Use of the Virtual Environment as a Strategy for Disseminating Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The virtual environment has democratized information and research in the health area, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Purpose: This study analyzed the boosting strategies of social networks and identified the most accessed posts from a previously developed and validated information portal aimed at people with disabilities. Methods: This quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive, exploratory study used Google Analytics® to collect data on origins and access numbers; boost data were obtained from the Facebook® and Instagram® networks themselves, after the end of each boost. Conclusions: Greater interest in publications related to the acquisition of rights for persons with disabilities and about COVID-19 was identified. The virtual environment, especially social networks in Brazil, proved to be a useful tool for disseminating information during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of boosting access to health information. In addition, the investment in social networks was relevant due to the increase in the number of followers on the page. Implications for Practice: Social networks can be a valuable means of disseminating research, improving access to information based on scientific evidence in an inclusive way.

Incidence of hospital acquired pressure injury in critically ill patients with COVID-19 in prone position admitted to the intensive care unit.

Critical patients have conditions that may favor the occurrence of hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI). The objective of this study was to identify the incidence and factors associated with the occurrence of HAPI in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) who used the prone position. Retrospective cohort study carried out in an ICU of a tertiary university hospital. Two hundred four patients with positive real-time polymerase chain reactions were evaluated, of which 84 were placed in the prone position. All patients were sedated and submitted to invasive mechanical ventilation. Of the prone patients, 52 (62%) developed some type of HAPI during hospitalization. The main place of occurrence of HAPI was the sacral region, followed by the gluteus and thorax. Of the patients who developed HAPI, 26 (50%) had this event in places possibly associated with the prone position. The factors associated with the occurrence of HAPI in patients prone to coronavirus disease 2019 were the Braden Scale and the length of stay in the ICU. The incidence of HAPI in prone patients was extremely high (62%), which denotes the need to implement protocols in order to prevent the occurrence of these events.

Study on the prevalence of neurogenic bladder in Brazilians with traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury.

CONTEXT: Considering that SCI is the main cause of neurogenic bladder, in Brazil, studies and statistical data on the number of people with neurogenic bladder are practically non-existent. To ascertain the prevalence of neurogenic bladder among users of SARAH Network hospitals with traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury. METHODS: Data collection form from electronic medical records to characterize the sample. The variables were related to sociodemographic data such as age, care unit, and date of admission; and to clinical data, such as main diagnosis, neurogenic bladder diagnosis. In the cases of traumatic spinal cord injury, the ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS) was considered. The statistical tests were Mann-Whitney, for two independent samples, and Pearson's Chi-squared, for the categorical variables. FINDINGS: The sample included 954 participants. The prevalence of neurogenic bladder was 94.65%, of which 67% had a traumatic spinal cord injury diagnosis and 69.32% were male. Mean age of the participants was 46.12 years old (SD = 15.78 years). CONCLUSION/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The prevalence of neurogenic bladder found in the sample was 94.65%. The analysis showed that participants with TSCI are more afflicted by lower urinary tract dysfunction than those with NTSCI. TSCI was more prevalent among males and NTSCI was more prevalent among females. This was a pioneering study on the prevalence of neurogenic bladder in SCI in Brazil. However, further studies will be necessary to corroborate the data found here. The development of a database with national data is indispensable to obtain more reliable results that could provide a basis for public healthcare policies for the prevention and rehabilitation of people with SCI in Brazil.

Bowel Emptying Methods Used by German Residents Living With Spina Bifida.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze methods of bowel emptying among Germans living with spina bifida. We also analyzed relationships between age, sex, level of spinal bifida anomaly, and methods of bowel elimination. DESIGN: A quantitative, descriptive study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 88 persons (56 women and 32 men) residing anywhere in the Federal Republic of Germany. Their mean age was 17.5 years (SD 13.64 years), range 0 to 55 years. METHODS: Data were collected through an online survey questionnaire developed for the urological follow-up protocol for patients with spina bifida. Parents completed the questionnaire for participants younger than 18 years. RESULTS: Twenty participants (22.7%) reported normal defecation and 68 (77.3%) reported neurogenic bowel dysfunction requiring regular bowel management. Participants requiring bowel management predominately used rectal irrigation (40.9%) and digital rectal stimulation (27.3%) to enhance bowel evacuation. Age emerged as the only factor related to the bowel management techniques. Younger participants (≤20 years) were more likely to use rectal irrigation for bowel evacuation (P = .001, Fisher's exact test), whereas older respondents (≥21 years) were more likely to use digital rectal stimulation (P = .015, Fisher's exact test). Analysis revealed no differences in methods of bowel evacuation based on sex or level of spina bifida anomaly (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, or sacral). CONCLUSIONS: Rectal irrigation was the most common method for bowel evacuation. Participants were less likely to employ potentially effective and more conservative measures for intestinal emptying, such as toilet training/timed evacuation associated with Valsalva maneuvers, abdominal press, abdominal massage, and digital rectal stimulation. Additional comparative studies with more participants and other countries with intestinal emptying methods are needed to better understand the needs of individuals with spina bifida and their families and to improve the health-related quality of life of these people.

Satisfaction and meaning in life for individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury / Satisfação e o sentido da vida para pessoas com lesão medular traumática

Objective: To analyze meaning in life, satisfaction with life, and the influence of sociodemographic variables in Brazilians with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). This was a quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive study. Participants: Adults with traumatic SCI. Methods: The data were collected through the Survey Monkey platform using the Meaning in Life Questionnaire and the Satisfaction With Life Scale; the sample was composed of adults 18 years old or older with Traumatic SCI. Results: Most of the participants were male (75.5%), with a mean age of 36.22. The average score on the Satisfaction With Life Scale was 21.26, which corresponds to the Slightly satisfied category. The mean scores, respectively, for search and presence of meaning in life were 22.61 and 25.32, indicating that most participants find life meaningful even though they don't explicitly search for meaning. There were significant associations between satisfaction with life and the meaning in life. Conclusion: In the rehabilitation process for people with Traumatic SCI, the assessment of satisfaction and the meaning of life must be managed together along with other psychological variables. Considering the complex life context of people suffering from a Traumatic SCI, there is a need for both holistic and individualized understanding during the rehabilitation process

Objetivo: Analisar o sentido da vida, a satisfação com a vida e a influência de variáveis sociodemográficas em brasileiros com Lesão Medular Traumática. Trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, transversal e descritivo com participantes adultos com LM traumática. Método: Os dados foram coletados por meio da plataforma Survey Monkey, utilizando o Questionário de Sentido da Vida e a Escala de Satisfação com a Vida; a amostra foi composta por adultos de 18 anos ou mais com LM traumática. Resultados: A maioria dos participantes era do sexo masculino (75,5%), com média de idade de 36,22 anos. A pontuação média na Escala de Satisfação com a Vida foi de 21,26, o que corresponde à categoria pouco satisfeito. As pontuações médias, respectivamente, para busca e presença de sentido na vida foram 22,61 e 25,32, indicando que a maioria dos participantes acha a vida com sentido, embora não busque esse sentido explicitamente. Houve associações significativas entre satisfação com a vida e o sentido da vida. Conclusão: O processo de reabilitação de pessoas com LM traumática deve conter a avaliação da satisfação e do sentido de vida em conjunto com outras variáveis psicológicas. O contexto de vida das pessoas que sofrem de uma LM traumática é complexo e há uma necessidade de compreensão holística e individualizada durante o processo de reabilitação