Project description:AimsThis international survey was conducted to study the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the provision and practices of ophthalmic anaesthesia, evaluate the methods employed by parent ophthalmic units for safeguarding their anaesthesia providers and patients during lockdown, and to assess pandemic's effect on anaesthesia providers as individuals. The study was done with the hope that the results will help in protecting patients and safeguarding precious human resource by better management if this pandemic was to continue or there was to be another pandemic.MethodsAn anonymous questionnaire survey was distributed electronically between December 2020-January 2021 to the practicing ophthalmic anaesthesia providers in different parts of the world.ResultsThe survey identified that apart from reducing elective operating services, the ophthalmic units were ill prepared for the pandemic and the overall management was lacklustre. There was a definite lack of effective peri-operative patient screening, and, streaming processes. Measures for personal protection of staff were not optimal especially during regional/local ophthalmic anaesthesia. Severity of the pandemic, sudden job plan changes, and redeployment to intensive care units/acute covid wards had an adverse psychological impact on the affected staff.ConclusionOphthalmic anaesthesia services worldwide have had poor attentiveness to the life-threatening menace and reality of Covid-19 pandemic. A review of the institutional practices to address correctible deficiencies is urgently required. Robust, mandatory, elective, timely preventative strategies need to be implemented to protect patients, and, the precious ophthalmic workforce from potential adverse physical and psychological injuries.
Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 outbreak has imposed physical and psychological pressure on health care professionals, including frontline physicians. Hence, evaluating the mental health status of physicians during the current pandemic is important to define future preventive guidelines among health care stakeholders.ObjectiveIn this study, we intended to study alterations in the mental health status of Portuguese physicians working at the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic and potential sociodemographic factors influencing their mental health status.MethodsA nationwide survey was conducted during May 4-25, 2020, to infer differences in mental health status (depression, anxiety, stress, and obsessive compulsive symptoms) between Portuguese physicians working at the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic and other nonfrontline physicians. A representative sample of 420 participants stratified by age, sex, and the geographic region was analyzed (200 frontline and 220 nonfrontline participants). Moreover, we explored the influence of several sociodemographic factors on mental health variables including age, sex, living conditions, and household composition.ResultsOur results show that being female (β=1.1; t=2.5; P=.01) and working at the frontline (β=1.4; t=2.9; P=.004) are potential risk factors for stress. In contrast, having a house with green space was a potentially beneficial factor for stress (β=-1.5; t=-2.5; P=.01) and anxiety (β=-1.1; t=-2.4; P=.02).ConclusionsIt is important to apply protective mental health measures for physicians to avoid the long-term effects of stress, such as burnout.
Project description:Although sleep is essential for (recovery of) health, it is adversely affected by hospitalization, due to disease discomfort, environmental noise, and care routines, causing reduced sleep and increased disturbances. This study evaluates factors affecting sleep quality and quantity in hospitalized children and compares inpatient sleep with sleep at home. Using an observational, prospective study design, we assessed sleep in hospitalized children aged 1-12 years, admitted to a tertiary center, and compared this with home 6-8 weeks after discharge. We measured total sleep time (TST), sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), sleep efficiency, awakenings, and subjective sleep quality, using actigraphy, sleep diaries, and PROMIS questionnaires. We explored an array of sleep-disturbing factors. Regression analyses identified key determinants affecting sleep patterns, while mixed linear models compared sleep in hospital to sleep at home. Out of 621 eligible patients, 467 were invited, and 272 (58%) consented to participate. Key determinants of sleep included pain, number of previous admissions, (underlying) chronic illness, and environment-, staff-, and disease-related factors. Parents reported lower perceived sleep quality in the hospital compared to at home, 97-min (SE 9) lower TST, 100-min (5) longer WASO, more difficulties with falling asleep, lower sleep satisfaction, and more awakenings. Actigraphy outcomes revealed shorter TST (20 min (6)), but better sleep efficiency and fewer awakenings in the hospital. Conclusion: Sleep in hospital was compromised in comparison to sleep at home, primarily due to disturbances related to treatment, environment, and staff. These findings underscore the necessity and potential of relative simple interventions to improve sleep quality and minimize sleep disturbances in hospitalized children.
Project description:The behavior of reef fish larvae, equipped with a complex toolbox of sensory apparatus, has become a central issue in understanding their transport in the ocean. In this study pelagic reef fish larvae were monitored using an unmanned open-ocean tracking device, the drifting in-situ chamber (DISC), deployed sequentially in oceanic waters and in reef-born odor plumes propagating offshore with the ebb flow. A total of 83 larvae of two taxonomic groups of the families Pomacentridae and Apogonidae were observed in the two water masses around One Tree Island, southern Great Barrier Reef. The study provides the first in-situ evidence that pelagic reef fish larvae discriminate reef odor and respond by changing their swimming speed and direction. It concludes that reef fish larvae smell the presence of coral reefs from several kilometers offshore and this odor is a primary component of their navigational system and activates other directional sensory cues. The two families expressed differences in their response that could be adapted to maintain a position close to the reef. In particular, damselfish larvae embedded in the odor plume detected the location of the reef crest and swam westward and parallel to shore on both sides of the island. This study underlines the critical importance of in situ Lagrangian observations to provide unique information on larval fish behavioral decisions. From an ecological perspective the central role of olfactory signals in marine population connectivity raises concerns about the effects of pollution and acidification of oceans, which can alter chemical cues and olfactory responses.
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fragility of global supply chains arising from raw material scarcity, production and transportation disruption, and social distancing. Firms need to carefully anticipate the difficulties during recovery and formulate appropriate strategies to ensure the survival of their businesses and supply chains. To enhance awareness of the issues, this research aims to identify and model recovery challenges in the context of the Bangladeshi ready-made garment industry. A Delphi-based grey decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology was used to analyze the data. While the Delphi method helped identify the major supply chain recovery challenges from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the grey DEMATEL approach helped categorize the causal relationships among these challenges. Of the 23 recovery challenges finalized, 12 are causal challenges. The study's findings can assist decision-makers in developing strategic policies to overcome the recovery challenges in the post-COVID-19 era.
Project description:This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on 51 major stock markets, both emerging and developed. We isolated the countries susceptible to shock transmissions, and evaluated countries with immunity, during the lockdown. Specifically, using dependence dynamics and network analysis on a bivariate basis, we identify volatility and contagion risk among stock markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical findings add to the existing body of literature, given that previous work has not placed emphasis on network topologic metrics when it comes to financial networks, specifically during the COVID-19. The evidence shows instant financial contagion a result of the lockdown and the spread of the novel coronavirus. The methodological framework outlines important information for investors and policymakers on using financial networks to improve portfolio selection, by placing an emphasis on assets according to centrality.