Hospitality & Tourism Research during (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Bibliometric Analysis

COVID-19 has changed the world forever in every imaginable aspect. Hospitality and Tourism has been one of the world's largest employers and key economic contributors. Hospitality and Tourism has been one of the worst-hit sectors due to the pandemic (COVID-19) worldwide. This has called upon the attention of many researchers worldwide. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the literature during 2019-2022, identify the most productive authors, most influential countries, most productive institution and journals also top-performing research articles and keyword analysis to know the research themes and trends focussing coronavirus in the fields of Hospitality and Tourism. The study also suggests the areas of future research to the researchers and policymakers and proposes solutions to contemporary issues. The study uses "biblioshiny” – an interface of R-package and VOSviewer for conducting bibliometric analysis that ameliorates the quality of review bereft of any subjective biasness. ©Copyright IJHTS.

Unmasking the Mask Issues among Healthcare Workers in COVID-19 Era

Introduction: Recent pandemic have showed importance of adequate availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) most importantly the face mask and training of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) for its proper usage for protection from various infections to maintain smooth functioning of healthcare facility. Aim: To examine practices and barriers to compliance regarding face mask usage among HCWs. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional observational analytical study which was conducted at Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, Delhi, India, from 30th June, 2020 to 24th July, 2020 during Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Data was collected through semi-structured bilingual online questionnaire using Google form based on recommendations for mask use by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data was recorded in MS Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Qualitative data was expressed in percentages and continuous data was summarised in mean±Standard Deviation (SD). Chi-square test was used to check the association between the categorical variables. Results: Total 362 HCWs submitted responses, of which 44.7% respondents wore N95 masks to protect themselves from COVID-19. Only 34.2% were satisfied with availability of masks in healthcare facility. Itching and sweating on part inside mask was major problem faced by 52.8% of respondents. Only 58% followed proper hand hygiene precautions while handling mask whereas 62.7% took proper measures while doffing. Conclusion: There appears to be a lack of awareness about proper hand hygiene while handling mask, appropriate precautions for reuse and doffing. Availability of mask also needs to be addressed. Regular trainings are needed to increase awareness, improve behaviour and practices regarding mask usage for prevention of occupational spread of infection among HCWs.

Factors impacting acceptance of e-learning in India: learners' perspective

Purpose: This study aims to identify the most significant factors that influence acceptance of e-learning in India. As e-learning has gained popularity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to be one of the most sustainable methods of education, it is pertinent to examine learners' perception towards its acceptance. There is limited literature available on this subject in India, especially factoring in impact of the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study empirically analyses data of 331 adult e-learners in India, who have enrolled for one of the following e-learning formats: higher education, private coaching, test preparation, re-skilling and online certifications, corporate training and hobby and language-related learning. Their perception is examined on the basis of a model developed using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model. Data are analysed through structural equation modelling using SPSS and AMOS statistical tools. Findings: The result of the study shows that Infrastructure Dependability, Effectiveness of Design and Content of Courses and Student's Competency with Computers are the top three factors impacting e-learning acceptance in India. Research limitations/implications: This study makes several theoretical contributions. Additionally, research findings and recommendations will facilitate education providers, corporates in the education industry and policymakers to focus on the significant areas for enhancing the acceptance of e-learning. Originality/value: This study identifies and confirms important factors that influence e-learning acceptance and suggests opportunities for further in-depth research and analysis. © 2022, Sanya Duggal.

An Overview of Education in India during COVID-19 Pandemic – Opportunities and Challenges

Purpose – The Government of India has declared COVID-19 a pandemic and imposed lockdown throughout the country as a preventive measure from the infection. Almost every sector has witnessed a tough time during the crisis, including the education sector. The digital model of imparting education came into practice with online teaching and learning. This paper provides an overview of the education system during pandemic times. It discusses the opportunities and challenges faced by the stakeholders during online education in India in times of pandemic. Design/ Methodology/ Approach – The research undertakes the in-depth review of previous papers, articles, secondary sources – published and unpublished in the field. Findings – The findings revealed that the Indian government has put in a lot of effort to provide education online by providing numerous free digital platforms to cater to the educational needs of learners of different age groups. But, inaccessibility of the internet to all and unpreparedness of educational institutions in developing sound infrastructure, resources and untrained teachers for online mode of education emerged to be the major challenges. Practical Implications – The study’s findings can be insightful for the Higher Education Institutions and the teachers to remodel their educational pedagogies overcoming all challenges and well equip for successful implementation of future online or blended education and to deal efficiently with any such crisis in future. Originality/ Value – There have been numerous research studies on education during crisis times, but a few studies have been conducted in India focusing upon challenges and opportunities of imparting online education during COVID-19 times in India. The study will add to the existing exploratory data and fill in the gap by contributing to the literature related to online teaching and learning during the pandemic crisis. © 2021 Publishing India Group. All rights reserved.

Perioperative Practices and Outcome of Neurosurgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Institutional Experience and Retrospective Observational Analysis

Introduction  Surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major concern due to possibility of infection transmission among health care workers (HCWs) and patients, and a worsened surgical outcome;most surgeries are thus being deferred. However, we continued with emergency neurosurgeries using our own Neurosurgical Standard Operating Procedures (NS-SOPs). We describe here our institutional neurosurgical experience and observations of a retrospective analysis done to determine the incidence of workplace-acquired COVID infection among the HCWs, and the outcome of neurosurgery performed during the early phase of the on-going pandemic. Methods  Our NS-SOPs included a Screening Proforma, and protocols for the conduct of neurosurgery, starting from the preoperative period till death or postdischarge follow-up of the patients. Protocols to ensure safety and mental well-being of the HCWs were also implemented. Patient and HCW data from April 1 to August 31, 2020 was collected and analyzed for the postsurgical patient outcome and for determining the level of workplace-transmitted COVID infection. Results  Neurosurgeries were performed on 169 patients during this 5-month period. We observed a cumulative mortality of 17/169 (10.1%), with 5 patients having unexplained postoperative respiratory manifestations and rapid deterioration suggestive of COVID illness. Nineteen HCWs (8.83%), mostly nurses, were infected, but only 3 (16.7%) had workplace-acquired infection. The infections were sporadic with no cluster of infections observed. Conclusion  Implementation of standard perioperative protocols and their continuous scrutiny, evaluation, and modification is important to contain infection in HCWs and to improve the neurosurgical outcome during this pandemic.

The efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine in treatment of COVID-19-a systemic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: The treatment of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2) also known as COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) continues to remain an enigma even after six months of the pandemic. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been one of the most widely tested drugs for SARS-CoV-2 on account of its antiviral properties. However, the results so far have been far from categorical. The meta-analyzes conducted to date are also lacking in precision and appropriateness. This systematic review and meta-analysis addresses the efficacy and safety of HCQ in SARS-CoV-2 by overcoming the limitations of earlier meta-analysis. Materials and methods: A total of five prominent medical databases were searched and fourteen studies (n = 12,455) were included in the systematic review and metaanalyzes. The data on survival, alleviation of symptoms, conversion of RT-PCR positivity to negativity, use and efficacy in presence of comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease), and cardiac and gastrointestinal side effects were extracted. Metaanalysis was applied to calculate the pooled estimates. Fixed-effects model results were chosen since I2 was <25%. Meta-analysis was conducted using STATA version 13 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Results: The pooled estimates showed that HCQ treatment did not significantly affect survival at 14 and 28 days in COVID-19 patients with respect to the control population (RR: 1.003, 95% CI: 0.98-1.02), alleviation of symptoms at day 10 (RR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.91-1.19), success in presence of co-morbidities (RR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04-1.08) and conversion from RT PCR positive to RT PCR negative on day 6 (RR:1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.21). There was higher risk for cardiac side effects (RR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.43-2.83) and gastrointestinal side effects (RR: 1.32, 95% CI: 0.73-2.38) in HCQ recipients. Discussions: Our study is the most recent update on the safety and efficacy of HCQ in SARS-CoV-2 infection and an in-depth analysis of its survival benefits and alleviation of symptoms. This large systematic review and meta-analysis of 12,455 patients encompassing 14 studies has clearly demonstrated the lack of benefit of HCQ treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection. It has additionally found higher cardiovascular side effects in the recipients of HCQ. It has assessed the benefits of using HCQ in the presence of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes which no other meta-analysis has investigated so far. It has found that use of this drug is used more commonly in patients with these diseases but did not improve the outcome as compared to control. Conclusion: There is no evidence on the safety and efficacy of HCQ either alone or in combination with other drug treatments in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Analysis of positive impact of lockdown on skills acquisition using online collaboration tools

In recent days, COVID-19 has affected economical, psychological, and societal parameters. During Lockdown, People were forced to stay at home for a long period as never before. During this scenario, the only medium to communicate with each other was virtual platforms such as collaborating apps /tool etc. Apart from leisure activities, people have utilized this time to enhance their existing skills either willingly or forcefully. The focus of the present paper is to analyze the positive impact of Lockdown on the common people in terms of their skills enhancement. A survey was conducted in the NCR region where Lockdown was strictly imposed. Percentage analysis and Chi-Square test were employed to analyze the data. In the paper, willingness to learn new tools, types of skills learnt, selection of a tool and most used feature of a tool have been described on the basis of statistical results. The findings have statistically proven that people have learnt new technology via using new tools. Furthermore, statistical tests were employed to gain insight about association of selection of tools with gender and job status. No significant association was found among gender and selection of tools. In contrast, a significant association was found between selection of collaboration tools and respondents’ job status. Observations on how common people have utilized their time to learn new skills-be it a technical or non-technical have been discussed thoroughly to achieve the objectives of study.

Findings from an OMFS journal club: is COVID-19 the catalyst we have needed to embrace technology?

The COVID-19 outbreak has rapidly progressed into a worldwide pandemic, and the need for social distancing has changed the way we learn and work. Our monthly OMFS journal club has been no different, and is currently meeting on the video conferencing application Microsoft Teams. The use of a virtual setting for training in medicine and dentistry is not new and, as in the case of our recent move to a virtual medium, it may be that COVID-19 has fast-tracked this digital transformation. There are of course disadvantages to online teaching that traditional face-to-face teaching overcomes. We conducted a survey to examine how trainees' attitudes and experiences have altered with this change, and to understand whether some elements of this new style of training may be advantageous in the post-pandemic world. We aimed to assess trainees' attitudes towards online teaching, and which elements, if any, would be beneficial once face-to-face teaching becomes possible again. A survey was created for all trainees taking part in journal club meetings at Bradford Teaching Hospitals. Multiple-choice and Likert scale questions were designed to ascertain the differences in experience between online and face-to-face settings. A Wilcoxon matched pairs signed test was used to analyse the results. Responses were kept anonymous. Results showed that the majority of trainees found it easier to attend the online journal club, and also indicated that the most found Microsoft Teams easy to use, though we did not have another online application for comparison. There was no significant difference in participation comfort between the two settings, though trainees felt that the online setting considerably improved learning effectiveness. Furthermore, 79% (11/14) thought that online tutorials and meetings should replace traditional face-to-face meetings in the future. The use of internet technology such as video conferencing is not new, and although journal clubs are typically held in academic institutions, online and virtual clubs are flourishing. With an array of advantages, there is no shying away from the trend to move our teaching to a virtual medium. COVID-19 may have just provided the stimulus that has forced this transformation to accelerate.