International journal of environmental research and public health
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Aug 2020
The Contagion of Sentiments during the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis: The Case of Isolation in Spain.
This study examines how confinement measures established during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis affected the emotions of the population. For this purpose, public sentiment on social media and digital ecosystems in Spain is analyzed. ⋯ This paper contributes to understanding the impact of confinement measures in a pandemic from the point of view of emotional health. This analysis provides a set of practical implications that can guide conceptual and empirical work in health crisis management with an alternative approach, especially useful for decision-making processes facing emergency responses and health crises, even in an unprecedented global health crisis such as the traumatic events caused by the COVID-19 disease.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Aug 2020
Multilevel Analysis of the Relationship between Ownership Structure and Technical Efficiency Frontier in the Spanish National Health System Hospitals.
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the ownership structure of hospitals and the possibility of their being positioned on the frontier of technical efficiency in the economic crisis period 2010-2012, adjusting for hospital variables and regional characteristics in the areas where the Spanish National Health System (SNHS) hospitals are located. Methods: 230 National Health System hospitals were studied over the two-year period 2010-2012 according to their ownership structure-public hospitals, private hospitals and public-private partnership (PPP)-data envelopment analysis orientated to inputs was used to measure the overall technical efficiency, pure efficiency and efficiency of scale. A generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) with binomial distribution and logit link function was used to analyse the hospital and regional variables associated with positioning on the frontier. ⋯ The average annual household income per region is related to the greater odds of hospitals being positioned on the frontier of efficiency. Conclusions: During the most acute period of recession in the Spanish economy, PPP formulas favoured hospital efficiency, by increasing the odds of being positioned on the frontier of efficiency when compared to private and public hospitals. The position on the frontier of efficiency of a hospital is related to the wealth of its region.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Aug 2020
ReviewKey Guidelines in Developing a Pre-Emptive COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake Promotion Strategy.
This paper makes the case for immediate planning for a COVID-19 vaccination uptake strategy in advance of vaccine availability for two reasons: first, the need to build a consensus about the order in which groups of the population will get access to the vaccine; second, to reduce any fear and concerns that exist in relation to vaccination and to create demand for vaccines. A key part of this strategy is to counter the anti-vaccination movement that is already promoting hesitancy and resistance. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a tsunami of misinformation and conspiracy theories that have the potential to reduce vaccine uptake. ⋯ We base our recommendations on a review of existing best practice guidance. This paper aims to assist those responsible for promoting COVID-19 vaccine uptake to digest the mass of guidance that exists and formulate an effective locally relevant strategy. A summary of key guidelines is presented based on best practice guidance.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Aug 2020
Assessment of Mental Health Factors among Health Professionals Depending on Their Contact with COVID-19 Patients.
It seems that the medical personnel in contact with patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at an especially high risk of adverse psychological effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the mental health factors among healthcare workers by quantifying the severity of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders during the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, while taking into account coexisting diseases. ⋯ Regression adjusted by age, gender, the occurrence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and cigarette smoking showed the elevated risk of anxiety on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale (OR = 1.934; p < 0.001), depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale (OR = 2.623; p < 0.001), and sleep disorders on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scale (OR = 3.078; p < 0.001). Our study showed that healthcare workers who are exposed to SARS-CoV-2-infected patients at emergency wards, infectious wards, and intensive care units are at a much higher risk of showing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders than healthcare workers working in other wards.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Aug 2020
Observational StudyPhysiological Response of Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Crossover Trial on Mannequin in Extreme Temperature Conditions.
To determine the relationship between physiological fatigue and the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in trained resuscitators in hostile thermal environments (extreme cold and heat) simulating the different conditions found in an out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrest. ⋯ A warm climate modifies metabolic parameters, reducing the quality of the CPR maneuver.