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A global disaster, such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic, affects every aspect of our lives and there is a need to investigate these highly complex phenomena if one aims to diminish their impact in the health of the population, as well as their socio-economic stability. In this paper we present an attempt to understand the role of the governmental authorities and the response of the rest of the population facing such emergencies. We present a mathematical model that takes into account the epidemiological features of the pandemic and also the actions of people responding to it, focusing only on three aspects of the system, namely, the fear of catching this serious disease, the impact on the economic activities and the compliance of the people to the mitigating measures adopted by the authorities. We apply the model to the specific case of Spain, since there are accurate data available about these three features. We focused on tourism as an example of the economic activity, since this sector of economy is one of the most likely to be affected by the restrictions imposed by the authorities, and because it represents an important part of Spanish economy. The results of numerical calculations agree with the empirical data in such a way that we can acquire a better insight of the different processes at play in such a complex situation, and also in other different circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper analyses the effect on economic profitability of the adoption of work-life balance practices. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a sample of Spanish listed companies during the period 2015-2022, the aim was to contrast the effect of a work-life balance index on economic profitability. Findings: The regression analysis, clustered at firm level, shows a positive and significant effect of the index on economic profitability, suggesting that companies' practices to achieve a work-life balance could be a source of competitive advantage increasing human capital. Originality/value: Firstly, investigating the consequences of work-life balance practices at company level rather than at individual level, and secondly, running a longitudinal study as opposed to cross-sectional studies, which are more frequent in the literature. Thirdly, adding evidence from a continental European country, Spain, as opposed to previous studies carried out mainly in Anglo-Saxon countries as well as considering the work-life balances currently used by listed firms in the Spanish market. Finally, this relationship is analysed over a time-period that considers a health crisis such as COVID-19, which had a major impact on business and labour dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza is a health problem and vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent it. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination coverage (VC) against influenza in healthcare workers (HCWs). A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dr. Balmis University General Hospital in the province of Alicante (Spain), in which vaccination data were collected retrospectively. Adverse effects (AEs) were detected via telephone call between 15 and 30 days after vaccination. The existence of significant changes in VC between the different seasons studied was evaluated using Chi square with a statistical significance level of p < 0.05. A total of 8403 HCWs vaccinated throughout the different seasons were studied. The vaccination coverage of HCWs for influenza pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2019/20 season) was 51.9%; increased during the pandemic to 67.9% (2020/21 season) and 65.5% (2021/22 season); and, after the pandemic, it decreased to 42.7% (2022/23 season) (p < 0.05). The most frequent reason for vaccination during the periods evaluated was "self-protection", followed by "protection of patients" and "protection of family members". Of all HCWs evaluated, 26.6% (1460/5493) reported at least one AE. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs' influenza vaccination coverage fluctuated considerably. There has been an increase in VC during the most critical moments of the pandemic, both in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons, which has, subsequently, decreased in the 2022/2023 season, to levels below pre-pandemic (2019/2020 season), which justifies implementing specific measures to recover VC in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social networks and official statistics have become vital sources of information in times of health emergencies. The ability to monitor and profile social sentiment is essential for understanding public perception and response in the context of public health crises, such as the one resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This study will explore how social sentiment monitoring and profiling can be conducted using information from social networks and official statistics, and how this combination of data can offer a more complete picture of social dynamics in times of emergency, providing a valuable tool for understanding public perception and guiding a public health response. To this end, a three-layer architecture based on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence is presented: the first layer focuses mainly on collecting, storing, and governing the necessary data such as social media and official statistics; in the second layer, the representation models and machine learning necessary for knowledge generation are built, and in the third layer the previously generated knowledge is adapted for better understanding by crisis managers through visualization techniques among others. Based on this architecture, a KDD (Knowledge Discovery in Databases) framework is implemented using methodological tools such as sentiment analysis, fuzzy 2-tuple linguistic models and time series prediction with the Prophet model. As a practical demonstration of the proposed model, we use tweets as data source (from the social network X, formerly known as Twitter) generated during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period in Spain, which are processed to identify the overall sentiment using sentiment analysis techniques and fuzzy linguistic variables, and combined with official statistical indicators for prediction, visualizing the results through dashboards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employees' affective well-being may be negatively affected by situations in which there is a lack of information on their job future. Yet, further knowledge is needed regarding the mechanisms that underlie this relationship, as it could help managers to counteract the pernicious effects of the emergence of uncertainty situations in firms. One potential underlying mechanism could be the level of anxiety experienced by employees in uncertainty situations, especially when these situations are perceived as threats to their immediate job future. Structural equation modelling, specifically through partial least squares -Smart PLS 4.0-, was used to test this point, and responses from a sample of 205 hotel employees in Spain after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were statistically analysed for such a purpose. The findings revealed that, as expected, job-related uncertainty perceptions reduce the affective well-being of employees not directly but rather indirectly by increasing their level of anxiety, which reveals that the predicted full mediating effect of employee anxiety was, therefore confirmed. This study thus demonstrates that job anxiety is increased by job-related uncertainty perceptions, and that job anxiety reduces the affective well-being of the employees, which could be dangerous for the competitiveness of firms. Managers should therefore activate policies and systems that reduce the level of anxiety of employees, so that the well-being of employees will not be reduced when uncertainty arises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Challenges of polypharmacy and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in older patients require further investigation. This retrospective study analyzed the progression of polypharmacy and anticholinergic burden in older patients in a primary care setting before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This 3-year cross-sectional study (2019, 2020, and 2021) comprised a dynamic cohort of individuals aged =75 years, who attended the Arrabal Primary Care Center in Zaragoza, Spain. Older patients with polypharmacy (=5 medications) were identified according to their electronic health records. We collected demographic and clinical data, including medication prescriptions, diagnoses, and anticholinergic risks, and performed descriptive and statistical analyses. Results: This study included a total of 1,928 patients with a mean age of 83.52±0.30 years. Over the 3-year study period, the mean number of medications prescribed increased, from 9.4 in 2019 to 10.4 in 2021. The prevalence of excessive polypharmacy (=10 medications) increased from 39% in 2019 to 45% in 2021. The most commonly prescribed drugs were anilides, proton pump inhibitors, benzodiazepine derivatives, and platelet aggregation inhibitors. Women had a higher prevalence of illnesses and anticholinergic drug prescriptions than men. Conclusion: The results of this study highlighted an upward trend in polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy among older patients in primary care settings. Future research should focus on optimizing medication management and deprescribing strategies and minimizing the adverse effects of polypharmacy in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fever stands out as the predominant clinical indicator in infancy. Pediatricians encounter fever routinely in their daily practice, playing a crucial role in their interactions with children and families. Objective: The aim is to examine pediatricians' viewpoints, understanding, and approaches regarding childhood fever in two healthcare settings: pediatric hospitalization (emergency and inpatient ward) and primary care. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using an ethnomethodological approach. Pediatricians working in the specified pediatric settings participated in in-depth interviews where theoretical clinical cases were presented for analysis. Results: Following the examination of the discourses, the codes were organized into eight categories: Understanding of fever, Significance ascribed to fever, Therapeutic strategies, Engagement with the evidence, Family apprehensions regarding fever, Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Inter- and intra-professional relationships, and Suggestions for change: Conclusions: Pediatricians acknowledge the importance of addressing discomfort in the treatment of fever, but express challenges in implementing these recommendations. Pediatricians in inpatient settings emphasize the need for enhanced parental education from primary care, while those in primary care recognize the potential for improvement. Inpatient pediatricians are open to implementing changes in their daily practices, particularly concerning the administration of antipyretics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobility and activity restrictions imposed in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant improvement in the urban noise pollution that could be objectively measured in those cities with acoustic sensor networks deployed. This significant change in the urban soundscapes was also perceived by citizens who positively appraised this new acoustic scenario. In this work, authors present a comparative analysis between different noise indices provided by 70 sound sensors deployed in Barcelona, both during and before the lockdown, and the results of a perceptual test conducted in the framework of the project Sons al Balcó during the lockdown, which received more than one hundred contributions in Barcelona alone. The analysis has been performed by clustering the objective and subjective data according to the predominant noise sources in the location of the sensors and differentiating road traffic in heavy, moderate and low-traffic areas. The study brings out strong alignments between a decline in noise indices, acoustic satisfaction improvement and changes in the predominant noise sources, supporting the idea that objective calibrated data can be useful to make a qualitative approximation to the subjective perception of urban soundscapes when further information is not available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instances of crisis have always marked pivotal moments in housing design, acting as catalysts for re-evaluating models and practices and bringing forth systemic changes already latent in the discipline. Such revelation of hidden latencies is a characteristic phenomenon of today's housing panorama, influenced by factors such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the imperative shift toward ecological sustainability, and a growing discourse prompting the reconsideration of the human body at both individual and social levels. This article delves into such a system of adjustments within the contextualised case of Spanish social housing. It does so by focusing on two complementary sources. Firstly, recent shifts in housing policies, encompassing new regulations, programs, legal frameworks, and urban strategies; and secondly, a selection of projects emerging from competitions and new developments that either anticipate or result from these policy changes, introducing innovative design devices working on the following fronts: (1) the presence of nature and open space, interpreted as a fundamental element for social comfort related with broader ecological concerns, (2) a heterogeneous and complex articulation of in-between collective spaces, responding to emerging trends around the concept of sharing, and (3) the reconceptualization of the traditional core of interior private space, namely the kitchen, which in turn raises important questions on gender equality and care. Analysing the ever-evolving interplay between policies and practices, theories and projects, will reveal that the multifaceted crises of recent decades have played a pivotal role in shaping a redefined understanding of domestic spaces. Most significantly, this reinterpretation goes beyond addressing environmental sustainability and energy efficiency, placing a great emphasis on social innovation within and beyond the home, inside and outside the building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused an international health emergency situation where nursing took on a fundamental role. The high number of patients in hospital ICUs led to a shift in nurses' working conditions and workload. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the experiences of nurses who worked in ICUs during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A qualitative, descriptive study was carried out, with the participation of 21 nurses who worked in the ICU during the pandemic. Data collection took place between May and July 2021 through 21 in-depth interviews. Results: Three main themes emerged: (1) COVID-19 in ICUs: nurses on the frontline. (2) United against adversity: teamwork. (3) New optics of critical care and the nursing profession. COVID-19 was perceived with harshness, and the lack of knowledge about the virus generated confusion, anxiety and fear due to the risk of transmission to family members and relatives. The pandemic marked a shift in the management of human, material and economic resources. Novice nurses learned critical care at an accelerated pace, with significant physical and psychological strain. Expert nurses carried the burden of training new nurses. Although there were tense situations, experiencing these adverse situations as a team led to feelings of increased belonging, togetherness and professional bonding for nurses. While the participants noted an increase in motivation to continue in their profession, they also had a feeling of not having been cared for as they deserve by healthcare institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Oral endocrine therapy is a key component of breast cancer treatment in hormone-positive patients, the most frequent subtype of this cancer. Adherence to this treatment is a factor related to an increased probability of relapse and death. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disruptive impact on the use of cancer services, delaying diagnosis and stopping screening during the peak of the pandemic. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 on the adherence to oral endocrine therapy in Catalonia (Spain) using the data collected in the clinical records of the public health care system. We have found that the first wave of the COVID-19 (between March and September 2020) was associated with a modest impact on treatment adherence. Purpose. To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to oral endocrine therapy in patients diagnosed with breast cancer in the public healthcare system in Catalonia (Spain). Methods. Retrospective cohort study in patients starting endocrine therapy from 2017 to 2021. Adherence was measured during the first year of treatment, and the impact of the pandemic was calculated according to the calendar year and whether the first year of treatment included the peak period of the pandemic in our setting (March–September 2020). Analyses were performed using a chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression, with results stratified by year, age group, and drug type. Results. Mean overall adherence during the first year of treatment was 89.6% from 2017 to 2021. In contrast, the patients who started treatment in 2019 and 2020 and whose treatment included the peak pandemic period presented an adherence of 87.0% and 86.5%, respectively. Young age and tamoxifen or combination therapy were predictors of low adherence. An increase in neoadjuvant therapy was also observed in 2020. Conclusions. The COVID-19 pandemic had only a modest impact on adherence to endocrine therapy (≈3%), despite the enormous disruptions for patients, the healthcare system in general, and cancer care in particular that were occurring in that period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The display of compassionate care by palliative care professionals is of the utmost importance to the patients, their families, and even to their own professional well-being. Lately and, especially due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, palliative care professionals have been subjected to greater pressures stemming from their work environment, organizational standpoint, and emotional sense of view. Not only have these factors made it harder for professionals to deliver compassionate care to their patients, but they have also decreased their overall well-being. The aim is to study how sociodemographics, workplace characteristics, internal resources, and the COVID-19 pandemic-derived pressures have affected the professionals' capacity to perform compassionate care and their well-being while at the same time exploring the relationship between compassionate care and well-being. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with data gathered from Spanish palliative care professionals. The final sample was formed by 241 participants. They were surveyed about compassion, professional quality of life, well-being, sociodemographic data, working conditions, self-care, and coping with death competence, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analyses used were descriptive statistics, bivariate tests, and the construction of a structural equation model. Results: Compassion was predicted by the ability to control their workload and the ability to cope with death. Burnout was predicted by age, workload, workload control, self-care, material resources, and changes in teamwork. Moreover, compassion, age, workload control, and changes in teamwork and self-care were shown to significantly predict compassion satisfaction. When it comes to compassion fatigue, different variables were shown to predict it, those being compassion, control over the workload, social self-care, and the ability to cope with death. Conclusions: Having a healthy lifestyle and an adequate social support system is key to maintaining professional well-being in the case of palliative care professionals. Inner resources such as the ability to perform self-care and the capacity to cope with death are of vital importance to taking care of these professionals. Thus, it would be beneficial to establish training programs focused on these aspects in the myriad of sanitary centers that perform these tasks, as these abilities are necessary to withstand the work-related pressures and, at the same time, be able to provide compassionate care for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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