Telephone Lines Research Articles

Assistance for people with diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience of the TO3 Local Health Care Service in Piedmont

People with diabetes with coronavirus infection have a high likelihood of progression to severe COVID-19. The pandemic has upset our health model; the booking suspension limited access to emergencies, made it difficult to guarantee medical services, with different access priorities, to assist chronic patients, such as diabetics, for whom discontinuity of care could become a risk for and in case of infection. In ASLTO3 we have developed an emergency procedure, in compliance with the lockdown provisions to limit the presence in the clinic, for the provision of services, in presence or at a distance, to people with diabetes blocked at home, or in isolation, hospitalized or quarantined, or to be hospitalized. We have developed a strategy based on the diabetes care pathway PDTA, standard of care in Piedmont, to stratify the risk of loss of access to services and to prepare organizational measures to select, case by case, the relative and deferred urgent requests, direct on the right location for the right answer giving priority to those who still did not know or already knew they had diabetes, even positive for COVID-19, and needed treatment, and uses dedicated telephone lines and e-mails, for a virtual clinic. During the first peak of the pandemic, we assisted over 4000 people with diabetes by providing 7598 services, 244 for endocrinology, 7199 for diabetes, 155 consultations, 431 face-to-face and over 5,000 remotes. Studies produced during the COVID-19 emergency have confirmed that the active resilience of the diabetes care service can help improve patient outcomes and system stability. Experience in the implementation of technologies, such as diabetes PDTA, adapted to the emergency, can help to triage both persons, activities, prevention and assistance, and telemedicine projects to minimize the risk in future events. KEY WORDS pandemic COVID-19; diabetes care pathway; medical services; triage patient; telemedicine.

Caring for the Most Vulnerable: A Model for Managing Maladaptive Behavior in Children with Mental Special Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: This article presents the results of a comprehensive national model developed for managing maladaptive behaviors (MBs) in children with mental special needs (CMSNs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that combines telehealth-based Applied Behavioral Analyses, psychiatric interventions, and support from local psychosocial teams. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of a system that combined telehealth applications with local psychosocial support teams, allowing services from video calls to emergency interventions. Materials and Methods: The system combines the telehealth applications with the services from local psychosocial intervention teams. In addition to system records covering sociodemographic variables and initial complaints, a telephone survey questioning the effectiveness and satisfaction of the system was used as the main outcome. Results: In total, 347 individuals used the system with mothers constituting the majority of applicants (88.7%, n = 332). The overall satisfaction of the system was 8.8/10. In terms of effectiveness, 63.3% (n = 237) of caregivers reported an improvement in the reason of application. Counselors decided on a need for follow-up visits for 36.6% (n = 137) of applications. A referral to a psychiatrist was asked for 40 patients (10.6%). Discussion: To our best knowledge, this is the first study presenting a model for managing MBs of CMSNs during the COVID-19 outbreak. In general, therefore, it seems that there is a need for unique systems to handle behavioral problems of CMSNs. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that it is possible to establish an integrative multistep multidisciplinary telehealth-based approach in a short while.

Strategies to Handle Increased Demand in the COVID-19 Crisis: A Coronavirus EMS Support Track and a Web-Based Self-Triage System

Background In emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased need for contact with emergency medical services (EMS), and call volume might surpass capacity. The Copenhagen EMS operates two telephone line the 1-1-2 emergency number and the 1813 medical helpline. A separate coronavirus support track was implemented on the 1813 medical helpline and a web-based self-triage (web triage) system was created to reduce non-emergency call volume. The aim of this paper is to present call volume and the two measures implemented to handle the increased call volume to the Copenhagen EMS. Methods This is a cross sectional observational study. Call volume and queue time is presented in the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic (27th of February 2020 to 27th of march) and compared to the equivalent month from the year before (2019). Descriptive statistics are conducted on call volumes and queue times and spearman’s rank correlation test are performed to test correlation between web triage and call volume. Results Total EMS call volume increase by 23.3% between 2019 and 2020 (92.670 vs. 114,250). The 1-1-2 emergency line total call volume increase by 4.4% (8,4942 vs. 8,870) and the 1813 medical helpline increased by 25.1% (84.176 vs. 105.380). The coronavirus support track handled 21,063 calls. The 1813 medical helpline queue time was a mean of 02 minutes and 23 seconds (CI: 2.22-2.25) in 2019 and 12 minutes and 2 seconds (CI 11:55-12:09) in 2020 (P < 0.001). The web triage was used 10,894 times. No correlation between call volume and web triage usage was seen. Conclusions In the first month of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic a significant increase in call volume was observed in the 1813 medical helpline compared to 2019. A large number of calls were handled by the additional coronavirus track and diverted away from the regular tracks of the 1813 medical helpline. This likely contributed to mitigating increased call volumes and queue times. The web triage was widely used but no significant correlation was seen with 1813 medical helpline call volume. Other EMS organizations can learn from this to enhance capacity in a future epidemics.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LAZISMU AND ACT PROMOTION METHODS IN MEDAN CITY

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare the promotional methods applied by LAZISMU with ACT in Medan City. Analyzing the amount of costs used to carry out promotional activities, as well as the impact of the promotions carried out. This research is a qualitative research with descriptive analysis method. The data collection method in this study used indirect interviews using telephone lines to prevent transmission of COVID 19. The results of this study indicate that LAZISMU and ACT have different branding tendencies. This difference is because the two zakat management organizations have different positioning. LAZISMU is affiliated with a leading community organization in Indonesia, namely Muhammadiyah so that LAZISMU can mobilize all available resources within Muhammadiyah to support LAZSMU's performance. ACT, which is not affiliated with any mass organization, has more free space. ACT makes optimal use of all its resources so that it can get maximum results later. ACT makes humanitarian issues such as disasters a main brand in its marketing practices, while LAZISMU focuses more on routine humanitarian programs. The marketing method applied is to reduce the costs required for promotion. These two LAZs state that the marketing practices carried out so far have had quite a positive impact on the sustainability of LAZIS activities.

The Regulatory Labyrinth that Inhibits Federal Deregulation

An outdated statutory framework and legacy regulations in the United States have created a labyrinth that constrains the Federal Communications Commission from adequately responding to the impending disappearance of traditional voice telephony. This outdated telephone service is not even a shadow of its former self: the number of telephone lines in 2018 was the same as in 1950, despite the U.S. population more than doubling and the total number of voice-capable telecom connections exploding 700 percent over the same period. Yet this waning service remains under an intricate regulatory system involving federal and state authorities. There is but one way out of the labyrinth – comprehensive deregulation that immunizes against regulatory temptations – allowing the remaining service providers and their customers to manage the transition to a fully broadband world. Efforts to deregulate piecemeal are well intentioned and can help in certain contexts, but could also trip over legacy structures, resulting in worse outcomes for users and providers of traditional voice services.

Design and implementation of a security system based on ADSL access technology

Taking the network switching equipment and the microcontroller as the core, a security system based on ADSL access technology is designed with the embedded method. The structure and communication mode of the security system are studied from three aspects: network switching equipment configurations, network communication module design of uplink equipment and communication module design of ADSL access equipment. The system can establish security monitoring points on existing telephone lines, which can not only meet the security protection requirements of high bandwidth, long transmission distance and information security, but can also reach the level of several kilometres. Furthermore, it can greatly reduce construction costs and operation costs of security system, and effectively realize the logistic support ability of security system.

Novel Theory and Technology in Modernist Britain, by Heather Fielding; Modernist Soundscapes: Auditory Technology and the Novel, by Angela Frattarola

Novel Theory and Technology in Modernist Britain, by Heather Fielding; Modernist Soundscapes: Auditory Technology and the Novel, by Angela Frattarola

National reporting of deaths after enhanced Ebola surveillance in Sierra Leone.

BackgroundSierra Leone experienced the largest documented epidemic of Ebola Virus Disease in 2014–2015. The government implemented a national tollfree telephone line (1-1-7) for public reporting of illness and deaths to improve the detection of Ebola cases. Reporting of deaths declined substantially after the epidemic ended. To inform routine mortality surveillance, we aimed to describe the trends in deaths reported to the 1-1-7 system and to quantify people’s motivations to continue reporting deaths after the epidemic.MethodsFirst, we described the monthly trends in the number of deaths reported to the 1-1-7 system between September 2014 and September 2019. Second, we conducted a telephone survey in April 2017 with a national sample of individuals who reported a death to the 1-1-7 system between December 2016 and April 2017. We described the reported deaths and used ordered logistic regression modeling to examine the potential drivers of reporting motivations.FindingsAnalysis of the number of deaths reported to the 1-1-7 system showed that 12% of the expected deaths were captured in 2017 compared to approximately 34% in 2016 and over 100% in 2015. We interviewed 1,291 death reporters in the survey. Family members reported 56% of the deaths. Nearly every respondent (94%) expressed that they wanted the 1-1-7 system to continue. The most common motivation to report was to obey the government’s mandate (82%). Respondents felt more motivated to report if the decedent exhibited Ebola-like symptoms (adjusted odds ratio 2.3; 95% confidence interval 1.8–2.9).ConclusionsMotivation to report deaths that resembled Ebola in the post-outbreak setting may have been influenced by knowledge and experiences from the prolonged epidemic. Transitioning the system to a routine mortality surveillance tool may require a robust social mobilization component to match the high reporting levels during the epidemic, which exceeded more than 100% of expected deaths in 2015.

Factors Affecting Differential Underestimates of Bird Collision Fatalities at Electric Lines: A Case Study in the Canary Islands

Carcass counts notably underestimate avian collision rates due to three main bias sources: imperfect detection, carcass removal by scavengers and carcass dispersion in unsearched areas. We assessed these sources of bias at electric lines of two Canary Islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, quantifying the factors influencing them. We also carried out a cost-effectiveness assessment of carcass search done perpendicularly to electric line axis. We surveyed 230km of three types of electric lines (high-voltage, medium voltage and telephone lines) during three periods (July 2015, November-December 2015 and March 2016) searching for collision fatalities (N = 431), recording the species, the carcass distance from the electric line, mean cable height, carcass detection distance and decomposition state. In addition, we carried out a disappearance rate experiment to estimate carcass removal by scavengers. A generalised least squares model was used to analyse dispersion distance of carcass from electric lines, in relation to species body mass, mean cable height and line typology. Detection probability functions were fitted to estimate carcass detectability, incorporating body mass, decomposition state and habitat structure as covariates. A Generalised Mixed-Effects model was carried out to analyse carcass disappearance in relation to time elapsed since carcass placement, carcass size, season and island. Dispersion distance decreased with body mass and increased with cable height, being further at high-voltage lines. Overall, detection probability was 0.134, increasing with carcass size, decreasing with decomposition state and being lower in rocky areas which offered a significant challenge when walking through rough terrain. Disappearance rates differed between islands probably due to differences in avian scavenger abundance, increased with time elapsed and decreased with bird size. This study provides correction factors to obtain unbiased estimates of avian mortality rates within sparsely vegetated landscapes. Moreover, it identifies a 27m threshold distance at which the cost-effectiveness of searching for carcasses is optimised.—Gómez-Catasús, J., Carrascal, L.M., Moraleda, V., Colsa, J., Garcés, F. & Schuster, C. (2021). Factors affecting differential underestimates of bird collision fatalities at electric lines: a case study in the Canary Islands. Ardeola, 68: 71-94.

COVID-19: A Lever for the Recognition of Obesity as a Disease? The French Experience.

Despite repeated efforts by the international scientific community, academic societies and the combined actions of patient associations, public authorities have difficulties in admitting that obesity is not just a risk factor but a disease. Could our current experience with the COVID-19 pandemic be a lever to advance the cause of people with obesity? In this crisis, it seems pertinent to report on the French experience with the actions of stakeholders that were able to challenge the status quo in this field.

Introducing a single point of access (SPA) to child and adolescent mental health services in England: a mixed-methods observational study

BackgroundIn many high-income countries, primary care practitioners are the main point of referral for specialist mental health services. In England, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are increasingly adopting a Single Point of Access (SPA) to streamline referrals and introduce self and parent/carer-referrals. This involves a significant shift of responsibility from primary care towards CAMHS who adopt a more active role as gatekeeper for their service. This study evaluates the adoption of a SPA in CAMHS across a large region in England.MethodsWe conducted an observational mixed methods study in two CAMHS from January 2018 to March 2019 to evaluate the adoption of a SPA. We collected quantitative data from electronic patient records and qualitative data through ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews of staff and stakeholders with experience of using CAMHS. Additional data on volumes was shared directly from the SPAs and a further snapshot of 1 week’s users was collected.ResultsA similar SPA model emerged across the two services. Staff were positive about what the model could achieve and access rates grew quickly following awareness-raising activities. Despite the initial focus being on a telephone line, online referrals became the more regularly used referral method. Increased access brought challenges in terms of resourcing, including identifying the right staff for the role of call handlers. A further challenge was to impose consistency on triage decisions, which required structured information collection during the assessment process. Similar to GP referrals, those self-referring via the SPA were mainly from the least deprived areas.ConclusionsThe introduction of a SPA has the potential to improve young people’s access to mental health services. By addressing some of the barriers to access, simplifying where to go to get help and making it easier to contact the service directly, a SPA can help more individuals and families access timely support. However, the introduction of a SPA does not in itself expand the capacity of CAMHS, and therefore expectations within services and across sectors need to be tempered accordingly. SPA services providing different referral approaches can further improve access for the harder to reach populations.

COVID-19 and anatomy: Stimulus and initial response.

The outbreak of COVID-19, resulting from widespread transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, represents one of the foremost current challenges to societies across the globe, with few areas of life remaining untouched. Here, we detail the immediate impact that COVID-19 has had on the teaching and practice of anatomy, providing specific examples of the varied responses from several UK, Irish and German universities and medical schools. Alongside significant issues for, and suspension of, body donation programmes, the widespread closure of university campuses has led to challenges in delivering anatomy education via online methods, a particular problem for a practical, experience-based subject such as anatomy. We discuss the short-term consequences of COVID-19 for body donation programmes and anatomical education, and highlight issues and challenges that will need to be addressed in the medium to long term in order to restore anatomy education and practice throughout the world.

Implementation of a cardiovascular emergency telephone line in response to lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has restricted health care access for patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease.

Cancer survivorship care at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cancer survivorship care at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The genesis of the use of service animals and special equipment in the conduct of operational investigative activities

The article deals with research of development of means of operational-search activities (OSA) from ancient times to the present. The stages of the development of OSA tools, including service animals and special equipment, their dependence on scientific and technological progress and the role in combating crime have been considered. The author has concluded that the genesis of the use of service animals suggests that: 1) for many years (from the second century BC) in the law enforcement system used different species of animals, including geese, horses, rats, dogs, etc .; 2) the process of formation of the use of dogs in law enforcement went from the use of the latter in hunting and military affairs to the gradual occupation of a separate link in the structure of law enforcement, in particular dogs began to be used on a professional basis to search for odors, data transmission , protection of objects and people, detention of offenders, etc .; 3) analysis of the practice of using animals allows us to state that the largest and oldest role in law enforcement was played by dogs. From its immergence to the present day, the means of operational and investigative activities are in a state of constant development and improvement. Scientific and technological progress has turned covert means of obtaining information into one of the most effective tools for combating crime. For example, the capabilities of the operational and technical department of the Main Department of the State Tax Service in Dnipropetrovsk region will allow to simultaneously control a significant number of telephone lines, which allows you to effectively confront a permanent organized criminal group, especially at the stage of prepa-ration for crime. The use of such powerful tools on the one hand allows to obtain a huge array of information about the phenomena and processes occurring in the criminal environment, and therefore requires a significant number of experienced professionals to process it and extract information relevant to combating crime. On the other hand, along with information on training and enforcement, law enforcement agencies inevitably receive information on the honor and dignity of citizens that is irrelevant to pre-trial investigations, posing a real threat of abuse. Thus, the requirements for the impartiality of law enforcement officers increase, and the legislator is faced with the task of significantly improving the existing legal framework regulating opera-tional and investigative activities.

“We Are Together”: Operating Protocol and Preliminary Evaluation of a Telephone Line for the Support of Healthcare Professionals During the Covid-19 Pandemic

ObjectiveThe aim of the present article is to present the operating protocol of this helpline, as well as preliminary results of its evaluation.BackgroundThe “We Are Together” telephone support helpline (TSH) was developed for the empowerment of healthcare professionals in view of the psychological distress associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.MethodsBased on a scoping literature review the steps for the development of the TSH included: (a) identification of the objectives of the TSH, (b) description of the basic concepts and the structure of the telephone call, (c) development of the operating tools of the TSH, (d) definition of criteria for the enrollment of mental health professionals, (e) development of an educational program for those staffing the TSH, (f) design of the monitoring and evaluation methods of the TSH. Preliminary evaluation of the helpline was based on descriptive statistics (volume and length of calls, demographic and vocational data of service users, cause of call, number of recalls).ResultsDuring the first month of the helpline operation, only a limited number of calls was received. Only 20% of the service users were healthcare professionals, specifically emergency and critical care nurses, while the rest came from various backgrounds, including healthcare students, private sector employed citizens, unemployed, people with mental health issues, and the elderly. The majority of users were female.ConclusionAdditional measures to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the TSH regarding the psychological and mental health needs of its users are necessary.

Behaviour of occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundDisasters, crises and pandemics are emergencies which impact on businesses severely. The COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak in mid-April 2020 in the UK. During this period, NHS Occupational Health Services (OHS) were stretched to their limit along with other health services. OHS may have had to change their pattern of operation, operating times, services offered, etc. to cope with the pandemic. Data about business model modifications, services offered by the OHS businesses during the pandemic could help in better utilization of OHS resources in the future.AimsTo understand the behaviour of OHS in different parts of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsAn online survey link was sent to both accredited and unaccredited UK Occupational Health Physicians (OHPs).ResultsSixty-two OHPs responded to the survey. In the current pandemic, 51% of the OHS (95% CI 0.38–0.62) offered weekend or out-of-hours (OOH) services, 21% had to employ extra staff (95% CI 0.13–0.33) and 54% had to change their working hours (95% CI 0.41–0.65). Ninety per cent of the OHS (95% CI 0.78–0.94) continued to offer routine services; however, there was a decline in offering vaccination services. Fifty-six per cent of the OHS (95% CI 0.42–0.67) offered a dedicated telephone line and 46% of the OHS (95% CI 0.32–0.56) started a dedicated COVID-19 queries inbox.ConclusionsThere was a change in the behaviour of the OHS to cope with the pandemic. Having a dedicated helpline to manage the crisis situation seemed a logical step whilst offering routine services.

Anthropological Take on Cyber-security: How a Legacy Security Belief System is Impacting Us Today

Between 70% and 97% of all cyber breaches can be attributed directly or indirectly to human errors (Ponemon Institute 2018) [1]. In this opinion piece, we explore the archeology of cyber-security embedded in 20th century legacy belief and its artifacts. During the “formative period” of the computer in the last quarter of the 20th century, computers became generally available to a few societies that existed at the time. Archaic documents, such as early advertisements and bills of sale, confirm the spread of these early tools from places of work to domestic spaces. From histories we know that such computers were primarily standalone devices. If connected, modem-mediated access to the early Internet was conducted through telephone lines, which provided a mechanism for sending emails to immediate kin, friends or workgroup members.

Bentuk Penanggulangan dan Pencegahan terhadap Tindak Pidana Penipuan Lowongan Kerja Online

Currently, there are many crimes that take advantage of the sophistication of internet developments, such as crimes that are committed online or commonly called Cyber Crime. This is based on the argument that Cyber Crime is an activity that uses computers as a medium that is supported by a communication system, whether it’s a Dial Up System, using a telephone line, or a wireless system that uses a special wireless antenna. One form of crime related to the misuse of information technology facilities is a crime or criminal act of online job vacancies as regulated in Article 378 Book II of the Criminal Code (KUHP) and Article 28 paragraph (1) Jo. Article 45 paragraph (2) of Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Amendments to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transaction. This study seeks to answer the background of fraud in online job vacancies as well as a form of countermeasures against fraud in online job vacancies. This study uses a normative juridical research method.

An Effective and Active Bandwidth Distribution in Networked Control Systems

Networked Control System (NCS) is a method composed of physically shared smart devices that can observe the surroundings, work on it, and converse with one another by means of a communication system to attain a widespread purpose. Characteristic examples that fall into this section are Wireless Sensors and Actuators Networks (WSANs) for ecological analyzing and checking, multi-vehicle systems for composed investigation, camera systems for observation, multicamera facilitated movement catch, shrewd lattices for vitality circulation and the executives, and so forth. NCSs changes from increasingly customary control systems as a result of their interdisciplinary which needs the combination of control hypothesis, correspondences, software engineering and programming designing. Plenty of communication modes are available from telephone lines, cell phone networks, satellite networks and most widely used is internet. The choice of network depends upon the application to be served. Internet is the most suitable and inexpensive choice for many applications where the plant and the controller are far from each other. The troubles present in the structure of control systems that are solid to correspondence parameters like transfer speed, arbitrary deferral and packet loss, to computational parameters in light of the tremendous amount of information to be handled or to the mutual idea of the detecting and control to ongoing execution on limited resources and due to the unpredictability to the huge number of untrustworthy agent present. With the limited measure of data transmission accessible, it is improved to use it ideally and proficiently. This further raises the requirement for need choices issue for controlling a series of actuators for a progression of tasks. The proposed methodology deals broadly made in two distinct directions. The first direction aims at a control theoretical analysis while considering the network as a constant parameter like special controllers and altering the sampling rate. The second direction aims the design of new communication network infrastructures, algorithms or protocols like designing static and dynamic message scheduling algorithms. This method combines both directions and depends on the well- recognized results in both communication networks and control theory