Project description:The impacts of climate change on the health of marine mammals are increasingly being recognised. Given the rapid rate of environmental change in the Arctic, the potential ramifications on the health of marine mammals in this region are a particular concern. There are eleven endemic Arctic marine mammal species (AMMs) comprising three cetaceans, seven pinnipeds, and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). All of these species are dependent on sea ice for survival, particularly those requiring ice for breeding. As air and water temperatures increase, additional species previously non-resident in Arctic waters are extending their ranges northward, leading to greater species overlaps and a concomitant increased risk of disease transmission. In this study, we review the literature documenting disease presence in Arctic marine mammals to understand the current causes of morbidity and mortality in these species and forecast future disease issues. Our review highlights potential pathogen occurrence in a changing Arctic environment, discussing surveillance methods for 35 specific pathogens, identifying risk factors associated with these diseases, as well as making recommendations for future monitoring for emerging pathogens. Several of the pathogens discussed have the potential to cause unusual mortality events in AMMs. Brucella, morbillivirus, influenza A virus, and Toxoplasma gondii are all of concern, particularly with the relative naivety of the immune systems of endemic Arctic species. There is a clear need for increased surveillance to understand baseline disease levels and address the gravity of the predicted impacts of climate change on marine mammal species.
Project description:Gender diversity has been linked to positive business results. Yet limited data exist to characterize the gender landscape in health technology, a field that draws employees from both biomedical engineering and medicine. To better understand the state of gender diversity in this industry, we developed a survey to explore leadership representation and perceptions of workplace equality, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. Data from 400?+?health technology professionals revealed that women are significantly underrepresented in senior leadership and that men and women experience the workplace differently. Men believe in greater numbers than females that senior leaders are focused on recruiting and promoting women, promotion criteria are equitable, and the major barrier to leadership roles for women is work/family balance. In contrast, women perceive a less meritocratic and inclusive workplace in which their ability to rise is hampered by exclusion from influential communication networks and stereotyping/bias. Perhaps as a result, more than one-third of female respondents are considering leaving their current jobs, citing dissatisfaction with management and a desire for greater advancement opportunities. This study highlights significant gender perception differences in health technology that require further study and proactive remediation for the field to fully realize the benefits of gender diversity.
Project description:BackgroundThe 'WHO-ASPHER Roadmap to Professionalizing the Public Health Workforce in the European Region' provides recommendations for strategic and systematic workforce planning around professionalization levers including: (i) competencies, (ii) training and education, (iii) formal organization, (iv) professional credentialing and (v) code of ethics and professional conduct as well as taxonomy and enumeration. It was based on a literature review till 2016. This scoping review aims to explore how the professionalization was documented in the literature between 2016 and 2022.MethodsFollowing the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, we searched Medline via PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC via EBSCO and Google Scholar and included studies on professionalization levers. Four critical appraisal tools were used to assess qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods studies and grey literature. The PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was used for reporting.ResultsEleven articles included in this review spanned 61 countries, targeting undergraduate, master's, doctoral degrees and continuing professional development. Most of these documents were reviews. About half provided a definition of the public health workforce; more than half covered the taxonomy and included information about competences, but the use of frameworks was sporadic and inconsistent. Formal organization and the necessity of a code of conduct for the public health workforce were acknowledged in only two studies.ConclusionsIn spite of some efforts to professionalize the public health workforce, this process is fragmented and not fully recognized and supported. There is an urgent need to engage policymakers and stakeholders to prioritize investments in strengthening the public health workforce worldwide.
Project description:This commentary argues that Canada's public and global health communities have a special ethical and political responsibility to act to reverse the harms associated with Canadian mining activities in Latin America and beyond through advocacy, research, and using their public voice. We begin with an overview of the direct and indirect health effects of mining, drawing especially on Latin America where 50-70% of mining activity involves Canadian companies. Then we examine the judicial, legislative, financial, and diplomatic contexts that make Canada such a welcome host and champion of the mining sector. Finally, we turn to the responsibility of the public and global health communities, offering concrete recommendations for using research, practical expertise public health solidarity networks, and political clout to speak out and advocate for policies that redress the harms caused by mining.
Project description:Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) is prevalent in hospitals and is associated with increased care needs, prolonged hospital stay, delayed rehabilitation and death. Nutrition care process related activities such as screening, assessment and treatment has been advocated by scientific societies and patient organizations but implementation is variable. We analysed the cross-sectional nutritionDay database for prevalence of nutrition risk factors, care processes and outcome for medical, surgical, long-term care and other patients (n = 153,470). In 59,126 medical patients included between 2006 and 2015 the prevalence of recent weight loss (45%), history of decreased eating (48%) and low actual eating (53%) was more prevalent than low BMI (8%). Each of these risk factors was associated with a large increase in 30 days hospital mortality. A similar pattern is found in all four patient groups. Nutrition care processes increase slightly with the presence of risk factors but are never done in more than 50% of the patients. Only a third of patients not eating in hospital receive oral nutritional supplements or artificial nutrition. We suggest that political action should be taken to raise awareness and formal education on all aspects related to DRM for all stakeholders, to create and support responsibilities within hospitals, and to create adequate reimbursement schemes. Collection of routine and benchmarking data is crucial to tackle DRM.
Project description:BackgroundHypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and affects nearly one in two adults in the United States when defined as a blood pressure of at least 130/80 mm Hg or on antihypertensive medication (Virani et al., 2021, Circulation, 143, e254). Long-standing disparities in hypertension awareness, treatment, and control among racial and ethnic populations exist in the United States. High-quality evidence exists for how to prevent and control hypertension and for the role nurses can play in this effort. In response to the 2020 Surgeon General's Call to Action to Control Hypertension, nursing leaders from 11 national organizations identified the critical roles and actions of nursing in improving hypertension control and cardiovascular health, focusing on evidence-based nursing interventions and available resources.AimsTo develop a unified "Call to Action for Nurses" to improve control of hypertension and cardiovascular health and provide information and resources to execute this call.MethodsThis paper outlines roles that registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, schools of nursing, professional nursing organizations, quality improvement nurses, and nursing researchers can play to control hypertension and prevent CVD in the United States. It describes evidence-based interventions to improve cardiovascular health and outlines actions to bring hypertension and CVD to the forefront as a national priority for nursing.Linking evidence to actionEvidence-based interventions exist for nurses to lead efforts to prevent and control hypertension, thus preventing much CVD. Nurses can take actions in their communities, their healthcare setting, and their organization to translate these interventions into real-world practice settings.
Project description:The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents the greatest international biopsychosocial emergency the world has faced for a century, and psychological science has an integral role to offer in helping societies recover. The aim of this paper is to set out the shorter- and longer-term priorities for research in psychological science that will (a) frame the breadth and scope of potential contributions from across the discipline; (b) enable researchers to focus their resources on gaps in knowledge; and (c) help funders and policymakers make informed decisions about future research priorities in order to best meet the needs of societies as they emerge from the acute phase of the pandemic. The research priorities were informed by an expert panel convened by the British Psychological Society that reflects the breadth of the discipline; a wider advisory panel with international input; and a survey of 539 psychological scientists conducted early in May 2020. The most pressing need is to research the negative biopsychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate immediate and longer-term recovery, not only in relation to mental health, but also in relation to behaviour change and adherence, work, education, children and families, physical health and the brain, and social cohesion and connectedness. We call on psychological scientists to work collaboratively with other scientists and stakeholders, establish consortia, and develop innovative research methods while maintaining high-quality, open, and rigorous research standards.