Search

Objective: This study investigated whether cognitive screening tools used for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (pwALS) are affected by the screen being administered face-to-face or remotely online. It also investigated whether demographic variables predicted total cognitive screen scores. Methods: The cognitive component of the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECASc), the cognitive component of the ALS Cognitive Behavioural Screen (ALS-CBSc), and the Mini Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (Mini-ACE) were administered to 41 pwALS and 41 controls face-to-face. Versions of the cognitive screens designed to be administered remotely were administered to 57 pwALS and 44 controls via videoconferencing methods. Backwards stepwise linear regressions were conducted to assess whether total scores on the ECASc, ALS-CBSc, and Mini-ACE scores were predicted by administration mode (face-to-face or remote) or demographic variables. Results: Mode of administration significantly affected scores on the ECASc and ALS-CBSc; remote administration was associated with better total scores. Administration mode did not significantly affect Mini-ACE scores. All cognitive screens were significantly affected by IQ scores; higher IQ scores predicted better screening tool scores. Only ECASc scores were significantly affected by age, with older age predicting poorer scores. Being female was associated with better Mini-ACE scores; sex did not predict ECASc and ALS-CBSc scores. Conclusions: Our results suggest that videoconferencing versions of the ECASc and ALS-CBSc may function differently to the original, face-to-face versions. There are advantages to using remote versions of cognitive screening tools but clinicians and researchers who use them should consider that they may not yield equivalent scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, due to the spread of COVID-19, the implementation of remote learning has been increasing worldwide. This study aims to analyze the difficulties and convenience of using information and communication technology (ICT) for students with disabilities and changes in their perceptions of ICT use after the completion of courses for each form of remote learning. The survey included 122 students with disabilities and 314 students without disabilities via a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four situations, categorized according to the type of remote classes. We conducted an analysis of variance using a two-factor mixed design with disability (non-paired: two levels) × situations (paired: four levels) regarding perceptions of resistance toward ICT and self-rated comprehension as the dependent variables. Results show that students with disabilities were more positive about using ICT than students without disabilities in many items. However, before the courses that required the use of relatively new application software, such as web conferencing systems, students with disabilities showed significantly higher levels of resistance and lower levels of self-assessed comprehension. Further, a comparison of the amount of change in perceptions before and after the course reveals that students with disabilities showed significantly more improvement in negative items before the course. These results suggest the importance of providing opportunities for students with disability to learn how to use ICT and understand its convenience in an environment similar to an actual classroom, given the rapid changes occurring in ICT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although most teaching in higher education may still involve either in-person teaching or online distance teaching, various forms of hybrid teaching are becoming more common. Maturity of hybrid teaching has been limited by the lack of research-based development and poor definition of teaching practices in the literature. This article is about a particular variant of hybrid teaching (SynPaD hybrid) involving learners in the physical presence of one or more teachers with other learners attending synchronously via videoconferencing, in situations where all participants can, or should be able to, interact both verbally and visually with all other participants. The article applies a recognised qualitative research approach to gather potentially important insights into the perspectives of university teachers in capacities as teachers and as learners about SynPaD hybrid teaching, and interprets its findings using self-determination theory. Notable insights from this research suggest that university teachers in the role of learners are able to appreciate SynPaD hybrid and may insist that university teachers tasked with supporting learning in this context should rise to the challenges of teaching in this way. University teachers, acting in the role of teacher, may question the practicality of teaching in SynPaD hybrid and their motivation to teach in this way. This article describes and comments on the difficult decisions faced by higher education institutions as SynPaD hybrid emerges as an alternative to more orthodox in-person and online teaching situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental factors amplified by climate change contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations, such as individuals with rare diseases. Researchers require innovative, dynamic data linkage methods to enable the development of risk prediction models, particularly for diseases like vasculitis with unknown aetiology but potential environmental triggers. In response, we present the Semantic Environmental and Rare Disease Data Integration Framework (SERDIF). SERDIF was evaluated with researchers studying climate-related health hazards of vasculitis disease activity across European countries (NP1 = 10, NP2 = 17, NP3 = 23). Usability metrics consistently improved, indicating SERDIF's effectiveness in linking complex environmental and health datasets. Furthermore, SERDIF-enabled epidemiologists to study environmental factors in a pregnancy cohort in Lombardy, showcasing its versatility beyond rare diseases. This framework offers for the first time a user-friendly, FAIR-compliant design for environment-health data linkage with export capabilities enabling data analysis to mitigate health risks posed by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HNO is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We present CPSCoach 2.0, an automated system that provides feedback, instructional scaffolding, and practice to help individuals improve three collaborative problem-solving (CPS) skills drawn from a theoretical CPS framework: construction of shared knowledge, negotiation/coordination, and maintaining team function. CPSCoach 2.0 was developed and tested in the context of computer-mediated collaboration (video conferencing) with an educational game. It automatically analyzes users' speech during a round of collaborative gameplay to provide personalized feedback and to select a target CPS skill for improvement. After multiple cycles of iterative testing and refinement, we tested CPSCoach 2.0 in a user study where 21 dyads (n = 42) completed four rounds of feedback and scaffolding embedded within five rounds of game-play in a single session. Using a quasi-experimental matching procedure, we found that the use of CPSCoach 2.0 was associated with improvement in CPS skill development compared to matched controls. Further, users found the automated feedback to be moderately accurate and had positive perceptions of the system, and these impressions were stronger for those who received higher scores overall. Results demonstrate the use of automated feedback and instructional scaffolds to support the development of CPS skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the shift toward technology-based approaches to assessment and intervention and the growing popularity of virtual service delivery, practitioners must have data to inform whether student performance on curriculum-based measures (CBMs) is equivalent when administering assessments through different modalities. Reading CBMs are a widely used tool for benchmarking and monitoring student progress, but researchers have not thoroughly examined variations on CBM assessment modality (e.g., tablets, computers, video conferencing). The current study extends the research on CBM assessment modalities by comparing students' oral reading fluency (ORF) scores across traditional (face-to-face, with paper probes) and virtual (via video conferencing, with probes presented on screen share) assessment sessions. Results from four students, using an alternating treatment design, show slight differences between modalities with traditional face-to-face administration yielding higher scores. Assessment integrity and interscorer agreement data were collected. Discussion focuses on limitations, directions for future research, and considerations for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child abuse is a major concern worldwide. While live-link interviews have been successful in legal and medical contexts, its potential for eyewitness interviews remains insufficiently studied, particularly in terms of non-verbal misinformation. This study explored tele-forensic interviewing (tele-FI), where video-conferencing software such as Zoom or Skype are used to conduct forensic interviews, as an alternative to face-to-face interviews. Focus was given to the susceptibility of eyewitness memory to the gestural misinformation effect (GME) where post-event information in the form of gesture can distort recall of a witnessed incident. Forty-seven children were recruited ranging in age from 5- to 8-years-old (M = 6 years 11 months). Comparisons were made to face-to-face conditions from prior published work by the authors (N = 63, M = 7 years 2 months) using the same methodology, video, and question sets. Results find support for the GME during tele-FI, with 1.23 misinformation details recorded on average and tele-FI showing a similar response pattern as face-to-face interviews. Accuracy was shown to be comparable in tele-FI (M = 16.21) compared to face-to-face interviews (M = 14.02), with a notable increase in the amount of relevant information provided in the tele-FI condition. Developmental age showed significant increases in the quality and quantity of data. This study provides evidence for tele-FI as a viable alternative to face-to-face interviews, and represents the first exploration of the GME in tele-FI, to the best of our knowledge. Discussion focuses on the benefits of tele-FI and the implications for police interview guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual meetings are widespread in organizations despite being perceived as fatiguing; a phenomenon also known as Zoom fatigue. Research suggests that Zoom fatigue is stronger when the camera is on, potentially influencing individuals to conform to majority opinions during professional online meetings. Two preregistered studies were conducted to explore the relationships between camera use, Zoom fatigue, social presence, and conformity. Study 1 involved 287 participants describing a professional online meeting in terms of the content discussed as well as the study variables. Study 2 involved 64 participants in an experimentally manipulated online meeting (camera on vs. off), focusing on a personnel selection task. We measured how many times participants changed their answers to match the majority and how this was related to Zoom fatigue and self-reported conformity. Results from both studies indicated that camera use was not related to either conformity or Zoom fatigue. Despite not finding the presumed mediation effect, the studies showed a clear link between fatigue and conformity. The results explain the emergence of conformity in online meetings and provide practical information for the design of video conferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) autistic transition-aged youth (TAY) report lower rates of competitive employment compared to White autistic TAY and even greater deficits with social skills associated with positive job interviewing. A virtual job interviewing program was adapted to support and improve the job interviewing skills of autistic TAY. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of an efficacious virtual interview training program on the job interview skills, interview anxiety, and likeliness to be hired, for a subsample of 32 BIPOC autistic TAY, ages 17–26 years old from a previous randomized control trial of the program. Bivariate analyses were used to evaluate between-group differences at pre-test related to background characteristics, and whether Virtual Interview Training for Transition-Age Youth (VIT-TAY) was associated with changes between pre-test and post-test measures of job interview skills. Additionally, a Firth logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationship between VIT-TAY and competitive integrative employment at 6 months, covarying for fluid cognition, having ever had a job interview, and baseline employment status. Participants receiving pre-employment services (Pre-ETS) and virtual interview training had better job interview skills (F = 12.7, ρ <.01; η ρ 2 =.32), lower job interview anxiety (F =.3.96, ρ <.05; η ρ 2 =.12), and a higher likeliness of receiving employment (F = 4.34, ρ <.05; η ρ 2 =.13 at the 6-month follow up compared to participants that only had Pre-ETS. Findings from this study suggest that virtual interview training for TAY is effective for BIPOC autistic TAY in improving their interview skills to gain competitive employment and lower their job interview anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mental health professionals undergo continuous training throughout their careers. Their training consists in part of the supervision of cases by an entire healthcare team, a practice that allows them to consolidate their understanding of behaviour, emotions and to enhance their relationships with patients and their families. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on this training methodology, leading to a significant increase in the use of digital platforms, but such digital tools are not well adapted to this context, especially when it comes to the supervision of real online cases. The goals of this study are: (1) to analyse what professionals need in order to carry out online interventions and training through the live supervision of real online cases and (2) to create a prototype of a specific digital platform intended to help meet the detected needs. Methods: 28 semi-structured interviews were conducted with supervisors (N = 14) and professionals in training (N = 14). Results: The results have allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the difficulties and benefits that professionals are encountering when doing online live supervision using the existing video conference platforms. Conclusion: This analysis points to a need to create a platform that can overcome the difficulties and enhance the benefits of the digitalization of family intervention training through the live supervision of real cases. These specific needs have yet to be addressed by existing digital platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic individuals and their families are recently emerging. This study investigated these effects in 40 mother-child dyads by measuring the behavioral problems of autistic individuals (via Aberrant Behavior Checklist) and their mothers' anxiety levels (via Beck Anxiety Inventory) during the pre-pandemic period, one month after, and one year after its onset. One year into the pandemic, aberrant behaviors of autistic individuals worsened only for those whose mothers had high anxiety levels. The continued negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the behavior of autistic individuals is related to their mother's anxiety level, highlighting the need to support maternal mental health in families with individuals with autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Addressing persistent racial inequities in preterm birth requires innovative health care approaches. The Los Angeles County Maternity Assessment and Management Access Service Synergy Neighborhood program (MAMA's) is a perinatal medical home program designed to alleviate the impacts of chronic stress by addressing social determinants of health. It reduced odds of preterm birth rates in Black participants, yet it is unclear which program components most contributed to this reduction. This study seeks to understand the experiences of staff and clients within the MAMA's program to identify what factors decrease stress, how the program addresses racism and the challenges and opportunities of optimizing health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: 21 staff and 34 clients completed semi-structured interviews from November 2020–December 2021. Separate interview guides for staff and clients explored experiences within the program, experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how racism affects clients. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Analysis used a phenomenologic framework. Coding was performed using grounded theory to identify themes. Results: Analysis revealed six key themes: Stressors clients face, barriers for undocumented, Latina, and Spanish-speaking clients, exceptional care, emotional support, naming and responding to racism and discrimination, and impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: Staff and clients work together to address social needs in order to address chronic stress and racism in their lives, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviews revealed relationship building is a cornerstone of the program's success and plays a significant role in alleviating chronic stress in this population. Significance: It is known that chronic stress is a risk factor for preterm birth. However, little is known about the experiences of pregnant women receiving social supports in addition to medical support. Prior studies have investigated experiences of perinatal women and accessing of resources during the COVID-19 pandemic, but no studies to date have evaluated the experiences in a comprehensive medical home that addresses both social determinants of health and social needs in addition to health care needs. What this study adds: Perspectives of women at risk of preterm birth within a medical home that addresses both social and medical needs, perspectives of staff members, and an insight into what factors are deemed most impactful in reducing chronic stress, which may enable reduction in preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have great potential for supporting learning experiences with a high social and teaching presence. One particular MUVE of note is Mozilla Hubs, a system of open-source virtual worlds that allow users to join sessions and interact as avatars. To date, prior studies have not examined teaching and social presence in the Mozilla Hubs environment as compared to face-to-face and web conferencing learning modes. The current study does this by comparing social and teaching presence in two university classes using the well-established community of inquiry questionnaire. Overall findings suggest that participants experienced the same amount of teaching and social presence in face-to-face, Webex and Hubs learning sessions. The implications of this study suggest that the communication medium used may not significantly influence key aspects of teaching and social presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As cancer centers have increased focus on patient-centered, evidenced-based care, implementing efficient programs that facilitate effective patient-clinician communication remains critical. We implemented an electronic health record-integrated patient-reported symptom and needs monitoring program ('cPRO' for cancer patient-reported outcomes). To aid evaluation of cPRO implementation, we asked patients receiving care in one of three geographical regions of an academic healthcare system about their experiences. Methods: Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, we collected feedback in two waves. Wave 1 included virtual focus groups and interviews with patients who had completed cPRO. In Wave 2, we administered a structured survey to systematically examine Wave 1 themes. All participants had a diagnosed malignancy and received at least 2 invitations to complete cPRO. We used rapid and traditional qualitative methods to analyze Wave 1 data and focused on identifying facilitators and barriers to cPRO implementation. Wave 2 data were analyzed descriptively. Results: Participants (n = 180) were on average 62.9 years old; were majority female, White, non-Hispanic, and married; and represented various cancer types and phases of treatment. Wave 1 participants (n = 37) identified facilitators, including cPRO's perceived value and favorable usability, and barriers, including confusion about cPRO's purpose and various considerations for responding. High levels of clinician engagement with, and patient education on, cPRO were described as facilitators while low levels were described as barriers. Wave 2 (n = 143) data demonstrated high endorsement rates of cPRO's usability on domains such as navigability (91.6%), comprehensibility (98.7%), and relevance (82.4%). Wave 2 data also indicated low rates of understanding cPRO's purpose (56.7%), education from care teams about cPRO (22.5%), and discussing results of cPRO with care teams (16.3%). Conclusions: While patients reported high value and ease of use when completing cPRO, they also reported areas of confusion, emphasizing the importance of patient education on the purpose and use of cPRO and clinician engagement to sustain participation. These results guided successful implementation changes and will inform future improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the widespread integration of technological tools in pre-service English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) education, there has been a dearth of research investigating the effects of the latest virtual platforms on pre-service teachers' competence in lesson planning, perceived presence, and perceptions, particularly in relation to high- and low-achieving pre-service teachers. This study, accordingly, investigated the potential benefits of utilizing innovative online learning platforms, specifically Gather, in teacher preparation education. Through a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental, within-subjects design, 46 English-major junior students enrolled in a pre-service EFL course at a private university in central Taiwan were assigned two lesson planning tasks, the first involving in-class discussion and the second utilizing Gather for interaction. Based on their performance in the first task, the students were divided into two groups: high achievers and low achievers, each comprising 23 students. Analysis of their performances, responses to the Multiple Presence Scale, and reflective journals indicated that both groups demonstrated improvement in lesson planning and reported positive experiences in the virtual learning environment, particularly in terms of physical presence, social presence, and self-presence. Moreover, the students expressed a preference for online learning facilitated by Gather. Notably, while both groups acknowledged the perceived presences in Gather, high achievers exhibited significantly higher levels in all three aspects of presence, suggesting a stronger sense of immersion in the virtual learning setting, akin to face-to-face classroom meetings. These results suggest that platforms like Gather can enhance lesson planning outcomes, foster engagement, and serve as a valuable alternative to traditional videoconferencing tools in teacher preparation education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Coronavirus disease pandemic, many U.S. veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced increased symptomology and worsened mental health and well-being due in part to social isolation and loneliness. The Mission Alliance project explored these ramifications and prioritized critical issues expressed by U.S. veterans and stakeholders (N = 182) during virtual regional meetings (N = 32). Field notes created specifically for this project were recorded and thematically analyzed. Emerging themes included: (1) social isolation: missed opportunities, collapsed social circles, work-life balance, fostering relationships, and evolving health care delivery; (2) loneliness: deteriorated mental health, suffered with PTSD together but alone, looked out for each other, ambivalence toward technology, and strained and broken systems; (3) mental health: sense of chaos, increased demand and decreased access, aggravation, implementation of tools, innovative solutions, fear and loss, and availability of resources; (4) wellbeing: sense of purpose, holistic perspective on well-being, recognition of balance, persisting stigma, redefined pressures, freedom to direct treatment, and reconnection and disconnection. A PTSD-related patient centered outcomes research (PCOR)/comparative effectiveness research (CER) agenda was developed from these themes. Establishment of a veteran and stakeholder network is suggested to support, facilitate, and promote the PTSD-related PCOR/CER agenda. Furthermore, enhancement of opportunities for veterans with PTSD and stakeholders to partner in PCOR/CER is required to develop and conduct projects that lead to PTSD-related comprehensive care of veterans affected by traumatic events with the potential to translate findings to other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently several industries are starting to try to apply metaverse in various possible implementations, such as manufacturing, health, business, education and training, architecture, and entertainment. For business in a smaller context, metaverse can be used to interact with other users in virtual meetings and predicted to be able to replace the current concept of online communication using video conferencing. The question is are the employees have intention to work within metaverse environment in the future, and what will be the barrier and the driver for employees to work within metaverse environment To answer this question, a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis methodology was carried out using a modified dual factor model approach. In this study it is also proposed to add environmental factors which are also a part in a decision-making process. The research result shows that the application of the metaverse in the company does not necessarily need to be driven by external factors. Instead, the company's independence determines its adaptation to the technology. From this study, it was obtained that the factors in the dual factor model had a significant or no significant effect on the intention to work within metaverse. By validity, reliability, and path coefficient tests on research model proposed, it is determined the readiness and interest of employees to switch to work within metaverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study focused on assessing the potential neurocognitive and social developmental issues in children with non-syndromic craniosynostosis (NSC) who received optimal surgical treatment. The primary objective was to determine whether NSC, even after optimal surgical treatment, could have negative effects on brain development. Methods: The study included a total of 73 pediatric patients aged between 2 and 6 years who had previously undergone surgery for NSC at the Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery. These patients were carefully matched with 107 healthy children who visited the outpatient clinic of the same department in terms of sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, and social status. To assess the neurocognitive and social development of the participants, the child psychologist administered a developmental scale to the child and his/her family via video conference. This scale was adapted from the Bayley-III Infant and Child Development Scale by the Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Neurology. Results: The study found no social or gross motor developmental issues in patients who had undergone optimal surgical treatment for NSC. However, the risk of fine motor developmental deficiencies was 4.79 times higher than that of the normal population, and the risk of language developmental deficiencies was 5.75 times higher than that of the normal population. Conclusions: Despite timely treatment of NSC, long-term neurocognitive and social development issues may arise in affected children. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor these patients after completing surgical treatment and thoroughly examine their development using a multidisciplinary approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a groundbreaking surgical collaboration, a team of surgeons in Lithuania successfully performed the first single-anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S) operation under the remote telemonitoring guidance of a highly experienced surgeon from Spain. The Lithuanian surgical team, comprising skilled bariatric surgeons, meticulously prepared for the SADI-S operation under the remote guidance of their Spanish proctor. Utilizing video conferencing and real-time communication, the mentor provided step-by-step instructions, shared insights, and addressed any concerns during the procedure. The mentor's extensive experience and guidance ensured a safe and successful surgical outcome. This innovative approach not only demonstrates the potential of telemedicine in the field of complex bariatric surgeries but also highlights the power of international cooperation in advancing surgical techniques and patient care by using modern methods of telemedicine and proctorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HNO is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the pandemic, restrictive measures were implemented at Portuguese residential care facilities (PRCF), such as isolating residents and ceasing collective activities. It is important to understand how PRCF are implementing activities that allow residents to occupy their time and fight isolation. As such, we aim to analyze whether: 1. new activities were implemented for residents (identifying which were carried out); 2. occupation activities were provided to isolated residents in their rooms (identifying which were carried out); 3. the implementation of activities is associated with variables like the amount of staff. This is an exploratory, quantitative, and cross-sectional study. An online questionnaire was sent by email to 2325 PRCF and entities were asked to share it with their workers. The study was also divulged on social networks. Data collection occurred between July 8th and October 18th, 2020. The study had 784 staff members participating and 90.8% reported that new activities were implemented at their facilities, predominantly videocalls. Concerning isolated residents most respondents (64.4%) stated that providing activities was impossible. Results showed that those PRCF that expanded teams had a higher percentage of new activities and activities with residents isolated in bedrooms. These results are alarming because while residents should have had more resources to cope with the pandemic, higher risks of unoccupied time and isolation existed, a dramatic situation for its potentially harmful consequences. Focusing on sanitary issues (and less on older adults) may reinforce traditional care models that had shown negative impacts before the pandemic. This highlights the need to evolve the care paradigm during and beyond the pandemic at PRCF: with Person-Centered Care as an option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of videoconferencing technology in e-learning has gained significant attention in recent years. However, the literature lacks focus on the quality aspects contributing to the success of videoconferencing platforms in online learning. To fill this gap, this study used the DeLone and McLean information system success model to assess how three quality aspects (system, information, and service) of Microsoft Teams videoconferencing platform influenced students' learning outcomes in online learning. The study involved surveying 261 students and found that all three quality dimensions significantly impacted students' usage and satisfaction with Microsoft Teams. Remarkably, information quality had the most pronounced influence, and system use also positively affected student satisfaction, whereas student satisfaction played more significant role in their perceived benefits compared to system use. The study concluded that Microsoft Teams' three quality dimensions contribute to enhancing student-perceived benefits in e-learning environment, confirming its success as an e-learning platform for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Upper Digestive Disease (UDD) Tool™ is used to monitor symptom frequency, intensity, and interference across nine symptom domains and includes two Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) domains assessing physical and mental health. This study aimed to establish cut scores for updated symptom domains through standard setting exercises and evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of virtual standard setting. Methods: The extended Angoff method was employed to determine cut scores. Subject matter experts refined performance descriptions for symptom control categories and achieved consensus. Domains were categorized into good, moderate, and poor symptom control. Two cut scores were established, differentiating good vs. moderate and moderate vs. poor. Panelists estimated average scores for 100 borderline patients per item. Cut scores were computed based on the sum of the average ratings for individual questions, converted to 0-100 scale. Results: Performance descriptions were refined. Panelists discussed that interpretation of the scores should take into account the timing of symptoms after surgery and patient populations, and the importance of items asking symptom frequency, severity, and interference with daily life. The good/moderate cut scores ranged from 21.3 to 35.0 (mean 28.6, SD 3.6) across domains, and moderate/poor ranged from 47.5 to 71.3 (mean 54.5, SD 7.0). Conclusions: Panelists were confident in the virtual standard setting process, expecting valid cut scores. Future studies can further validate the cut scores using patient perspectives and collect patient and physician preferences for displaying contextual items on patient- and physician-facing dashboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Radiology virtual teaching sessions utilize live video conferencing to promote collaborative learning and engagement by discussing radiology cases. Because of its convenience and flexibility, this mode of education has gained popularity, particularly after the corona virus disease 2019 pandemic. Objective: We describe our experience in organizing a series of "Global Health Imaging Case Competitions" for trainees in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These competitions provide the trainees with an opportunity to present unique radiology cases, network with radiologists, learn about various radiology topics, win prizes and potentially publish their case reports in a peer-reviewed journal. Materials and methods: Planning and execution of the competition involves several steps. First, trainees are invited to participate and submit abstracts discussing unique cases. The organizing committee grades these abstracts; the authors of the 20 abstracts with the highest scores are asked to submit a video presentation of their cases to be presented during the live webinar. During this webinar, presentations are displayed and graded to select winners. Additionally, the audience votes to choose a participant as the people's favorite. We have completed four cycles (Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East and Asia) and will continue in the same order of rotation. Results: Attendance totalled 2,510 participants from 50 countries. Pediatric cases represented the majority of cases among finalists. Feedback was positive; 26 out of 29 (90%) participants surveyed indicated that the webinar was "very good" to "excellent" with well-organized and challenging cases. Diversity of participating countries was noted. Limitations included technology barriers such as internet connectivity. Conclusion: This innovative approach emphasizing audience participation engaged trainees from LMICs and fostered locoregional collegiality and mentoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decentralized clinical trials have gained in popularity over the last years due to their advantages related to broadening recruitment strategies and resource saving possibilities. As more clinical trials adopt decentralized strategies, it is essential to share the knowledge about both successful and unsuccessful efforts in the research community. In the present commentary, we explore potential reasons that led to early termination of a decentralized clinical trial in Oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide, especially by firearm, remains a leading cause of death in military populations in the USA. Reducing access to firearms, especially during high risk times, may help prevent suicide and other forms of violence. The purpose of this study was to adapt a promising existing lethal means safety intervention (Project Safe Guard, PSG) for cross-cutting violence prevention and peer support in active-duty service communities using community engagement methods. Methods: A two-pronged community-engaged research approach was employed, including the Community Translation (CT) process that engaged 15 Service Members from one installation to help adapt PSG successfully. In addition, qualitative data was collected from 40 active-duty service members and military violence prevention specialists through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Results: Qualitative data and CT feedback led to site-specific PSG adaptations. Participants emphasized the importance of peer-to-peer discussions and highlighted resource allocation, leadership support, and stigma on firearm ownership as potential implementation challenges. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the feasibility of community-engaged research to adapt lethal means safety interventions within military populations. PSG implementation should consider resource allocation, leadership support, and addressing stigma. This study has implications for future policies and standards for performing research on sensitive topics, particularly among military populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although important research on remote psychotherapies was conducted for many years, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the spread of remote therapies. However, studies focusing on children and the family population are still quite new. Exploration of therapists' views and experiences of using online psychotherapy interventions is of importance. In addition to these, confusion caused by referring to remote therapies with different names and using them for different purposes and forms makes it difficult to know which evidence is available for tools and forms. Therefore, this study aims to investigate psychotherapists' views and experiences of video conferencing psychotherapy (VCP) for children using a qualitative description method. In line with this purpose, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with seven female specialists who conducted VCP with children in different cities in Turkey. Data collected from the interviews were analyzed using an inductive content analysis approach. Analysis results indicated two themes and ten sub-themes that described benefits, new opportunities as well as limitations and difficulties of VCP provided to children. Results showed that VCP enhanced accessibility for both therapists and children and their families, enabled comfort and flexibility, and was economic. Besides, such psychotherapy was found to increase fathers' participation in psychotherapy. On the other hand, difficulties are experienced in therapeutic relationships in the VCP process; the child's characteristics affected the applicability of the psychotherapy; maintaining focus became difficult; lack of materials and toys affected psychotherapy applications; children's connecting to psychotherapy from home caused privacy issues; and technological problems affected communication and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expanded an initiative to distribute video-enabled tablets to Veterans with limited virtual care access. We examined patient characteristics associated with adoption and sustained use of video-based primary care among Veterans. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Veterans who received VA-issued tablets between 3/11/2020-9/10/2020. We used generalized linear models to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with video-based primary care adoption (i.e., likelihood of having a primary care video visit) and sustained use (i.e., rate of video care) in the six months after a Veteran received a VA-issued tablet. Of the 36,077 Veterans who received a tablet, 69% had at least one video-based visit within six months, and 24% had a video-based visit in primary care. Veterans with a history of housing instability or a mental health condition, and those meeting VA enrollment criteria for low-income were significantly less likely to adopt video-based primary care. However, among Veterans who had a video visit in primary care (e.g., those with at least one video visit), older Veterans, and Veterans with a mental health condition had more sustained use (higher rate) than younger Veterans or those without a mental health condition. We found no differences in adoption of video-based primary care by rurality, age, race, ethnicity, or low/moderate disability and high disability priority groups compared to Veterans with no special enrollment category. VA's tablet initiative has supported many Veterans with complex needs in accessing primary care by video. While Veterans with certain social and clinical challenges were less likely to have a video visit, those who adopted video telehealth generally had similar or higher rates of sustained use. These patterns suggest opportunities for tailored interventions that focus on needs specific to initial uptake vs. sustained use of video care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cutaneous graft-versus-host disease (cuGVHD) is a complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that presents with varying severity and can significantly affect one's quality of life (QOL). No trials have yet tested nonpharmacologic interventions to improve the QOL of patients with cuGVHD. The primary objective of the Expressive Helping in Support Groups for Cutaneous GVHD (EXPRESS-C-GVHD) Trial is to evaluate the effect of a support group that employs expressive writing on cutaneous and systemic GVHD symptoms, general distress, and QOL immediately after the intervention. Secondary objectives include evaluating the impact of the intervention on QOL at 1 month post intervention, as well as willingness to participate, compliance, feasibility, and satisfaction. Methods: The EXPRESS-C-GVHD Trial will include patients with chronic cuGVHD who are at least 18 years old and able to use a writing utensil, have access to Zoom, an online video conference platform, and attend all four live support group sessions. Subjects will be recruited from the Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL and will participate in a 4 week program via Zoom. Program activities will be 1 h long and consist of 40 min of participant-led verbal reflection and discussion in a group setting in response to prompts, and 20 min of expressive writing. Participants will fill out a baseline willingness survey, follow-up surveys after every session, and post-intervention surveys at 2 weeks and 1 month after intervention. Discussion: The EXPRESS-C-GVHD Trial is a pilot trial and will assess whether a Zoom-based expressive writing intervention within the framework of a support group is feasible and can improve QOL outcomes among individuals with cuGVHD. Trial Registration: The trial is registered under number NCT05694832. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HMD: Praxis der Wirtschaftsinformatik is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper analyses the new EU Regulation on the digitalisation of judicial cooperation and access to justice in civil, commercial, and criminal matters, adopted in December 2023. The main objective is to promote the use of digital channels for communication between the authorities involved in the different instruments of judicial cooperation within the EU, extending the use of e-Codex. But the Regulation also determines the creation of the European electronic access point as a tool for communication with litigants and provides a minimum framework for participation by videoconference in certain judicial proceedings by those located in other Member States. Finally, the use of electronic seals, signatures and documents is generalised, as well as the electronic payment of court fees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Previous research has found that political discourse over proposed legislation that impacts lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ +) people serves as a distal stressor which is associated with poorer mental and physical health. This study sought to document responses to the 2020 US Presidential election among LGBTQ + people living in the USA. Methods: Nineteen LGBTQ + people ages 20 to 76 (M = 47.20; SD = 17.66) living across the USA were interviewed via Zoom video conferencing software between October and early December 2020. The modal participant was female (36.8%), identified as gay or lesbian (47.3%), and White (84.2%). Interviews were coded using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2003). Results: Seventeen codes emerged, which were grouped into three themes. Participants viewed specific political figures, namely then-President Trump and Supreme Court nominee Coney-Barrett, as symbolic of the potential loss of rights and disenfranchisement of LGBTQ + people. Participants exhibited uncertainty about the future; however, a Biden presidential win was viewed as potentially instilling complacency and leading to fracturing of the LGBTQ + community. While some participants avoided news, most were engaged with the political process as a means of coping with election uncertainty. Conclusions: The findings have implications for better understanding the concerns of LGBTQ + folks as it relates to how they view political discourse and the future of the equality movement. Policy Implications: Policies which beneficially impact and engage a diverse range of LGBTQ + people would facilitate mobilization of LGBTQ + political communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for remote cognitive testing, but the reliability and validity of virtual cognitive testing in Parkinson disease (PD) is unknown. Therefore, we assessed PD participants enrolled in an observational, cognition-focused study with an extensive cognitive battery completed both in-person and via video conference close in time. Data for 35 PD participants with normal cognition to mild dementia were analyzed. Only one test (semantic verbal fluency) demonstrated a difference in score by administration type, with a significantly better score virtually. Only three tests demonstrated good reliability for in-person versus virtual testing, but reliability values for visit 1 versus visit 2 were similarly low overall. Trail Making Test B was successfully administered virtually to only 18 participants due to technical issues. Virtual and in-person cognitive testing generate similar scores at the group level, but with poor to moderate reliability for most tests. Mode of test administration, learning effects, and technical difficulties explained little of the low test–retest reliability, indicating possible significant short-term variability in cognitive performance in PD in general, which has implications for clinical care and research. In-person cognitive testing with a neuropsychologist remains the gold standard, and it remains to be determined if virtual cognitive testing is feasible in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Practitioner and family experiences of pediatric re/habilitation can be inequitable. The Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure (YC-PEM) is an evidence-based and promising electronic patient-reported outcome measure that was designed with and for caregivers for research and practice. This study examined historically minoritized caregivers' responses to revised YC-PEM content modifications and their perspectives on core intelligent virtual agent functionality needed to improve its reach for equitable service design. Methods: Caregivers were recruited during a routine early intervention (EI) service visit and met five inclusion criteria: (1) were 18 + years old; (2) identified as the parent or legal guardian of a child 0–3 years old enrolled in EI services for 3 + months; (3) read, wrote, and spoke English; (4) had Internet and telephone access; and (5) identified as a parent or legal guardian of a Black, non-Hispanic child or as publicly insured. Three rounds of semi-structured cognitive interviews (55–90 min each) used videoconferencing to gather caregiver feedback on their responses to select content modifications while completing YC-PEM, and their ideas for core intelligent virtual agent functionality. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, cross-checked for accuracy, and deductively and inductively content analyzed by multiple staff in three rounds. Results: Eight Black, non-Hispanic caregivers from a single urban EI catchment and with diverse income levels (Mdn = $15,001–20,000) were enrolled, with children (M = 21.2 months, SD = 7.73) enrolled in EI. Caregivers proposed three ways to improve comprehension (clarify item wording, remove or simplify terms, add item examples). Environmental item edits prompted caregivers to share how they relate and respond to experiences with interpersonal and institutional discrimination impacting participation. Caregivers characterized three core functions of a virtual agent to strengthen YC-PEM navigation (read question aloud, visual and verbal prompts, more examples and/or definitions). Conclusions: Results indicate four ways that YC-PEM content will be modified to strengthen how providers screen for unmet participation needs and determinants to design pediatric re/habilitation services that are responsive to family priorities. Results also motivate the need for user-centered design of an intelligent virtual agent to strengthen user navigation, prior to undertaking a community-based pragmatic trial of its implementation for equitable practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Migraine is a brain disorder with recurrent headache attacks and altered sensory processing. Introvision is a self-regulation method based on mindfulness-like perception techniques, developed at the University of Hamburg. Here, we examined the effect of Introvision in migraine prevention. Methods: Migraineurs with at least five headache days per month were block-randomized to the experimental group (EG) or waiting list group (WL), the latter starting Introvision training six weeks after the EG. Participants learned Introvision in six weekly on-site group sessions with video-conference support followed by three individual video-conference sessions. Headache diaries and questionnaires were obtained before Introvision training and three months after the last individual Introvision session. Results: Fifty-one patients completed the study. The primary outcome, headache days of the EG after Introvision training compared to those of the WL before the training, showed no significant effect (10.6 ± 7.7, n = 22; vs. 10.9 ± 6.3, n = 29, p = 0.63; Mann–Whitney-U-Test). The secondary outcome, comparing pooled EG and WL data before and after Introvision training, revealed a significant reduction of headache days (from 11.7 ± 6.5 to 9.8 ± 7.0; p = 0.003; Wilcoxon-paired-Test) as well as of acute medication intake and Headache-Impact-Test 6 (HIT-6) scores and increased self-efficacy as quantified by increased FKMS-scores (FKMS: german short form of the Headache Management Self-Efficacy Scale (HMSE)). Conclusion: Although the study did not reach its primary endpoint, several secondary outcome parameters in the pooled (non-controlled) pre-post analysis showed an improvement with a decrease in monthly headache days by 1.9 days/ month. A larger randomized controlled trial has to corroborate these preliminary findings. Trial registration: NCT03507400, Registration date 09.03.2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Home visitation programs that reach families of young children offer a unique opportunity for large-scale early childhood obesity prevention efforts. The objective of this qualitative research was to determine stakeholder attitudes, subjective norms, perceived ease of use and usefulness, behavioral control, and behavioral intentions towards utilizing technology in a home visitation program targeting early childhood obesity prevention. Methods: Staff from the Florida Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (n = 27) were interviewed individually by a trained research assistant using a semi-structured script based on constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behavior. Demographic and technology use information were collected. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, with data extracted and coded by two trained researchers using a theoretical thematic analysis approach. Results: Most of the home visiting staff (78%) were white and non-Hispanic and employed for an average of 5 years with the program. Most staff (85%) indicated they were currently using videoconferencing for home visits. Themes and subthemes emerged, including positive attitudes towards technology as a flexible and time-efficient program alternative for childhood obesity prevention with recommendations to keep content short, at a low literacy level, and available in more than one language for ease of use. Participants recommended developing training tutorials to improve program implementation. Internet access and potential social disconnect were cited as concerns for using technology. Discussion: Overall, home visitation staff had positive attitudes and intentions for using technology in home visiting programs with families for early childhood obesity prevention. Significance: What is already known on this subject? Home visitation programs have adopted technology for virtual service delivery during unforeseen circumstances that prevent in-person visits, such as COVID-19 restrictions. What does this study add? This qualitative study revealed positive attitudes and intentions of staff members of home visitation programs towards the use of digital learning technology in conjunction with home visits to enhance content related to early childhood obesity prevention for families participating in home visitation programs. Key suggestions to consider in the development of future childhood obesity digital interventions include appropriateness for the audience of interest (i.e., available in different languages, suitable literacy level), ease of use (i.e., simple, user-friendly, interactive features), and practical strategies to support the implementation (i.e., staff trainings, built-in flexibility). It is important to also consider technology-specific challenges that communities may face when incorporating technology in interventions (i.e., lack of access to devices, costs associated with reliable internet and data, compatibility of devices). Findings will help inform and guide the development of future childhood obesity digital interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic increases the reliance on video conferencing applications for learning. Accessible video conferencing applications with good learning features can help people with visual impairment when they participate in online classes. This paper investigates the accessibility limitations and the available learning features of the top two current video conferencing applications, namely Zoom and MS Teams. A task-based expert review and a blind user evaluation are conducted using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1. In addition, the study identifies the application with the better learning features based on Universal Design for Learning guidelines. A set of recommendations are outlined for developing better inclusive video conferencing applications for people with visual impairment. The presented ideas can be applied to enhance the learning experience of people with visual impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human voice recognition over telephone channels typically yields lower accuracy when compared to audio recorded in a studio environment with higher quality. Here, we investigated the extent to which audio in video conferencing, subject to various lossy compression mechanisms, affects human voice recognition performance. Voice recognition performance was tested in an old–new recognition task under three audio conditions (telephone, Zoom, studio) across all matched (familiarization and test with same audio condition) and mismatched combinations (familiarization and test with different audio conditions). Participants were familiarized with female voices presented in either studio-quality (N = 22), Zoom-quality (N = 21), or telephone-quality (N = 20) stimuli. Subsequently, all listeners performed an identical voice recognition test containing a balanced stimulus set from all three conditions. Results revealed that voice recognition performance (dʹ) in Zoom audio was not significantly different to studio audio but both in Zoom and studio audio listeners performed significantly better compared to telephone audio. This suggests that signal processing of the speech codec used by Zoom provides equally relevant information in terms of voice recognition compared to studio audio. Interestingly, listeners familiarized with voices via Zoom audio showed a trend towards a better recognition performance in the test (p = 0.056) compared to listeners familiarized with studio audio. We discuss future directions according to which a possible advantage of Zoom audio for voice recognition might be related to some of the speech coding mechanisms used by Zoom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent past, many organizations and people have substituted face-to-face meetings with videoconferences. Among others, tools like Zoom, Teams, and Webex have become the "new normal" of human social interaction in many domains (e.g., business, education). However, this radical adoption and extensive use of videoconferencing tools also has a dark side, referred to as videoconference fatigue (VCF). To date only self-report evidence has shown that VCF is a serious issue. However, based on self-reports alone it is hardly possible to provide a comprehensive understanding of a cognitive phenomenon like VCF. Against this background, we examined VCF also from a neurophysiological perspective. Specifically, we collected and analyzed electroencephalography (continuous and event-related) and electrocardiography (heart rate and heart rate variability) data to investigate whether VCF can also be proven on a neurophysiological level. We conducted a laboratory experiment based on a within-subjects design (N = 35). The study context was a university lecture, which was given in a face-to-face and videoconferencing format. In essence, the neurophysiological data—together with questionnaire data that we also collected—show that 50 min videoconferencing, if compared to a face-to-face condition, results in changes in the human nervous system which, based on existing literature, can undoubtedly be interpreted as fatigue. Thus, individuals and organizations must not ignore the fatigue potential of videoconferencing. A major implication of our study is that videoconferencing should be considered as a possible complement to face-to-face interaction, but not as a substitute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the feasibility of remotely delivered yoga for improving four physical activity-related skills: motor skills, strength, balance, and flexibility in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Nineteen of 20 participants enrolled (age 13.2 ± 2.2 years; 60% male) completed the 12-week intervention and attended 83% of the scheduled yoga sessions. Overall, physical activity-related skills improved pre to post intervention (Φ = 0.90, p = 0.005, 95% CI 0.72–1.0). Specifically, significant increases in leg strength (12.5%, p = 0.039), flexibility (40.3%, p = 0.008), and dynamic balance on the right (11.1%, p = 0.001) and left legs (8.1%, p = 0.003) were observed across 12 weeks. These results demonstrate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of yoga to improve physical activity-related skills in adolescents with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect 22–75% of American young adults. ACEs are associated with adverse health outcomes that begin in young adulthood. Yet, scant research has examined if coping can mediate the relationship between ACEs and adverse outcomes. The current study determined if coping mediates the relationship between ACEs and body mass index (BMI), substance use, and mental health outcomes in young adults. A community sample of 100 White and 100 Black young adults 18–34 years of age participated in a cross-sectional study conducted via Zoom conferencing. Participants provided demographic data, height/weight, and completed measures of ACEs, coping, substance use, and mental health outcomes. Coping was measured using an established three-factor model consisting of adaptive, support, and disengaged coping. Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined the relationships of ACEs to outcomes as mediated by coping. Participants were predominantly female (n = 117; 58.5%) and mid-young adult (M = 25.5 years; SD = 4.1). SEM results indicated good model fit: (CMIN/df = 1.52, CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.05 [90% CI = 0.03-0.07], SRMR = 0.06). Only disengaged coping mediated the ACE and substance use (β = 0.36, p =.008), smoking (β = 0.13, p =.004), and mental health (β=-0.26, p =.008) relationships. Disengaged coping styles may be a critical mechanism in developing adverse mental health and substance use outcomes among ACE-exposed individuals. Future ACE and health outcomes research should examine the role of coping. Interventions focusing on adaptive coping may improve the health of individuals exposed to ACEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift to communication technologies during the pandemic has had positive and negative effects on clinical social worker practice. Best practices are identified for clinical social workers to maintain emotional well-being, prevent fatigue, and avoid burnout when using technology. A scoping review from 2000 to 21 of 15 databases focused on communication technologies for mental health care within four areas: (1) behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and physical impact; (2) individual, clinic, hospital, and system/organizational levels; (3) well-being, burnout, and stress; and (4) clinician technology perceptions. Out of 4795 potential literature references, full text review of 201 papers revealed 37 were related to technology impact on engagement, therapeutic alliance, fatigue and well-being. Studies assessed behavioral (67.5%), emotional (43.2%), cognitive (57.8%), and physical (10.8%) impact at the individual (78.4%), clinic (54.1%), hospital (37.8%) and system/organizational (45.9%) levels. Participants were clinicians, social workers, psychologists, and other providers. Clinicians can build a therapeutic alliance via video, but this requires additional skill, effort, and monitoring. Use of video and electronic health records were associated with clinician physical and emotional problems due to barriers, effort, cognitive demands, and additional workflow steps. Studies also found high user ratings on data quality, accuracy, and processing, but low satisfaction with clerical tasks, effort required and interruptions. Studies have overlooked the impact of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion related to technology, fatigue and well-being, for the populations served and the clinicians providing care. Clinical social workers and health care systems must evaluate the impact of technology in order to support well-being and prevent workload burden, fatigue, and burnout. Multi-level evaluation and clinical, human factor, training/professional development and administrative best practices are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a pre-test post-test design, this study extends research on the principle of immediacy by investigating how enacted levels of nonverbal immediacy (high, low) work alongside similarity (high, low) to impact perceptions of students from the U.S. and the Middle East within same-gender dyads. Participants reported impressions twice—first after seeing a document showing only the confederate's name, photo, and country of origin, and then after interacting with the confederate on Zoom. Confederates were trained to enact either high or low levels of nonverbal immediacy and similarity, but within a normative range that would not be considered too atypical. After interacting, participants exposed to high nonverbal immediacy reported increased perceptions of likability and friendship potential. In addition, those exposed to low nonverbal immediacy or low similarity reported decreased perceptions of likability and friendship potential. Culture and gender of the dyad moderated some of the effects for nonverbal immediacy. These findings generalize the principle of immediacy to first meetings with Middle Eastern students on Zoom, and demonstrate that low nonverbal immediacy and similarity have particularly strong negative effects on perceptions of likability and friendship potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of videoconferencing to deliver therapeutic services to clients has increased in recent times amongst mental health clinicians such as counsellors, psychologists, and psychotherapists. During lockdown periods associated with the COVID pandemic, most Australian mental health clinicians were required to transition their existing therapy clients from face-to-face to telehealth. The aim of the current study was to explore mental health clinicians' experiences transitioning their existing therapy clients from a face-to-face modality to video conferencing, in order to understand potential implications to the therapeutic alliance. The study had a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with 16 practicing psychologists. Inductive thematic analysis of the interviews revealed several unique findings. Psychologists reported that the change of frame, from face-to-face to videoconferencing, was helpful or unconstructive to the therapeutic alliance depending on client's attitudes towards telehealth. Challenges for the therapeutic alliance included a lack of control over the environmental conditions and disruptions caused to the previously arranged tasks and goals of therapy. What helped the therapeutic alliance navigate the change of frame, was innovating news ways of working collaboratively, the prior establishment of a bond in person, and maintaining other aspects of the frame with consistently. The implications of these findings are discussed herein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines field experts' experiences to ascertain the actual circumstances and strategies to increase the efficacy of intervention programs for children and adolescents with problematic smartphone use. Three focus group interviews were conducted via video conferencing. The data were grouped into three major themes: (1) the screening and inflow phase, which included the inaccuracy of the screening tests, barriers in the inflow process, and the importance of school cooperation; (2) the intervention phase, which included the necessity of developing a program tailored to the target audience, the importance of parental participation, and concerns about the vulnerable; and (3) the maintenance phase, which included the lack of a long-term strategy, the need to re-establish the purpose of the counseling/intervention programs, and the need for systematic maintenance of the system. To improve the reliability of the screening test for children and adolescents with problematic smartphone use, it is necessary to improve the measurement tools and environment. To increase parental involvement, education should be provided on perceiving the severity of problematic smartphone use, and program running hours should be varied. The findings offer information necessary for improving counseling and interventions for children and adolescents with problematic smartphone use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease, affecting about 2.5 million people worldwide. Telemedicine is a relatively recent telecommunication tool that has multiple formats such as store-and-forward, interactive video conferencing, remote medical record access, and remote patient monitoring. Telemedicine can be used to assess individuals with MS regarding their disease process, the development and impact of new symptoms as well as inquire about health behaviors that promote effective self-management. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of telemedicine on patient satisfaction, clinical outcome and financial feasibility for MS patients. Results Sixty MS patients from the MS unit, at Kafr Elshikh General Hospital, were recruited and divided into 2 groups; 30 in the telemedicine group and 30 in the control group. Both groups were followed up for 12 months. We found a significant difference between the telemedicine group compared to controls as it showed less severe visual symptoms (p 0.006), a smaller number of dropouts (p 0.034) and higher patient satisfaction, with no significant difference between the two groups in the number of relapses, gait, bowel and bladder, lower limb weakness. Conclusion Telemedicine was found to be a promising practice that can be used to promote, coordinate and adjust ongoing clinical services of MS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video conferencing is one of the advanced technologies for users that allows online communication despite long distances. High quality communication and ongoing support for the principles of video conferencing service that can be achieved through Software-Defined Networking (SDN). SDN is a new architecture for computer networks that separates the control plane from the data plane to improve network resources and reduce operating costs. All routing decisions and control mechanisms are made by a device called a controller. Traffic engineering can be well implemented in SDN because the entire network topology is known to the controller. Considering SDN features, user requests can be dynamically routed according to current network status and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. In general, the purpose of SDN routing algorithms is to maximize the acceptance rate of user requests by considering QoS requirements. In this literature, most routing studies to provide satisfactory video conferencing services have focused solely on bandwidth. Nevertheless, some studies have considered both delay and bandwidth constraints. In this paper, a Fuzzy Delay-Bandwidth Guaranteed Routing (FDBGR) algorithm is proposed that considers both delay and bandwidth constraints in routing. The proposed fuzzy system is based on rules that can postpone requests with high resource demands. Also, the purpose of the FDBGR is to distribute the network workload evenly for all requests, where this is done by maintaining the capacity to accept future requests. The combination of conventional routing algorithms and SDN provides remarkable improvements in mobility, scalability and the overall performance of the networks. Simulations are performed on different scenarios to evaluate the performance of the FDBGR compared to state-of-the-art methods. Besides, FDBGR has been compared with a number of most related previous works such as H-MCOP, MH-MCOP, QoMRA, QROUTE and REDO based on criteria such as number of accepted requests, average path length, energy consumption, load balancing, and average delay. The simulation results clearly prove the superiority of the proposed algorithm with an average delay of 48 ms in different topologies for video conferencing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the relationship between the three elements of the Community of Inquiry (teaching, social, and cognitive presences) and video-based instruction in the online environment. The video-based instruction included instructor-created videos and screencasts, video feedback assignment critiques, video-enhanced content discussions, and synchronous video conferencing. The researchers examined higher education students' perceptions of CoI regarding the video-based instruction, the determinants that affected their perceptions, and the students' learning experiences during the video-enhanced instruction. Findings from end of the semester surveys revealed high levels of teaching, social, and cognitive presence when video-based instructional strategies were introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the significance of motivational regulation in the development of second language speaking skills, few studies have scrutinized its relationship with an emergent learning context. This study investigates how differently tertiary level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners exert autonomy and regulate motivation by proficiency levels to acquire speaking skills in the target language via a videoconference platform. Specifically, it contrastively examines student and instructor responses to several contextual factors specific to EFL speaking class, including synchronous online video platforms, native English-speaking instructors, and an English-medium instruction (EMI) policy. Employing a mixed method, it analyzes questionnaire responses of 340 students from two Korean universities and subsequent interviews with students and their instructors. These analyses reveal that the learners employed instructor feedback and motivational self-talk most commonly to regulate their motivation while acquiring EFL speaking skills. Although students across all three levels of proficiency showed increased vulnerability to the learning context, those of the lower two were found to be less aware of the significance of the imminent context created by EMI and videoconferencing. They also sowed stronger tendency to the strategies depending on their perceptions of the contextual factors than the advanced group. These overt differences in motivational regulation among proficiency levels were hardly problematized by the instructors. Notably, their views on peer interaction via videoconference were distinctly positive, displaying a clear difference from those of the students. A discussion of these findings follows to give insight into EFL speaking instruction in the emerging higher education context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]