Home Situation Research Articles

Towards Estimation of Emotions From Eye Pupillometry With Low-Cost Devices

Emotional care is important for some patients and their caregivers. Within a clinical or home care situation, technology can be employed to remotely monitor the emotional response of such people. This paper considers pupillometry as a non-invasive way of classifying an individual’s emotions. Standardized audio signals were used to emotionally stimulate the test subjects. Eye pupil images of up to 32 subjects of different genders were captured as video images by low-cost, infrared, Raspberry Pi board cameras. By processing of the images, a dataset of pupil diameters according to gender and age characteristics was established. Appropriate statistical tests for inference of the emotional state were applied to that dataset to establish the subjects’ emotional states in response to the audio stimuli. Results showed agreement between the test subjects’ opinions of their emotional state and the classification of emotions according to the range of pupil diameters found using the described method.

Assessing of patients’ knowledge of anaphylactic shock and allergies.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) identified allergy as one of the major problems of the 21st century. It was also stated to be a key issue for health protection and public health care activity in the White Book on Allergy published in 2011. An allergy or atopy is called type I hypersensitivity. It may take the form of immediate (anaphylaxis) or late symptoms including allergic rhinitis and eye diseases, atopic dermatitis, food allergies, anaphylactic shock, allergic asthma and hives. Anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock can occur at any age. Aim of the study: The goal of the study was to assess patient knowledge about allergies and appropriate actions to take in situations of severe allergic symptoms including anaphylactic shock. Material and methods: The study was conducted in 2018 among 150 adult patients in a clinic of Allergy at Optima Medycyna SA in Opole. The author’s survey questionnaire contained 27 closed single or multiple-choice questions. Results: A satisfactory level of knowledge of the most life-threatening allergy exacerbations was found in 79.3% (119) of the examinees. 53.3% (80) had correct knowledge of how to act in the case of a severe allergic shortness of breath and symptoms that do not subside despite administering medications. In such instances, 46.7% did not know what to do. Only 84.7% (127) of respondents knew the definition of anaphylactic shock while 10% (15) did not know the concept at all. Conclusions: Patients showed a significantly higher level of knowledge about allergy complications than about their causes and prevention. Knowledge about the diagnosis of allergy exacerbations, as well as steps to take in life-threatening situations associated with acute allergic disease and anaphylactic shock in home situations was insufficient. In addition, it was found that nursing staff insufficiently educate patients on allergies and associated complications.

Medical Education in Nepal: Impact and Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a global shift toward online distance learning due to travel limitations and physical distancing requirements as well as medical school and university closures. In low- and middle-income countries like Nepal, where medical education faces a range of challenges-such as lack of infrastructure, well-trained educators, and advanced technologies-the abrupt changes in methodologies without adequate preparation are more challenging than in higher-income countries. In this article, the authors discuss the COVID-19-related changes and challenges in Nepal that may have a drastic impact on the career progression of current medical students. Outside the major cities, Nepal lacks dependable Internet services to support medical education, which frequently requires access to and transmission of large files and audiovisual material. Thus, students who are poor, who are physically disadvantaged, and who do not have a home situation conducive to online study may be affected disproportionately. Further, the majority of teachers and students do not have sufficient logistical experience and knowledge to conduct or participate in online classes. Moreover, students and teachers are unsatisfied with the digital methodologies, which will ultimately hamper the quality of education. Students' clinical skills development, research activities, and live and intimate interactions with other individuals are being affected. Even though Nepal's medical education system is struggling to adapt to the transformation of teaching methodologies in the wake of the pandemic, it is important not to postpone the education of current medical students and future physicians during this crisis. Looking ahead, medical schools in Nepal should ensure that mechanisms are proactively put into place to embrace new educational opportunities and technologies to guarantee a regular supply of high-quality physicians capable of both responding effectively to any future pandemic and satisfying the nation's future health care needs.

Memory palaces to improve quality of life in Alzheimer's disease

AbstractBackgroundDementia is the problem of the future in health care. Dementia is hard for the person living with it, but even more burdensome for his/her environment. The conversational dialogue seems to decline. Dementia is more than memory‐loss, there is also communication‐loss. The primary objective is to examine whether the addition of (augmented) reality to communication strategies can reconnect subjects in the early phase of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) with their caregivers and family members. The secondary objective includes a follow‐up on quality of life (QOL‐AD), feelings of depression (GDS 15) and connectedness (QCPR) of subjects in the early phase of AD and their significant others.MethodWe have developed a mobile health‐application (MemoryHome) which allows caregivers to construct virtual scale models of the residential settings / at home situation. These models function as memory palaces in which photos of significant others are connected to the architectural, spatial environment. It is a visual‐audio‐guide through a well‐known environment and subjects in the early phase of AD can make this walk together with a caregiver or a family member.ResultOur intervention is non‐pharmacological, rather inexpensive, patient‐friendly, unconventional and easy to combine with regular treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Data were collected in two different environments: in homecare and residential settings. Results showed a modest but positive relation with quality of life, connectedness between caregivers and their family members and the absence of feelings of geriatric depression.ConclusionThe mobile application MemoryHome is a convenient instrument to reinforce the dialogue that seemed to diminish between patients and their environment.The application allows participants to independently improve the recall and recognition of familiar faces.

Using interviews and observations in clinical practice to enhance authenticity in virtual patients for interprofessional education

BackgroundInterprofessional collaboration is increasingly important in healthcare, but interprofessional education (IPE) faces challenges, such as different study programmes with varied schedules and campuses. These challenges can be met, in part, by using web-based virtual patients (VPs) as a tool in IPE. However, demands for relevant patient presentations and clinical practice increase when VPs are used by students from different programmes. The aim of this study was to improve the presentation of professional perspectives regarding nurses and physicians and their collaboration in order to increase the clinical authenticity of existing VPs.MethodsClinical observations were conducted to gain familiarity with the context. Semi-structured interviews were performed with individual nurses and physicians with experience of patients with leg ulcers. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe clinical observations exposed a lack of interprofessional collaboration in practice with regard to patients with leg ulcers. The interview analysis resulted in two themes: Clinical care and Organizational structure. The theme Clinical care included nursing with a holistic approach to the patient and awareness of the patient’s well-being, including nutrition and home situation. The theme Organizational structure revealed a lack of teamwork in primary care. The interviewees stressed learning together and sharing responsibility, and they emphasised the importance of implementing interprofessional learning in the education of nurses and physicians in order to stimulate future teamwork. The VP should offer a broad medical history so that healthcare students are made aware of how a disease can affect the patient’s social situation, and thereby illustrate the importance of interprofessional collaboration. The information should also be comprehensive and clear, leading to a diagnosis, so the student can gain clinical knowledge and build a foundation for discussion of treatment.ConclusionsInterviews and observations in clinical practice can be used to enhance authenticity in VPs for interprofessional learning. A thorough look at authentic clinical environments can enrich and improve educational settings using VPs, and it can highlight the challenges students can encounter in clinical care of the patient and in an organisation with regard to interprofessional collaboration.

Restorative Practice in Health and Physical Education: Shifting the Norm from Punitive to Reparative

Traditionally schools have been spaces that are punitive and have strict behavior guidelines that include zero-tolerance policies. Thus, conventional behavior management practices blame students and position them as rule-breakers. Consequently, all students, but particularly those who come from complex backgrounds, minority groups, and vulnerable home situations, are forced into harsh disciplinary regimes increasing their trauma. However, restorative practice was introduced to re-envision practices in schools to become more holistic, harmonious, emotionally intelligent spaces and take into consideration the real lives of young people. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of what restorative practice is and the research carried out in physical education around this important topic. Further, we will present how restorative practice can be used in health and physical education settings in order to break away from traditional behavior management techniques and challenge the status quo for a more equitable, social, and emotional norm in trauma-invested schools today.

Predictors of strain for Canadian caregivers seeking service navigation for their youth with mental health and/or addictions issues.

Caring for youth with mental health and/or addictions (MHA) concerns is associated with caregiver strain, which may lead to negative consequences for youth and their caregivers. These consequences may be mitigated by caregivers and/or youth receiving assistance in navigating the healthcare system. Understanding what factors are associated with caregiver strain may be important in developing and implementing navigation services for such families; nonetheless, limited evidence currently exists regarding the predictors of strain in caregivers seeking navigation support. This study aimed to determine whether (a) the mental health profile of youth and (b) the home and family situation for youth with MHA concerns contribute significantly to strain in caregivers engaged in navigation. Data were collected from 66 adults caring for at least one youth with MHA issues accessing navigation service in Toronto, Ontario, between March and August 2018. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to determine which factors were associated with caregiver strain. The first regression model exploring youth-specific independent variables (adjusted r2 =.478, F6,47 =9.086, p<.001) demonstrated that lower levels of caregiver-rated youth health (β=-0.577, p=.001) and higher levels of youth mental health symptom severity (β=0.077, p<.001) significantly predicted higher levels of strain. The second regression model (adjusted r2 =.348, F5,54 =7.287, p<.001) showed that lower levels of family functioning (β=-0.089, p<.001) significantly predicted higher levels of strain. Higher levels of caregiver strain in caregivers of youth with MHA concerns who are accessing navigation services are associated with lower levels of caregiver-rated youth health, higher levels of youth mental health symptom severity, and lower levels of family functioning. These predictors may be potential targets for providers aiming to reduce caregiver strain, as part of navigation or other healthcare services.

Supply Chain Risks in Cybersecurity

Covid-19 has highlighted the fragility of supply chains in a range of critical infrastructure: food, medicines, health care, information technology, communications, and more. This paper focuses on an under-appreciated supply chain risk—network cybersecurity—that was present before the pandemic and which the pandemic brings into sharper focus. While the proliferation of digital services has created significant value and employment opportunities, it has also created a wide array of new cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities of DVRs, CCTVs, voting machines, and municipal systems, leading to denial of service attacks and ransomware hold ups are known. But, these examples miss a problem. Although these examples give the impression that only certain hardware and specific entities are affected, taking networked cybersecurity into account changes yields different conclusions. For example, given that enterprise software, which is common for work at home situations, is rapidly becoming a cybersecurity vulnerability, anyone connected by this software necessarily becomes a target too. Malicious cyber incidents, like data breaches, can have ripple effects across a network of businesses and sectors. Current definitions and regulations of Critical Infrastructure (CI) overlook this point. We argue that the network dimension of cybersecurity supply chain risk is an important, under-studied aspect of the problem. Legal definitions of CI and the voluntary nature of cybersecurity governance leave gaps in the classification of CI and how to identify cybersecurity risk, particularly in the professional services sector. In addition, the voluntary nature of cybersecurity governance demands risk-based and objective measures to aid in identifying when to take steps on improving cybersecurity, but exactly what such metrics are is, at best, evolving. We address both these problems. By drawing on a new dataset, we develop metrics that measure productivity effects and that captures network cybersecurity risk. This approach allows us to show that a major sector, professional services, is missed by current definitions of critical infrastructure, but could be captured if CI definitions accounted for networked cybersecurity risk. In addition, the approach aids voluntary participation in mitigating cybersecurity risk because it provides a way for any firm or sector to identify and assess the nature of its networked cybersecurity risk. In short, networked cybersecurity vulnerabilities can adversely affect aggregate growth and national security objectives because of connectivity across firms and sectors. This work seeks to provide a path forward for understanding, defining, and protecting networked cybersecurity.

How To Build a Successful Urgent-Start Peritoneal Dialysis Program.

In-center hemodialysis (HD) remains the predominant dialysis therapy in patients with ESKD. Many patients with ESKD present in late stage, requiring urgent dialysis initiation, and the majority start HD with central venous catheters (CVCs), which are associated with poor outcomes and high cost of care. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters can be safely placed in such patients with late-presenting ESKD, obviating the need for CVCs. PD can begin almost immediately in the recumbent position, using low fill volumes. Such PD initiations, commencing within 2 weeks of the catheter placement, are termed urgent-start PD (USPD). Most patients with an intact peritoneal cavity and stable home situation are eligible for USPD. Although there is a small risk of PD catheter-related mechanical complications, most can be managed conservatively. Moreover, overall outcomes of USPD are comparable to those with planned PD initiations, in contrast to the high rate of catheter-related infections and bacteremia associated with urgent-start HD. The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has further exposed the vulnerability of patients with ESKD getting in-center HD. PD can mitigate the risk of infection by reducing environmental exposure to the virus. Thus, USPD is a safe and cost-effective option for unplanned dialysis initiation in patients with late-presenting ESKD. To develop a successful USPD program, a strong infrastructure with clear pathways is essential. Coordination of care between nephrologists, surgeons or interventionalists, and hospital and PD center staff is imperative so that patient education, home visits, PD catheter placements, and urgent PD initiations are accomplished expeditiously. Implementation of urgent-start PD will help to increase PD use, reduce cost, and improve patient outcomes, and will be a step forward in fostering the goal set by the Advancing American Kidney Health initiative.

Teaching a hands-on course during corona lockdown: from problems to opportunities

Teaching a hands- and minds-on course, in which feedback is essential in order to learn, is difficult, especially in times of COVID-19 where student progression cannot be monitored directly. During the lockdown period, the workshops of an undergraduate Design Engineering course had to be transferred to the home situation, which required a redesign of this course by the staff. It also provided new opportunities for students to adapt to this situation, which required extra creativity and problem-solving skills. The adapted workshops revealed conditions that enhance maker education. However, providing timely feedback required a substantial amount of time not anticipated for. We also report that short instruction videos seem to work much better than longer lectures or tedious materials. As we practice what we preach, we will evaluate the course and apply our design knowledge acquired over the years.

An Integrated Fault Isolation and Prognosis Method for Electric Drive Systems of Battery Electric Vehicles

The electric drive system is a key subsystem of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Abnormalities in the electric drive system components may lead to performance degradation in the drive system and, more severely, loss of power in the vehicle. This article presents an integrated prognosis system for early detection and isolation of the electric drive system and component faults. The system first calculates multiple health features, known as health indicators derived from the available onboard sensor signals. Then, an integrated prognostic and fault isolation strategy is used to isolate the root cause of electric drive faults by monitoring the performance of the multiple health indicators. The prognostic system uses a hierarchical approach: it first determines if there is a degradation in the electric drive system by comparing the system achieved torque with the estimated torque and, then, goes further to check multiple component-level health indicators for the various components comprising an electric drive system, including motor stator winding, three-phase current sensors, and resolver. After a component has been detected to degrade to a certain level, the prognosis system sends out an alert before the severe performance reduction of the drive system occurs, thus protecting the customers from loss of propulsion and walk home situations.

Tele-Assisted Behavioral Intervention for Families with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Control Trial.

Background: Telehealth is useful for both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and treatment, but studies with a direct comparison between teletherapy and traditional in-person therapy are limited. Methods: This randomized control trial—ISRCTN (International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number) primary clinical trial registry ID ISRCTN15312724—was aimed at comparing the effect of a tele-assisted and in-person intervention based on a behavioral intervention protocol for families with children affected by ASDs. Forty-two parents with children with autism (30 months to 10 years old) were randomly assigned to 12 sessions of an applied behavioral analysis (ABA) intervention implemented in an individual and group setting, either with or without the inclusion of tele-assistance. Pre- and postintervention assessments were conducted using the Home Situation Questionnaire (HSQ-ASD) and the Parental Stress Index (PSI/SF). Results: Substantial improvements in the perception and management of children’s behavior by parents, as well as in the influence of a reduction in parent stress levels on said children’s behavior through the use of a tele-assisted intervention, were obtained. Conclusions: This randomized controlled trial demonstrates the evidence-based potential for telehealth to improve treatment of ASDs.

Patients\u2019 perceptions of frequent hospital admissions: a qualitative interview study with older people above 65\u2009years of age

BackgroundAlthough ‘frequent flyer’ hospital admissions represent barely 3 to 8% of the total patient population in a hospital, they are responsible for a disproportionately high percentage (12 to 28%) of all admissions. Moreover, hospital admissions are an important contributor to health care costs and overpopulation in various hospitals. The aim of this research is to obtain a deeper insight into the phenomenon of frequent flyer hospital admissions. Our objectives were to understand the patients’ perspectives on the cause of their frequent hospital admissions and to identify the perceived consequences of the frequent flyer status.MethodsThis qualitative study took place at the University Hospital of Leuven. The COREQ guidelines were followed to provide rigor to the study. Patients were included when they had at least four overnight admissions in the past 12 months, an age above 65 years and hospital admission at the time of the study. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and encoded in NVivo.ResultsThirteen interviews were collected. A total of 17 perceived causes for frequent hospital admission were identified, which could be divided into the following six themes: patient, drugs, primary care, secondary care, home and family. Most of the causes were preventable or modifiable. The perceived consequences of being a frequent flyer were divided into the following six themes: body, daily life functioning, social participation, mental status and spiritual dimension. Negative experiences were linked to frequent flying and could be situated mainly in the categories of social participation, mental status and spiritual dimensions.ConclusionsFrequent hospital admissions may be conceived as an indicator, i.e., a ‘red flag’, of patients’ situations characterized by physical, mental, spiritual and social deprivation in their home situation.

MHealth Interventions to Promote Anti-Retroviral Adherence in HIV: Narrative Review.

BackgroundAntiretrovirals (ARVs) are key in the management of HIV. Although no cure exists, ARVs help patients live healthy lives and prevent transmission to others. Adherence to complex regimens is paramount to outcomes and in avoiding the emergence of drug-resistant viruses. The goal of therapy is to reach an undetectable viral load. However, adherence is a common problem, stemming from issues such as mental health, chaotic home situations, and busy work schedules. Mobile health (mHealth) represents a new approach in improving medication adherence, and multiple studies have been performed in this area.ObjectiveThis study aims to review the current implementation of mHealth in the management of HIV among different groups of patients.MethodsWe used PubMed, Academic Search Elite, and 1 journal database with various search terms to review the current implementation of mHealth in HIV care.ResultsTitles and abstracts were screened, and 61 papers were identified and fully reviewed. The literature was divided into lower- and higher-income nations, as defined by the United Nations. A total of 20 studies with quantitative results were identified, with 10 being text- and SMS-based interventions (the majority of these being in lower-income countries) and 8 being smartphone-based apps (primarily in higher-income countries). The majority of these studies determined whether there was an effect on adherence or biochemical parameters (viral load and CD4 count). Various qualitative studies have also been conducted, and many have focused on determining the specific design of interventions that were successful (frequency of messaging, types of messages, etc) as well as priorities for patients with regard to mHealth interventions.ConclusionsThere seems to be a role of mHealth in the management of HIV in lower-income nations; however, the optimal design of an intervention needs to be delineated. In higher-income countries, where the 2 significant risk factors were injection drugs and men who have sex with men, the benefit was less clear, and more research is needed.

Enduring rural poverty: Stigma, class practices and social networks in a town in the Groninger Veenkoloniën.

In the Groninger Veenkoloniën, a former peat region in the northeast of the Netherlands, persistent poverty is more prevalent compared to other rural regions in the country. Grounded in participant observations and supplemented by in-depth interviews capturing the social life history of 21 participants, this paper paints a detailed picture of the social networks and class practices of those experiencing persisting poverty in the examined town and surrounding region. In addition, we explore the relations between the rural context and lived experiences of class and poverty. Our findings highlight the complex experience as well as spatial embeddedness of persisting poverty. We find that, although the specific circumstances to which the participants are exposed vary greatly, the repercussions in terms of the characteristics of their social networks and practices are very similar. In general, the social networks of participants are fragmented and small, tightly knit, and characterized by clear power imbalances. The most formative experiences that result in the isolation of networks of poor are found to occur in the home and family situation during childhood years. We argue that poverty and the region's history are intricately interwoven resulting in a socio-spatial stigma which in turn contributes to the persistent and intergenerational character of poverty in the rural context of our study. Due to the long history of stigmatization, dismantling the socio-spatial stigma attached to the Groninger Veenkoloniën will presumably take multiple generations.

WEARCON: wearable home monitoring in children with asthma reveals a strong association with hospital based assessment of asthma control

BackgroundAsthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Regular follow-up of physiological parameters in the home setting, in relation to asthma symptoms, can provide complementary quantitative insights into the dynamics of the asthma status. Despite considerable interest in asthma home-monitoring in children, there is a paucity of scientific evidence, especially on multi-parameter monitoring approaches. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate whether asthma control can be accurately assessed in the home situation by combining parameters from respiratory physiology sensors.MethodsSixty asthmatic and thirty non-asthmatic children were enrolled in the observational WEARCON-study. Asthma control was assessed according to GINA guidelines by the paediatrician. All children were also evaluated during a 2-week home-monitoring period with wearable devices; a physical activity tracker, a handheld spirometer, smart inhalers, and an ambulatory electrocardiography device to monitor heart and respiratory rate. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine which diagnostic measures were associated with asthma control.Results24 of the 27 uncontrolled asthmatic children and 29 of the 32 controlled asthmatic children could be accurately identified with this model. The final model showed that a larger variation in pre-exercise lung function (OR = 1.34 95%-CI 1.07–1.68), an earlier wake-up-time (OR = 1.05 95%-CI 1.01–1.10), more reliever use (OR = 1.11 95%-CI 1.03–1.19) and a longer respiratory rate recovery time (OR = 1.12 95%-CI 1.05–1.20) were significant contributors to the probability of having uncontrolled asthma.ConclusionsHome-monitoring of physiological parameters correlates with paediatrician assessed asthma control. The constructed multivariate model identifies 88.9% of all uncontrolled asthmatic children, indicating a high potential for monitoring of asthma control. This may allow healthcare professionals to assess asthma control at home.Trial registrationNetherlands Trail Register, NL6087. Registered 14 February 2017.

Moving a Large-Lecture Organic POGIL Classroom to an Online Setting

As part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring 2020 semester, a large-lecture organic POGIL classroom was moved completely online. Normally the course involved daily group work that was facilitated by undergraduate teaching assistants, and these TAs would also assess student process skills such as critical thinking, information processing, teamwork, and communication. After the move to online instruction, the format of the course dramatically changed. In this communication, we describe the ways in which we attempted to maintain the basic structure of the POGIL classroom in a virtual environment. Changes to the course included the implementation of several online structures to provide students with opportunities to learn in ways that best fit their individual home situations. On the basis of survey data from the students and teaching assistants, we discuss the challenges that these two groups faced, including motivation, organization, and technological issues. We also describe how an online environment requires TAs to play a more active role in encouraging crosstalk between students than a face-to-face setting. Finally, we provide insights into how instructors can address these concerns in future online learning environments, including the use of synchronous and asynchronous activities and changes in assessment practices.

A Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Caring in Chaos—A Volunteer-delivered Parent Training Program in Denmark

Parental competence and child functioning may be enhanced through behavioral parent training (BPT). However, conducting BPT is associated with substantial costs, and availability is often limited. This study assesses the cost-effectiveness of a BPT program in Denmark, Caring in Chaos (CiC), delivered by skilled volunteers (CiC trainers). Parents of three-nine-year-old children with ADHD or similar difficulties were recruited and randomized into treatment (n = 80 children, N = 160 parents) or waitlist control (n = 81 children, N = 162 parents). Parenting competence and child functioning were assessed using the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC) and the Home Situations Questionnaire (HSQ) at baseline and four-month follow-up. Costs for providers included non-recurrent costs, set-up costs, and running costs, and costs for participants were assessed by time use. The total recurrent cost per family is $1,178 (PPP adjusted, 2015) (8,601 DKK, 2015), and the average time use by families is 34.96 h (SD = 11.55). From a provider perspective, CiC is cost effective with a 90% probability, if providers are willing to pay $2,230 (16,287 DKK) or $5,579 (40,744 DKK) per SD gain in PSOC or HSQ, respectively. From a participant perspective, CiC is time effective with a 90% probability, if participants are willing to spend 67 or 165 h per SD gain in PSOC or HSQ, respectively. Overall, our findings suggest that the cost-effectiveness of volunteer-delivered BPT, such as CiC, compares favorably with the cost-effectiveness of BPT programs delivered by professionals.

PROTECT Trial: A cluster-randomized study with hydroxychloroquine versus observational support for prevention or early-phase treatment of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

PROTECT Trial: A cluster-randomized study with hydroxychloroquine versus observational support for prevention or early-phase treatment of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

An affordance perspective of team collaboration and enforced working from home during COVID-19

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has caused unprecedented challenges to our lives. Many governments have forced people to stay at home, leading to a radical shift from on-site to virtual collaboration for many knowledge workers. Existing remote working literature does not provide a thorough explanation of government-enforced working from home situations. Using an affordance lens, this study explores the sudden and enforced issues that COVID-19 has presented, and the technological means knowledge workers use to achieve their team collaboration goals. We interviewed 29 knowledge workers about their experiences of being required to work from home and introduced the term “enforced work from home”. This paper contributes to the affordance theory by providing an understanding of the substitution of affordances for team collaboration during COVID-19. The shifting of affordances results in positive and negative effects on team collaboration as various affordances of technology were perceived and actualised to sustain “business as usual”.