Journal of medical Internet research
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Jul 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialOnline-Delivered Group and Personal Exercise Programs to Support Low Active Older Adults' Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Randomized Controlled Trial.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts in mental health science emphasized the importance of developing and evaluating approaches to support and maintain the mental health of older adults. ⋯ There were no intervention effects for the trial's primary outcome (ie, psychological flourishing). It is possible that the high levels of psychological flourishing at baseline may have limited the extent to which those indicators could continue to improve further through intervention (ie, potential ceiling effects). However, the intervention effects for mental and physical health point to the potential capacity of low-cost and scalable at-home programs to support the mental and physical health of previously inactive adults in the COVID-19 pandemic.
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Jul 2021
Observational StudyUsing a Real-Time Locating System to Evaluate the Impact of Telemedicine in an Emergency Department During COVID-19: Observational Study.
Telemedicine has been deployed by health care systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to enable health care workers to provide remote care for both outpatients and inpatients. Although it is reasonable to suspect telemedicine visits limit unnecessary personal contact and thus decrease the risk of infection transmission, the impact of the use of such technology on clinician workflows in the emergency department is unknown. ⋯ Telemedicine was rapidly adopted with the intent of minimizing pathogen exposure to health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet RTLS movement data did not reveal significant changes for in-person interactions between staff and patients under investigation for COVID-19 infection. Additional research is needed to better understand how telemedicine technology may be better incorporated into emergency departments to improve workflows for frontline health care clinicians.
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Jul 2021
Comparative StudyRacial and Ethnic Differences in COVID-19 Outcomes, Stressors, Fear, and Prevention Behaviors Among US Women: Web-Based Cross-sectional Study.
In the United States, racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with persistent social and structural factors contributing to these disparities. At the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender, women of color may be disadvantaged in terms of COVID-19 outcomes due to their role as essential workers, their higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions, their increased stress and anxiety from the loss of wages and caregiving, and domestic violence. ⋯ The low prevalence of COVID-19 testing and knowledge of where to get tested indicate a critical need to expand testing for women in the United States, particularly among racial/ethnic minority women. Although the overall prevalence of engagement in prevention behaviors was high, targeted education and promotion of prevention activities are warranted in communities of color, particularly with consideration for stressors and adverse mental health.
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Jul 2021
Observational StudyGuided Relaxation-Based Virtual Reality for Acute Postoperative Pain and Anxiety in a Pediatric Population: Pilot Observational Study.
Distraction-based therapies, such as virtual reality (VR), have been used to reduce pain during acutely painful procedures. However, distraction alone cannot produce prolonged pain reduction to manage sustained postoperative pain. Therefore, the integration of VR with other pain-reducing therapies, like guided relaxation, may enhance its clinical impact. ⋯ A single, short VR-GR session showed transient reductions in pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and anxiety in children and adolescents with acute postoperative pain. The results call for a future randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of VR-GR.