Physical Visits Research Articles

Fire load and fire growth characteristics in modern high-rise buildings

Fire load is the major contributor to the heat release rate, which defines the severity of a fire event in buildings. It is necessary to have a well-defined fire load for residential buildings to perform an adequate fire safety design. This study estimates the fire load and fire growth for modern residential apartments using survey results of 50 high-rise buildings in Istanbul, Turkey. The survey methodology is the inventory method primarily based on size measurements and photographic information obtained from physical visits to apartments and digital inventory of real-estate websites. Fire loads in living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens form the basis of the study. Results show that the average fire load density in living rooms range from 310 MJ/m2 to 379 MJ/m2 whereas the range is within 518 MJ/m2 and 650 MJ/m2 for bedrooms. The kitchen has the average fire load density of 552 MJ/m2. Eurocode estimation of the fire load density for dwellings is found overly conservative compared to the survey results. The FDS results provide fire spread times of 1 min–11 min depending on the compartment. Cumulative fire growth curves for living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens are generated using fire load surveys and fire spread results.

The Cost of Stiffness After Total Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundStiffness after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is debilitating and poorly understood. A heterogenous approach to the treatment is often utilized, including both nonoperative and operative treatment modalities. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of treatments used between stiff and non-stiff TKA groups and their financial impact. MethodsAn observational cohort study was conducted using a large database. A total of 12,942 patients who underwent unilateral primary TKA from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017, were included. Stiffness after TKA was defined as manipulation under anesthesia and a diagnosis code of stiffness or ankylosis, and subsequent diagnosis and procedure codes were used to identify the prevalence and financial impact of multiple common treatment options. ResultsThe prevalence of stiffness after TKA was 6.1%. Stiff patients were more likely to undergo physical therapy, medication, bracing, alternative treatment, clinic visits, and reoperation. Revision surgery was the most common reoperation in the stiff TKA group (7.6%). The incidence of both arthroscopy and revision surgery were higher in the stiff TKA population. Dual component revisions were costlier for patients who had stiff TKAs ($65,771 versus $48,287; P < .05). On average, patients who had stiffness after TKA endured costs from 1.5 to 7.5 times higher than the cost of their non-stiff counterparts during the 2 years following index TKA. ConclusionPatients who have stiffness after primary TKA face significantly higher treatment costs for both operative and nonoperative treatments than patients who do not have stiffness.

Hospital-Wide Intervention in Billing and Coding to Capture Complexity of Care at an Academic Referral Center.

Downcoding at nonprofit healthcare institutions can account for significant revenue losses that, in turn, can affect the amount and quality of care they provide. Using the inpatient medical note to assess the complexity of care, we wanted to quantify the visit coding distribution at the largest tertiary care center in West Virginia and to improve the documentation and coding if found to be below national benchmarks. We measured the number of encounters and associated documentation of level 1, 2, and 3 visits among hospitalists. We compared our data to national benchmark data. We then implemented a multifaceted, multidisciplinary intervention to improve documentation and coding. We found a significant average increase of level 3 admission history and physical visits of 76% ( p &lt; .0001) and 112% ( p &lt; .001) for subsequent encounters compared with baseline preintervention visit types. With team-based coding interventions in place, documentation accurately now reflects the complexity of care delivered. Based on Medicare reimbursement rates, this new accuracy has led to an increase in revenue of $233, 988.79 per 10,000 encounters. Provider knowledge of medical billing and coding guidelines is essential. In particular, large academic institutions typically operate on small margins, so even simple adjustments and quality improvement efforts in billing and coding can help immensely by accurately representing the amount and quality of medical services. An institution can markedly improve revenues by coding notes to reflect the true complexity of care that is delivered.

Improving the uptake of prehabilitation interventions for older adults prior to cancer treatment using telehealth in the Geriatric Oncology One-Stop Clinic.

55 Background: Prehabilitation in older patients aged ≥ 65 years undergoing cancer surgery and systemic therapy is crucial in reducing treatment complications and improving physical health, psychological well-being, quality of life (QOL) and cancer-related outcomes. However, a majority of older patients (80%) attending our Geriatric Oncology (GO) One-Stop clinic do not receive same day Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA)-directed Allied Health Interventions (AHI) for prehabilitation during their First Visit (FV). Objectives: The objective of this study is to increase the uptake of same day CGA-directed AHI for prehabilitation from 20% to 60% using telehealth. Methods: Older patients planned for an FV at the GO One-Stop clinic in an academic tertiary center, the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) were recruited. Our workflow was revised so that all FV patients underwent CGA via telehealth prior to the physical visit. Based on the preliminary CGA findings, a multidisciplinary geriatric oncology board planned for prehabilitation interventions which would be performed on the same day as the physical visit. Interim follow-up via telehealth by GO nurses helped to monitor patients for treatment-related toxicities and development of new geriatric syndromes. QOL was assessed during the FV and 3 months later. Results: Two hundred seventy-five patients were recruited from July 2020 to January 2022. 60% (n = 165) received prehabilitation interventions in the One-Stop clinic. The average time spent per visit was shortened from 4 hours to 2.5hours, but completed interventions on same day rose from 1 to 3. The proportion of patients who responded that they benefited from the program on the patient satisfactory survey remained high at 96%. 84.8% were satisfied with the hybrid telehealth model and 80.8% of them reported a maintained or improved QOL after being enrolled into the program. Conclusions: Adoption of telehealth for CGA is a feasible and effective method in improving prehabilitation interventions uptake for GO patients. GO hybrid model of care is a sustainable practice with no additional cost incurred.

Experiences of activity monitoring and perceptions of digital support among working individuals with hip and knee osteoarthritis – a focus group study

BackgroundMobile health (mHealth), wearable activity trackers (WATs) and other digital solutions could support physical activity (PA) in individuals with hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA), but little is described regarding experiences and perceptions of digital support and the use of WAT to self-monitor PA. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences of using a WAT to monitor PA and the general perceptions of mHealth and digital support in OA care among individuals of working age with hip and knee OA.MethodsWe conducted a focus group study where individuals with hip and knee OA (n = 18) were recruited from the intervention group in a cluster-randomized controlled trial (C-RCT). The intervention in the C-RCT comprised of 12-weeks use of a WAT with a mobile application to monitor PA in addition to participating in a supported OA self-management program. In this study, three focus group discussions were conducted. The discussions were transcribed and qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was applied.ResultsThe analysis resulted in two main categories: A WAT may aid in optimization of PA, but is not a panacea with subcategories WATs facilitate PA; Increased awareness of one’s limitations and WATs are not always encouraging, and the second main category was Digital support is an appreciated part of OA care with subcategories Individualized, early and continuous support; PT is essential but needs to be modernized and Easy, comprehensive, and reliable digital support.ConclusionWATs may facilitate PA but also aid individuals with OA to find the optimal level of activity to avoid increased pain. Digital support in OA care was appreciated, particularly as a part of traditional care with physical visits. The participants expressed that the digital support should be easy, comprehensive, early, and continuous.

Towards blended external quality assurance agencies: a European experience

During this pandemic period, many external quality assurance agencies organised their external assessment visits to higher education institutions virtually. This has been an experience that must be valued, determining whether in future it makes sense to continue organising visits virtually or adopting other similar formats. To this end, this article presents the results of a survey carried out among participants in 100 external assessment panels. Four different items have been analysed: satisfaction with different aspects of the virtual site visits, overall satisfaction, the visit of the facilities and the future of virtual visits. The results show that satisfaction with the process is very broad. Moreover, the physical visit to the facilities is still valued very positively. Few statistically significant differences have been found between programme and institutional accreditation processes, which suggests that whatever the future proposal is, it would follow a similar strategy in both cases.

Museum communication management in digital ecosystems. Impact of COVID-19 on digital strategy

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected the world's cultural institutions, as well as driving digitization and a change in the relationships with their audiences. This study explores how the most visited art-museums in Spain have reacted through their social networks to the pandemic. Two key moments, the confinement and a period one-year after the declaration of the health crisis are compared. A mixed method by combining a content analysis of 2392 publications on Twitter and Instagram and two regression models evidence that COVID-19 has been a turning point in the management of museum communication in digital ecosystems. The main findings highlight the importance of active listening and the ability of these channels to create experiences beyond the physical visit. The strategic value of its implementation is underlined. Practical implications are included and it emphasized the role of entertainment and social support of the museums in crisis situations.

Cell Phone Availability and Usage for mHealth and Intervention Delivery to Persons Living With HIV in a Low-Resource Setting: Cross-sectional Study.

BackgroundHIV/AIDS is now a manageable chronic illness owing to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), which involves routine follow-up care, including regular physical visits to the clinic. In the recent past, and in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased need for virtual care and intervention delivery, a modality known as mobile health (mHealth), which includes cell phone–delivered services for medical and public health practice.ObjectiveHere we describe cell phone use and its relationship with alcohol use in a cohort of persons living with HIV and latent tuberculosis (TB).MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a cohort of persons living with HIV and latent TB in HIV care in southwestern Uganda. We estimated proportions of cell phone and text message use and evaluated their associations with alcohol use—a common modifiable behavior among persons living with HIV. Cell phone use (primary outcome) was defined as owning a cell phone that is turned on at least half of the day. Any alcohol use was defined as any self-reported alcohol use in the prior 3 months or a phosphatidylethanol (an alcohol biomarker) level of ≥8 ng/mL.ResultsA total of 300 participants (median age 40 years; n=146, 48.7% male) were included in the analysis. Most (n=267, 89.0%) participants had access to a phone and of them, 26 (9.7%) shared the phone with someone else. In total, 262/300 (87.3%) of participants owned a cell phone that is turned on at least half of the time; the majority (n=269, 89.7%) rarely or never sent text messages, and over two-thirds (n=200, 66.9%) rarely or never received text messages. Most (n=214, 71.3%) had any alcohol use in the prior 3 months. In adjusted analyses, any alcohol use was not significantly associated with cell phone use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.48, 95% CI 0.18-1.25; P=.13) or sending (aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.28-2.37; P=.71) or receiving (aOR 1.31, 95% CI 0.70-2.47; P=.40) text messages.ConclusionsThere is hope that mHealth interventions in this population can be carried out using cell phones owing to their popularity; however, the interventions may need to employ methods that do not rely on the sending and receiving of text messages only.

The impact of COVID-19 on museums in the digital era: Practices and challenges in Hong Kong

PurposeDuring the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, museums, as public gathering places for citizens, have encountered unprecedented difficulties due to limitations to operate as usual for their traditional exhibitions and curations. Thus, museums made corresponding emergency attempts to accelerate digital resource and service platform constructions. Such difficulties aroused many potential problems with the applicability of electronic resources and the mismatch between user expectations and museum services. This study investigates the challenges faced by Hong Kong museums under COVID-19, emergency responses and deliberate practices of Hong Kong museums from the perspective of both museum staff and visitors, and COVID-19's influence on the roles and functions of Hong Kong museums.Design/methodology/approachQualitative interviews with museum staff and visitors were conducted to collect opinions and experiences in the construction and maintenance of museums during the pandemic. Further thematic analyses of museum websites, evaluations, and suggestions were formulated guided by the PEST (Political, Economic, Social, Technological) and AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) models.FindingsFindings revealed many online interactions and offline renovations, but the perceptions of visitors and staff differed considerably. While online resources and virtual museums were expanded and well received, long-term prohibitions and repressions drove physical visit desire. Participants emphasized finding a balance between user expectations and realistic practices.Originality/valueScant studies focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the cultural industry, especially in East Asia. This study also highlights new practices of digitalization and the challenges of functional transformation. The authors' findings and suggestions provide hints to optimize the curation of information resources and improve museum service quality in the new digital era. This study also serves as a reliable and meaningful record of COVID-19 impacts on Hong Kong museums.

Access to health care perceived by parents caring for their child at home supported by eHealth—a directed approach introducing aperture

BackgroundIn recent years a variety of eHealth solutions has been introduced to enhance efficiency and to empower patients, leading to a more accessible and equitable health care system. Within pediatric care eHealth has been advocated to reduce emergency and hospital outpatient visits, with many parents preferring eHealth to physical visits following the transition from hospital to home. Still, not many studies have focused on access from the parental perspective. Therefore, the aim of the study was to analyze access to health care as perceived by parents when caring for their child at home, with conventional care supported by eHealth following pediatric surgery or preterm birth.MethodsTwenty-five parents who went home with their child following hospitalization and received conventional care supported by eHealth (a tablet) were interviewed in this qualitative study. Directed content analysis was used, guided by a framework for dimensions of access previously described as: approachability, acceptability, affordability, appropriateness, and availability.ResultsAll dimensions of access were present in the material with the dimensions of approachability, appropriateness and acceptability most frequently emphasized. The dimensions highlighted a strong acceptance of eHealth, which was perceived by the parents as beneficial, particularly access to communication with health care personnel familiar to them. The chat function of the tablet was often mentioned as positive. A new dimension was also identified: “aperture.” It is defined by the pathways by which communication is transmitted in cyberspace, and these pathways are not easily visualized for parents submitting information, therefore generating concerns.ConclusionsParents generally experienced good access to the eHealth-supported health care. Describing access through its dimensions complemented previous descriptions of eHealth in pediatric care and gave new insights. As such, the new dimension of “aperture”, the indeterminate opening of pathways of communication reflecting the uncertainty of not comprehending cyberspace, could be further evaluated. The dimensional framework of access is recommended when evaluating eHealth in the future.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04150120.

Overcoming the Odds

This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study that has explored rural students’ experiences with online learning in Tanzania. The study used purposive sampling to select twenty-five participants. It employed a phenomenological design, primarily using semi-structured interviews coupled with document review, to obtain data on students’ lived experiences. The data was then subjected to thematic analysis to generate study findings which show that rural students used the Moodle system to support their online learning. Moreover, they had Zoom meetings, discussion forums and WhatsApp as recourse to the Moodle system. According to the findings, the students faced challenges such as poor access to the Internet, prohibitive costs of learning infrastructure, and limited technical skills. Furthermore, these students faced inflexible schedules and limited access to assistive technologies. As a result, they complemented their study processes with downloaded materials, printed learning materials, regional centre physical visits and university graduates’ additional support. The study concludes that the complex nature of the rural environment marked by limited infrastructural and technological development makes studying through ODL doubly daunting for rural-based students. The paper, therefore, recommends instituting transformative strategies aimed to enhance the quality of rural students’ lived experiences of ODL online learning.

Healthcare workers’ perceptions of how eHealth applications can support self-care for patients undergoing planned major surgery

BackgroundIn planned major surgery the duration of inpatient hospital care during the last decade has decreased because of a combination of different perioperative interventions. It is expected that patients can manage the needed pre- and postoperative self-care to a large extent on their own. This entails challenges to healthcare system to deliver appropriate information to patients in a safe and efficient manner. The aim of this study was therefore to describe healthcare workers’ perceptions of how eHealth applications can support patients’ self-care in relation to planned major surgery.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were performed with sixteen healthcare workers from different disciplines. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the phenomenography approach.ResultsHealthcare workers perceived both positive aspects and challenges with eHealth applications for self-care. eHealth applications can work as an information source, affect patients’ understanding of self-care, improve patients’ participation in self-care, streamline communication with healthcare professionals and improve patient safety during the pre- and postoperative period. The challenges included perceptions of that eHealth applications may have negative impact on personal interaction in care. eHealth applications may not be useful to all patients because of lack of equipment or knowledge and may increase patients’ suffering if physical visits are replaced by digital solutions.ConclusionsThis study improves our understanding of healthcare workers’ perceptions of how the use of self-care eHealth applications can support patients in performing pre- and postoperative self-care for major surgery. Access to appropriate and personalized information and instructions can improve patients’ understanding of self-care and enhance the participation and safety of those who can afford and handle digital tools. All these aspects must be considered in future digital development of eHealth applications to guarantee a person-centered care.

Islamic college libraries facing the covid-19 pandemic

Background of the study: The library has been running normally. But it changed 360 degrees when the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak hit. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze how Islamic university libraries in Indonesia faced the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the IAIN Curup Library. Method: The design of this research is descriptive qualitative, the informants in this study are the head of the library and management staff / librarian, and the data collection technique uses surveys, interviews and documentation. While the data analysis using qualitative descriptive techniques. Findings: The results of the study show that there are several creativity and innovations that have been carried out by the IAIN Curup Library in dealing with the current epidemic of the Covid-19 pandemic, including 1) Making online membership cards; 2) SKBP services online; 3) Access books online; 4) Join to telegram; and 5) Auto WhatsApp as an alternative to library services. Then there are several things that the IAIN Curup library has done in the face of the covid 19 pandemic, namely 1) strengthening e-resources at IAIN Curup such as e-repository, IAIN Curup e-library, e-theses, and open educational resources, where all these resources will support lectures and other academic activities. 2) Implementation of health protocols when entering the library, for example wearing masks, maintaining distance, limiting the number of visitors, and providing good sanitation facilities. Conclusion: The Covid 19 pandemic that is currently engulfing the library has closed all doors for visitors so that the library has no visitors at all (in this case a physical visit) to the library, therefore facing this issue, the Islamic CollegeLibrary in this case must do the following: creativity and innovation.

Remote hearing aid renewal using pre-existing audiograms during the covid-19 pandemic

Objective During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, many patients cancelled their scheduled hearing aid renewal. We offered to send them new hearing aids programmed according to the audiometric data on file. In this study we compared remote hearing aid renewal to a conventional renewal with a recent audiogram based on scores from the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) questionnaire. We also examined the need for a physical visit for hearing aid adjustment in the remote group and analysed the accuracy of the pre-existing audiogram correction method using data from the control group. Design Retrospective chart review. Study sample 51 patients who underwent remote hearing aid renewal and 22 control patients who received office-based hearing aid renewal. Results IOI-HA scores were lower in the remote fitted group, but comparison with data from a Swedish nationwide database had no clinically significant differences. A follow-up physical appointment was required in only 20% of the remote group. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between the pure tone averages of the corrected former audiogram and measured audiogram was high. Conclusions Remote hearing aid renewal using existing audiometric data is feasible, and most physical visits can be avoided.

Application of Internet of Medical/Health Things to Decentralized Clinical Trials: Development Status and Regulatory Considerations.

BackgroundThe need for a new style of clinical trials, called decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), has been increasing as they do not depend on physical visits to clinical sites. DCTs are expected to provide a new opportunity to patients who cannot participate in a clinical trial due to geographical and time limitations. For the adoption of DCTs, it is essential that medical devices with Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet of Health Things (IoHT) based technologies are developed and commercially adopted. In this study, we aimed to identify the regulatory considerations when IoMT/IoHT-based technologies are used in DCTs or products developed using DCTs.MethodTo understand the study and development field of IoMT/IoHT comprehensively and panoramically, relevant papers published in Web of Science were searched online. Subsequently, a citation network was obtained and characterized as a cluster using a text mining method to identify IoMT/IoHT-based technologies expected to be utilized in DCTs or products developed using DCTs.Result and DiscussionUpon analysis of the top 15 clusters and subsequent 51 sub-clusters, we identified the therapeutic areas (psychology, neurology) and IoMT/IoHT-based technologies (telemedicine, remote monitoring, and virtual reality) that are expected to be used in DCTs. We also identified several considerations based on the current regulatory guidance.ConclusionIoMT/IoHT-based technologies that are expected to be used or products developed using DCTs and key considerations made when they are used in DCTs were identified. The considerations could encourage conducting DCTs using IoMT/IoHT-based technologies.

Code status discussions in outpatient setting.

e13539 Background: In the face of the COVID 19 pandemic, goal-concordant care has been gaining further significance. Discussions about the care goals are best when they are exploratory, conversational, and longitudinal. Complex information processing is best done outside of a crisis. Ideally, these conversations should start with the primary care clinician who has a longitudinal clinical relationship with the patient. Methods: A quality initiative project was conducted at the Internal Medicine Residency Clinic located in Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Hospital. Review of order entry in electronic medical records and charts for code status was assessed for data gathering. Patients above the age of 65 years presenting for their annual physical visit were included in the study. Various interventions were done, including educating residents through didactic lectures, sending electronic reminders to the residents and formatting a template note including code status documentation. Pre and post-intervention data was gathered. Results: A total of 104 patients were in the pre-intervention group and 94 patients in the post-intervention group. Pre-intervention, code status was addressed in 33% of total patients interviewed during their annual physical visit. Post intervention, code status was addressed in 48% of the patients. Conclusions: This project was undertaken to increase awareness on a crucial aspect of the addressing code status in outpatient setting. Post intervention studies showed that addressing code status significantly increased. In order to fill the gap, we propose that addressing code status be a mandatory process or a reminder be generated in electronic health records.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Based 360 Degree Panoramic Environment Generator for Virtual Tour

Abstract: We are entering an era of digital wonders and some of the most fascinating fields to have emerged from the technological revolution are virtual-reality and other related technologies, which are playing an increasingly important role in connecting the whole world like never before. The proposed platform will enable the rapid origination of virtual interactive environments using panoramic photos, videos with 360-degree orientation and audio along with the capability to integrate live audio and video in the virtual environment. A prototype for this platform has been designed by using the open-source Marzipano tool that uses the Apache 2.0 license and is hosted on an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud-server. To create a virtual model, environment suitable panoramic images with 360-degree orientation are supplied and then interconnected together to form the virtual experience. In the present day and age, the need for such a platform has become increasingly vital as such a platform can be implemented to avoid social interactions as and when necessary, viz., in a situation where physically visiting a place is not possible due to the enactment of lockdown measures. The platform can also be used to very rapidly design and implement virtual-tours and campaigns. This brings with it the promise to ensure that people don’t feel isolated in case a physical visit to a location is not possible due to unforeseen circumstances such as pandemics and it can also be used by organizations and businesses for product marketing purposes by quickly creating interactive virtual environments showcasing their products to their prospective clients or by creating interactive virtual models which will enable their clients to gain an idea about their services in a manner similar to that of kinaesthetic-learning. Keywords: virtual-reality, Marzipano, Cloud-server, virtual-tours, pandemics, kinaesthetic-learning etc.

Effect of an interactive mobile health support system and daily weight measurements for pediatric obesity treatment, a 1-year pragmatical clinical trial

BackgroundPediatric obesity lifestyle treatment is not always successful. Frequent clinical visits are of major importance to certify sufficient effect but are difficult due to the associated costs and the great demands on families. We hypothesized that an interactive digital support may reduce the need for frequent physical visits. The aim of the study was to assess 1-year weight outcome for patients using a digital support system compared with standard care.MethodsAn obesity lifestyle treatment with a digital support system was implemented in one clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. Measurements from a custom-made body scale without digits for daily home measurement of weights were transferred via Bluetooth to a mobile application, where BMI Z-score was calculated and presented graphically with an individualized weight loss target curve. An automatic transfer of data to the web-based clinic interface enables a close monitoring of treatment progress, and frequent written communication between the clinical staff and families via the application. One-year outcome was compared with a randomly retrieved, age and sex matched control group from the Swedish childhood obesity treatment register (BORIS), which received standard treatment at other clinics. Main outcome was change in BMI Z-score and missing data was imputed.Results107 children were consecutively included to digi-physical treatment and 321 children to standard care. Age range 4.1–17.4 years (67% males). The attrition rate was 36% and 46% respectively, p = 0.08. After 1 year, the mean ± SD change in BMI Z-score in the treatment group was −0.30 ± 0.39 BMI Z-score units and in the standard care group −0.15 ± 0.28, p = 0.0002. The outcome was better for both sexes and all age groups in the digi-physical treated group.ConclusionA digital support system with a personalized weight-loss target curve and daily weight measurements shared by the family and the clinic is more effective than a standard care childhood obesity treatment.Clinicaltrial.gov IDNCT04323215

THE INFLUENCE OF THE CROWN OF THE CRISIS ON THE ECONOMIES OF SMALL ENVIRONMENTS ON THE EXAMPLE OF POŽEGA-SLAVONIA COUNTY IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

In early 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 epidemic a public health threat at the international level. In addition to the public health problem, the corona crisis with prevention and treatment measures, which required physical distance, isolation, travel bans, visits and gatherings, led to a significant blow to the economies of all countries, even the most developed ones. A large number of sectors and citizens have been affected, supply chains have been disrupted, and the European Union and governments have tried or are still helping with subsidies or other measures to maintain employment and protect technology, workers and jobs. Some sectors such as transport or tourism have recorded huge losses and are facing a breakdown that is not remembered. The Republic of Croatia (and with it the subject of this research the area of Požega-Slavonia County) encountered this vicious disease and its impact on the economy. which is Požega-Slavonia County. The subject of this paper was to investigate certain indicators on the basis of which a conclusion can be drawn about the state of the economy and its impact on other areas of society (especially demographic indicators) which, if favorable, are a prerequisite for citizens to stay in an area. clearly indicate that the economy does not provide quality conditions for citizens to stay in an area, especially during the epidemic COVID-19. The result of the research as an achieved goal would ultimately lead to a better understanding of the state of the economy, security and demographic indicators, and could be used as a basis for the development of future plans and guidelines. To obtain the results, the method of content analysis was used and the related statistical method, which analyzed several groups of indicators, then the method of compilation and classification by which the analyzed content is classified into sets.

The effect of virtual reality on the marketing of residential property

Property technology has ushered in new possibilities for the real estate industry, including the use of virtual reality (VR) technologies by real estate agents when marketing properties. Previous studies have identified factors in determining purchase intents within a virtual setting, but little is known about how such technologies affect homebuyers’ purchase decisions. In this study, a family-home purchase decision-making model is used to conceptualise how VR can affect buyers’ involvement in the property purchasing process. Using transaction data from Wuhan City, China, the study found that a 1% increase in the number of followers visiting an online property portal resulted in a 21% increase in physical home visits. The study also indicates that VR tours shorten the marketing time of property by 6.4% and narrow the bid-ask spread by 2%, ceteris paribus. These findings suggest that emerging property technologies such as VR can enhance the purchase decision-making process and reshape the role of the real estate agent.