Anonymous Form Research Articles

394 An Anatomy Near-Peer Teaching Programme

Abstract Introduction The time dedicated to teaching of anatomy in medical schools, as well as the importance placed upon it, is decreasing. Many students struggle with learning the vast quantity of information necessary and few medical students receive instruction on how to teach. A near-peer teaching programme was designed to allow tutors to develop vital teaching skills and provide tutees with a closer look at the more complicated aspects of the anatomy course. Method Sessions took place once or twice a week throughout the academic year and were subdivided into examination technique sessions, core anatomical knowledge sessions and prosection sessions. Tutors were recruited primarily from the intercalated Clinical Anatomy BSc. Tutees were provided anonymous feedback forms following each session and completed pre and post session MCQ tests. Tutors completed a feedback form following the programme’s completion. Results 96.9% of students reported an improvement in understanding of the topic. Students reported an increase in how prepared they felt for examinations (p < 0.001) as well as an improvement in MCQ scores (p < 0.001). 93.8% of tutors stated the programme helped prepare them for future teaching. Conclusions The results of this programme strongly support the use of near-peer teaching in anatomy education, with clear benefits for tutors and students.

Critical Incidents Involving the Medical Emergency Team: A 5-Year Retrospective Assessment for Healthcare Improvement.

Medical emergency teams (METs), which have been established in several countries, contribute to a reported decrease in deteriorated patients' in-hospital mortality. To date, no data have been published on critical incidents that occurred in METs affecting patients' safety. The aim of the study was to identify and describe critical incidents that occurred during METs' activities in a large academic Italian hospital. The data, which were stored in the official incident reporting system of the hospital and included all critical incidents that occurred and were reported in anonymous and voluntary forms over a 5-year period, were retrospectively analyzed. Overall, 17 critical incidents emerged, during both the team alert stage (n = 10) and its performance (n = 7), with approximately 3 events per year and an incident rate of 1.7 for every 1000 MET interventions. Medical emergency teams' critical incidents are rare and mainly due to the lack of compliance with protocols and of training and supplies, which require appropriate educational and organizational strategies.

A New Source for the Study of Avicenna’s Safavid Reception

Abstract MS Cambridge, University Library, Or. 658 is a collection of eleven texts transmitted in anonymous and untitled form whose precise content has to date remained obscure. On closer inspection, however, the manuscript turns out to be a so-far neglected witness of some authentic and pseudepigraph works of, among others, Avicenna (d. 427/1037) and Mullā Ṣadrā (d. 1050/1640–1641). This paper aims to provide an identification of all the works contained therein, along with a hypothetical reconstruction of the milieu in which the codex was produced.

‘A sleeping volcano that could erupt sooner or later’. Lived experiences of women with multiple sclerosis during childbearing age and motherhood: A phenomenological qualitative study

Introduction. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) mainly involves women, impacting many aspects related to childbearing age and maternity. Women with MS can have healthy pregnancies and infants. Needs, challenges and concerns of women with MS should be considered in order to improve care pathway, ensuring a patient-centred approach. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore personal experiences, expectations, fears in women with MS.Methods. A descriptive phenomenological study, including women with MS during childbearing age, pregnancy and motherhood, carried out from January to April 2019. Women, enrolled in a MS centre with snowball sampling through healthcare network, were invited for a face-to-face or phone interview, digitally audio-recorded and fully transcribed. Two different sets of semi-structured interviews were developed (woman seeking pregnancy / pregnant woman and mother), together with an anonymous form, to collect some main sociodemographic data. Categorical data analysis, inductively and deductively, was processed by 3 different researchers, using Creswell extension to reduce subjective influences. QDA Miner qualitative text analysis software was used.Results. The following 6 deductive themes emerged: 1) experience with diagnosis of MS; 2) relationship with the partner, children, and family; 3) pregnancy; 4) delivery; 5) puerperium; 6) care pathway.Experiences with diagnosis can be very different between women. Communication of MS diagnosis appears as an opportunity to strengthen emotional ties, despite sorrow and concerns. Reasons for quarrels and disagreements, both in couple and parents, were due to an overly protective and supportive attitude. Some participants reported difficulty of conceiving. Pregnancy is described as a state of wellbeing, not devoid by fears and worries. Women experienced fatigue and exhaustion especially during the second stage of labour, but spontaneous delivery is described as an empowering experience. Findings about breastfeeding confirm that healthcare professionals have a crucial role regarding initiation, duration and type of breastfeeding and often scarce education and training on the topic, together with lack of reliable scientific sources, lead to a conservative approach. Healthcare providers communication and consulting emerge as indispensable skills.Conclusion. The study provides a better understanding of how MS impacts women’ life during childbearing age, pregnancy and motherhood. Findings support the importance of provide quality and tailored care for women with MS, according to an empathetic and patient-centred approach. Further research should be more comprehensive explorations of mothers’ experiences in different cultural contexts, but also partners and offspring of women with MS.

P9 A study to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric cancer patients: an international, multicentre, observational cohort study (COVIDPaedsCancer)

IntroductionChildhood cancers are a leading cause of non-communicable disease deaths for paediatric patients around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted on global children’s cancer services, which can have consequences for childhood cancer outcomes. The Global Health Research Group on Children’s Non-Communicable Diseases (Global Children’s NCDs) is currently undertaking the first international study to determine the variation in paediatric cancer management during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the short to medium term impacts on childhood cancer outcomes.Methods and analysisThis is a multicentre, international, cohort study that will use routinely collected hospital data in a de-identified and anonymised form. Patients will be recruited consecutively into the study, with a 12 -month follow-up period. Patients will be included if they are below the age of 18 years and undergoing anti-cancer treatment for the following cancers: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Burkitt’s Lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Wilms Tumour, Sarcoma, Retinoblastoma, Gliomas, Medulloblastomas and Neuroblastomas. Patients must be newly presented or be undergoing active anti-cancer treatment from the 12th March 2020 to the 12th December 2020. The primary objective of the study is to determine 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality rates. This study will examine the factors that influenced these outcomes. Chi-squared analysis will be used to compare mortality between low and middle-income countries and high-income countries. Multilevel, multivariate logistic regression analysis will be undertaken to identify patient-level and hospital-level factors affecting outcomes with adjustment for confounding factors.Ethics and disseminationAt the host centre, this study was deemed to be exempt from ethical committee approval due to the use of anonymised registry data. At other centres, participating collaborators have gained local approvals in accordance with their institutional ethical regulations. Collaborators will be encouraged to present the results locally, nationally, and internationally. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal.

“Hey Students, How Was That First Semester of Remote Instruction?”: Graduate Students’ Reflections on Remote Learning During COVID-19

How have entering graduate students adapted to remote learning in dance education during COVID-19? How can faculty and administrators support our students in their remote education? Students responded via e-mail or anonymous Google Form to four questions that addressed ways in which they were engaged and challenged by remote learning, their strategies for success, and advice to others. The limited relevant literature echoes our students’ reflections that remote learning is an individualized experience, in which learning is dependent on their resources, access (geographic, time, or otherwise), family life, communication styles, affinity or aversion to technology, learning styles, and supplemental experiences off screen. We conclude that a strategic approach to wellness and self-care, communication, and organization will benefit future students’ learning regardless of the ways in which they perceive remote learning.

Effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for binge eating disorder

IntroductionBinge eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent specific eating disorder. It is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating and is associated with feelings of shame and a lack of control. Internet-based treatments are gaining increasing attention as a way to reach more patients with evidence based treatments In 2020 we conducted a preliminary analysis on the effectiveness of an internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy treatment project (Jensen ES, Linnet, J, Holmberg TT, Tarp K, Nielsen JH, Lichtenstein MB. Effectiveness of internet-based guided self-help for binge-eating disorder and characteristics of completers versus noncompleters. Int J Eat Disord. 2020;1-6. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23384).ObjectivesThis study aims to update the analyses on treatment effect with the patients who have completed treatment in the year following the last data extraction.MethodsThe iBED treatment project is a 10-session psychologist guided internet-based self-help program based on cognitive behavioural therapy. When applying for treatment and upon completion patients respond to a survey containing, among other scales, the eating disorder examination-questionnaire (EDE-Q), binge eating disorder-questionnaire (BED-Q) and various sociodemographic questions. Data will be extracted from the treatment project in anonymized form for analyses.ResultsThe preliminary analyses were conducted on 36 completers. These showed large standardized effect sizes on both the EDE-Q subscales (Cohens d ranging from .88-1.65) and on the BED-Q (d = 1.38). The updated effectiveness analyses will be presented at the conference. We expect approximately 70-80 patients to have completed treatment at this time.ConclusionsResults will be discussed and presented at the conference.

Outreach Dental Care for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs - An Evaluation of KZBV Data

There are only limited data on the extent to which children and adolescents with the need of integrative assistance (KiJu-PflEh) are considered for outreach dental care service. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate accounting data from the Kassenzahnärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KZBV) on the use of dental care by KiJU-PflEh. Material and Methods Based on six specific BEMA items (accounting year 2019), the KZBV performed a filtering of GKV-insured persons (0-17 years). The generated data sets of the study group (KiJu-PflEh) and the control group (all KiJu) were made the UW/H available in anonymized form for further analyses. The study group comprised 1602 KiJu-PflEh (mean age: 11.6 years). The gender ratio from ♂ to ♀ was 2:1. 56.0% of the KiJu-PflEh underwent diagnostic dental examination. The use of individual prophylactic (IP) measures was as follows: oral hygiene status assessment - IP1 (47.5%), oral health promotion - IP2 (46.1%), fluoridation of the teeth - IP4 (63.1%), fissure sealing per tooth - IP5 (30.1%). Compared to KiJu, statistically significantly fewer IP-measures were taken and carried out in the study group KiJu-PflEh. (KiJu: 85.7%; KiJu-PflEh: 46.7%). For the first time, it was shown that KiJu-PflEh is inadequately cared for and provided with dental care in comparison to peers in the general population. Increased dental care is urgently recommended as the KiJu-PflEh group has a high risk of caries. Medical information is also necessary to implement targeted prevention measures for all KiJu-PflEh. For this purpose, the introduction of a central database, which enables dental and general medical networking, should be driven forward. Furthermore, there is a need for more research to obtain primary data on the epidemiology of caries in KiJu-PflEh to verify the findings of the present pilot study.

Mental Health Comorbidity Is Common in Children With Type 2 Diabetes

Background: to describe the prevalence of mental health comorbidity in children with type 2 diabetes compared to a matched population without diabetes and children with type 1 diabetes. Methods: Population-based cohorts of 528 youth (7–18 years of age) with prevalent type 2 diabetes, 1519 matched children without diabetes and 778 youth with type 1 diabetes were identified from a clinical registry and linked to health care records to assess the prevalence of mental health comorbidity using ICD-9CM, ICD-10CA and ATC codes. Findings: Compared to their matched peers, children with type 2 diabetes where more likely to have a mood or anxiety disorder before and after diagnosis [RR 2‧38 (1‧63, 3‧48) p<0‧001 and 1 ‧70(1‧39, 2‧08) p< 0‧001 respectively], to attempt/complete suicide [RR 3‧18 (1‧30, 7‧81) p=0‧012 and 2‧18 (1.32, 3‧60) p=0‧0002 respectively] and be prescribed an antipsychotic [RR 2‧33 (1‧23, 4‧39) p= 0‧009 and 1‧76 (1‧23, 2‧52) p=0‧002 respectively]. Children with type 2 diabetes, compared to children with type 1 diabetes where more likely to have a mood or anxiety disorder, substance abuse and be prescribed an antipsychotic after diagnosis [2‧34 (1‧85, 2‧96) p<0‧0001; RR 2‧70 (1‧46, 4‧99) p=0‧002; RR 5‧60 (3‧08, 10‧17) p<0‧0001respectively]. Interpretation: Children with type 2 diabetes have high rates of comorbid mental illness. Programs to provide care, support and education to children with type 2 diabetes must address the mental health comorbidity in the context of the demographic, socioeconomic and psycho-cultural characteristics of the population. Funding Statement: Manitoba Government Department of Health. Declaration of Interests: None of the authors declare any conflicts of interest relevant to this article. Ethics Approval Statement: First Nations Research File was used with the permission of the Health information Research Goverance Committee of First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM). The DER-CA gave permission for use of their database in an anonymized form. Approvals were also obtained from the Health Research Ethics Board, University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Health Information Privacy Committee.

Kapitalmarktunion und Analytical Credit Datasets (AnaCredit)

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are of particular importance for the economy in the European Union. To promote this entrepreneurial segment, the European Union and the European Central Bank see it as their task to create optimal financing conditions for their growth and innovation. Another critical priority is to expand the participation of private investors in the European capital markets. The European savings pools and personal investment resources are directed to where they are most urgently needed. As part of the Capital Markets Union (CMU), the European Commission recommends creating an EU-wide „single access point“ to obtain central access to company information. These are often only incomplete and not wholly comparable. The European Central Bank, together with the national central banks of the euro area and some central banks from countries that do not belong to the euro area, created a database with detailed credit information from banks in the euro area. These „analytical credit data sets“ (or AnaCredit for short) support the central banks in performing numerous functions, such as monetary policy decisions or macroprudential supervision. Vision: When submitting a financing request via the „single access point“, financing offers could be btained through a direct link to an exchange unit while at the same time checking the creditworthiness of the company, including the AnaCredit data. Companies in the EU should have access to diversified sources of finance at every stage of their evelopment. An industry comparison calculation provides the entrepreneur with valuable productivity figures from European competitors in anonymized form. Effect: The ESCB sees a good database that AnaCredit offers as a prerequisite for the right decisions. Investors can only make good decisions with full knowledge of the facts. During the recent CEPS discussion, the disruptions identified: „The best rules and specifications for corporate bonds are of no use if there are no issuers, no investors and no stockbrokers“ could be reduced.

When Title IX Is Not Enough

When Title IX Is Not Enough Lyra Walsh Fuchs (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution Students at Columbia University in 2014 with a mattress in support of Emma Sulkowicz's project against sexual assault, “Carry That Weight.” (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) [End Page 48] When I was a junior in college, I ran into a problem at Art House, a combination residential hall and space for programming and events that I managed. Because we often had parties, movie screenings, and concerts, our living room was open to the whole campus. And because it was common knowledge not to go forward with any complaints under Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal aid—our dean of Title IX, Scott Backer, had a bad reputation even before his firing for revelations of sexual misconduct with a minor—several residents came to me with concerns about running into someone who had harmed them, or made them uncomfortable, in their own home. Completely unsanctioned by my employers at the university, the residents and I developed a DIY safety system. First, I taped an envelope to my door where people could anonymously drop names written on slips of paper. With those names, I made a list that I would recite to the residents checking student IDs at the door (a regular school policy) on the nights that we had events. On at least one occasion, one of the named students made it through the doors. A male resident informed him that he was banned from the space and asked him to leave. He did, and as far as I know, he never returned. The weight of this project disquieted me at the time (I was fresh from an internship at a public defender’s office in New York City and beginning to read abolitionist literature) and leaves me conflicted now. On the one hand, we had created a registry; did we not believe in people’s ability to change? On the other hand, this was people’s home, and didn’t they have the right to not want specific people there? They wanted to dance without catching someone who had hurt them in the corner of their eye; they didn’t want to spend the night locked in their room afraid of who was walking through the front door. We were hardly alone in our pursuit of safety through ad hoc methods. The #MeToo movement, flourishing around the same time as we made our list, brought to the forefront the omnipresence of gendered and sexual [End Page 49] violence. The Shitty Media Men spreadsheet, a privately shared Google Doc that was quickly leaked to the press, introduced a digital crowdsourcing element that took off. At schools across the nation, public and private, large and small, students created hashtags, anonymous forms that collected names and stories, and Instagram and Twitter accounts to share them. I came to think of our list as part of a broader collection of experiments in DIY justice, a broad umbrella that includes private attempts to regulate spaces (like our list), public-facing attempts to shame institutions into action, and also more structured—but still not institutionally supported—intra-group grievance processes or restorative circles. Whether an envelope taped to a wall, a circulated list, or a social media account, these systems are imperfect. They are often messy and unwieldy; some have gotten their creators disciplined, threatened, and sued; with the exception of some restorative circles, they almost always offer no path for the accused to clear their names, work toward meaningfully changing their behavior, or recover from what can be truly debilitating ostracization and isolation. The list we made at Art House was short, with just a half-dozen names, but it felt heavy. I worried that if we alienated these young people, they might they fall deeper into hateful, aggressive behavior. And I worried that by not telling them they were on the list or giving them any avenue to get off it, we were imitating the permanent churn of criminalization. Still, if we couldn’t go to the university for help, either through the Title IX office...

On teaching experimental reactor physics in times of pandemic

The COVID-19 induced restrictions have prevented reactor physics students from attending in-person reactor physics exercises which are a vital part of their education. Jožef Stefan Institute has organized remote exercises with the help of off-the-shelf technology, including multiple videoconferencing setups, remote desktop software, portable cameras, a dome camera, shared spreadsheets, and a common whiteboard. The students were encouraged to actively participate in the exercises by giving instructions to the reactor operator, asking and answering questions, logging data, operating digital acquisition systems, and performing analysis during the exercise. The first remote exercises were organized as a five-day course of experimental reactor physics for students from Uppsala University. The feedback was collected after the course using an anonymous online form and was generally positive but has revealed some problems with sound quality which were resolved later. The Jožef Stefan Institute can also organize a remote course during a full lockdown when the reactor is not able to operate using the in-house developed Research Reactor Simulator based on a point kinetics approximation and a simple thermohydraulic module.

Psychosocial Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers in Selected Hospitals in Khartoum State, Khartoum, Sudan, 2020

Psychosocial Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers in Selected Hospitals in Khartoum State, Khartoum, Sudan, 2020 Zeinab Swar Eldahab MBBS, MD, Mohamed Al Seiddig, Gaffar Alemam,Mohammed Ishag, Abdullatif Yasir, Mohammed Hussein, Almothanna Zaki, Ammar Tarig Abstract Background: COVID-19 is highly transmissible disease from human to human and associated with high morbidity and fatality. The outbreak affects not only physical health of infected individuals but also psychological and mental health. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the most vulnerable group to the mental health effects of this pandemic Objective: Assessment of psychological status and the potential risk factors of healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Method: A total number of 163 health care workers (doctors and nurses) dealing with suspected COVID-19 patients were selected from accessible hospitals adopting COVID-19 management protocols. Data was collected by the medical students research team using anonymous online Google form questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS computer program. Result: Participants had a mean age of 26.4±3.6 years, predominantly females (54.6%,) and 87.7% of them were medical doctorsalmost76% and 68% had a mild form of depression and anxiety respectively, 14.6% showed moderately severe depression. Most of them were not trained on how to use personal protective equipment. The majority of the HWs believe that PPEs protect against COVID19 infection. There is increased financial stress among HWs compared to pre pandemic period. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijmp.v9n1a5

An investigation of the information provided to the parents of young people with mental health needs on an internet forum

BackgroundAccess to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) can be difficult, with lengthy wait times. Many of the young people and their parents are not signposted to any form of support during their wait for initial assessment or treatment and people are increasingly turning towards web-based resources for help and advice. However, there are some concerns about the quality of the information shared online. Research on the use and quality of information shared on online platforms for mental health inquiries is limited. AimsWe aimed to investigate the content and quality of the responses shared by forum users on an online forum for parents of young people with mental health needs (Mumsnet ‘Talk’). Forum users were primarily parents, but 8 posts were written by posters identifying as a healthcare worker, teacher, or autism spectrum specialist. MethodsQualitative methodology was adopted for this study. Forum content from Mumsnet was extracted in an anonymised form and thematic analysis was conducted to explore the content. Information shared in the online forum was assessed for quality by comparing the responses with clinical guidelines. ResultsThread topics related to 16 mental health problems. “Autistic Traits/Autism Spectrum Disorder”, “Obsessions and Intrusive Thoughts/ Obsessive Compulsive Disorder” and “Comorbid Anxiety and Depression” were the most prevalent thread topics, consisting 38.3% of the extracted content. The investigation focused on “Information Offered” as the general dimension. Based on the thematic analysis, there were four second-order themes regarding the information offered by forum users; referral, advice, anecdotal information and opinion on case. The quantitative assessment of responses found that 58.3% of the knowledge exchange on Mumsnet was congruent with evidence-based clinical guidelines. ConclusionsThemes indicate that parents of children and young people with mental health needs seem to use online fora for informational support. It is promising that a significant proportion of the information shared within the extracted forum content is congruent with evidence-based knowledge. However, further investigation is needed to generate better understanding of the overall quality of mental health information available on online platforms.

Introducing Restorative Practices at Leading Into New Communities (LINC)

Restorative values such as collaboration, community, and resiliency are not new, but they are new in their relationship to the criminal justice system. Within recent decades, restorative justice practices have grown in popularity as they provide a number of solution-focused strategies to address crime. Restorative practices also have the potential to positively transform reentry-specific processes. In Wilmington, North Carolina, Leading Into New Communities (LINC) is an organization that assists its residents in their return from prison, recognizing that restorative values are essential to a successful transition. However, while LINC is restorative in its overall mission, most staff members do not possess concrete understandings of restorative justice.&#x0D; In this study, in order to improve staff understandings of these topics, two voluntary training workshops were held to provide LINC staff members with more information on restorative justice, including its many programs and practices, as well as the unique ways in which it relates to reentry. Workshop observations and anonymous feedback forms provide insight into how these workshops benefitted LINC staff. This paper highlights the importance of restorative workshops in similar organizations as a way to improve understandings of restorative justice practices and how they can be utilized throughout reentry processes. With a broader understanding of restorative justice, organizations such as LINC will be in a better position to assist individuals with reentry in more meaningful ways.

Knowledge, Attitude and Intention to Future Practice of Female Genital Mutilation among Medical Students, Egypt

Background:There is no medical indication for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) a procedure with wide range of complications. In Egypt, around 50% of the population supports the practice; moreover, health care providers contrary to their original role in eliminating such harmful practice perform about 80% of the FGM. In Egypt, the knowledge and attitudes of medical students about FGM are questionable. Objectives: To explore the level of knowledge and attitudes towards FGM/C and identifying the possible predictors favouring its practice among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study, 630 medical students were included. Self-administered anonymous data collection form was used. Results: Females demonstrated significant higher knowledge score 4.5 (3.5-5.5) with more negative attitude towards FGM/C. Males with low knowledge score 5 (4.0-6.0) were the significant predictors for future FGM/C practice among the included sample.Conclusions: Medical students especially males are not sufficiently knowledgeable about FGM/C; some of them would perform FGM/C in their future practice

Linking pre- and post-adoption records for research in anonymised form in a data safe haven: legal implications and support for a social licence.

IntroductionThe long-term health and wellbeing of adoptees is under-researched. One reason for this has been limited data accessibility regarding the adoption process, and another is a practice common in some UK jurisdictions of changing the National Health Service (NHS) number (or equivalent) at adoption, as part of creating the new identity. The SAIL Databank holds data on child and family court cases from Cafcass Cymru, together with children’s social care data, and can link these with routine health and administrative data in anonymised form. However, because the linkage key at SAIL is based on an encryption of the NHS number, working with pre- and post-adoption records for longitudinal research remains a major challenge. We set out to explore the legal implications of, and social support for, linking these records for use in anonymised form for longitudinal research.MethodsWe reviewed the main legislation and regulations governing the use of data about adoptees in England and Wales. We gauged support for a social licence in Wales by carrying out interviews with individuals who had been involved in the adoptions process, and by engaging with general public groups for their views. We drew out the main emerging themes and, in combination with the review, propose a way forward.ResultsThe legal review indicated that there are provisions in the Family Procedure Rules (England and Wales) and the General Data Protection Regulation that can be relied upon for the lawful processing of adoption data into anonymised form for research. The main points of concern about linking pre- and post-adoption records were privacy, data security, the need to limit the number of organisations involved in data sharing, and re-identification risk. The over-riding message was favourable with longitudinal research seen as strongly beneficial.ConclusionThis study has indicated that in Wales, there is no legal impediment, nor major objection from individuals involved in the adoptions process, or members of the general public, for the use of adoption data in anonymised form in a data safe haven. This includes the linkage of pre- and post-adoption records to enable novel longitudinal research to take place. The provisos were that robust safeguards must be in place, and that the research should aim to benefit adoptees and to improve policy and practice. We conclude that it is reasonable to proceed with caution to develop practical ways to link pre- and post-adoption records in a data safe haven.

Global Assessment of Urological Endoscopic Skills (GAUES): development and validation of a novel assessment tool to evaluate endourological skills

To develop and evaluate an assessment tool for endourological skills during simulation including cystoscopy, ureteroscopy (URS) and transurethral resection (TUR) procedures. We designed a Global Assessment of Urological Endoscopic Skills (GAUES) tool, comprised of nine endourology task-specific and two global-rating skills items. The tool was developed through two rounds of the Delphi process. The GAUES tool was used to assess acquisition of URS and TUR skills of novices (Year 2 core surgical trainees, CT2) and intermediate level trainees (residents at the start of the UK higher surgical training programme in Urology, Speciality Trainee Year 3, ST3) at the Urology Simulation Boot Camp (USBC) between 2016 and 2018. Validity was evaluated by comparing scores between trainees with different levels of urological experience. Inter-rater reliability was also assessed. We evaluated 130 residents, 52% of trainees were at an intermediate stage of training and 39% were novices. In all, 9% of the anonymous forms were missing demographics. The completion rate of the GAUES tool during the USBC for URS and TUR was 85% and 89%, respectively. Our analysis demonstrated a significant difference in all domains between intermediates and novices at assessment in URS, except for one domain more suited to clinical assessment (P=0.226). There was excellent intraclass correlation (ICC) overall between the two experts' judgements, ICC=0.841 (95% confidence interval 0.767-0.893; P<0.001, n=88). We have developed the novel GAUES tool for cystoscopic, URS and TUR skills. Overall, we demonstrated good face, content and construct validity and excellent reliability, suggesting that the GAUES tool can be useful for endourological skills assessment.

Point of Care Stations: A Novel Way to Improve Stethoscope Hygiene

Background: Stethoscopes are known to be highly contaminated by a multitude of bacteria and therefore carry the potential to transmit pathogens within hospitals. North American infection prevention groups recommend low-level disinfection of stethoscopes for bioburden reduction between patients; however, adherence remains low in inpatient settings. Given that the lack of access to disinfection materials is the most commonly reported barrier to stethoscope hygiene, we studied an intervention using a point-of-care approach to increase stethoscope hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in critical care units. Methods: This quality improvement study was conducted in 2 critical-care units of a quaternary-care, academic, health sciences center in Toronto, Canada. We designed novel stethoscope hygiene stations consisting of a wall-mounted board with alcohol wipes, hooks for drying, and hand sanitizer dispensers to combine stethoscope and hand hygiene. Observations of stethoscope disinfection events per opportunity were collected by trained human auditors before and after the multimodal intervention, which consisted of the installation of 14 stations at the entrances of single-patient ICU rooms, accompanied by educational lectures and infographic dissemination. Anonymous feedback forms were used to gather information on healthcare workers’ stethoscope hygiene knowledge and behavior before and after the intervention. Results: In total, 124 observations were collected using convenience sampling between February and July 2019. Overall stethoscope hygiene compliance increased significantly from a baseline of 38% to 62% (P = .0316) (Fig. 1). Physician adherence to stethoscope disinfection increased by 22%. During the study period, hand hygiene compliance remained unchanged at 75%. Also, 74 healthcare providers completed feedback forms; they revealed an increase in awareness of stethoscope hygiene policies and/or recommendations (9% to 41%) and self reports of stethoscope hygiene compliance (28% to 44%). Conclusions: The implementation of stethoscope hygiene stations, coupled with an educational initiative, lead to a significant increase in overall stethoscope hygiene compliance among healthcare workers. Future quality improvement initiatives can adapt this strategy to promote disinfection and reduce pathogen burden of other personal and multiuse medical equipment.Funding: NoneDisclosures: Susy Hota reports contract research for Finch Therapeutics.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatricians’ clinical activity in Cameroon

BackgroundThe outbreak of COVID-19 has imposed many challenges on health systems. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical activity of pediatricians. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional and descriptive online survey among pediatricians practicing in Cameroon. Data were collected through an anonymous pre-tested Google Form®. ResultsAmong the 118 pediatricians eligible for the survey, 101 responded (85.6%), of whom 61.2% were women. The pediatric outpatient consultations dropped significantly from 60.4% of pediatricians seeing more than 30 patients per week before the pandemic to 9.9% during the pandemic (P<0.000). According to the occupancy rate of hospitalisation beds, 45.5% of pediatricians reported having 76–100% of pediatric hospitalisation beds occupied per week before the pandemic but no pediatrician reported a similar rate during the pandemic (P<0.000). There was a significant increase in the use of telehealth, ranging from no pediatrician using telehealth “very frequently” before the pandemic to 23.8% using it during the pandemic (P<0.000). Most of the pediatricians had at their disposal surgical masks (96%), care gloves (80.2%), hydroalcoholic gel (99.0%), and soap and water (86.1%). For the management of children, 90.1% and 71.3% of pediatricians experienced difficulties accessing COVID-19 PCR and chloroquine, respectively, and 74.3% declared difficulties for proper isolation of patients. More than half (65.3%) of the pediatricians interviewed were “very afraid” or “extremely afraid” of being infected with SARS-Cov-2, respectively 45.5% and 19.8%. The most frequent reasons included fear of infecting their relatives (85.1%) and of developing a severe form of the disease (43.6%). The reluctance to consult health services expressed by the parents was due to: fear of being infected when leaving their home and especially in the health facility (96%), strict compliance with confinement (30.7%), and financial difficulties of families (13.9%). ConclusionThis work highlights the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the clinical activity of Cameroonian pediatricians. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a significant drop in the use of health facilities, which probably has a negative impact on children's overall level of health. Although the preventive measures explain this drop in attendance at health facilities, the parents’ fear of being infected when leaving the house was the predominant reason likely to explain this drop in attendance at health facilities. This could constitute an axis for developing messages to parents to encourage a gradual return to child health services.