Standard Questions Research Articles

Comparing open-ended question methods to vignette methods to explore willingness to obtain pre-exposure prophylaxis access in pharmacies among black men who have sex with men

ABSTRACT Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) are at higher risk of HIV transmission than any other group; however, their uptake of the highly effective HIV prevention medication, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), is low. In collaboration with a communitybased organization in Atlanta, Georgia, we explored ten HIV-negative BMSM’s willingness to obtain PrEP in pharmacies using standard open-ended and vignette qualitative methods. Three overarching themes were identified: privacy, patient-pharmacist interactions, and HIV/STI screening. While open-ended questions allowed participants to provide broad answers on their willingness to receive prevention services at a pharmacy, the vignette drew out specific responses to facilitate in-pharmacy PrEP delivery. Using both openended questions and vignette data collection strategies, BMSM reported high willingness to screen for and uptake PrEP in pharmacies. However, the vignette method allowed for greater depth. Open-ended questions elicited responses that highlighted general barriers and facilitators of PrEP dispensing in pharmacies. However, the vignette allowed participants to customize a plan of action that would best fit their needs. Vignette methods are underutilized in HIV research and may be helpful in supplementing standard open-ended interview questions to uncovering unknown challenges about health behaviors and obtain more robust data on highly sensitive research topics in HIV research.

КОНЦЕПЦИЯ БЛАГОПОЛУЧИЯ СОТРУДНИКОВ КАК ОСНОВА СОЦИАЛЬНОЙ ОТВЕТСТВЕННОСТИ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ

This article is devoted to the description of the concept of well-being of employees of organizations. The place of this concept in the categorical apparatus is determined, the difference between the concept of "employee well-being" and "corporate happiness" is analyzed. The main aspects that make up the prosperity of the staff are established. The most important "zones" of well-being have been identified. The ratio of theoretical and actual responsibility of employers, the state and the employee is investigated. A set of measures to ensure the implementation of the corporate happiness of employees is described. The question of the main standards in this area is disclosed. The importance of paying attention to the well-being of personnel is emphasized, since it, in turn, is the basis of corporate social responsibility.

Evaluation of an Emergency Department Visit Data Mental Health Dashboard.

Local health departments (LHDs) need timely county-level and subcounty-level data to monitor health-related trends, identify health disparities, and inform areas of highest need for interventions as part of their ongoing assessment responsibilities; yet, many health departments rely on secondary data that are not timely and cannot provide subcounty insights. We developed and evaluated a mental health dashboard in Tableau for an LHD audience featuring statewide syndromic surveillance emergency department (ED) data in North Carolina from the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (NC DETECT). We developed a dashboard that provides counts, crude rates, and ED visit percentages at statewide and county levels, as well as breakdowns by zip code, sex, age group, race, ethnicity, and insurance coverage for 5 mental health conditions. We evaluated the dashboards through semistructured interviews and a Web-based survey that included the standardized usability questions from the System Usability Scale. Convenience sample of LHD public health epidemiologists, health educators, evaluators, and public health informaticians. Six semistructured interview participants successfully navigated the dashboard but identified usability issues when asked to compare county-level trends displayed in different outputs (eg, tables vs graphs). Thirty respondents answered all questions on the System Usability Scale for the dashboard, which received an above average score of 86. The dashboards scored well on the System Usability Scale, but more research is needed to identify best practices in disseminating multiyear syndromic surveillance ED visit data on mental health conditions to LHDs.

Reprise fragments in English and Hungarian: Further support for an in-situ Q-equivalence approach to clausal ellipsis

We present a comparative analysis of English and Hungarian reprise fragments. We argue that reprise fragments should be afforded the same theoretical treatment as standard (i.e. nonreprise) fragments. Assuming that standard fragmentary answers and questions are remnants of an ellipsis operation that applies to a clause, this entails that reprise fragments are also remnants of clausal ellipsis. We show that the prevailing approach to standard fragments, which assumes that the remnant of ellipsis always undergoes movement (Merchant 2001, 2004), cannot be plausibly extended to explain the crosslinguistic reprise-fragment data. We argue that a theory is required that restricts antecedents to interrogatives and that allows—but crucially does not require—movement of the remnant. Under this account, the differences observed between English and Hungarian reprise and standard fragments follow from independent syntactic differences in how standard and reprise questions are formed in these languages. We therefore provide new evidence to support theories of ellipsis identity that state that only questions make for suitable antecedents for clausal ellipsis (so-called Q-equivalence approaches) and to support sententialist analyses of clausal ellipsis that permit ellipsis to occur around designated constituents (so-called in-situ approaches).

Systematic Literature Review: Analysis of Ethno-STEM and Student’s Chemistry Literacy Profile in 21st Century

Chemical literacy is students' understanding of chemical reactions, chemical theories and laws, the nature of chemical particles, and the implementation of chemistry in natural phenomena in everyday life. While Ethno-STEM research is the latest research in Indonesia. This is motivated by the socio-cultural diversity that is owned by Indonesia. The focus of this literature study is to map research topics on chemical literacy and Ethno-STEM that are implemented and analyzed opportunities for implementing chemical literacy and Ethno-STEM in learning. This study used the systematic literature review (SLR) method for the last 5 years (2017-2022). A comprehensive search returns thousands of articles from 4 keywords, namely Ethnoscience, STEM, Ethno-STEM and chemical literacy. After screening, 30 articles were found to be reviewed consisting of 7 STEM articles, 6 ethnoscience articles, 7 Ethno-STEM articles and 10 chemical literacy articles. The findings show that a) Ethno-STEM research in Indonesia is conducted on various topics, the biggest topic its self are about approach and learning models is 32% b) the trend of topics discussing chemical literacy is 62% discussing high school chemistry material; 7% discussed chemistry in college and 7% discussed chemistry topics in junior high school; c) Opportunities for implementing chemical literacy in learning must be fully implemented in learning activities, including the need for textbooks that integrate chemical literacy, standardized evaluation questions, chemical literacy learning videos and other media

Pemberdayaan Kelompok Guru Matematika Menerjemahkan Sumber Teks Penalaran Tingkat Tinggi Berbahasa Inggris dengan Google Translate Berbasis Android di Kabupaten Soppeng

English is the world's social language, but teachers still have limitations, especially in translating English texts. The purpose of the service is to provide counselling, training and then assistance for groups of teachers who are involved in the mathematics teacher consultations. The activity involved 28 mathematics teachers as delegates for each school or madrasa in Soppeng Regency. The activity was carried out on two days from 08.00 to 16.00 WITA. Each stage is carried out pre-test and post-test. Data analysis used percentages and paired t-tests with a significance level of 0.05. The results of the service show that 1) the participants' gestures before and after the activity have improved in a better direction, 2) the participants' understanding of translating text in the form of words, syllables, sentences and paragraphs has increased, 3) the skills of participants in translating English texts have increased by an average of 80%, 4 ) there was a significant difference in the improvement before and after counselling, training, and teacher assistance in translating high-level reasoning English text sources. Therefore, improving the ability and skills of translating English texts can use three stages, namely counselling, training and then assistance using text sources from international journals or international standard mathematics questions.

Recruitment of sexual minority and heterosexual colorectal cancer survivors through US cancer registries.

Describe the process, outcomes, and costs of cancer registry recruitment and enrollment of sexual minority and heterosexual non-metastatic colorectal cancer survivors into an observational survivorship study. We recruited stage I-III colorectal cancer survivors from four US cancer registries. Potential participants were screened for eligibility, and all eligible sexual minority and every 10th heterosexual survivor was invited to participate in a 45-min telephone interview. We mailed study packets to 17,855 individuals and obtained 6370 screening surveys of presumed eligible individuals. After screening, there were 182 eligible sexual minority and 5568 eligible heterosexual survivors. Of the 719 invited survivors, 127 sexual minority and 353 heterosexual individuals participated in the interview. There were some small differences in personal and neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics for the survivors who screened eligible and completed the interview relative to the registry sample. The per-participant direct costs were about $40, $120, and $1425 in the registry, screened eligible, and interviewed samples, respectively. Although we did not observe substantial selection biases, the costs of enrolling a representative sample were high. Inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity as standard demographic questions in cancer registries is needed for reliable and cost-efficient monitoring of population health.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF INQUIRY METHOD BASED EXPLANATORY TEXT WITH PISA FRAMEWORK FOR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Research and development of a module for reading explanatory texts based on inquiry methods and PISA standardized questions has been carried out in class VIII SMP N 52 Palembang. This study aimed to produce reading modules that suit the needs of teachers and students. The research method used was development research with the steps of research on the development of the Jolly and Bolitho and Dick, Carey Carey models which include identification of needs, exploration of material needs, contextual realization, production of materials, expert validation, one to one evaluation, small group and field tests. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews, validation sheets, and tests. The results showed that the feasibility aspect of content and presentation obtained a percentage of 84% in the very good category, linguistic feasibility obtained a percentage of 90% and was categorized as very good, graphics obtained a percentage of 76% in the good category, validation questions received a percentage of 85% in the very good category. Practicality in the one-to-one evaluation stage and the small group gets a percentage of 80% in the practical category. The effectiveness measured in the field test is 0.49 and is in the medium category. Thus, the product in the form of a module for reading explanatory texts based on inquiry methods and PISA standardized questions can be used in learning explanatory texts.

Guts, Resilience, Integrity, and Tenacity (GRIT) Among Mid Adolescent School Students in a District of South India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Guts, Resilience, Integrity, and Tenacity (GRIT) is an optimistic character that mixes passion and dedication. It is a driver of achievement and success, independent of and beyond what intelligence and talent contribute. The study aimed to assess GRIT and factors influencing it among mid-adolescent school students (13-18 years) in the Perambalur district, Tamilnadu, India. A cross-sectional study was conducted among mid-adolescent school students. We used a self-reported questionnaire to collect the data on sociodemographic characteristics and parents' details and the standard eight-item GRIT questions. Analysis was done with the total and subscale scores. Among the 1663 participants, 966 (58.1%) were males. The mean (SD) age was 15.6 (1.19) years. The mean GRIT score was 26.65 (4.12). Most students (755) showed medium (45.4%) GRIT scores. The age factor had a weak negative correlation with GRIT (r = -0.052, p = 0.033) and females had higher scores (t = 9.13, p = 0.002). Perseverance of effort was significantly more in those from a rural background (t = 1.9, p = 0.012), while consistency of interest was more in those from urban background (t = 0.63, p = 0.03). Most students had average or medium GRIT scores, with higher GRIT among females. The concept of GRIT should be properly addressed among children during their school years in order to inspire them to dream with passion and perseverance.

Prevalence of Violent Victimization and Associated Factors among Psychiatric Outpatients

Background: Victimizations, coupled with the existing political and socioeconomic instability in East Africa, poses unbearable burden on people with mental illness. Methods: Six hundred twenty nine psychiatric patients were interviewed by trained psychiatry clinicians consecutively to study prevalence, and associated factors of victimization by using interviewer administered standard international crime victim survey questions. Analysis was done by using SPSS version 20. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p-value =<0.05 were used to declare the statistical significance. Results: Lifetime and past year prevalence of victimization were 57.4% and 27.4% respectively. Majority of men were perpetrated by Strangers and acquaintances where as majority of women by near family members. In Binary Logistic Regression analysis: factors such as being female; history of psychiatric admission, suicidal attempt, previously cigarette smoking, khat chewing; criminal history and violent perpetration had significant association with victimization. Conclusion: The study identified high prevalence of victimization on people with mental illness which is potential for the formation of stress strain reaction as well as violation of legal rights of that population. Cooperation between law enforcers and mental health clinicians is needed.

Cyberbully victimization and its association with residual depressive symptoms among clinically stable adolescents with psychiatric disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: A perspective from network analysis.

This study examined the prevalence of cyberbullying and its relationship with residual depressive symptoms in this patient population during the COVID-19 outbreak using network analysis. This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study. Adolescent patients attending maintenance treatment at outpatient departments of three major psychiatric hospitals were included. Experience of cyberbullying was measured with a standard question, while the severity of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms were measured using the Internet Addiction Test and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, respectively. The network structure of depression and cyberbully were characterized and indices of "Expected Influence" was used to identify symptoms central to the network. To identify particular symptoms that were directly associated with cyberbully, the flow function was used. Altogether 1,265 patients completed the assessments. The overall prevalence of cyberbullying was 92.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): 90.8-93.7%). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that male gender (p = 0.04, OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.04-2.85) was significantly associated with higher risk of cyberbullying, while a relapse of illness during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly associated with a lower risk of cyberbullying (p = 0.03, OR = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.27-0.93). In the network of depression and cyberbully, "Sad mood," "Anhedonia" and "Energy" were the most central (influential) symptoms. Furthermore, "Suicidal ideation" had the strongest negative association with cyberbully followed by "Guilt". During the COVID-19 pandemic, the experience of cyberbullying was highly prevalent among clinically stable adolescent psychiatric patients, particularly male patients. This finding should raise awareness of this issue emphasizing the need for regular screening and interventions for adolescent patients. Central symptoms (e.g., "Sad mood," "Anhedonia" and "Energy") identified in this study should be targeted in interventions and preventive measures.

Telehealth Perceptions Among US Immigrant Patients: Cross-sectional Study Within an Academic Internal Medicine Practice

Background The use of telemedicine has increased dramatically through the COVID-19 pandemic. While data are available about patient satisfaction with health care through telemedicine, little is known about the immigrant patient experience. Objective We investigated whether immigrant patients would prefer in-person visits and have higher ratings for interpersonal communication during in-person rather than telemedicine visits. We hoped to identify the reasons behind immigrant visit preferences and consider these reasons to guide suggestions for more equitable use of and access to visit options. Methods Overall, 270 patients including 122 immigrants and 148 nonimmigrants were seen by 4 internal medicine providers in either an in-person (n=132) or telemedicine (n=138) university practice setting. Immigrants were defined as having been born outside of the United States. Patients were queried between February and April 2021 using an adaptation of a previously validated patient satisfaction survey containing standard questions developed by the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Program. Patients seen via in-person visits completed a paper copy of the survey. The same survey was administered by a follow-up phone call for telemedicine visits. Patients surveyed spoke English, Spanish, or Arabic and were surveyed in their preferred language. For televisits, the same survey was read to the patient by a certified translator. The survey comprised 9 questions on a 5-point Likert scale assessing satisfaction under the categories of access to care, interpersonal interaction, quality of care, and next visit preference. An additional write-in question assessed reasons for subsequent visit type preferences. Survey question responses were compared with paired t tests. Results Across both immigrant and nonimmigrant patient populations, satisfaction with perceived quality of care was universally high regardless of visit type (televisits: P=.80 and P=.60; in-person: P=.76 and P=.37). During televisits, immigrants were more likely than nonimmigrants to feel that providers spent sufficient time with them (P<.001). Different perceptions were noted among nonimmigrant patients. Nonimmigrants tended to perceive more provider time during in-person visits (P=.006). When asked to comment on reasons behind subsequent visit preference, nonimmigrant patients prioritized convenience, whereas immigrants noted the telemedicine advantage of not having to navigate other office logistics. Conclusions While satisfaction was quite high for both telemedicine and in-person visits across immigrant and nonimmigrant populations, significant differences in patient priorities were identified. Immigrants found televisits desirable because they felt they spent more time with their providers and were able to avoid additional office logistics that are often challenging barriers for non-English speakers. This suggests opportunities to use information technology to provide cultural and language-appropriate information throughout the in-person and telemedicine visit experience of immigrants, such as assistance with call-in scheduling, appointment reminders, and portal access. A focus on diminishing these barriers will help reduce health care inequities among immigrant patients. Conflicts of Interest None declared.

Opinions of Pre-service English Teachers on Distance Practicum in the Covid-19 period: An example from Turkey

Within the context of distant practicum procedures implemented during the coronavirus (COVID-19) period, the aim of this study is to highlight the experiences and views of pre-service English teachers on e-practicum. The study also examines whether pre-service teachers’ experiences contrasted with what they expected from the standard practicum procedures. The participants of the study included 20 fourth-year prospective English teachers studying at a Turkish university. Data were collected through standardized open-ended interview questions and content analysis was used to categorize the responses. The findings of this study in general show that teaching practicum is a significant part of teacher education programs as pre-service teachers believe that it particularly supports gaining teaching experience in a real school environment. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led teaching practicum to be sustained as a part of distance education which has caused certain drawbacks especially in terms of lacking face-to face teaching experience. Findings revealed that distant practicum during the COVID-19 had more negative sides for the participants than positive ones. Participants expressed their demands for e-practicum regulations that address all aspects of the teaching profession and give them the opportunity to put theory into practice.

Demographic Profile, Quality of Life and Other Related Factors among Psoriatic Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Psoriasis is a common dermatological condition with a significant effect on patients' daily life. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Dermatology outpatient department. Non-probability type consecutive sampling was used for the current study. Respondents were included by following selected inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients’ demographic information was taken by pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires. DLQI were evaluated by 10 standard questions. Data accuracy, consistency, and confidentiality were maintained. Participants could withdraw at any time. Data analysis was done using SPSS 25.0. Results were presented visually through tables and diagrams for clarity. Results: The majority 87(39.9%) of respondents were between 30 to 35 years. A significant 114(52.3%) respondents were male while 127(58.3%) were married. Most 137(62.8%) of the patients are currently employed. Almost three-fourths of 160(73.4%) had a negative family history. A significant number 168(77.1%) were suffering from localized plaque psoriasis. Regarding BMI, the majority of patients 138(63.3%) had normal BMI. More than half 112(51.4%) were suffering from psoriasis for a duration of 3 to 5 years. Of diagnosed patients, only 62(28.4%) had joint or nail involvement. Due to the current disease process 169(77.5%) respondents did not affect their job. DLQI score for a significant number 71(32.6%) were scored in moderate category effect. Around half 105(48.2%) of the patient had mild involvement in their skin. Conclusion: Psoriatic patients were middle-aged married males with current employment. Usually, psoriatic patients do not have a familial history. Among diagnosed psoriatic patients, most of them were diagnosed with localized plaque psoriasis with normal BMI. Most of the patient had no effect of psoriasis on their job with moderate DLQI and mild skin involvement.

Impact of Transformational Leadership on Work Motivation: Mediating Role of Procedural Justice

Transformational leadership, work motivation, and procedural justice are getting increased attention because of their impact on business in terms of high productivity, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, higher performance, and many other related outcomes. In this study, we examined the direct and indirect impact of transformational leadership on work motivation. Procedural justice was used as a mediator to examine the indirect impact of transformational leadership on work motivation. A sample of 239 was taken from the whole population by using the convenience sampling technique. Data was collected from the respondents through standard questions. Regression analysis was used to find the hypothesized relationship. Results indicate that transformational leadership has a positive influence on work motivation and procedural justice partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and work motivation. Limitations of the study and future directions were also given. The study recommends that a transformational leadership style should be adopted by the management to enhance work motivation. This study will open a new avenue for scholars as well as practitioners.

Evaluation of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Knowledge Change and Skills Confidence Among Frontline-Line Providers During the Russia-Ukraine War.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in knowledge and skill confidence after implementation of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) training course during the Russia-Ukraine War. Pre/post-test study in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa. Fifteen CBRNE courses were conducted over a 3-mo period, August to October 2022. Change in knowledge and skills confidence were evaluated with pre/post-course written exams and practical skill assessments that were observed during the training exercises. Changes were analyzed based on nonparametric Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank testing. Pre/post self-efficacy surveys were analyzed with McNemar's test for paired data. Course evaluations were conducted with standardized questions which assessed instruction quality, teaching relevance, knowledge gained, and post-course skills confidence. A total of 523 participants registered and completed 1 of the 15 courses. Overall mean pre-course test score: 57.8% (SD 20.7%); mean post-course test score: 81.4% (SD 11.3%); participants with increasing test scores: 90.7%; mean difference in score (95% confidence interval) 23.6% (21.2%-25.9%), P < 0.0001. Pre/post self-efficacy surveys (4-point Likert scale) noted participants recognized signs and symptoms of a CBRNE incident, and necessary skills to manage CBRNE exposures, P < 0.0001. The implementation of this CBRNE course for front-line providers in Ukraine was successful. To our knowledge, it was the first implementation of a field course during the current Russian-Ukraine war. Future research should evaluate knowledge retention and impact of our innovative Train-the-Trainer model. Further iterations should emphasize expanding the quantity of training equipment and practical skill sessions.

Availability and access to pediatric diabetes care: a global descriptive study.

A decade since the discovery of insulin, the increasing prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has underscored the prevailing inequalities in the provision of essential care for T1DM worldwide. However, the details on the availability of insulin types and associated medical devices remain unclear. A cross-sectional electronic survey was distributed across a global network of pediatric societies under the umbrella of the International Pediatric Association (IPA). Access to and availability of pediatric diabetes care were investigated using standardized questions. Responses from 25 of 132 pediatric societies across six regions were included. Pediatric endocrinologists typically manage T1DM together with pediatricians or adult endocrinologists. Nonetheless, 24% of the respondents reported pediatricians to be the sole healthcare professionals. According to the respondents, the patients were either partially or completely responsible for payments of insulin (40%), A1C (24%), C-peptide (28%), and antibody testing for diagnosis (28%). Government support is generally available for insulin, but this was merely 20% for insulin pumps and 12% for continuous glucose monitors. There are considerable disparities in the access, availability, and affordability of diabetes testing, medications, and support between countries with significant out-of-pocket payments for care. Country- and region-specific improvements to national programs are necessary to achieve optimal pediatric diabetes care globally.

Huge Role of Bees in the Biosphere: Philosophical Analyze

In this article, the question of the natural-ecological standard of bees is highlighted, and practical ways of preserving life indicators of the biosphere are shown on its example. Also, in the article, it is proved through examples that the material foundation of the world order, green economy, lies in the ecological standards of the existence of nature. Currently, there are about 8 billion people living in the world. More than 1.1 billion of this population live in an ecologically dangerous environment. Today, one-third of the world’s population lacks clean drinking water. As long as humanity does not comply with the standards and laws of nature in terms of its behavior, labor activities, and impact on nature, it is not a question that it will become not only nature, the environment, but even itself. In order for humanity to live a healthy life on planet Earth, the ozone layer in the biosphere should not decrease below its natural-ecological norm of 300 Dobson units, clean water should not lose its quality indicators, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air should not exceed 0.003%, the biological productivity of water ecosystems should not decrease, the limitric indicators of the soil, ecological values of ecological components should be preserved, pollution and man-made pressures should be reduced.

Do Survey Questions Spread Conspiracy Beliefs?

AbstractConspiracy theories and misinformation have become increasingly prominent in politics, and these beliefs have pernicious effects on political behavior. A prominent line of research suggests that these beliefs are promoted by repeated exposure. Yet, as scholars have rushed to understand these beliefs, they have exposed countless respondents to conspiratorial claims, raising the question of whether researchers are contributing to their spread. We investigate this possibility using a pre-registered within-subjects experiment embedded in a panel survey. The results suggest that exposure to a standard conspiracy question causes a significant increase in the likelihood of endorsing that conspiracy a week later. However, this exposure effect does not occur with a question format that offers an alternative, non-conspiratorial explanation for the target event. Thus, we recommend that researchers reduce the likelihood of spreading conspiracy beliefs by adopting a question format that asks respondents to choose between alternative explanations for an event.

Decision-Making Prepandemic: University Curtailment of Academic Operations Closure Processes During the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak.

Through in-depth interviews, this study aimed to understand perspectives of key stakeholders regarding the decision to curtail academic operations in the setting of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak before the declaration of a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and how such processes may be optimized in the future to best protect public health and safety. Virtual interviews with key stakeholders from 4 academic institutions were conducted from September to December 2020 using a standardized interview question template. The interviews lasted approximately 30-45 minutes and each interview was recorded with permission. The interviews were then transcribed and reviewed for qualitative analysis. The decision to curtail academic operations involved several common themes, such as discussing how institutions would control the outbreak and the process of transitioning to virtual learning and remote work. Universities were monitoring other universities' responses as well as evaluating the prevalence of cases nationally and globally. Risks and challenges identified included housing for international students, financial implications, and loss of academic productivity. The decision-making process may be optimized in the future by focusing on communication within a smaller committee, prioritizing epidemiology over fiscal implications, and embracing an openness to consider new strategies. Further research regarding this topic should be pursued to best protect public health and safety.