Aid Support Research Articles

The usefulness of an ambulatory care pharmacy performance dashboard during the COVID-19 pandemic in a complex tertiary care system.

PurposeTo describe the usefulness of an innovative “semi–real-time” pharmacy dashboard in managing workload during the unpredictable coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.SummaryWe created a pharmacy dashboard to monitor workload and key performance indicators during the dynamic COVID-19 crisis. The dashboard accessed the prescribing workload from our clinical information system and filled prescriptions from robotic prescription dispensing systems. The aggregated data was visualized using modern tools. The dashboard presents performance data in near real time and is updated every 15 minutes. After validation during the early weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, the dashboard provided reliable data and served as a great decision support aid in calculating the backlog of prescribed but unfilled prescriptions. It also aided in adjusting manpower, identifying prescribing and dispensing patterns, identifying trends, and diverting staff resources to appropriate locations. The dashboard has been useful in clearing the backlog in a timely manner, staff planning, and predicting the next coming surge so that we can proactively minimize accumulation of backlogged prescriptions.ConclusionDeveloping a dynamic, semi–real-time pharmacy dashboard during unstable circumstances such as those that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic can be very useful in ambulatory care pharmacy workload management.

Managing Expectations: Impacts of Hostile Migration Policies on Practitioners in Britain, Denmark and Sweden

The acknowledgement that asylum systems across Europe are “hostile environments” for migrant groups has increased in academic and practitioner consciousness, particularly in the aftermath of the 2015 refugee reception crisis. However, although the impacts of socio-political hostilities on migrants are well documented, little has been written about the implications of border restrictions on practitioners working with refugee populations. This article expands the focus of hostilities to consider the variable impacts of intensified bordering practices on this group. Based on qualitative research which included 74 interviews undertaken across Britain, Denmark, and Sweden (2016–2018), it outlines the experiences of practitioners working with refugee populations. It highlights that increasingly restrictive or punitive approaches to immigration have had multiple negative effects on practitioners working in this sector. This has potential for longer term negative impacts on practitioners, but also—importantly-refugee populations who require various forms of legal aid, or social and psychological support.

Uncovering corporate disclosure for a circular economy: An analysis of sustainability and integrated reporting by Sri Lankan companies

Despite the importance of circular economy-related corporate reporting, the way companies communicate their transition toward a circular economy through sustainability and integrated reporting has not yet been examined. This paper, thus, aims to explore how and to what extent the circular economy notions appear to inform of the sustainability and integrated reporting practices of corporations in Sri Lanka. By analyzing the direct, explicit, and implicit keyword disclosures of the top twenty performers in sustainability and integrated reporting in the country, the study found low levels of disclosures of direct and explicit keywords pertaining to the circular economy principles at the firm level. It raises the question of whether there is sufficient awareness about the principles of a circular economy and the strategies and ways of integrating them into business operations in the corporate sector in Sri Lanka. However, a considerable level of implicit disclosures suggests the Sri Lankan companies’ strong interest to follow the environmental management principles to improve the organizational sustainability performance. Although the disclosed environmental management activities do not signal a direct embodiment of the circular economy principles, effective macro level support and direction have the potential of transforming firm-level interest to the faster transition to a circular economy from the current linear economic model. The study, therefore, recommends that policy makers create awareness, build capacity, develop infrastructure, enact and enforce laws, and support collaborations and aid practitioners improve corporate communication practices while developing business operations toward a circular economy without excluding them from the core activities.

What is the exchange rate volatility response to COVID-19 and government interventions?

The rapid spread of COVID-19 in 2020 has brought a profound impact on the global economy and forced countries around the world to adopt different intervention measures. Has COVID-19 and these government interventions affected exchange rate volatility? To answer the question, this research explores the impact of COVID-19 and the relevant government response policies on exchange rate volatility in 20 countries during the period of January 13, 2020 to July 21, 2020 by using system GMM estimation. The empirical results indicate that an increase in confirmed cases does significantly raise exchange rate volatility. The various policies adopted by governments in response to the pandemic, such as closing schools, restrictions on internal movements, and public information campaigns also inhibit exchange rate volatility. Furthermore, the economic response policies implemented by governments during the pandemic, including income support, fiscal measures, and international aid, have a restraining effect on exchange rate volatility. Our findings herein provide valuable information and implications for policymakers and financial investors around the world.

Measuring Development of Self-Help Organizations for Patients with Chronic Health Conditions in Hong Kong: Development and Validation of the Self-Help Organization Development Scale (SHODS).

Self-help organizations (SHOs) enable patients with chronic health conditions (PCHCs) to overcome common difficulties through the exchange of knowledge and mutual assistance, which serves as the basis for promoting the self-reliance and well-being of PCHCs. Nevertheless, practical challenges persist because little is known about what and how to evaluate for the developmental outcomes of SHOs. To address this knowledge gap, the present study seeks to develop and validate the Self-Help Organization Development Scale (SHODS). A total of 232 core members from 54 SHOs in Hong Kong participated in our study. The SHODS structure was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. This analysis derived five factors: citizen support, business support, member recovery and mutual aid, organizational health, and functional sustainability. The five-factor structure demonstrated stability across various types of SHOs, as validated by the subgroup analysis based on two criteria: duration of SHO establishment and organization affiliation. Good concurrent validity was supported by significant correlations between the SHODS factors and organizational variables, including staff supervision, staff understanding, networking, advocating, and educating the public and patients. The SHODS also showed excellent internal consistency. In conclusion, the SHODS is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring the developmental outcomes of SHOs.

Shared Decision-Making for Left Ventricular Assist Devices: Rationale and Design of a Nationwide Dissemination and Implementation Project.

Background The left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has become a common medical option for patients with end-stage heart failure. Although patients' chances of survival may increase with an LVAD compared with medical therapy, the LVAD poses many risks and requires major lifestyle changes, thus making it a complex medical decision. Our prior work found that a decision aid for LVADs significantly increased decision quality for both patients and caregivers and was successfully implemented at 6 LVAD programs. Methods In follow-up, we are conducting a nationwide dissemination and implementation project, with the goal of implementing the decision aid at as many of the 176 LVAD programs in the United States as possible. Guided by the Theory of Diffusion of Innovations, the project consists of 4 phases: (1) building a network; (2) promoting adoption; (3) supporting implementation; and (4) encouraging maintenance. Developing an LVAD network of contacts occurs by using a national baseline survey of LVAD clinicians, existing professional relationships, and an internet-based strategy. A suite of resources targeted to promote adoption and support implementation of the decision aid into standard LVAD education processes are provided to the network. Evaluation is guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance framework, where clinician and patient surveys and qualitative interviews determine the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance achieved. Conclusions This project is a true dissemination study in that it targets the entire population of LVAD programs in the United States and is unique in its use of social marketing principles to promote adoption and implementation. The implementation plan is intended to serve as a test case and model for dissemination and implementation of other evidence-based decision support aids and strategies.

Interventions to Reduce the Impact of Client Death on Home Care Aides: Employers' Perspectives.

For home care agencies and aides, the death of clients has important, yet often unrecognized, workforce implications. While research demonstrates that client death can cause grief and job insecurity for aides, we currently lack home care agencies' perspectives on this issue and approaches to addressing it. This study uses key informant interviews with leaders from a diverse sample of eight New York City home care agencies to explore facilitators and barriers to agency action. We found that agencies engaged primarily in a range of informal, reactive practices related to client death, and relatively few targeted and proactive efforts to support aides around client death. While leaders generally acknowledged a need for greater aide support, they pointed to a lack of sustainable home care financing and policy resources to fund this. We recommend increased funding to support wages, paid time off, and supportive services, and discuss implications for future research.

The concept and example of assistance aid as a form of support in the social reintegration of prisoners in the context of the activity of the Roman Catholic parish

The aim of the article is to present the assistance aid and forms of support for prisoners undergoing the process of social reintegration in a religious community. A special area of values is the inclusion of the sustainable development principle in the scope of activities aimed at the reintegration process, organized mainly based on the applied subsidiarity principle. The article uses sociological qualitative methods, mainly the case study method based on the sociological observation of the convict and the person supervising him/her, which is included in the category of assistance support. The employment contract of the convicted person in charity work in the parish and spontaneous interviews conducted in the context of the activities of the supervisors were analysed. The result of the conducted observations and analyses is the determination of the purposefulness of the sustainable development principle in the reintegration process. This detailed social principium in the perspective of moderate anthropocentrism strengthens the reintegration process the most by optimizing the working time that a convict in the parish can perform for the environment. The working time saving index, which is the conclusion of the analyses, allows to expand the functionality of the parish as a social institution and improves the chain of goals pursued by the convict. The value of the natural environment does not play a significant role in these activities, because in the perspective of moderate anthropocentrism, the most important value is the person and activities aimed at reintegration in social life. The main form of support for an assistant is accompanying and enabling responsible use of parish resources.

The effects of foreign aid on rebel governance: Evidence from a large‐scale US aid program in Syria

AbstractExisting research generally finds that foreign aid is ineffective in bolstering perceptions of governance, especially in conflict‐affected countries. Yet while most studies have focused on aid provided to state actors, this paper examines the link between aid and popular support for governing institutions in rebel‐held territory. We argue that aid can improve opinions of these institutions when they are embedded in the demographic, aspirational, and experiential solidarities of their communities. To evaluate our theory, we analyze new perceptions of data collected from residents of 27 rebel‐held communities inside Syria from 2014 to 2016. We find a modest but positive effect of aid on perceptions of local institutions, but only when the institutions were not imposed by outside actors. These results are further supported by a case study of Raqqa City, which shows that aid only boosted citizens’ views of the local governing body when it was embedded within the community.

Adoption of video annotation tool in enhancing students’ reflective ability level and communication competence

ABSTRACT Video-based education has shown a positive impact on teaching and learning. Hence, it has been increasingly adopted, and one form of video-based education is the use of video annotation tools (VATs). However, the adoption of VATs in life coaching courses has rarely been observed. The present investigation aims to examine the effect of VATs on enhancing students’ level of reflective thinking and communication competence during coaching practices in a sample of seventy-three undergraduates enrolled in the course ‘Life coaching with the aid of peer support’. During the coaching practices, two coaching sessions were video-taped, and the videos were uploaded on an online platform. Students were instructed to use VATs to give peer comments based on the performances of their peers. Their reflective thinking level and communication competence were also examined. In addition, four students participated in focus group interviews to explore the effectiveness of VATs. Two dependent t-tests demonstrated that both reflective thinking level and communication competence improved over time. Implications of the adoption of VATs in teaching and learning were discussed.

Suicidal ideation, attempt, and its associated factors among HIV/AIDS patients in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis study

BackgroundSuicidal ideation and suicidal attempt are warning signs for and determine the prognosis of completed suicide. These suicidal behaviors are much more pronounced in people living with HIV/AIDS. Despite this, there is a scarcity of aggregate evidence in Africa. This study was therefore aimed to fill this gap.Methodswe extensively searched Psych-info, PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE to obtain eligible studies. Further screening for a reference list of articles was also done. Meta XL package was used to extract data and the Stata-11 was also employed. Cochran’s Q- and the Higgs I2 test were engaged to check heterogeneity. Sensitivity and subgroup analysis were implemented. Egger’s test and funnel plots were used in detecting publication bias.ResultsThe pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was 21.7% (95% CI 16.80, 26.63). The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa was 22.7%, 25.3%, 9.8%, and 18.05% respectively. The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was larger; 27.7% in studies that used Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) than Mini-international Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI); 16.96%. Moreover, the prevalence of suicidal ideation in studies with a sample size of < 400 was 23.42% whereas it was 18.3% in studies with a sample size ≥ of 400 participants. The pooled prevalence of suicidal attempts in this study was 11.06% (95% CI 6.21, 15.92). A suicidal attempt was higher in Ethiopia (16.97%) and Nigeria (16.20%) than Uganda (3.51%). This pooled prevalence of suicidal attempt was higher among studies that used a smaller sample (< 400 participants) (15.5%) than studies that used a larger sample size (≥ 400 participants) (8.4%). The pooled prevalence of suicidal attempt was 3.75%, and 16.97% in studies that used MINI and CIDI respectively. Our narrative synthesis revealed that advanced stages of AIDS, co-morbid depression, perceived HIV stigma, and poor social support was among the factors strongly associated with suicidal ideation and attempt.ConclusionThe pooled magnitude of suicidal ideation and attempt was high and factors like advanced stages of AIDS, co-morbid depression, perceived stigma, and poor social support were related to it. Clinicians should be geared towards this mental health problem of HIV patients during management.

Human Rights Violations, Political Conditionality and Public Attitudes to Foreign Aid: Evidence from Survey Experiments

There has been much criticism of donor governments who give aid to states that violate human rights. This has fuelled concerns about how such coverage affects public support for foreign aid. In response, donors increasingly use aid suspensions to signal to domestic audiences that a regime has been sanctioned and aid is not misspent. This article examines how reports of rights violations affect attitudes to aid and what, if any, impact donor responses have on public perceptions. We conduct survey experiments using nationally representative samples of the British public. Our findings demonstrate that reports of rights abuses reduce public support for aid. However, contrary to conventional wisdom, any response from donors, whether it be to justify continuing aid or to cut aid, prevents a decline in support. In policy terms, the findings demonstrate the importance of government responsiveness in maintaining public support for a frequently contested aspect of foreign policy.

Assessment of the Level of Knowledge of First Aid and Basic Life Support among the Police Workforce in a Coastal Area in Southern India

Background: First aid and basic life support (BLS) are the basic principles that have significant importance in the revival of victims on site. Although the epidemiology of injuries has been well studied in many developed countries, there are a fewer number of such similar studies among the police workforce in developing countries, such as India. Objective: The objective was to assess the level of understanding about first aid and BLS measures among the police workforce in a coastal city of Southern India. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at police stations and traffic police stations in a coastal city of South India with a sample size of 196. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire assessed a plethora of parameters, such as choking and seizures. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 (IBM SPSS Inc Chicago, SPSS Inc) and results were obtained. Consent from the study participants was obtained before commencement. Results: About 87.3% of the study participants who received training markedly scored

Politicization of Aiding Others: The Impact of Migration on European Public Opinion of Development Aid

AbstractThis article provides a longitudinal analysis on the driving forces behind Europeans' positions toward development aid and identifies changes in the dynamics following the migrant flows in 2015. Specifically, it assesses the extent to which policy‐makers' decisions to utilize development policy as a strategic tool to manage migration resonates at the public level. Using multilevel regression models on cross‐sectional survey data acquired from Eurobarometer surveys covering five waves between 2013 and 2018, supplemented by a series of macro‐level covariates both at the country and regional level, I show that voters in countries and regions with higher numbers of migrants are more supportive of foreign aid. The models also verify that support for foreign aid in polities that are the destination for migrants is substantially stronger in surveys conducted after 2015 than before and among voters who are interested in politics.

L’impatto del riavvicinamento tra Mosca e Belgrado sulle relazioni politico-militari jugo-anglo-americane, 1952-1955

This paper aims to analyze Yugo-Anglo-American relations during the first phase of the Yugo-Soviet rapprochement, which took place between 1953 and 1955. To this purpose, it is necessary to study some important events occurred in 1952, when a number of negative factors started to affect Yugo-Western relations, months before Stalin’s death and Khrushchev’s overtures to Tito. The failure of the military talks held in November 1952 had deep negative consequences on Yugo-Anglo-American relations. The US and Great Britain aimed to achieve some important goals by “keeping Tito afloat”: firstly, to encourage a joint military planning with Yugoslavia, in order to strengthen the Southern flank of NATO; secondly, to exploit the Yugoslav example as a sort of “wedge” to undermine the cohesion of the red Bloc; lastly, in the very long term, to favor a “regime change” in Yugoslavia, through the progressive democratization of the political life and free elections. From the very beginning, Tito and his closest associates judged Western economic and military cooperation as widely unsatisfactory for Yugoslavia, even if it was essential for its survival. In their opinion, the Western aid proved to be a form of political pressure, aimed at reducing Yugoslavia’s independence without providing a full guarantee in terms of security. As a consequence, when the USSR changed its approach towards Yugoslavia, Tito was eager to set up new relations with Moscow, and to develop his foreign policy towards equidistance and non-alignment. Given the Soviet not-so-hidden effort to reassert ideological and political control over Yugoslavia, the Yugo-Western relations retained a great importance for Yugoslavia; however, in Tito’s mind, these relations had to change deeply. In the new scenario, he needed political support and economic aid from the West, while military cooperation became useless, if not harmful, to his purposes. For the US and Great Britain, the problem was that all Western projects about Yugoslavia depended on a stable and fruitful military cooperation. Therefore, during the years analyzed in this paper, Yugo-Western relations continued to develop, but new problems arose: while the Western side tried to keep the military cooperation alive, Tito moved staunchly towards equidistance, refusing military commitments. The illusory successes kept in 1953-1954 (namely the Balkan Pact, the London memorandum on Trieste and many agreements in the economic and military field) could not prevent a progressive weakening of Yugo-Western relations, that ended up with the official recognition of East Germany and with the definitive interruption of military aid, both decided by Tito at the end of 1957. These traumatic events, however, had their roots in the slow but steady worsening of Yugo-Western relations that occurred between 1952 and 1955, in consequence of the Yugo-Soviet rapprochement.

The USA and the Formation of South Sudan

The United States played a key role in South Sudanese independence, which was decided in a 2011 referendum, and provided diplomatic support and humanitarian aid. Prior to the outbreak of the civil war in 2013, the United States supported and advocated for the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which became the new country’s government. Though largely taking a back seat in meditation efforts run by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and neighboring countries in, its internal stabilization the United States and its international partners have an interest in ensuring a lasting settlement to the present conflict in South Sudan, addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war, and preventing destabilizing regional spillover.

Effects of clown activities on patients eligible for palliative care in primary health care.

Evaluate the effects of clown activities on quality of life, depression, stress, anxiety, aid, and social support in patients eligible for palliative care (PC) attended in Primary Health Care (PHC). A quasi-experimental study, with pre-intervention and post-intervention evaluation, carried out with 16 patients eligible for early PC in PHC in a Midwestern city. Patients received 24 visits with home-based clown activities. The interventions evidenced improved quality of life and social support, with significant results for the Social Activities dimension (p = 0.023). Increased scores for Anxiety (p = 0.007) and Depression (p = 0.023) were also observed. Clown activities can bring positive results for the quality of life and social support of patients eligible for PC at home. They should be encouraged to interact with family knowledge and enhance humanized care, integral and centered on human relationships in PHC.

Methodological aspects of the assessment of dietary intake in the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019): a population-based household survey.

This manuscript aims to describe the methodological, operational, and quality control aspects of the assessment of dietary intake in children under five years of age participating in the Brazilian National Survey on Child Nutrition (ENANI-2019), a household survey in a probability sample of Brazilian households. Two instruments were developed to assess child feeding practices - a structured, current status-type questionnaire and a 24-hour dietary recall (24HR), both installed in a mobile data collection device used by previously trained interviewers. A Photographic Manual for Quantification of Children's Dietary Intake was specifically developed for and used in the survey as a support aid to identify and quantify foods reported in the 24HR. During the fieldwork, continuous quality control of the records was performed. Data errors or incomplete data in the system were corrected, and the fieldwork team was systematically contacted and informed on their performance, with reiterated orientation on data collection. All children in the sample were evaluated with the two instruments, but data were obtained from the structured questionnaire on all children in the sample (n = 14,558) and 24HR on 14,541 children. ENANI-2019 developed innovative methods and materials based on the Brazilian and international literature to address knowledge gaps on under-five children's dietary intake. Unprecedented results will be produced, which will allow updating food and nutrition guidelines for children under five years of age in Brazil.

The Risk of Hyperglycemia Associated with Use of Dolutegravir Among Adults Living with HIV in Kampala, Uganda: A Case-Control Study

Background: Emerging evidence suggests a possible association between hyperglycemia and dolutegravir (DTG), a preferred first-line antiretroviral agent in sub-Saharan Africa. There is need for rigorous studies to validate this association in the face of increasing DTG use and burden of non-communicable diseases among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Methods: We conducted a case-control study in Kampala, Uganda to assess the risk of hyperglycemia associated with DTG-based antiretroviral therapy. Cases were PLHIV with hyperglycemia and controls were PLHIV without hyperglycemia confirmed by fasting plasma glucose and 2-hour oral glucose tolerance tests. Data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaires and medical record abstraction. Analysis compared cases and controls on DTG use prior to diagnosis of hyperglycemia while controlling for potential confounders using multivariable logistic regression. Findings: A total 435 participants were included (204 were cases, 231 controls). In multivariable analysis, patients with prior DTG use had nearly 30-fold greater odds of hyperglycemia compared to those who had non-DTG based regimens (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 29·06, 95% CI 9·86–85·70). The odds of hyperglycemia also increased with age (56 vs. 18–35 years,aOR 7·53, 95% CI 2·65–21·38), and hypertension (aOR 5·64, 95% CI 2·60–12·21). Interpretation: Our study demonstrates a strong association between prior DTG exposure and hyperglycemia. Given the benefits of DTG, the wide-scale roll-out in sub-Saharan Africa, and the growing burden of diabetes mellitus (DM), there is need for systematic screening for hyperglycemia prior to initiating DTG, routine glucose monitoring, and the consideration of alternate regimens for those at risk for DM. Funding: This research was supported by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Fogarty International Center and Global Health Equity Scholars(D43TW010540). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare they have no conflict of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Boards of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO), Uganda, he Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (UNCST) and Yale University. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were following the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee. We obtained written Informed consent from all participants.

COVID-19 and HIV Treatment Interruption: A Case Study of the AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Mbale Clinic

COVID-19 and HIV Treatment Interruption: A Case Study of the AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Mbale Clinic