Opportunities and challenges for contactless healthcare services in the post-COVID-19 Era

Influence of Physical Attractiveness and Gender on Patient Preferences in Digital Doctor Consultations: Experimental Study

BACKGROUND

The rise of digital health services, particularly digital doctor consultations, has created a new paradigm in health care choice. While patients traditionally rely on digital reviews or referrals to select health care providers, the digital context often lacks such information, leading to reliance on visual cues such as profile pictures. Previous research has explored the impact of physical attractiveness in general service settings but is scant in the context of digital health care.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to fill the research gap by investigating how a health care provider's physical attractiveness influences patient preferences in a digital consultation setting. We also examine the moderating effects of disease severity and the availability of information on health care providers' qualifications. The study uses signal theory and the sexual attribution bias framework to understand these dynamics.

METHODS

Three experimental studies were conducted to examine the influence of health care providers' physical attractiveness and gender on patient preferences in digital consultations. Study 1 (n=282) used a 2×2 between-subjects factorial design, manipulating doctor attractiveness and gender. Study 2 (n=158) focused on women doctors and manipulated disease severity and participant gender. Study 3 (n=150) replicated study 2 but added information about the providers' abilities.

RESULTS

This research found that patients tend to choose attractive doctors of the opposite gender but are less likely to choose attractive doctors of the same gender. In addition, our studies revealed that such an effect is more prominent when the disease severity is high. Furthermore, the influence of gender stereotypes is mitigated in both the high and low disease severity conditions when service providers' qualification information is present.

CONCLUSIONS

This research contributes to the literature on medical information systems research and sheds light on what information should be displayed on digital doctor consultation platforms. To counteract stereotype-based attractiveness biases, health care platforms should consider providing comprehensive qualification information alongside profile pictures.

A Comprehensive Review on Digital Detox: A Newer Health and Wellness Trend in the Current Era

This research investigates the effects of an electronic detox treatment on the utilization of social media and smartphones, addiction levels, and the general health of individuals. Remarkably, individuals discovered that the digital detox was less challenging than anticipated, with a significant number expressing sensations of pleasure and alleviation. Although a few individuals encountered instances of alienation and solitude, the majority managed to adapt to the limited availability of the internet. Notably, individuals saw heightened tedium and replaced their use of social networking sites with additional tasks using screens. After the procedure, measures demonstrated favorable or neutral enhancements in addictions and health-related results. The quantitative findings indicate an increased understanding of online conduct and the use of self-regulating strategies. Concrete recommendations put forward by respondents include reducing stringent deadlines, implementing personalized limitations, and devising tactics to regulate alerts and their use. These observations may be used to shape subsequent digital detox programs in order to improve their efficacy and increase participation from participants.

Quality of life and healthcare utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic are more restricted in chronically ill than in healthy children: a tertiary care children's hospital experience

The global COVID-19 pandemic forced changes in everyday life of children and adolescents due to government containment measures, an altered healthcare accessibility and utilization, and public concern about SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Data on the challenges and impact on children and their families with chronic diseases are limited. The primary objectives of this study were to assess (i) concerns for SARS-CoV-2 infection, (ii) perceived effects on health-related and overall quality of life (HRQoL and QoL), and (iii) accessibility and utilization of healthcare, comparing families with chronically ill children to families with healthy children during the second SARS-CoV-2 infection wave in Germany. A caregiver questionnaire was designed and participation offered in the emergency department and outpatient clinic of a German tertiary care children's hospital. 45.9% of the 205 participants were majorly concerned about their children contracting a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Caregivers of chronically ill children (128/205, 62.4%) stated significantly more often a negative impact on their child's QoL (w = 0.17; p = 0.014), while caregivers of chronically ill adolescents over the age of 13 expressed significantly more frequent a negative impact on their child's HRQoL (w = 0.21; p = 0.016). Outpatient appointments for chronically ill children were significantly more often canceled (w = 0.17; p = 0.025). Caregivers of chronically ill children were significantly more likely to report that they would actively delay hospital visits for emerging health issues due to the pandemic (w = 0.12; p = 0.049).     Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance of identifying families with chronically ill children as a vulnerable patient group with higher burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic and potential future pandemics. Healthcare providers may mitigate such burdens by ensuring reliable appointment allocation, offering contactless healthcare options, and providing tailored advice regarding vulnerabilities and preventive measures specific to their chronically ill children. What is Known: • The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to significant restrictions in everyday life and both accessibility and utilization of healthcare for children and adolescents. • Chronically ill children faced exceptional challenges as they depend on regular and functioning medical care, but data comparing the pandemic's impact between chronically ill and healthy children are lacking. What is New: • The perceived impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on quality of life is more negative for chronically ill children and their health-related quality of life is more often affected compared to healthy children. • Caregivers of chronically ill children would more often delay a visit to their child's doctor during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and their medical appointments are more often postponed which both could increase health burdens for such vulnerable patients.

Work productivity loss and work-related factors during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional web-based survey

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic could have led to a technological revolution however it has caused work productivity loss, especially among people working from home.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the frequency and related factors of work productivity loss, focusing on work-related factors, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey of Japanese workers. Questionnaires were distributed using snowball sampling through e-mail and social networking sites.

RESULTS

Of the respondents, 708 non-medical workers reported subjective work productivity loss during the first wave of the pandemic, compared with before. A multiple regression analysis showed that living with preschool-age children, having poor mental health, not using video conferencing solutions, and increased e-mail communication were related to work productivity loss. A subgroup analysis of those working from home showed similar variables associated with work productivity loss.

CONCLUSIONS

More than 70% of workers in Japan experienced work productivity loss during the first wave of the pandemic. Moreover, factors such as time-consuming tasks or background distractions might lead to operational inefficacy.

Penile Erection Morphometry: The Need for a Novel Approach

For many males, sexual function holds significant value in determining their quality of life. Despite the importance of male erectile function, no quantitative method to measure it accurately is currently available. Standardized assessment methods such as RigiScan™, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), and the stamp test are used to evaluate sexual function, but those methods cannot repetitively and quantitatively measure erectile function. Only direct measurement can quantitatively assess the shape of an erect penis. This paper presents the essential requirements for developing an ideal measurement method for penile erection. It also introduces current approaches for diagnosing male sexual function and reviews ongoing research to quantitatively measure erectile function. The paper further summarizes and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each method with respect to the essential requirements. Finally, the paper discusses the future direction toward the development of Penile Erection Morphometry.

Clinical decision support system using a machine learning model to assist simultaneous cardiopulmonary auscultation: Open-label randomized controlled trial

Background

The utility of a clinical decision support system using a machine learning (ML) model for simultaneous cardiac and pulmonary auscultation is unknown.

Objective

This study aimed to develop and evaluate an ML system's utility for cardiopulmonary auscultation.

Methods

First, we developed an ML system for cardiopulmonary auscultation, using cardiopulmonary sound files from our previous study. The technique involved pre-processing, feature extraction, and classification through several neural network layers. After integration, the output class was categorized as "normal," "abnormal," or "undetermined." Second, we evaluated the ML system with 24 junior residents in an open-label randomized controlled trial at a university hospital. Participants were randomly assigned to the ML system group (intervention) or conventional auscultation group (control). During training, participants listened to four cardiac and four pulmonary sounds, all of which were correctly classified. Then, participants classified a series of 16 simultaneous cardiopulmonary sounds. The control group auscultated the sounds using noise-cancelling headphones, while the intervention group did so by watching recommendations from the ML system.

Results

The total scores for correctly identified normal or abnormal cardiopulmonary sounds in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (366/384 [95.3%] vs. 343/384 [89.3%], P = 0.003). The cardiac test score in the intervention group was better (111/192 [57.8%] vs. 90/192 [46.9%], P = 0.04); there was no significant difference in pulmonary auscultation.

Conclusions

The ML-based system improved the accuracy of cardiopulmonary auscultation for junior residents. This result suggests that the system can assist early-career physicians in accurate screening.

Project SAPPORO (StAff prescription – bluPORt optimization): Quality improvement report on the expanded use of secured medication lockers for hospital staff during COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Pharmacy department set up a novel 24-h medication locker service in November 2019 to serve hospital staff on work shifts who were unable to collect medication within the pharmacy operating hours. However, the initial uptake rate was modest.

Objectives

Primary objective was to increase the daily locker service uptake by staff from five lockers to 42 lockers (100%) in 6 months, starting from June 2020. Secondary objectives include exploring the cost savings and impact of the locker service on the pharmacy’s operational efficiency, as well as compare the medication collection experience of hospital staff using the locker service and in the pharmacy.

Methods

FOCUS-PDSA was the adopted QI methodology. Two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were used to implement the final identified solutions. PDSA cycle one focused on improving publicity and educational efforts. PDSA cycle two then focused on expanding the service to include the entire hospital campus staff and setting up a self-registration booth at the pharmacy entrance.

Results

The primary objective of achieving 100% locker utilization was attained in October 2020, with daily average service uptake rate increasing from 12.6 at baseline to 49.8 by the end of PDSA cycle 2. Annual pharmacist manpower savings of 0.88 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) was also achieved. Locker service users gave a higher average satisfaction score compared to those who collected from the pharmacy.

Conclusion

Project SAPPORO successfully increased the daily locker service, providing hospital campus staff with increased convenience and positive medication collection experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Effects of ICT-Based Interventions on Physical Mobility of Older Adults: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Systematic literature review and meta-analysis were conducted to integrate and analyze intervention studies dealing with the effects of information and communications technology- (ICT-) based interventions on the physical mobility of older adults in the community. The PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched for studies published from January 2000 to December 2022. We used the Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool to evaluate the quality of the randomized controlled studies in the systematic review. The meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. The model was used to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for both effect measures. I2 tests were used to measure the presence of heterogeneity. Thirty-seven randomized controlled trials were included (2,419 intervention participants), of which 23 were included in the meta-analysis. ICT interventions significantly improved Timed Up and Go (TUG) as a marker of physical mobility variable in older adults (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI: -0.57 to -0.10, p=0.005, I2 = 74.7%). A sensitivity analysis was performed on subgroups, and interventions were found to be effective in improving TUG in the exergame group (SMD = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.72 to -0.08, p < 0.001, I2 = 75.0%) and in the exergame with virtual reality (VR) group (SMD = -0.33, 95% CI: -1.01 to 0.35, p < 0.001, I2 = 91.0%) but both groups showed high heterogeneity. A meta-analysis was also performed on Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) but statistically significant results were not found (SMD = -0.19, 95% CI: -0.61 to 0.23, p=0.375, I2 = 87.7%). For the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the post-intervention scores were significantly better than baseline (SMD = 1.52, 95% CI: 0.48 to 2.57, p=0.004, I2 = 93.5%). However, the number of studies included in the meta-analysis was small and heterogeneity was high, so follow-up studies are needed. This study confirmed that exergames, telecommunication, e-health, information applications, and robots were used as effective ICT-based interventions for improving the physical mobility of older adults. It is necessary to develop and apply more diverse ICT-based interventions that will prevent impairments of mobility and encourage older adults to live more independently, with a higher quality of life, based on extensive research on ICT-based interventions.

Comparing counseling outcome for college students: Metaverse and in-person approaches

ABSTRACTObjective This study compared metaverse counseling with in-person counseling, using in-person counseling as a comparison group. To achieve this, we assessed whether metaverse counseling, a novel treatment approach, is comparable to traditional in-person counseling. Method: A total of 60 participants voluntarily participated in the study. Among the participants, 28 preferred in-person counseling, whereas 32 selected metaverse counseling as their preferred treatment option. Results and Conclusion: The findings indicated no statistically significant differences in the psychological symptom change patterns between the two counseling modalities. Both metaverse and in-person counseling demonstrated a common pattern of reduced symptom levels from pre-to post-session (Metaverse counseling Cohen's d = 1.04, In-person counseling Cohen's d = .62), which remained stable from post-session to follow-up regardless of the chosen counseling modality. Furthermore, the study revealed that the metaverse counseling group exhibited a higher level of working alliances than the in-person counseling group. Additionally, there was a slight tendency toward higher levels of counseling satisfaction in the metaverse counseling group than in the in-person counseling group. The results of this study support the use of synchronous metaverse programs to treat college students. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed. (195 words).

The impact of healthcare industry convergence on the performance of the public health system: a geospatial modeling study of provincial panel data from China

Objective

This paper examines the impact of healthcare industry convergence on the performance of the public health system in the eastern, central, and western regions of China.

Methods

Public health performance was measured by a composite index of three standards: average life expectancy at birth, perinatal mortality, and maternal mortality. The healthcare industry convergence was measured using a coupling coordination degree method. The spatial lag, spatial error, and spatial Durbin models were used to estimate the effect of healthcare industry convergence on public health system performance and this effect's spatial dependence and heterogeneity across eastern, central, and western China using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2002 to 2019.

Results

The convergence of the healthcare industry significantly promotes regional public health [β =0.576, 95% CI: (0.331,0.821)]. However, the convergence does not have a spatial spillover effect on the public health system at the national level. Additionally, analysis of regional heterogeneity shows that the direct effects of healthcare industry convergence on public health are positive and statistically significant for Eastern China, statistically insignificant for Central China, and positive and statistically significant for Western China. The indirect effects are negative, statistically significant, positive, statistically significant, and statistically insignificant for these three regions, respectively.

Conclusion

Policy efforts should strengthen the convergence between the healthcare industry and relevant industries. It can produce more current healthcare services to improve public health and reduce regional health inequality.

Pivot to prevent bowel cancer: Reflections on adapting an Aboriginal bowel cancer screening awareness program to a digital call to action-A commentary

ISSUE ADDRESSED

The Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) Health Promotion Unit was awarded a Cancer Institute NSW grant to raise awareness of bowel cancer and promote the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) among Aboriginal communities in SLHD. The COVID-19 pandemic thwarted initial plans for face-to-face workshops and plans pivoted to digital products and dissemination of messages on a range of communication platforms.

DISCUSSION

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic provided staff with the freedom, flexibility, and ability to be creative in ways not possible prior to the pandemic and ultimately ended up with a superior product with a reach further than anticipated. A more comprehensive suite of digital resources addressing barriers to bowel cancer screening in the Aboriginal community was produced that is able to be used more broadly. These resources have reached a much larger population group through websites, social media, as well as TV and radio advertisements, and have the potential to be used and adapted in other local health districts and states across Australia.

CONCLUSION

Adapting an Aboriginal bowel cancer screening awareness program to a digital platform is a promising approach. SO WHAT?: COVID-19 provided an opportunity to create new long-lasting partnerships and to be creative beyond the scope of the original grant. This in turn produced a product with a reach further than anticipated that can also be built on and sustained.

Lessons for Medical and Health Education Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Our paper analyzes lessons for medical education and health education stemming from the experience gained in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it tackles the issue of the social health and psychological wellbeing of medical students involved in online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper systematizes up-to-date data on how medical schools and universities have adapted to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented novel effective solutions for the learning process, such as transitioning from traditional in-person classes to online learning, incorporating virtual simulations and telemedicine experiences for clinical training, and collaborating with health authorities to provide support in testing and contact tracing efforts. The paper contains an analysis of various aspects of medical education, such as the changes in practical classes, the impact of the pandemic on the formation of communication skills, methods for assessing students' knowledge and skills, and many others. It also considers case studies related to the implementation of educational programs, methodologies, and novel digital technologies in a pandemic. Additionally, the paper features an empirical study that is based on the results of our own survey that was carried out with the help of a snowball convenient sampling that involved 710 medical students between 19 and 25 years of age (56% females and 44% males) from 4 Russian regions (Moscow, Krasnodar, Kazan, and Saint Petersburg). We applied the correlation between stress scores, anxiety scores, factors of stress, and strategies for coping with stress and various economic and demographic variables (age, environment, and gender) that were analyzed using the chi-square test. Our results demonstrate that over 85% of the students in our sample yielded an above-average vulnerability to stress due to the COVID-19 restrictions. At the same time, around 61% of the students experienced severe anxiety during online education in the COVID-19 pandemic. The important factors leading to stress and anxiety were the fear of getting infected and social distancing, and the best strategy to deal with stress and increase wellbeing was self-control. Through a comprehensive review of the literature and empirical estimations, our paper identifies key areas of improvement, including curriculum adaptation, technology integration, faculty development, student support, and interprofessional collaboration. The proposed recommendations aim at strengthening medical education systems and preparing healthcare professionals to effectively navigate future pandemics.

A Review of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications have transformed healthcare. This study is based on a general literature review uncovering the role of AI in healthcare and focuses on the following key aspects: (i) medical imaging and diagnostics, (ii) virtual patient care, (iii) medical research and drug discovery, (iv) patient engagement and compliance, (v) rehabilitation, and (vi) other administrative applications. The impact of AI is observed in detecting clinical conditions in medical imaging and diagnostic services, controlling the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with early diagnosis, providing virtual patient care using AI-powered tools, managing electronic health records, augmenting patient engagement and compliance with the treatment plan, reducing the administrative workload of healthcare professionals (HCPs), discovering new drugs and vaccines, spotting medical prescription errors, extensive data storage and analysis, and technology-assisted rehabilitation. Nevertheless, this science pitch meets several technical, ethical, and social challenges, including privacy, safety, the right to decide and try, costs, information and consent, access, and efficacy, while integrating AI into healthcare. The governance of AI applications is crucial for patient safety and accountability and for raising HCPs' belief in enhancing acceptance and boosting significant health consequences. Effective governance is a prerequisite to precisely address regulatory, ethical, and trust issues while advancing the acceptance and implementation of AI. Since COVID-19 hit the global health system, the concept of AI has created a revolution in healthcare, and such an uprising could be another step forward to meet future healthcare needs.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and working conditions of nurses and its implications for policies: a cross-sectional study in Slovakia

BACKGROUND

Increased workload and of the health workforce (HW) strained the capacity to maintain essential health services (EHS) during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, while putting them at increased risk of COVID-19 and other consequences to their health. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the health, wellbeing, and working conditions of nurses in Slovakia and to identify gaps in policies to be addressed to increase preparedness of the HW for future emergencies.

METHODS

A nation-wide cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses during November-December 2021, referring to the period of January 2021 to November 2021. To assess the differences between impact on HW on various levels of care, respondents were grouped by type of facility: hospital-COVID-19 wards; Hospital-non-covid ward; Outpatient or ER; Other care facilities.

RESULTS

1170 nurses participated, about 1/3 of them tested positive for COVID-19 by November 2021, mostly developing mild disease. Almost 2/3 reported long-covid symptoms and about 13% reported that they do not plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The median of the score of the impact of workload on health was 2.8 (56% of the maximum 5), the median score of mental health-wellbeing was 1.9 (63% of a maximum of 3). The studied impacts in all domains were highest in nurses working in COVID-19 hospital wards. Significant disruptions of health care were reported, with relatively high use of telemedicine to mitigate them. Overall, about 70% of the respondents thought of leaving their job, mostly due to working stress or inadequate pay.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a substantial burden on the health, wellbeing and working conditions of nurses in Slovakia and that a large proportion of nurses considered leaving their jobs because of work overload or low salaries. Human resource strategies should be adopted to attract, retain and continuously invest in HW development including in emergency preparedness and response. Such an approach may improve the resilience and preparedness of the health system in Slovakia for future emergencies.

Assessment of COVID-19-Driven Changes in an Integrated OBGYN-Addiction Treatment Clinic and Future Implications

OBJECTIVE

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted healthcare delivery changes, but the associated impacts on substance use disorder treatment outcomes among pregnant and parenting people are unknown. This study aims to (1) describe COVID-19-driven clinical practice changes, (2) evaluate clinic-level visit attendance patterns, and (3) compare patient-level treatment engagement outcomes across 3 COVID-19 pandemic phases in an OBGYN-addiction treatment clinic.

METHODS

COVID-19 phases include pre-COVID-19 (August 2019-February 2020), early COVID-19 (March-December 2020), and COVID-19 vaccine (January-July 2021). OBGYN-addiction treatment clinical practice changes were summarized. Clinic-level attended medical provider visits were analyzed. Patient-level treatment engagement outcomes (buprenorphine continuation, visit attendance, and virtual visits) were assessed in a cohort of pregnant and parenting people enrolled in a clinic research registry. Mixed-level logistic regression models determined the relationship between the COVID-19 phases and the patient-level outcomes.

RESULTS

The study site made several COVID-19-driven clinical practice changes, including implementing a hybrid virtual/in-person system for medical visits. Clinic-level medical provider appointments increased between the first and second COVID-19 phases and remained high in the third phase. Among participants included in patient-level outcome analyses (N = 27), there were no differences in the early COVID-19 phase compared with the pre-COVID-19 phase in buprenorphine continuation, any visits, or medical visits. There was a decrease in all patient-level outcomes in the COVID-19 vaccine phase compared with pre-COVID-19 ( P < 0.05). Virtual visits increased between the first 2 phases and remained high during the third.

CONCLUSION

Within our OBGYN-addiction treatment clinic, implementation of tailored, patient-centered treatment strategies supported clinic- and patient-level treatment engagement throughout the pandemic.

Community Health Nursing During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea: Consequences, Challenges, and Directions

PURPOSE

To explore the consequences, challenges, and future directions based on community health nurses' experiences during COVID-19.

DESIGN

Qualitative study. Four focus group interviews were conducted with 27 community health nurses.

FINDINGS

Three major themes emerged: 1) Coordination of roles and duties, 2) Identifying deterioration of patients' health and increasing demand for visits, and 3) Changing service delivery strategies: a testing ground for new services.

CONCLUSIONS

Community health nurses were essential public healthcare providers during the pandemic. The findings are informative for nurses and policy makers who can develop and suggest different services in the post-COVID era.

ICT applications and the COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on the individual's digital data, digital privacy, and data protection

A prominent move amid the COVID-19 pandemic is related to the wide use of ICT applications for various reasons. Such services are context-specific and sector-specific, but we see transformative directions leading to digital data collection, monitory, and management platforms. For now, these have been beneficial to evaluate trends and issues related to the pandemic. Some aggregated data could also help decision-making processes, which are helpful to contain such disruptive events. However, the main concern is the use of the individual's data and information, which means we may shift to micro-management and eventual controlling tools that could harm data protection processes. Undoubtedly, the use of ICTs during the COVID-19 pandemic has been primarily positive at multiple scales, but we have to evaluate the pros and cons before accepting all data collection processes. Such ICT-mediated platforms and/or applications must remain beneficial to all and avoid breaching the individual's data protection. This short communication paper first introduces ICT applications during the COVID-19 before providing an overview and further analysis of the situation of the ICT applications. Afterward, it discusses issues of data privacy, data collection, and data use, which are the backbone of ICT applications. The discussions highlight that future research in this area could look into associated issues related to digital privacy, data-driven approaches, and data protection regulations.

A qualitative assessment of provider satisfaction and experiences with a COVID-19 community mobile health clinic outreach model in underserved Baltimore neighborhoods

Objective

Although previous studies have assessed provider perceptions about telehealth, no prior studies have qualitatively assessed the experiences and satisfaction of health-care providers with a community mobile health clinic model within underserved urban settings.

Methods

This study draws on the views expressed by community health workers (n = 4), registered nurses (n = 2), Grace Medical Center outreach specialists (n = 2), and physician assistants staffing LifeBridge Health's virtual hospital (n = 3) to understand their satisfaction and experiences with a COVID-19 community mobile health clinic in underserved Baltimore neighborhoods. Thematic analysis of the interviews was used to extract themes and subthemes of our health-care providers' experiences with the community mobile health clinic model.

Results

These individuals shared their experiences addressing social determinants of health, the perceived impact of community mobile health clinic, satisfaction with and limitations of the pilot project, as well as future implications for the community mobile health clinic model. Finally, ideas for how the model can fit into the existing healthcare delivery framework are suggested.

Conclusion

The context surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to critically address healthcare frameworks and models. The LifeBridge community mobile health clinic served as an initiative to truly bridge together community outreach and health access. Among the many themes, health-care providers on the team applauded the model for its potential to bring preventative health care to the patient with the goal of improving patient health outcomes.

Key implementation factors in telemedicine-delivered medications for opioid use disorder: a scoping review informed by normalisation process theory

Telemedicine could improve access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Telemedicine-delivered MOUD (TMOUD) has expanded substantially in response to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on in-person clinical contact, yet this expansion has not happened consistently across all health systems and countries. This Review aims to understand key factors in TMOUD implementation that might explain variations in uptake. We did a scoping review using three English language databases for articles reporting on the implementation of TMOUD services. 57 peer-reviewed articles were identified, subjected to open coding and thematic analysis, and further interpreted through normalisation process theory (NPT). NPT was originally used to evaluate telehealth innovations and has been applied extensively to describe, assess, and develop the implementation potential of a broad range of complex health-care interventions. By categorising our findings according to the four core NPT constructs of coherence, cognitive participation, collective action, and reflexive monitoring, we aim to rationalise the current evidence base to show the workability of TMOUD in practice. We find that variations in TMOUD models in practice depend on organisations' attitudes towards risk, clinicians' tensions around giving up control over standard practices, organisation-level support in overcoming operational and technological challenges, and evaluation methods that might neglect a potential widening of the digital divide.

Consumers and service robots: Power relationships amid COVID-19 pandemic

Robotics significantly influence retail and consumer services. The COVID-19 pandemic further amplified the rise of service robots (SRs) through social distancing measures. While robots are embraced widely by retailers and service providers, consumers’ interaction with SRs remains an intriguing avenue of research across contexts. By taking a relative social power perspective, we report on a series of pre- and intra-COVID-19 studies. Our findings suggest that Gen-Z consumers hold more positive attitudes towards SRs perceived as lower in power vis-à-vis the human user. The longitudinal nature of our study also reveals that while attitudes towards such low-power services turned more negative during the COVID-19 pandemic, attitudes towards SRs that are high in power vis-à-vis the human user remained stable. In practical terms, while Gen-Z consumers hold more positive attitudes towards low-power robots, such service providers also face the challenge of relatively changeable attitudes towards them, especially during crisis times.

Relationship between the Engel Coefficient, Life Satisfaction, and Subjective Health for Senior Citizens in Korea: Moderating Effect of COVID-19

The purpose of this study was to explore the determinants of life satisfaction for Korean senior citizens. Subjective health and the Engel coefficient were used as the explanatory variables. This research also aimed to examine the moderating effect of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the relationship between the Engel coefficient and life satisfaction for Korean senior citizens. Archival data (Korean longitudinal study of aging) were used for this work. The study period is 2018 and 2020; the number of observations was 3879. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to test the research hypotheses. To examine further, this research performed additional analyses: sub-sample analysis, median split, and independence tests. The results indicated that the Engel coefficient is negatively associated with life satisfaction, while subjective health is positively related to life satisfaction. Moreover, Korean senior citizens' life satisfaction was higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research provides information for building policy for senior Korean citizens.

Exploring public opinion about telehealth during COVID-19 by social media analytics

While COVID-19 catalyzed the acceptance and use of telehealth, our understanding of how it is perceived by multi-stakeholders such as patients, clinicians, and health authorities is limited. Drawing on social media analytics, this research examines social media discourses and users' opinions about telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. It applies natural language processing and deep learning to explore word of mouth on telehealth with a contextualized focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and emotion analysis (fearful, happy, sad, surprised, and angry emotions). The topic modeling analysis led to the identification of 18 topics, representing 6 themes of digital health service delivery, pandemic response, communication and promotion, government action, health service domains (e.g. mental health, cancer, aged care), as well as pharma and drug. The sentiment analysis revealed that while most opinions expressed in tweets were positive, the public expressed mostly negative opinions about certain aspects of COVID-19 such as lockdowns and cyberattacks. Emotion analysis of tweets showed a dominant pattern of fearful and sad emotions in particular topics. The results of this study that inductively emerged from our social media analysis can aid public health authorities and health professionals to address the concerns of telehealth users and improve their experiences.

Barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: A nationwide cross-sectional survey among 109,928 adults in Poland

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has significant socio-economic implications for numerous industries, including healthcare. Disruptions of essential health services were reported by nearly all countries around the world. A detailed assessment of the healthcare uptake is necessary to estimate the potential health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland as well as to identify factors associated with the disturbed access to healthcare during the pandemic.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey was carried out among Internet users in Poland using the computer-assisted web interview technique. Data were collected between October and December 2021. The questionnaire included 32 questions on sociodemographic characteristics, the COVID-19 pandemic, health status, daily habits as well as the use of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

Data were obtained from 102928 adults, the mean age was 48.0 ± 14.2 years, and 57.2% were females. Most of the respondents had visited a doctor during the past 12 months (70.4%). Almost half of adults in Poland (49.7%) reported barriers to access health services in the past 12 months. Out of 51,105 respondents who had experienced barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, only 54.3% had visited a doctor in the past 12 months. Long waiting time (39.5%) and temporary closure of healthcare facilities/transformation into a COVID-19 dedicated center (28.8%) were the most common barriers indicated by the respondents. In multivariable logistic regression, female gender, age 18-49 years, lack of higher education, living in cities between 51,000 and 200,000 residents or above 500,000 residents, and having at least one chronic disease were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with higher odds of experiencing barriers to accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

This study confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened access to health services in Poland. During the pandemic, new barriers to accessing health services, such as the temporary closure of healthcare facilities for non-COVID patients were revealed. Findings from this study provided patients' perspectives on barriers to accessing health services in Poland that may be used by policymakers to reduce health inequalities.

Smart and connected devices in point-of-care molecular diagnostics: what role can they play in the response to COVID-19?

INTRODUCTION

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has been a huge public health challenge that has led to significant morbidity and mortality across the globe. Given the high prevalence and continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2 infection globally, accurate and rapid point-of-care testing is critical.

AREAS COVERED

Knowledge of role of digital technology including smart and connected devices in rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 is an evolving area of scientific investigation. This review discusses the importance of rapid at-home point-of-care testing, highlighting the possible role of smart and connected device-based molecular diagnostics for COVID-19.

EXPERT OPINION

Accurate and rapid diagnostic modalities have the potential to improve accessibility and efficiency of diagnosis of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and could be instrumental in timely implementation of appropriate therapeutic interventions as well as public health measures to mitigate spread of infection. With emerging challenges like newer, virulent viral variants, global vaccine shortages and vaccine hesitancy, accurate diagnostic testing with the ability to rapidly identify infection remains critical and has the potential to be pivotal in pandemic control. Digital technologies are likely to become important tools in future of healthcare and technological advancements may play a crucial role in response to COVID-19 with the goal of ultimately overcoming this pandemic.

Managing the retail operations in the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Morocco

Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and resulting lockdowns have contributed to major retail operational disturbances around the globe, forcing retail organizations to manage their operations effectively. The impact can be measured as a black swan event (BSE). Therefore, to understand its impact on retail operations and enhance operational performance, the study attempts to evaluate retail operations and develop a decision-making model for disruptive events in Morocco. The study develops a three-phase evaluation approach. The approach involves fuzzy logic (to measure the current performance of retail operations), graph theory (to develop an exit strategy for retail operations based on different scenarios), and ANN and random forest-based prediction model with K-cross validation (to predict customer retention for retail operations). This methodology is preferred to develop a unique decision-making model for BSE. From the analysis, the current retail performance index has been computed as "Average" level and the graph-theoretic approach highlighted the critical attributes of retail operations. Further, the study identified triggering attributes for customer retention using machine learning-based prediction models (MLBPM) and develops a contactless payment system for customers' safety and hygiene. The framework can be used on a periodic basis to help retail managers to improve their operational performance level for disruptive events.

The impact of a pandemic on knowledge sharing behavior: a COR perspective

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to look at the attitudes of the employees in terms of sharing knowledge during COVID-19 in an online environment and the various difficulties associated and to analyze knowledge sharing (KS) in a virtual office setting, using the conservation of resources theory.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was used by conducting face-to-face interviews online through GoogleMeet, Skype and Zoom. A total of 34 interviews from 14 multinational companies (or their subsidiaries), in a supervisory role, were conducted for the study. A thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the responses.

Findings

During a crisis, the tendency of employees to share knowledge at the individual, team and organizational level increases and is interlinked. The results of this study suggest that during the initial phases of lockdown, the creativity levels among employees were high; however, as the work from the office got postponed because of extended lockdowns, the creativity level of employees saw a dip. Furthermore, the findings of this study also highlighted that KS in remotely located teams was found to be dependent on the extent to which the team members knew each other, such that known teams were in a better position to share knowledge than a newly formed team with unknown or less known members.

Research limitations/implications

This study has 34 respondents which is an acceptable number for a qualitative inquiry. However, the number of industries could be increased for generalization purposes. Responses were collected from a group of knowledge workers who were willing to correspond digitally, using social media channels of the authors, such as Linkedin. Responses collected personally could provide different results.

Practical implications

This study provides insights into visible change in organizational processes. The conceptual model developed in this study has several implications which will help chief knowledge officers to understand why the various individual, team and organizational factors lead to KS, particularly with respect to COVID-19.

Originality/value

This study has explored a contemporary phenomenon – KS during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in an online environment. This study depicts the extant literature on knowledge management during a pandemic, thus bridging the scholarly gap. This study tried to bring in a broader perspective by selecting respondents across continents, domains and varied age groups. Fourth, most studies analyzing KS/knowledge hiding in the extant literature, especially during the pandemic, have followed a quantitative approach. This study followed a qualitative approach to gain insights into the KS of the firm and the thoughts and practicalities behind it.

Perspectives on Subcutaneous Infliximab for Rheumatic Diseases and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Era

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted significant changes in patient care in rheumatology and gastroenterology, with clinical guidance issued to manage ongoing therapy while minimising the risk of nosocomial infection for patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs). Subcutaneous (SC) formulations of biologics enable patients to self-administer treatments at home; however, switching between agents may be undesirable. CT-P13 SC is the first SC formulation of infliximab that received regulatory approval and may be termed a biobetter as it offers significant clinical advantages over intravenous (IV) infliximab, including improved pharmacokinetics and a convenient mode of delivery. Potential benefits in terms of reduced immunogenicity have also been suggested. With a new SC formulation, infliximab provides an additional option for dual formulation, which enables patients to transition from IV to SC administration route without changing agent. Before COVID-19, clinical trials supported the efficacy and safety of switching from IV to SC infliximab for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and SC infliximab may have been selected on the basis of patient and HCP preferences for SC agents. During the pandemic, patients with rheumatic diseases and IBD have successfully switched from IV to SC infliximab, with some clinical benefits and high levels of patient satisfaction. As patients switched to SC therapeutics, the reduction in resource requirements for IV infusion services may have been particularly welcome given the pandemic, facilitating reorganisation and redeployment in overstretched healthcare systems, alongside pharmacoeconomic benefits and a reduction in exposure to nosocomial infection. Telemedicine and contactless healthcare have been pushed to the forefront during the pandemic, and a lasting shift towards remote patient management and community/home-based drug administration is anticipated. SC infliximab supports the implementation of this paradigm for future improvements of healthcare value delivered. The accumulation of real-world data during the pandemic supports the high level of confidence, with patients, physicians, and healthcare systems benefitting from its uptake.

The Moderating Effects of Disability on Mobile Internet Use Among Older Adults: Population-Based Cross-sectional Study

Background

The preferred devices to access the internet are changing from personal computers to mobile devices, and the number of older adults with or without disabilities is rapidly increasing in an aging society. However, little is known about the moderating effects of disability on mobile internet use among older adults.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the levels of mobile internet use and factors associated with this use among older adults according to their disabilities. In addition, moderating effects of disability on mobile internet use were investigated.

Methods

This study consisted of a secondary data analysis using the 2020 Digital Divide Survey conducted in South Korea. The single inclusion criterion was participants being aged 55 years or older; accordingly, 2243 people without disabilities and 1386 people with disabilities were included in the study. Multiple regression analyses considering complex sample designs were conducted to identify mobile internet use factors and to test the moderating effects of disability on mobile internet use.

Results

Older adults with disabilities used mobile internet less than older adults without disabilities. However, disability status had moderating effects on the relationships between mobile internet use and (1) operational skills regarding mobile devices (B=0.31, P=.004), (2) internet use skills (B=1.46, P<.001), (3) motivation to use digital devices (B=0.46, P=.01), and (4) attitude toward new technology (B=0.50, P=.002). The results revealed that these positive relationships were stronger among older adults with disabilities than among adults without disabilities.

Conclusions

Although older adults and people with disabilities are considered vulnerable populations regarding technology adoption, disability creates a stronger association between several determinants and actual mobile internet use. Therefore, policy makers and practitioners should pay attention to older adults with disabilities to deliver appropriate information-literacy education. Older adults with disabilities could be the primary beneficiaries of mobile services and new technology.

A Phenomenological Study of Nurses' Experience in Caring for COVID-19 Patients

This study aimed to understand and describe the experiences of nurses who cared for patients with COVID-19. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to collect data from individual in-depth interviews with 14 nurses, from 20 October 2020 to 15 January 2021. Data were analyzed using the phenomenological method of Colaizzi. Five theme clusters emerged from the analysis: (1) nurses struggling under the weight of dealing with infectious disease, (2) challenges added to difficult caring, (3) double suffering from patient care, (4) support for caring, and (5) expectations for post-COVID-19 life. The findings of this study are useful primary data for developing appropriate measures for health professionals’ wellbeing during outbreaks of infectious diseases. Specifically, as nurses in this study struggled with mental as well as physical difficulties, it is suggested that future studies develop and apply mental health recovery programs for them. To be prepared for future infectious diseases and contribute to patient care, policymakers should improve the work environment, through various means, such as nurses’ practice environment management and incentives.

Implications for sustainable healthcare operations in embracing telemedicine services during a pandemic

Technological interventions in the healthcare sector, namely, telemedicine services, have helped the government and people in these extraordinarily challenging times of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We identify and group key success factors relevant to telemedicine services under 7 contextual criteria. Furthermore, we explore the causal relations among them using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. Then, by applying the Bayesian best-worst method (BWM), we compute the relative importance of these criteria. Thereafter, we rank six hospitals that have provided telemedicine services through a comparative evaluation using the VIsekriterijumsko KOmpromisno Rangiranjie (VIKOR) method. The threefold findings of our study reveal that (i) the technological criteria provide the highest causal impact, while the environmental criteria provide the least causal impact. (ii) The hierarchical model of criteria, achieved through the Bayesian BWM score, shows that the criteria weights for both technological and organizational criteria are maximum (0.205) and minimum (0.087), respectively. (iii) The evaluation of six hospitals with VIKOR based on seven criteria ranks the Himalayan hospital as first, showing that it is best in providing telemedicine services to patients. Public health policymakers could use the results of our study to devise an effective plan for patient care in crisis, like COVID-19.

Open Innovation in Times of Crisis: An Overview of the Healthcare Sector in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge and disruptive technological changes in the healthcare sector, transforming the way businesses and societies function. To respond to the global health crisis, there have been numerous innovation projects in the healthcare sector, including the fast design and manufacturing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical devices, and testing, treatment, and vaccine technologies. Many of these innovative activities happen beyond organizational boundaries with collaboration and open innovation. In this paper, we review the current literature on open innovation strategy during the pandemic and adopt the co-evolution view of business ecosystems to address the context of change. Based on a detailed exploration of the COVID-19-related technologies in the UK and global healthcare sectors, we identify the key emerging themes of open innovation in crisis. Further discussions are conducted in relation to each theme. Our results and analysis can help provide policy recommendations for the healthcare sector, businesses, and society to recover from the crisis.

Continuance Intention of Online Healthcare Communities- The Mediation Mechanism of Social Interaction Ties

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the continuance usage intention on online healthcare community (OHC) platform for patients and examine the "doctor-OHC-patient" relationship. The proposed model attempted to integrate social interaction ties, shared value, trust with the indirect effects on the relationship between the determinants and continuous usage intention of the OHC platform. The empirical results showed that perceived critical mass, social identity, and para-social interaction would strengthen continuance intention via the social interaction ties. In addition, this study found that the shared values and trust increase users' willingness to continue usage of OHC. This study provides OHC platform managers with an in-depth understanding of the "doctor-OHC-patient" online social interaction. The results of this study may also help hospitals, health policy makers, and related healthcare practitioners to improve the way they use the web for advocacy and guidance, and provide insight into the intent of promoting the ongoing use of OHC platforms.

Novel Insights in the Leadership in Business and Economics: A Post-Coronavirus Update

Our world is evolving at an incredibly enormous speed and what was impossible three years ago is now a reality. The concept of leadership and leaders has also undergone profound transformations. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic caused a digital surge in the ways economic life, business, or education are perceived or conducted. The pandemic proved that small and large businesses, industries, and the whole economies can be suddenly upended by massive technological shifts. Hence, there is a need for a theoretical research update in leadership in business and economics that would bring new insights into this topic and define its place within the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our paper presents the novel insights for the leaders and the leadership concept in business and economics from various approaches and angles of view in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on sustainable leadership and organizational resilience. It aims at outlying the theoretical background of leadership in business and economics after the pandemic and bringing up interesting and recent leadership case studies from all around of the world. Moreover, this paper aims as sharing the valuable insights into what it means to be a sustainable leader in business and economics, why leaders are needed, and how to become one. The main criteria of this research and its instrumentation include both the theoretical discussion based on the literature review and analysis and the empirical analysis that supports these theoretical provisions. The paper features an empirical model that assesses how business and economic leaders are searching for new ways of work and personal development during and after the COVID-19 pandemic using the own data from the 400 respondents collected in the Czech Republic and Russia. We found that the pandemic enhanced the emotional creativity of business and economic leaders and made them to invest and engage more into using new digital technologies and fundamentally altering the old ways of managing and governing their respective companies and institutions. Our results might provide valuable food for thought both for academics working on various angles of leadership, as well as for entrepreneurs and businesspeople who want to receive recent updates on the topic of leadership to use them in their daily work.

Web-Based Intravenous Fluid Treatment Monitoring Platform in Nursing Station

Background

Intravenous fluid treatment is the most common way to take care of inpatients. Because of the global pandemic, the number of inpatients is increasing rapidly, leading to constant demand in the contactless system.

Purpose

In this article, we suggest a web-based intravenous fluid treatment monitoring platform in the nursing station to unburden the medical staff’s workload.

The changing role of innovation for crisis management in times of COVID-19: An integrative literature review

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have concentrated on developing policies that encourage the creation of more innovative products and services in response to the global health emergency. Effective collaboration, communication, and Open Innovation (OI) among government entities, education and research institutions, and the private sector have been critical to each country's overall effectiveness during the economic crisis. The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between innovation and COVID-19 critically to have a better understanding of future research and practice developments. A systematic evaluation was conducted, analyzing papers on innovation and the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 218 studies were analyzed to determine the essential research directions in this domain. Our suggested framework is made of aggregate components, which include technology adaption, sustainable development, healthcare, and sustainable economic performance. These components form the basis for the identification of emerging research hotspots in the field of COVID and innovation, as well as frame the COVID-19 issue as an opportunity to raise awareness about the crucial role of innovation in business and society at large.

Touchless Sensing Interface Based on the Magneto-Piezoresistive Effect of Magnetic Microstructures with Stacked Conductive Coating

Robotics capable of human-like operations need to have electronic skin (e-skin) with not only tactile sensing functions but also proximity perception abilities. Especially, under the current widespread of COVID-19 pandemic, touchless interfaces are highly desirable. Magnetoreception, with inherent specificity for magnetic objects, is an effective approach to construct a non-contact sensing e-skin. In this work, we propose a new touchless sensing mechanism based on the magneto-piezoresistive effect. The substrate of the sensor is made of hierarchically microstructured ferromagnetic polydimethylsiloxane, coated with a three-dimensional (3D) piezoresistive network. The 3D network is constructed by stacked layers of reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes through layer-by-layer deposition. With this integrated design, a magnetic force induced on the ferromagnetic substrate can seamlessly be applied to the piezoresistive layer of the sensor. Because the magnetic force relates strongly to the approaching distance, the position information can be transduced into the resistance change of the piezoresistive network. The flexible proximity sensor exhibits an ultrahigh spatial resolution of 60 μm, a sensitivity of 50.47 cm^-1, a wide working range of 6 cm, and a fast response of 10 ms. The repeatable performance of the sensor is shown by over 5000 cycles of approaching-separation test. We also demonstrate successful application of the sensor in 3D positioning and motion tracking settings, which is critical for touchless tactile perception-based human-machine interactions.

Data-Driven Analytics Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in the Era of COVID-19: An Insightful Review of Recent Developments

This paper presents the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and other latest technologies that were employed to fight the recent pandemic (i.e., novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)). These technologies assisted the early detection/diagnosis, trends analysis, intervention planning, healthcare burden forecasting, comorbidity analysis, and mitigation and control, to name a few. The key-enablers of these technologies was data that was obtained from heterogeneous sources (i.e., social networks (SN), internet of (medical) things (IoT/IoMT), cellular networks, transport usage, epidemiological investigations, and other digital/sensing platforms). To this end, we provide an insightful overview of the role of data-driven analytics leveraging AI in the era of COVID-19. Specifically, we discuss major services that AI can provide in the context of COVID-19 pandemic based on six grounds, (i) AI role in seven different epidemic containment strategies (a.k.a non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)), (ii) AI role in data life cycle phases employed to control pandemic via digital solutions, (iii) AI role in performing analytics on heterogeneous types of data stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, (iv) AI role in the healthcare sector in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, (v) general-purpose applications of AI in COVID-19 era, and (vi) AI role in drug design and repurposing (e.g., iteratively aligning protein spikes and applying three/four-fold symmetry to yield a low-resolution candidate template) against COVID-19. Further, we discuss the challenges involved in applying AI to the available data and privacy issues that can arise from personal data transitioning into cyberspace. We also provide a concise overview of other latest technologies that were increasingly applied to limit the spread of the ongoing pandemic. Finally, we discuss the avenues of future research in the respective area. This insightful review aims to highlight existing AI-based technological developments and future research dynamics in this area.

Innovative Strategies and Efforts of Clinical Pharmacy Services During and After COVID-19 Epidemic: Experience from Shanghai Children's Hospital

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the result of infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has caused a global pandemic. To respond to this outbreak rapidly and properly, clinical pharmacists in Shanghai Children’s Hospital carried out innovative measures based on previous artificial intelligence experiences, such as using service robots for contactless drug delivery between Fever Clinic and Pharmacy Storage, providing telemedicine counseling on specific platforms and offering multimedia health education. With good control of the pandemic in Shanghai, these contactless services have been retained and expanded at the patients’ request. The aim of this article is to share our strategies and efforts with peers who are fighting against COVID-19 in other countries and regions.

Potential of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) applications in building a smart healthcare system: A systematic review

Sudden spurting of Corona virus disease (COVID-19) has put the whole healthcare system on high alert. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has eased the situation to a great extent, also COVID-19 has motivated scientists to make new ‘Smart’ healthcare system focusing towards early diagnosis, prevention of spread, education and treatment and facilitate living in the new normal. This review aims to identify the role of IoMT applications in improving healthcare system and to analyze the status of research demonstrating effectiveness of IoMT benefits to the patient and healthcare system along with a brief insight into technologies supplementing IoMT and challenges faced in developing a smart healthcare system.

An internet-based search in PUBMED, Google Scholar and IEEE Library for english language publications using relevant terms resulted in 987 articles. After screening title, abstract, and content related to IoMT in healthcare and excluding duplicate articles, 135 articles published in journal with impact factor ≥1 were eligible for inclusion. Also relevant articles from the references of the selected articles were considered.

The habituation of IoMT and related technology has resolved several difficulties using remote monitoring, telemedicine, robotics, sensors etc. However mass adoption seems challenging due to factors like privacy and security of data, management of large amount of data, scalability and upgradation etc. Although ample knowledge has been compiled and exchanged, this structured systematic review will help the healthcare practitioners, policymakers/decision makers, scientists and researchers to gauge the applicability of IoMT in healthcare more efficiently.

Robots and risk of COVID-19 workplace contagion: Evidence from Italy

This work investigates the cross-industry relationship between robot adoption and the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the workplace in Italy. Using a novel dataset on the risk of workplace contagion, we show that industries employing more robots tend to exhibit lower risks, thereby providing some empirical support for the widely held, but so far untested, hypothesis that robots can help mitigate the risk of contagion among workers by reducing the need for physical interactions. While we acknowledge the relevance of robots in the fight against COVID-19 and their possible role in enhancing the resilience of economic systems against future pandemics, we also thoroughly discuss a series of potential trade-offs between workplace safety and employment conditions that could arise (especially in the short run) due to a substantial increase in the rate of robot adoption.

Robots and risk of COVID-19 workplace contagion: Evidence from Italy

This work investigates the cross-industry relationship between robot adoption and the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the workplace in Italy. Using a novel dataset on the risk of workplace contagion, we show that industries employing more robots tend to exhibit lower risks, thereby providing some empirical support for the widely held, but so far untested, hypothesis that robots can help mitigate the risk of contagion among workers by reducing the need for physical interactions. While we acknowledge the relevance of robots in the fight against COVID-19 and their possible role in enhancing the resilience of economic systems against future pandemics, we also thoroughly discuss a series of potential trade-offs between workplace safety and employment conditions that could arise (especially in the short run) due to a substantial increase in the rate of robot adoption.

Implementation of Thermal Camera for Non-Contact Physiological Measurement: A Systematic Review

Non-contact physiological measurements based on image sensors have developed rapidly in recent years. Among them, thermal cameras have the advantage of measuring temperature in the environment without light and have potential to develop physiological measurement applications. Various studies have used thermal camera to measure the physiological signals such as respiratory rate, heart rate, and body temperature. In this paper, we provided a general overview of the existing studies by examining the physiological signals of measurement, the used platforms, the thermal camera models and specifications, the use of camera fusion, the image and signal processing step (including the algorithms and tools used), and the performance evaluation. The advantages and challenges of thermal camera-based physiological measurement were also discussed. Several suggestions and prospects such as healthcare applications, machine learning, multi-parameter, and image fusion, have been proposed to improve the physiological measurement of thermal camera in the future.

Determinants of the Intention to Use Smart Healthcare Devices: A Framework and Public Policy Implications

Healthcare industry is strongly influenced by new digital technologies. In this context, this study creates a framework and explores determinants of the intention to use smart healthcare devices. Several factors were identified, including usefulness, convenience, novelty, price, technological complexity, and perceived privacy risks of smart devices. Based on the samples from China, we find that usefulness, convenience, and novelty have positive influences on the intention to use smart healthcare devices. However, technological complexity is negatively related to the intention to use smart devices. The results further extend previous researches in the area of the healthcare industry.

Socio-economic and technological new normal in supply chain management: lessons from COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

This paper explores the new normal activities and strategic responses of the service industry towards the challenges created by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and other constructs and validates the measurement scale for socio-economic and technological new normal activities following lockdown and social distancing practices.

Design/methodology/approach

First, structured interviews with 28 participants helped us generate items and develop survey instruments for cross-sectional data collection in the second phase. So, the authors received 256 complete responses from the top and middle management of the services industry. Exploratory factor analysis helped us explore the factors and reliability of the items. Confirmatory factor analysis aided us in generating and confirming the factorial structure of the constructs.

Findings

Results indicated that amid COVID-19's pandemic, new normal activities are emerging in which organizations are deploying crisis strategies to safeguard their business and stakeholders. Organizations are re-opening swiftly, focusing on digital transformation, developing digital platforms for ease in working and improved consumer services, to name a few operational changes.

Practical implications

Discussion on empirical analysis revolves around the guidelines to service industry's managers and top management to improve shortcomings in combating the challenges they face in their operations.

Originality/value

Prior studies have provided substantial insights on the COVID-19 pandemic, but relatively little research exists on new normal activities in the supply chain network of the service industry. Among other reasons for such less empirical evidence on new normal activities is the unavailability of a comprehensive tool for measuring the socio-economic and technological new normal activities. This paper is a contribution to bridging this knowledge gap.

[Nurses' Experience with Caring for COVID-19 Patients in a Negative Pressure Room Amid the Pandemic Situation]

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' experience with caring for COVID-19 patients in a negative pressure room amid the spread of the pandemic.

METHODS

This study was a qualitative research, and focus group interviews were used to collect data. Three focus groups comprising 19 nurses were interviewed from February 17 to 25, 2021. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim with the consent of the participants. The verbatim transcripts were scrutinized using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Two main themes emerged from the analysis: 'Struggling in an isolated space' and 'Limitations of nursing infrastructure and system'. The nurses caring for COVID-19 patients experienced anxiety and fear about the infection, physical exhaustion, emotional burnout, and a sense of duty as a nurse. They also acknowledged the lack of guidelines, increased task and burden, limitations of nursing care, and the demand for improving the limitations of the nursing system.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrate that nurses caring for COVID-19 patients encounter physical and emotional problems within the limited healthcare system. The study suggests that comprehensive interventions are needed for nurses. Furthermore, detailed guidelines, strengthening of nursing personnel, and improvements to the nursing system are vital to effectively cope with the pandemic. The government and medical institutions should be aware of the needs of nurses and what they are going through, and make efforts to improve the quality of life of healthcare workers and create a safe healthcare environment.