Articles: pandemics.
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J Contin Educ Health Prof · Jan 2011
Resilience training for hospital workers in anticipation of an influenza pandemic.
Well before the H1N1 influenza, health care organizations worldwide prepared for a pandemic of unpredictable impact. Planners anticipated the possibility of a pandemic involving high mortality, high health care demands, rates of absenteeism rising up to 20-30% among health care workers, rationing of health care, and extraordinary psychological stress. ⋯ Drawing on what we learned from the impact of SARS on our hospital, we had the opportunity to improve our organization's preparedness for the pandemic. Our results suggest that an evidence-based approach to interventions that target known mediators of distress and meet standards of continuing professional development is not only possible and relevant, but readily supportable by senior hospital administration.
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The 2009 A (H1N1) influenza pandemic was rather atypical. It began in North America at the start of the spring and in the following months, as it moved south, efforts to develop a vaccine that would mitigate the potential impact of a second wave were accelerated. ⋯ Furthermore, even after the vaccine was in production, extensive delays in vaccine distribution were experienced for various reasons. In this note, we use optimal control theory to explore the impact of some of the constraints faced by most nations in implementing a public health policy that tried to meet the challenges that come from having access only to a limited vaccine supply that is never 100% effective.
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This study investigated the acceptability of the A/H1N1 influenza vaccination and related factors among 1137 adults in the later stage of the A/H1N1 outbreak in Turkey. Having already been vaccinated or intending to get vaccinated were related to trust in the vaccine effectiveness, perceived risk of the side effects, and benefits of getting vaccinated. Perceived long term consequences of the A/H1N1 infection, perceptions of the A/H1N1 information in media, and barriers for getting vaccinated were related to intention whereas anticipated epidemic situation in Turkey, being chronically ill, and being not married were related to having already been vaccinated.