular region. A decrease in humidity below 65% or 55% or lower causes an increase in the case increase/uptrend in about 3-4 weeks. Conclusion: COVID-19 has a seasonal peak in India, peaking in the middle of the monsoon season around mid-September and reaching its lowest levels in January-February. As humidity drops from February to June/July, a trend reversal and sharp rise are expected. The subsequent wave/case peak would be expected to be seen around mid-September 2021.
Nursing
Parisa Fathizadeh; Haydeh Heidari; Reza Masoudi; Morteza Sedehi; Feridoun Khajeali
Abstract
Introduction: Tele-nursing is a modern way of promoting quality of nursing care, treatment outcome, reducing medical costs and the need for visits, patient and family involvement in decision making, and careful patient monitoring by using all kinds of technologies. The aim of this article was to determine ...
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Introduction: Tele-nursing is a modern way of promoting quality of nursing care, treatment outcome, reducing medical costs and the need for visits, patient and family involvement in decision making, and careful patient monitoring by using all kinds of technologies. The aim of this article was to determine the most popular methods and related reasons for their common use in Iran. Methods: In this narrative literature review, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, SID, and Nindex were searched for full texts of Iranian studies published in English or Persian by using the descriptors of Tele-nursing, MHealth, nursing care, Telecare, and follow-up with phone calls between 2010 and 2020. The search found 472 articles and after considering the eligibility of articles, 56 articles were included. Results: The review found that 74% of papers reported the telephone as the first common method for tele-nursing. The second popular method was short message service (SMS) followed by internet and smartphone software. Conclusion: Tele-nursing includes many methods that nurses can use for distance nursing care which is not limited to telephone or SMS. In Iran, about 68 million people have a smartphone and have access to the internet. Nurses can use this potential capacity to improve nursing care.
WHO
Semeeh Akinwale Omoleke; Yolanda V. Bayugo; Ukam Ebe Oyene; Jonathan Abrahams; Nina Gobat; Suvajee Good; Mary Manandhar; Samar Elfeky; Ana Gerlin Hernandez Bonilla; Nicole Valentine; Jackeline Alger; Qudsia Huda; Saqif Mustafa; Maria Isabel Echavarria; Ankur Rakesh; Taylor Warren; Jostacio Moreno Lapitan; Jana Deborah Mier-Alpano; Dayo Spencer-Walters; Meredith Del Pilar Labarda; Mihai Mihut; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; Obinna I. Ekwunife
Abstract
Community Engagement (CE) plays a crucial role in successful public health actions, achieving universal health coverage, and the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It has emerged as an effective strategy across different settings through prevention, preparedness, readiness ...
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Community Engagement (CE) plays a crucial role in successful public health actions, achieving universal health coverage, and the realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It has emerged as an effective strategy across different settings through prevention, preparedness, readiness and response, and recovery towards attaining community resilience, Primary Health Care (PHC) strengthening and universal health coverage (UHC), health security, and sustainable development. We reviewed the existing literature and various data sources and found that several CE training packages are available from international partners, focusing on the principles, theories, general questions, and CE techniques. However, there are still challenges because they are often fragmented, with little or no systematic procedures to guide the CE processes in different settings.In this light, WHO initiated a discourse on the CE Package (CEP) development in consultation with some selected international partners. The CEP Project will focus on developing a database, learning, and workshop packages based on curation of CE experiences in different settings using defined criteria. The CEP would harmonize CE processes and facilitate the reinforcement of the CE integration into public health. Further, the CEP Project serves as a collection of selected best practices for pre-service and in-service training packages for health professionals. Also, there is an anticipated inclusion into curricula of health training institutions and WHO staff capacity development. Finally, the database for compiling best practices is designed such that it can be periodically updated and becomes a compendium of CE for learning, research, and informing practice.
Clinical Epidemiology
Hossein Rafiei
Abstract
The occurrence of pressure ulcers can be problematic for patients and health care systems. A medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU) is considered as one of the important indicators of patient safety assessment as well as the quality of care provided to the patient. This case report concerns a ...
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The occurrence of pressure ulcers can be problematic for patients and health care systems. A medical device-related pressure ulcer (MDRPU) is considered as one of the important indicators of patient safety assessment as well as the quality of care provided to the patient. This case report concerns a 54-year-old male patient, who was admitted to the cardiac unit of a hospital. The patient developed stage II pressure ulcers due to the connection of a nonstandard probe of the electrocardiogram to its chest. Nurses had not taken any action to treat the patient’s ulcers. To improve this matter, necessary measures such as training courses should be considered by the officials and healthcare planners. Apart from this, to prevent the development of MDRPUs in the future, it is of great importance to pay special attention to the probes that are being used for the recording of an ECG.
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