[Quality of "crisis communication" media during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Great Maghreb countries]. / Qualité des supports de communication de crise lors de la pandémie de la COVID-19 au Grand Maghreb.

OBJECTIVE: To objectively assess the quality of "crisis communication" media, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the three Greater Maghreb countries (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco). METHODS: A compliance audit for press releases and epidemiological bulletins was analyzed against a quality benchmark, which had been specifically designed by the authors. This framework, made up of five dimensions and 50 items, graded (0/1), was applied by two researchers in preventive medicine. Multiplying the scores by a coefficient of two resulted in a partial score of 20 points for each dimension and a total score of 100 points for the checklist taken as a whole. The quality of the communication media was considered to be good when exceeding the thresholds of 15/20 for the different dimensions and 75/100 for the entire grid. RESULTS: A total of 141 information media were included in this audit (Tunisia: 60; Algeria: 60; Morocco: 21). The overall median quality score for these media was only 56/100 (IIQ: [46-58]), without major variability between countries. The most appreciated dimension was "maintaining the confidence of the population", with an overall median score of 14/20 (12/20 for epidemiological bulletins and 16/20 for press releases). The most poorly rated dimension was "strengthening community participation", with a median score of only 4/20 (6/20 for epidemiological bulletins and 4/20 for press releases). CONCLUSION: The quality of the Maghreb crisis communication media during COVID-19 was insufficient in most of its dimensions and items, particularly from a psychosocial standpoint. Reinforcement of the capacities of communication officers to develop information material and supports during health crises is indispensable and should be considered as an urgent matter.

Why the backfire effect does not explain the durability of political misperceptions.

Previous research indicated that corrective information can sometimes provoke a so-called "backfire effect" in which respondents more strongly endorsed a misperception about a controversial political or scientific issue when their beliefs or predispositions were challenged. I show how subsequent research and media coverage seized on this finding, distorting its generality and exaggerating its role relative to other factors in explaining the durability of political misperceptions. To the contrary, an emerging research consensus finds that corrective information is typically at least somewhat effective at increasing belief accuracy when received by respondents. However, the research that I review suggests that the accuracy-increasing effects of corrective information like fact checks often do not last or accumulate; instead, they frequently seem to decay or be overwhelmed by cues from elites and the media promoting more congenial but less accurate claims. As a result, misperceptions typically persist in public opinion for years after they have been debunked. Given these realities, the primary challenge for scientific communication is not to prevent backfire effects but instead, to understand how to target corrective information better and to make it more effective. Ultimately, however, the best approach is to disrupt the formation of linkages between group identities and false claims and to reduce the flow of cues reinforcing those claims from elites and the media. Doing so will require a shift from a strategy focused on providing information to the public to one that considers the roles of intermediaries in forming and maintaining belief systems.

Infodemics: Do healthcare professionals detect corona-related false news stories better than students?

False news stories cause welfare losses and fatal health consequences. To limit its dissemination, it is essential to know what determines the ability to distinguish between true and false news stories. In our experimental study, we present subjects corona-related stories taken from the media from various categories (e.g. social isolation, economic consequences, direct health consequences, and strong exaggeration). The subject's task is to evaluate the stories as true or false. Besides students with and without healthcare background, we recruit healthcare professionals to increase the external validity of our study. Our main findings are: (i) Healthcare professionals perform similar to students in correctly distinguishing between true and false news stories. (ii) The propensity to engage in analytical thinking and actively open-minded thinking is positively associated with the ability to distinguish between true and false. (iii) We find that the residence of the subjects (East- or West-Germany) plays only a minor role. (iv) If news stories are in line with existing narratives, subjects tend to think that the stories are true.

Precision Assessment of COVID-19 Phenotypes Using Large-Scale Clinic Visit Audio Recordings: Harnessing the Power of Patient Voice.

COVID-19 cases are exponentially increasing worldwide; however, its clinical phenotype remains unclear. Natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning approaches may yield key methods to rapidly identify individuals at a high risk of COVID-19 and to understand key symptoms upon clinical manifestation and presentation. Data on such symptoms may not be accurately synthesized into patient records owing to the pressing need to treat patients in overburdened health care settings. In this scenario, clinicians may focus on documenting widely reported symptoms that indicate a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, albeit at the expense of infrequently reported symptoms. While NLP solutions can play a key role in generating clinical phenotypes of COVID-19, they are limited by the resulting limitations in data from electronic health records (EHRs). A comprehensive record of clinic visits is required-audio recordings may be the answer. A recording of clinic visits represents a more comprehensive record of patient-reported symptoms. If done at scale, a combination of data from the EHR and recordings of clinic visits can be used to power NLP and machine learning models, thus rapidly generating a clinical phenotype of COVID-19. We propose the generation of a pipeline extending from audio or video recordings of clinic visits to establish a model that factors in clinical symptoms and predict COVID-19 incidence. With vast amounts of available data, we believe that a prediction model can be rapidly developed to promote the accurate screening of individuals at a high risk of COVID-19 and to identify patient characteristics that predict a greater risk of a more severe infection. If clinical encounters are recorded and our NLP model is adequately refined, benchtop virologic findings would be better informed. While clinic visit recordings are not the panacea for this pandemic, they are a low-cost option with many potential benefits, which have recently begun to be explored.

COVID-19, Fake News, and Vaccines: Should Regulation Be Implemented?

We analysed issues concerning the establishment of compulsory vaccination against COVID-19, as well as the role of misinformation as a disincentive-especially when published by health professionals-and citizen acceptance of measures in this regard. Data from different surveys revealed a high degree of hesitation rather than outright opposition to vaccines. The most frequent complaint related to the COVID-19 vaccination was the fear of side effects. Within the Spanish and European legislative framework, both compulsory vaccination and government regulation of FN (Fake News) appear to be feasible options, counting on sufficient legal support, which could be reinforced by additional amendment. However, following current trends of good governance, policymakers must have public legitimation. Rather than compulsory COVID-19 vaccination, an approach based on education and truthful information, persuading the population of the benefits of a vaccine on a voluntary basis, is recommended. Disagreements between health professionals are positive, but they should be resolved following good practice and the procedures of the code of ethics. Furthermore, citizens do not support the involvement of government authorities in the direct control of news. Collaboration with the media and other organizations should be used instead.

Clinical update on managing media exposure and misinformation during COVID-19: recommendations for governments and healthcare professionals.

OBJECTIVES: To provide a clinical update on the mechanisms of, and potential population mental health risks of, excessive media exposure and misinformation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. To outline guidance for government, health services, psychiatrists and health professionals in managing mental health effects of COVID-19 media exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Social and traditional media businesses attract interest by reporting threats and negativity, and heavy media exposure during disasters is associated with increased depressive and post-traumatic symptoms. There are three main recommendations for mitigation of the adverse population mental health effects of excessive media exposure and misinformation. Clear, authoritative communication from governments, health authorities and health professionals is essential, combined with correction of misinformation and addressing mistrust. Specific warnings by governments, health authorities and clinicians of the potential adverse mental health consequences of excessive COVID-19 media consumption are needed. Limitation of exposure to media and disinformation regarding COVID-19 is crucial - the less, the better. Healthcare professionals can advise patients to check information once daily, and be guided by reliable public health authorities, as part of interventions for managing the mental health impact of COVID-19.

Fake News and Covid-19 in Italy: Results of a Quantitative Observational Study.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, risk communication has often been ineffective, and from this perspective "fake news" has found fertile ground, both as a cause and a consequence of it. The aim of this study is to measure how much "fake news" and corresponding verified news have circulated in Italy in the period between 31 December 2019 and 30 April 2020, and to estimate the quality of informal and formal communication. We used the BuzzSumo application to gather the most shared links on the Internet related to the pandemic in Italy, using keywords chosen according to the most frequent "fake news" during that period. For each research we noted the numbers of "fake news" articles and science-based news articles, as well as the number of engagements. We reviewed 2102 articles. Links that contained fake news were shared 2,352,585 times, accounting for 23.1% of the total shares of all the articles reviewed. Our study throws light on the "fake news" phenomenon in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A quantitative assessment is fundamental in order to understand the impact of false information and to define political and technical interventions in health communication. Starting from this evaluation, health literacy should be improved by means of specific interventions in order to improve informal and formal communication.

Mobile Media and Trust in Sources of Health Information: A Comparative Study in 26 European Countries.

The context in which people consume health information has changed with the diffusion of the mobile media. The interactive health communication influences the health care system with its information dissemination, health promotion and support for health services. The object of this study is to analyze the relationships between mobile media and the credibility of health sources. The health sources include health professionals, mass media, and family/friends. Mobile media have been conceptualized at two levels. The individual-level analysis sees mobile media as a medium through which users receive information, and examines how the individual use of mobile media affects users' perceived credibility of health sources. The country-level analysis sees mobile media as a context in which trust in health sources is constructed, and examines how mobile contexts affect perceived credibility of health sources. The individual-level data came from a large cross-national survey conducted by the European Barometer in May, 2016, which aims to investigate people's opinions about antibiotics. The country-level data have been obtained from the United Nations and the European Social Survey. All the data have been combined into the final sample, consisting of 25,896 respondents in 26 European countries. For the main effects, the mobile phone penetration is negatively related to health professionals but positively related to media and family or friends. The wireless broadband penetration is positively related to health professionals but negatively related to family or friends. The health performance is positively related to health professionals but negatively related to family or friends. The post-materialistic culture is negatively related to media.

Evaluating the fake news problem at the scale of the information ecosystem.

"Fake news," broadly defined as false or misleading information masquerading as legitimate news, is frequently asserted to be pervasive online with serious consequences for democracy. Using a unique multimode dataset that comprises a nationally representative sample of mobile, desktop, and television consumption, we refute this conventional wisdom on three levels. First, news consumption of any sort is heavily outweighed by other forms of media consumption, comprising at most 14.2% of Americans' daily media diets. Second, to the extent that Americans do consume news, it is overwhelmingly from television, which accounts for roughly five times as much as news consumption as online. Third, fake news comprises only 0.15% of Americans' daily media diet. Our results suggest that the origins of public misinformedness and polarization are more likely to lie in the content of ordinary news or the avoidance of news altogether as they are in overt fakery.

Undermining Credibility: The Limited Influence of Online Comments to Vaccine-related News Stories.

State-sponsored disinformation campaigns increasingly use anti-vaccine comments to not only undermine public health but to also reduce confidence and participation in a democratic society. Despite these dangers, research has not fully explored whether anti-vaccine comments can achieve these effects. To address this gap, an online survey experiment was conducted using a national sample of 1010 U.S. adults. Participants read a mainstream news article discussing the flu vaccine that included random variations of user comments adapted from a documented state-sponsored disinformation campaign. While exposure to anti-vaccine comments did not affect participants' views of vaccines or their willingness to discuss vaccines, participants holding pro-vaccine views reported lower confidence in news organizations and viewed the journalist who authored their article as less credible. These results suggest that anti-vaccine comments may produce effects that align with the goals of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns.

Análisis de las noticias sobre Enfermería en prensa española / An analysis of news about Nursing in the Spanish press

Objetivo: analizar las noticias sobre Enfermería en prensa escrita española en algunos de los periódicos de mayor difusión en España. Método: revisión de la prensa escrita generalista a través del análisis de noticias publicadas en los periódicos El País, El Mundo, La Vanguardia y ABC, que incluyeran en sus titulares o en sus entradillas las palabras "Enfermería", "enfermera", o "enfermero". Para valorar la legibilidad lingüística de los titulares y entradillas recuperados se utilizó el índice de Flesch-Szigriszt, calculado a través del programa INFLESZ. Resultados: se recuperaron 534 noticias. Por periódicos se recogieron 185 (34,64%) noticias en La Vanguardia, 165 (30,90%) en El Mundo, 100 (18,73%) en ABC y 84 (15,73%) en El País. El 31,46% (n= 168) de las noticias trataba sobre "Condiciones de trabajo", el 13,30% (n= 71) sobre "Investigación-Universidad", el 12,17% (n= 65) sobre "sucesos" y el 9,74% (n= 52) sobre "prescripción enfermera". La inclusión del término "enfermero" (n=179) es superior a la utilización de "enfermera" (n=129) en las noticias recogidas. El nivel de legibilidad de titulares y entradillas fue "algo difícil". Conclusiones: el término masculino "enfermero" es más habitual que el femenino "enfermera" en la prensa escrita española. Una tercera parte de las noticias recuperadas trata sobre condiciones de trabajo. La legibilidad no es adecuada

Objective: to analyze the news about Nursing in the Spanish written press in some of the main newspapers in Spain. Method: a review of the general written press through the analysis of news published in the following newspapers: El País, El Mundo, La Vanguardia and ABC, including in their headlines or lead paragraphs the terms "Enfermería" ("Nursing"), "enfermera" ("female nurse"), or "enfermero" ("male nurse"). The Flesch-Szigriszt Index was used in order to assess the linguistic readability of the headlines and lead paragraphs, calculated through the INFLESZ program. Results: in total, 534 pieces of news were retrieved. By newspapers, 185 (34.64%) pieces of news were collected from La Vanguardia, 165 (30.90%) from El Mundo, 100 (18.73%) from ABC and 84 (15.73%) from El País. Of these articles, 31.46% (n= 168) dealt with "Working conditions", 13.30% (n= 71) with "Research-University", 12.17% (n= 65) with "events" and 9.74% (n= 52) with "nursing prescription". The inclusion of the term "enfermero" ("male nurse") (n=179) was higher than the use of "enfermera" ("female nurse") in the articles collected. The level of readability of headlines and lead paragraphs was "somewhat difficult". Conclusions: the male term "enfermero" is more usual than the female "enfermera" in the Spanish written press. A third part of the news retrieved dealt with working conditions. Readability was not adequate

Quality of Service Class Identifier (QCI) radio resource allocation algorithm for LTE downlink.

The increasing demand for network applications, such as teleconferencing, multimedia messaging and mobile TV, which have diverse requirements, has resulted in the introduction of Long Term Evolution (LTE) by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE networks implement resource allocation algorithms to distribute radio resource to satisfy the bandwidth and delay requirements of users. However, the scheduling algorithm problem of distributing radio resources to users is not well defined in the LTE standard and thus considerably affects transmission order. Furthermore, the existing radio resource algorithm suffers from performance degradation under prioritised conditions because of the minimum data rate used to determine the transmission order. In this work, a novel downlink resource allocation algorithm that uses quality of service (QoS) requirements and channel conditions to address performance degradation is proposed. The new algorithm is formulated as an optimisation problem where network resources are allocated according to users' priority, whereas the scheduling algorithm decides on the basis of users' channel status to satisfy the demands of QoS. Simulation is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, and results demonstrate that it performs better than do all other algorithms according to the measured metrics.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Four Different Design Media in Communicating Desired Performance Outcomes With Clinical End Users.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of four different design communication media in helping clinical end users understand spatial and functional information and in supporting their ability to provide design feedback. BACKGROUND: It is critical to involve clinical end users early in the design process to test design solutions and ensure the design of a new healthcare facility supports their ability to deliver high-quality care. Traditional architectural design communication media such as floor plans and perspectives can be challenging for clinical design team members to understand. Physical and virtual mock-ups are becoming more popular as design communication media. However, nominal evidence exists comparing the effectiveness of different design media in supporting clinical end-user engagement and contribution during the design process. METHOD: An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted with clinical end users to evaluate the effectiveness of four different media commonly used in design communication. RESULTS: Traditional architectural representations convey limited useful information to clinical end users, impacting the amount and type of feedback they can provide. More immersive media, such as physical and virtual mock-ups, support an increasingly holistic understanding of proposed design solutions, inciting more design solutions that range from the inclusion and exclusion of design features to location, position, and functionality of those features. CONCLUSIONS: When used in combination, each media can contribute to eliciting clinical end-user feedback at varying scales. The overall preference and higher effectiveness in eliciting design feedback from clinical end users highlights the importance of physical mock-up in communicating healthcare design solutions.

Value of Electronic Educational Media in Combatting Parasitic Diseases.

Parasitic diseases have plagued mankind throughout history, and even today parasites continue to cause disease, disability and death in millions of people worldwide. Targeted electronic educational media for bringing awareness to local inhabitants of endemic communities, including public health practitioners, are vital tools in the battle against parasitic diseases.

Disease awareness campaigns in printed and online media in Latvia: cross-sectional study on consistency with WHO ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion and European standards.

BACKGROUND: European legislation prohibits direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines, but allows drug manufacturers to provide information to the public on health and diseases. Our aim was to measure the frequency of disease awareness campaigns in Latvian media and assess their compliance with international and European standards. METHODS: Materials on health/disease and treatments were collected between April and September 2015 from 12 newspapers and magazines and six online portals. Disease awareness campaigns were assessed using a previously developed instrument based on the WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug promotion and European standards (EU law and pharmaceutical industry self-regulatory guidelines). Collected materials were used to examine the information provided on medical conditions and their diagnosis and treatment. The inter-rater reliability was calculated. RESULTS: We collected 263 materials from print (n = 149) and online media (n = 114); 94 were news items and 169 were disease-awareness advertisements. Cancer, cardiovascular problems, allergies and respiratory diseases were common topics. Of the 157 campaigns assessed, non-compliance was identified in 149 cases (inter-rater reliability 90%), mainly due to misleading or incomplete information, lack of balance and the absence of a listed author/sponsor. Six disease awareness campaigns directly mentioned a pharmaceutical product by brand name and other four included the logo or name of a manufacturer, referred to a condition and indirectly mentioned a treatment, all in contravention with European law. CONCLUSIONS: The compliance of disease awareness campaigns in Latvian media with international and European standards is low. This raises concerns about the nature of information being conveyed. Through lack of balance, missing sponsorship information, and misleading or incomplete information, these campaigns could contribute to inaccurate self-diagnosis and generate demand among those who might not need medical treatment.

A personalized channel recommendation and scheduling system considering both section video clips and full video clips.

With the convergence of various broadcasting systems, the amount of content available in mobile terminals including IPTV has significantly increased. In this paper, we propose a system that enables users to schedule programs considering both section video clips and full video clips based on the user detection method with similar preference. And, since the system constituting the contents can be classified according to the program, the proposed method can store a program desired by the user, and thus create and schedule a kind of individual channel. Experimental results show that the proposed method has a higher prediction accuracy; this is accomplished by comparing existing channel recommendation methods with the program recommendation methods proposed in this paper.