Virtual reality in Metaverse for future mental health-helping profession: an alternative solution to the mental health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, Metaverse has become a hot topic of conversation everywhere. Therefore, this can also be an accurate solution to the mental health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully in the future, mental health workers can make the best use of it.

Thyroid cancer survivors' perceptions of survivorship care follow-up options: a cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey.

PURPOSE: This study investigated thyroid cancer (TC) survivors' perceived satisfaction with and perceptions of survivorship care follow-up options. METHODS: Well-differentiated TC (WDTC) patients receiving follow-up care at an academic cancer centre completed a questionnaire assessing perceived satisfaction with follow-up care involving different clinicians and mediated by the Internet (email or videoconference) and their perceptions of these follow-up options. We examined associations between patient characteristics and perceived satisfaction with follow-up care options. Qualitative responses were analysed using conventional content analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred and two respondents completed the questionnaire (80 % response rate). The majority strongly agreed or agreed that they would be satisfied with specialist (surgeon, oncologist, or endocrinologist) follow-up (90.6 %) or a shared-care model that integrates specialists with primary care (67.5 %). One third (32 %) would be satisfied with video-based and 26 % with email-based specialist follow-up, 15 % with primary care alone. Longer time since diagnosis and health-related Internet use were associated with higher perceived satisfaction with Internet-based follow-up. Younger age was associated with higher perceived satisfaction with primary care follow-up. Qualitative responses (n = 145) revealed that survivors need reassurance they are receiving adequate care, regardless of the model or medium. Enablers to primary care and Internet-based follow-up are discussed. CONCLUSIONS: WDTC survivors want specialists involved in their follow-up. A specialist/primary care shared-care approach appears to be a suitable alternative to specialist-led follow-up for TC survivors. Internet-based visits could address some aspects of follow-up care for some WDTC survivors. Future work should examine patient and provider requirements for shared, multi-modal survivorship care.

Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Differential effects of landline, Mobile, and transferred calls.

BACKGROUND: Dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DACPR) could improve the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, the efficiency of DACPR varies. Our study compared the effectiveness of DACPR instructed via landline calls, mobile calls, and landline calls transferred to mobiles. METHOD: This prospective cohort study enrolled patients with OHCA between 1 July 2017 and 30 November 2018 in Taichung. Patients were divided into a mobile group and a landline group according to device used to call emergency medical services (EMS). The landline group was subdivided according to whether the call was transferred to a mobile. We compared the DACPR rate and call to chest compression time between groups. RESULTS: The study comprised 2404 cases after exclusion: 934 cases of DACPR via mobile and 1470 via landline. In the mobile group, DACPR rate (54% vs. 47.5%, P <  0.001) was higher and call to chest compression time (median: 156 s vs. 174 s P < 0.001) was shorter than in the landline group. In the transferred group, DACPR rate (72.7% vs. 28.8%, P <  0.001) was higher than in the non-transferred group, but no difference was observed in call to chest compression time (median: 173 s vs. 177 s, P = 0.69). CONCLUSION: According to this city-based prospective clinical study, communication over mobiles resulted in higher DACPR rate and shorter call to chest compression time than that over landlines. Transferring calls from a landline to a mobile could increase the DACPR rate without delaying the initiation of chest compression.

Improving emergency call detection of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in the Greater Paris area: Efficiency of a global system with a new method of detection.

AIM: The detection of cardiac arrests by dispatchers allows telephone-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (t-CPR) and improves Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) survival. To enhance the OHCA detection rate, in 2012, the Paris Fire Brigade dispatch center created an original technique called "Hand On Belly" (HoB). The new algorithm that resulted has become a central point in a broader program for dispatch-assisted cardiac arrests. METHODS: This is a repeated cross-sectional study with retrospective data of four 15-day call samples recorded from 2012 to 2018. We included all calls from OHCAs cared for by Basic Life Support (BLS) teams and excluded calls where the dispatcher was not in contact directly with a witness. The primary endpoint was the successful detection of an OHCA by the dispatcher; the secondary endpoints were successful t-CPR and measurements of the different time intervals related to the call. Logistic regressions were performed to assess parameters associated with detecting OHCAs and initiating t-CPR. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2018, among the detectable OCHAs, the proportion correctly identified increased from 54% to 93%; the rate of t-CPRs from 51% to 84%. OHCA detection and t-CPR initiation were both associated with HoB breathing assessments (adjustedOR: 89, 95%CI: 31-299, and adjustedOR: 11.2, 95%CI: 1.4-149, respectively). Over the study period, the times to answering calls and the time to sending BLS teams were shorter than those recommended by international guidelines; however, the times to OHCA recognition and starting t-CPR delivery were longer. CONCLUSIONS: The HoB effectively facilitated OHCA detection in our system, which has achieved very high performance levels.

Pharmaceutical care to hospital outpatients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telepharmacy.

Hospital Pharmacy Service (HPS) in Spain have been impacted by the health  crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the outbreak has forced HPSs to adapt their outpatient consultation services to Telepharmacy to optimize clinical  outcomes and reduce the risk of contagion. The purpose of this article is to  describe and analyze the experience of HPSs with outpatient Telepharmacy  during the COVID-19 pandemic and expose the lessons learned. Measures have  been adopted in on-site outpatient pharmacy clinics to prevent exposure of  patients and professionals to the virus. These measures are based on national  and international recommendations on social distancing and hygiene. With  regard to remote outpatient pharmacy services, teleconsultation with drug  dispensing has been promoted based on five basic procedures, each with its  advantages and limitations: home drug delivery from HPSs, with the advantage  of universal access and the limitation of entailing a substantial investment in  resources; HPS coordination with primary care pharmacists, which requires no  investments but with limited access to some geographic areas; HPS coordination with community pharmacists based on a large network of pharmacies, which  requires the patient to go to the pharmacy, without confidentiality being  guaranteed for any patient; geolocation and hospital-based medication  dispensing, which provides universal access and direct traceability, but entails  investment in human resources; and HPS coordination with associations of  patients, which does not entail any additional cost but limits the information  available on the diseases of society members. Three main lessons have been learned during the pandemic: the satisfactory capacity of HPS to provide outpatient pharmacy consultation services in the setting of a public health crisis; the usefulness of Telepharmacy for the clinical follow-up, healthcare coordination, outpatient counseling, and informed dispensing and delivery of  medication (with a high level of satisfaction among patients); and the need to  foster Telepharmacy as a complementary tool through a mixed model of  outpatient pharmacy consultation service that incorporates the advantages of  each procedure and adapts to the individual needs of each patient in a context of humanized healthcare.

Los servicios de farmacia hospitalaria (SFH) en España se han visto afectados  por la crisis sanitaria provocada por SARS-CoV-2 y han tenido que adoptar sus  procedimientos de atención farmacéutica (AF) al paciente externo (PE) mediante estrategias de Telefarmacia, con los objetivos de maximizar los resultados en  salud y reducir el riesgo de contagio. El objetivo de ese artículo es describir y  analizar los procedimientos AFPE durante la pandemia SARS-CoV-2 y comunicar  las lecciones aprendidas en los SFH. En relación con las consultas externas de AF presenciales, se han adoptado medidas para minimizar el contagio viral de  pacientes y profesionales, siguiendo las recomendaciones nacionales e  internacionales de referencia de distanciamiento temporal, espacial y  recomendaciones higiénicas. En cuanto a las consultas externas de AF no  presenciales, se han potenciado las teleconsultas con dispensación del  tratamiento en base a cinco procedimientos básicos, cada uno de ellos con sus  ventajas y limitaciones: dispensación domiciliaria desde SFH que presenta las  ventajas de la universalidad de acceso, pero requiere una elevada inversión en  recursos; coordinación del SHF con farmacéuticos de atención primaria, que  conlleva una nula inversión en recursos, pero limita el acceso a determinadas zonas geográficas; coordinación del SFH con farmacéuticos comunitarios, que  utiliza una amplia red de oficinas de farmacia, pero exige el desplazamiento del  paciente sin garantías de confidencialidad para todos los casos; geolocalización y dispensación hospitalaria, que permite un acceso universal y trazabilidad directa, pero requiere un incremento en recursos humanos; y coordinación del SFH con  asociaciones de pacientes, que no requiere inversión económica, pero limita el  acceso a las patologías de los asociados. Destacamos finalmente tres lecciones  aprendidas: la capacidad de AFPE de SFH españoles ante una crisis sanitaria; la  utilidad de la Telefarmacia para el seguimiento clínico, la coordinación  asistencial, información al PE, dispensación y entrega informada (con elevada  satisfacción de los pacientes); y la necesidad de potenciar la Telefarmacia como herramienta complementaria, en un modelo mixto de AFPE que incorpore las  ventajas de cada uno de los procedimientos adaptándose a las necesidades individuales de los pacientes en un entorno de humanización de la asistencia  sanitaria.

Multicentred randomised controlled trial of an augmented exercise referral scheme using web-based behavioural support in individuals with metabolic, musculoskeletal and mental health conditions: protocol for the e-coachER trial.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity is recommended for improving health among people with common chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis and low mood. One approach to promote physical activity is via primary care exercise referral schemes (ERS). However, there is limited support for the effectiveness of ERS for increasing long-term physical activity and additional interventions are needed to help patients overcome barriers to ERS uptake and adherence.This study aims to determine whether augmenting usual ERS with web-based behavioural support, based on the LifeGuide platform, will increase long-term physical activity for patients with chronic physical and mental health conditions, and is cost-effective. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre parallel two-group randomised controlled trial with 1:1 individual allocation to usual ERS alone (control) or usual ERS plus web-based behavioural support (intervention) with parallel economic and mixed methods process evaluations. Participants are low active adults with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis or a history of depression, referred to an ERS from primary care in the UK.The primary outcome measure is the number of minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in ≥10 min bouts measured by accelerometer over 1 week at 12 months.We plan to recruit 413 participants, with 88% power at a two-sided alpha of 5%, assuming 20% attrition, to demonstrate a between-group difference of 36-39 min of MVPA per week at 12 months. An improvement of this magnitude represents an important change in physical activity, particularly for inactive participants with chronic conditions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approved by North West Preston NHS Research Ethics Committee (15/NW/0347). Dissemination will include publication of findings for the stated outcomes, parallel process evaluation and economic evaluation in peer-reviewed journals.Results will be disseminated to ERS services, primary healthcare providers and trial participants. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN15644451; Pre-results.