Articles: pandemics.
-
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed considerable psychological stress on frontline healthcare workers (HCWs). ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on the dimensions of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion. Consideration of these dimensions is important when designing future burnout prevention programs for frontline personnel.
-
Contactless vital signs (VS) measurement with video photoplethysmography (vPPG), motion analysis (MA), and passive infrared thermometry (pIR) has shown promise. ⋯ Contactless VS acquisition demonstrated good agreement with contact methods during adult walk-in ED patient triage in pandemic conditions; clinical applications will need further study.
-
In-laboratory, polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). However, the long waiting list and sleeping at a hospital make patients hesitate to undergo the examination, thereby delaying diagnosis. During coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, sleep labs are almost closed, and the delay is worsening. The home sleep test (HST) enables subjects to be tested at home, a familiar and comfortable environment, without a long waiting list. This study assessed the accuracy of a type III HST in diagnosing OSAS in the Taiwanese population and identified factors affecting the diagnostic accuracy. ⋯ The HST used in preliminary screening of patients with suspected OSAS achieved an accuracy of >90%. For patients with moderate to severe OSAS, the accuracy was below 80%. Therefore, for patients who receive an OSAS diagnosis through the HST, arrangement of PSG is recommended for determining the severity of the OSAS and giving proper treatment.
-
During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care provider well-being was affected by various challenges in the work environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the perceived work environment and mental well-being of a sample of emergency physicians (EPs), emergency medicine (EM) nurses, and emergency medical services (EMS) providers during the pandemic. ⋯ We found a strong association between a perceived adverse working environment and poor mental health, particularly when organizational support was deemed inadequate. Targeted strategies to promote better perceptions of the workplace are needed.
-
The lancet oncology · Jul 2022
Impact of health insurance type on access to vaccination and mortality due to COVID-19 on patients with cancer in Colombia: a cohort study.
In Colombia, all paid workers earning minimum wage or higher contribute part of their salary for access to the national health-care system through a type of insurance called contributive plan, which supports the remaining low-income population that is enrolled on the subsidised plan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombia documented high mortality rate in patients with cancer, with higher mortality among low-income patients, according to data from our national registry of COVID-19 infection in patients with cancer. The aim of this research was to establish the differential access to COVID-19 vaccination depending on health insurance type, and its impact on mortality due to COVID-19 infection. ⋯ None.