COVID-19 Disruption Research Articles

Delays in TB Diagnosis and Treatment Initiation in Burkina Faso during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted TB services, particularly in low resource settings. In Burkina Faso, a cross-sectional ‘before and after’ study was conducted to assess the impact of COVID-19 on access to TB services. Data was collected in two phases (Phase 1: December 2017–March 2018, and 2: October–December 2020) to estimate and compare various patient and system delays among TB patients before and during COVID-19 and explore changes in treatment seeking behaviors and practices. 331 TB patients were recruited across the two phases. A significant increase in median time between first symptom and contact with TB service (45 days vs. 26 days; p < 0.01) and decrease in median time between first contact and diagnosis, and treatment initiation, respectively, during COVID-19 compared to before. Fewer patients reported using public health centers and more patients reporting using private facilities as the point of first contact following TB symptom onset during the COVID-19 period compared to before. These findings suggest that COVID-19 has created barriers to TB service access and health seeking among symptomatic individuals, yet also led to some efficiencies in TB diagnostic and treatment services. Our findings can be help target efforts along specific points of the TB patient pathway to minimize the overall disruption of COVID-19 and future public health emergencies on TB control in Burkina Faso.

Exploring Factors That Affected Student Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of Data-Mining Approaches.

COVID-19-related school closures caused unprecedented and prolonged disruption to daily life, education, and social and physical activities. This disruption in the life course affected the well-being of students from different age groups. This study proposed analyzing student well-being and determining the most influential factors that affected student well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this aim, we adopted a cross-sectional study designed to analyze the student data from the Responses to Educational Disruption Survey (REDS) collected between December 2020 and July 2021 from a large sample of grade 8 or equivalent students from eight countries (n = 20,720), including Burkina Faso, Denmark, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Russian Federation, Slovenia, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan. We first estimated a well-being IRT score for each student in the REDS student database. Then, we used 10 data-mining approaches to determine the most influential factors that affected the well-being of students during the COVID-19 outbreak. Overall, 178 factors were analyzed. The results indicated that the most influential factors on student well-being were multifarious. The most influential variables on student well-being were students’ worries about contracting COVID-19 at school, their learning progress during the COVID-19 disruption, their motivation to learn when school reopened, and their excitement to reunite with friends after the COVID-19 disruption.

Enhancing Existing Formal Home Care to Improve and Maintain Functional Status in Older Adults: Results of a Feasibility Study on the Implementation of Care to Move (CTM) in an Irish Healthcare Setting.

Background: Care to Move (CTM) provides a series of consistent ‘movement prompts’ to embed into existing movements of daily living. We explored the feasibility of incorporating CTM approaches in home care settings. Methods: Feasibility study of the CTM approach in older adults receiving home care. Recruitment, retention and attrition (three time points), adherence, costs to deliver and data loss analyzed and differentiated pre and post the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary outcomes, including functional status, physical activity, balance confidence, quality of life, cost to implement CTM. Results: Fifty-five home care clients (69.6% of eligible sample) participated. Twenty were unable to start due to COVID-19 disruptions and health issues, leaving 35 clients recruited, mostly women (85.7%), mean age 82.8 years. COVID-19 disruption impacted on the study, there was 60% retention to T2 assessments (8-weeks) and 13 of 35 (37.1%) completed T3 assessments (6-months). There were improvements with small to medium effect sizes in quality of life, physical function, balance confidence and self-efficacy. Managers were supportive of the roll-out of CTM. The implementation cost was estimated at EUR 280 per carer and annual running costs at EUR 75 per carer. Conclusion: Embedding CTM within home support services is acceptable and feasible. Data gathered can power a definitive trial.

A window of change: how COVID-19 disrupted pedagogical approaches in Danish kindergartens

ABSTRACT COVID-19 disrupted almost all pedagogical activities in Danish kindergartens. Basic principles were challenged because of new demands for hygiene and social and physical distance. More activities were moved outdoors, group sizes were minimized, parents had to stay outside the grounds and kindergarten teachers had to deal with a lot of insecurity. However, after a challenging period, new potentials emerged, and new, promising pedagogical principles were identified. In this article, we present examples of COVID-19 disruption in Danish kindergartens with children aged 2-5, based on a mixed-methods study using survey data as background material for qualitative field observations and interviews. The research questions are: What characterizes the learning environments and pedagogical approaches in kindergartens, and how are they redefined over time in response to the two-phase disruption during COVID-19? The article provides four answers concerning: rethinking play activities; rethinking food and meals; rethinking handover and parent relations; and handling insecurity. In addition, two short sections deal with the consequences for management and the kindergarten teachers’ professional identity.

Legal Protection for Taxpayers Participants of Voluntary Disclosure Program in the Law on Harmonization of Tax Regulations

The tax laws and regulations have changed many times, but these changes have not had a strong impact in terms of fulfilling the tax function as a regulator and source of financing for state administration and national development, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the government regulates and changes several provisions in the field of taxation, such as Law No. 11/2020 concerning job creation and Law No. 7 concerning HPP (Harmonization of Tax Regulations). Minister of Finance stated that the HPP Law would provide provisions for the government to overcome disruption or shock of Covid-19 after effect. The objectives of this research are to describe the analysis of asset arrangements that must be reported in the Voluntary Disclosure Program and analyze legal remedies that can be taken by taxpayers who experienced losses as participants. This research used a normative type of research. The approach used in this research is a descriptive analysis. The source data of this research consist of primary and secondary legal materials. In addition, the data collection used library research. Taxpayers participating in the Voluntary Disclosure Program can take legal action against all disputes related to the Tax Amnesty Program through an Objection Application when the Taxpayer receives an SKPKB (Tax Underpayment Assessment Letter). Meanwhile, based on the decision of the Director General of Taxes, apart from the issuance of SKPKB, it can only be resolved through a lawsuit to the Tax Court.

Collaboration Key to Meeting Demand for Mental Health Services

Collaboration Key to Meeting Demand for Mental Health Services

COVID-19, Retention in HIV Care, and Access to Ancillary Services for Young Black Men Living with HIV in Chicago.

This study conducted 28 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Young Black Men who have Sex with Men in Chicago to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on their HIV care and ancillary service access. The qualitative analysis identified both negative and positive effects. The negative effects included: (l) mixed disruptions in linkage to and receipt of HIV care and ancillary services, and (2) heightened concerns about police and racial tensions in Chicago following the murder of George Floyd, contributing to possible disruption of retention in care. The positive effects included: (1) the ability to reflect and socially connect, contributing to heightened self-care and retention in care, and (2) some improvements in receipt of medical care. These findings suggest that while COVID-19 disruptions in care reduced in-person use of HIV care, the expansion of telemedicine allowed more administrative tasks to be handled online and focused in-person interactions on more substantive interactions.

The Changes in Public Spaces Usages for Performing Arts Sector After Covid-19 Disruption in Surakarta, Indonesia

The existence of a public space enables all creative actors in the world to arrange performing arts activities at the local, national, and international levels. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the capability of the communities to interact with each other, changing the public space requirements of different types of performing art. This article is aimed to identify the differences between public spaces’ usages for the performing arts sector before and after the pandemic Covid-19. In this research, Surakarta is chosen as the study case as it is one of the creative cities which is dependent on performing arts sectors. The determination of interviewees is done through the purposive sampling technique to find stakeholders as representatives that know well about the performing art sector in Surakarta. Through content analysis of the stakeholder perspectives, we identify the change in public space usage in promoting each type of performing art in Surakarta. We found that there are new parameters in determining the use of public space for the performing arts: the area, the scale of the public space, and the public space design. These three new parameters explain the different public space capacities in Surakarta to promote performing arts in Surakarta. Thus, the present work can be used to understand more what is needed to make public space reliable to adapt to the new normal era.

What is the feasibility and patient acceptability of a digital system for arm and hand rehabilitation after stroke? A mixed-methods, single-arm feasibility study of the ‘OnTrack’ intervention for hospital and home use

ObjectivesArm weakness is common after stroke; repetitive activity is critical for recovery but people struggle with knowing what to do, volume, and monitoring progress. We studied the feasibility and acceptability...

Mental health implications for aviators from COVID-19

Mental Health Implications for Aviators from COVID-19 The authors present aeromedical implications from COVID-19 disruptions on the civil aviation sector, consider mental health impacts on pilots, and discuss possible helpful responses to support pilot mental health. A multiple database review investigated articles from January 2002 to May 2021 on severe commercial aviation disruptions impacting pilot mental health and on pilot mental health coping or treatment. Fifteen papers were identified. During the COVID-19 pandemic, airline flights were severely reduced. By January 2021, airlines shed thousands of jobs and 24 airlines no longer existed. General population surveys found 13% of individuals had “serious distress” from the pandemic. In two aviation focused surveys, 40-66% of pilots agreed or strongly agreed that their mental health worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to past Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) patients, more COVID-19 patients have mental health symptoms in the acute phase of illness; while about 10% of COVID-19 patients appear to have chronic or “long haul” symptoms. Mental Health treatment and coping strategies found helpful to pilots are discussed. Pilots remain at risk for mental health symptoms and illness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those who develop severe distress or mental illness from the effects of the pandemic (or COVID-19 infection), early treatment with psychotherapy and/or approved medications may be warranted. This may decrease the likelihood of persistent physical or cognitive or mental health symptoms that would delay a return to flying status.

COVID-19 ECONOMIC STORM IN SRI LANKA’S REAL SECTOR: A SYNOPTIC ANALYSIS FOCUSING ON POTENTIAL POLICY REFORMS

This study examines Sri Lanka’s economic situation to recognize the potential policy reforms to revive country’s real sector in Post COVID-19 era. This study collected primary data through qualitative data collection approach named semi-structured interviews. Total sample size considered for interviews was 12. In addition to that, the information presented and reviewed in this study was taken from several updated secondary sources. Qualitative data was analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis approach which was introduced by Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke. Thematic analysis of this qualitative study found several major themes as the policy reforms to rebuild agricultural sector, industrial sector and service sector in the post-COVID era. Centralized Backward &amp; Forward Information Linkage System, Creation of Local Cultivation Trends and Import Substitution, Agro Innovations in Post COVID-19 Period, Cost Minimization Techniques, Expanding Systematic Warehouse Facilities as a Solution for Over-Production, Re-Lifting the Construction Sector after COVID-19 Disruption, Making Case for Cities as the Major Hubs of Economic Growth, Attracting Foreign Direct Investments, Developing a Technical Strategy for Sri Lankan Rail Transportation, Expansion of Digital Retail Activities, Bridging the Digital Divide, Cultivating Innovative Educational Culture in Higher Education Sector, Extra Focus on Mental Health, Community Nursing Service System can be cited as those policy reforms.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Post-COVID Era, Real Sector, Thematic Analysis, Sri Lanka

Chatbot as an emergency exist: Mediated empathy for resilience via human-AI interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic

As a global health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has also made heavy mental and emotional tolls become shared experiences of global communities, especially among females who were affected more by the pandemic than males for anxiety and depression. By connecting multiple facets of empathy as key mechanisms of information processing with the communication theory of resilience, the present study examines human-AI interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to understand digitally mediated empathy and how the intertwining of empathic and communicative processes of resilience works as coping strategies for COVID-19 disruption. Mixed methods were adopted to explore the using experiences and effects of Replika, a chatbot companion powered by AI, with ethnographic research, in-depth interviews, and grounded theory-based analysis. Findings of this research extend empathy theories from interpersonal communication to human-AI interactions and show five types of digitally mediated empathy among Chinese female Replika users with varying degrees of cognitive empathy, affective empathy, and empathic response involved in the information processing processes, i.e., companion buddy, responsive diary, emotion-handling program, electronic pet, and tool for venting. When processing information obtained from AI and collaborative interactions with the AI chatbot, multiple facets of mediated empathy become unexpected pathways to resilience and enhance users’ well-being. This study fills the research gap by exploring empathy and resilience processes in human-AI interactions. Practical implications, especially for increasing individuals’ psychological resilience as an important component of global recovery from the pandemic, suggestions for future chatbot design, and future research directions are also discussed.

Sport Prosumer Networks: Capital and Value of American Sports During Covid-19.

Prosumption capital is underexplored within social media sites, especially within sports. This article explores how the Covid-19 disruptions were used to extract prosumption capital from Twitter. Adopting an economic sociology perspective to measure prosumption capital, 2.3 million tweets were analyzed across the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer sports properties. This article applies social network analysis measures, indegree, domain, and proximity prestige to measure prosumption capital and shows how media organizations and other public figures capitalized on the Covid-19 disruptions. It also shows how the structure and those capitalizing through prosumption on Twitter are similar across the sports properties.

Modeling supply chain viability and adaptation against underload cascading failure during the COVID-19 pandemic

Supply chain viability concerns the entire supply system rather than one company or one single chain to survive COVID-19 disruptions. Mobility restriction and overall demand decline lead to systematically cascading disruptions that are more severe and longer lasting than those caused by natural disasters and political conflicts. In the present study, the authors find that large companies and manufacturers with traditional advantages suffer greater losses than small ones, which is conceptualized as the “Hub Paradox” by empirically investigating one Warp Knitting Industrial Zone of China. An underload cascading failure model is employed to simulate supply chain viability under disruptions. Numerical simulations demonstrate that when the load decreases beyond a threshold, the viability will drop down critically. Besides, supply chain viability depends on two aspects: the adaptive capability of the manufacturers themselves and the adaptive capability of the connections of the supply network. The comparison study demonstrates that enhancing cooperative relations between hub and non-hub manufacturers will facilitate the entire supply network viability. The present study sheds light on viable supply chain management. Compared with conventionally linear or resilient supply chains, intertwined supply networks can leverage viability with higher adaptation of redistributing production capacities among manufacturers to re-establish overall scale advantages. Finally, the present study also suggests solving the “Hub Paradox” from the perspective of complex adaptive system.

Importance of work engagement in primary healthcare

BackgroundWork engagement is crucial for quality care at the primary healthcare level. This is especially true during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it has effects on the community from both a health and economic point of view. For example, inadequate work engagement can lead to fewer referrals to the secondary healthcare level. This study aims to examine the work engagement level in a public healthcare organisation at the primary healthcare level to further explore the role of work environment characteristics. The study addresses a research gap in the field of primary healthcare and emphasises the importance of managing the factors promoting work engagement. The future of healthcare will be strongly shaped by population ageing and Covid-19 disruption, which have created unpredictable and unfavourable working situations.MethodA descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational design was used including the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale with a non-probabilistic availability sample of 630 employees of the Community Health Centre Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2018. The role of the work environment was observed by applying the job resources concept adapted to the context of the observed organisation.ResultsWork engagement in the observed organisation is higher compared to previous research. The research confirmed that job resources play an important role in employees’ work engagement. The high level of work engagement of the home care nursing employees coupled with the significant proportions of unengaged in the management of the organization also caught our attention. This difference highlights the importance of the leadership style, career choices and employment process that exist in an institution.ConclusionThe study has important implications for healthcare management at the primary level for unlocking the work engagement by ‘managing’ the factors stimulating work engagement. The hidden potential is especially large in so called ‘soft areas’, such as leadership style, communication and organisational climate, which are also less expensive to manage than other aspects of the work environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic and disruptions to essential health services in Kenya: a retrospective time-series analysis

BackgroundPublic health emergencies can disrupt the provision of and access to essential health-care services, exacerbating health crises. We aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on essential health-care services in Kenya.MethodsUsing county-level data routinely collected from the health information system from health facilities across the country, we used a robust mixed-effect model to examine changes in 17 indicators of essential health services across four periods: the pre-pandemic period (from January, 2018 to February, 2020), two pandemic periods (from March to November 2020, and February to October, 2021), and the period during the COVID-19-associated health-care workers’ strike (from December, 2020 to January, 2021).FindingsIn the pre-pandemic period, we observed a positive trend for multiple indicators. The onset of the pandemic was associated with statistically significant decreases in multiple indicators, including outpatient visits (28·7%; 95% CI 16·0–43·5%), cervical cancer screening (49·8%; 20·6–57·9%), number of HIV tests conducted (45·3%; 23·9–63·0%), patients tested for malaria (31·9%; 16·7–46·7%), number of notified tuberculosis cases (26·6%; 14·7–45·1%), hypertension cases (10·4%; 6·0–39·4%), vitamin A supplements (8·7%; 7·9–10·5%), and three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and pertussis vaccine administered (0·9%; 0·5–1·3%). Pneumonia cases reduced by 50·6% (31·3–67·3%), diarrhoea by 39·7% (24·8–62·7%), and children attending welfare clinics by 39·6% (23·5–47·1%). Cases of sexual violence increased by 8·0% (4·3–25·0%). Skilled deliveries, antenatal care, people with HIV infection newly started on antiretroviral therapy, confirmed cases of malaria, and diabetes cases detected were not significantly affected negatively. Although most of the health indicators began to recover during the pandemic, the health-care workers’ strike resulted in nearly all indicators falling to numbers lower than those observed at the onset or during the pre-strike pandemic period.InterpretationThe COVID-19 pandemic and the associated health-care workers’ strike in Kenya have been associated with a substantial disruption of essential health services, with the use of outpatient visits, screening and diagnostic services, and child immunisation adversely affected. Efforts to maintain the provision of these essential health services during a health-care crisis should target the susceptible services to prevent the exacerbation of associated disease burdens during such health crises.FundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

TU6.1 Tackling the training deficit due to COVID-19 disruptions

Abstract Aim Surgical training has been severely affected by stop, start and stop of elective surgical activity during the COVID pandemic. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of strategies put in place to tackle them. Methodology We looked at the four UK Statutory Education Bodies (SEBs) published guidance and trainee led resources to see what measures were put in place to mitigate the severe disruptions in surgical training due to COVID-19 pandemic. Results Across the world, training programmes have been affected and craft specialities have fared the worst. Lesser operative experience and redeployment to non-surgical critical areas being the top 2 causes. A Post Graduate Medical Education (PGME) Recovery Programme was established in April 2021 to reset, recover and reform PGME with one to one trainee recovery discussions. Simulations and virtual CME sessions are being put in place to help mitigate the deficiencies in the current training programmes. These measure may be suitable for Medical specialities, but Surgical specialities need hands on training on human cadavers in lieu to catch up and prevent extension of period of training. Conclusion The COVID 19 pandemic has not only affected the physical and mental well-being of trainees but has also restricted training opportunities, professional development and severely dented trainee confidence. The plans put in place are not good enough for surgical trainees who need hands on experience. Increased didactic teaching around cadaveric training programs is the quickest way of overcoming this deficit.

Programmatic adaptations to acute malnutrition screening and treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID‐19 pandemic presented numerous challenges to acute malnutrition screening and treatment. To enable continued case identification and service delivery while minimising transmission risks, many organisations and governments implemented adaptations to community‐based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) programmes for children under 5. These included: Family mid‐upper arm circumference (MUAC); modified admission and discharge criteria; modified dosage of therapeutic foods; and reduced frequency of follow‐up visits. This paper presents qualitative findings from a larger mixed methods study to document practitioners' operational experiences and lessons learned from these adaptations. Findings reflect insights from 37 interviews representing 15 organisations in 17 countries, conducted between July 2020 and January 2021. Overall, interviewees indicated that adaptations were mostly well‐accepted by staff, caregivers and communities. Family MUAC filled screening gaps linked to COVID‐19 disruptions; however, challenges included long‐term accuracy of caregiver measurements; implementing an intervention that could increase demand for inconsistent services; and limited guidance to monitor programme quality and impact. Modified admission and discharge criteria and modified dosage streamlined logistics and implementation with positive impacts on staff workload and caregiver understanding of the programme. Reduced frequency of visits enabled social distancing by minimising crowding at facilities and lessened caregivers' need to travel. Concerns remained about how adaptations impacted children's identification for and progress through treatment and programme outcomes. Most respondents anticipated reverting to standard protocols once transmission risks were mitigated. Further evidence, including multi‐year programmatic data analysis and rigorous research, is needed in diverse contexts to understand adaptations' impacts, including how to ensure equity and mitigate unintended consequences.

Getting home during lockdown: migration disruption, labour control and linked lives in India at the time of Covid-19

ABSTRACT This paper uses the Covid-19 induced migration disruption in India as a lens to interrogate what this acute moment reveals about the precarity of India’s migrant workers and their experiences of work in ordinary times. Interviews with interstate migrants from north India employed in the Tiruppur region in the southern state of Tamil Nadu present their narratives of being stuck at work when lockdown began, their subsequent struggles to get home, and finally their plans to return to Tamil Nadu later in 2020. Migrant accounts of migration disruption shed light on (1) the local labour control regime at destination that routinely keeps interstate migrants locked into highly exploitative work environments, and that was intensified during lockdown, and (2) the ways in which this labour regime thrives on the spatio-temporal separation of productive and reproductive spheres in migrants’ linked lives. The Covid-19 disruption also reveals how this labour regime flexibly adapted to produce the simultaneous disposability and unfreedom of circular migrant workers. Drawing on critical literature on labour control regimes, and on the separation of productive and reproductive labour under contemporary capitalism, we show how the Covid-19 pandemic disruption was anything but a transformative moment for India’s vast circular migrant workforce.

Servitization and organizational resilience of manufacturing firms: Evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak

This study examines how service-oriented business model diversification of manufacturing firms (i.e., servitization) has affected their organizational resilience during the COVID-19 outbreak. We investigate the impact of two types of servitization – product-oriented vs. customer-oriented services – on organizational resilience. Using secondary data collected from 1,914 manufacturing firms listed in the US stock markets, we find that servitization is inversely related to organizational resilience during the COVID-19 disruption; that is, manufacturing firms with more revenue from service businesses endure more significant stock price loss and take longer to bounce back from the loss caused by the COVID-19 disruption. The impact is more pronounced for manufacturing firms providing product-oriented services (than those providing customer-oriented services). This study extends the understanding of the dark side of servitization relating to organizational resilience during a major disruption.