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The environment plays a role in healthcare-associated Clostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI); however, the role of the environment in community-associated CDI is unknown. The objective of this scoping review was to describe the literature related to the transmission of C. difficile in the household environment. We conducted searches of four electronic health and science databases to identify relevant studies. In total, 39 articles published between 1981 and 2020 met the a priori inclusion criteria. Slightly over one half (51.3%, 20 out of 39) of the articles were nonsystematic review articles and thus we excluded them from the synthesis of results. Overall, we included 19 articles in the synthesis of results. None of the studies were experimental studies. Studies assessed or estimated the prevalence of C. difficile on household surfaces, colonization of household members (human and animal), or the risk of transmission in the household. This scoping review provides an overview of the global literature related to the role of the household environment in transmission of C. difficile. We found a lack of research in this area. Further studies are needed and ideally would be designed to follow household members over time and to test the effectiveness of interventions such as targeted hygiene protocols., Introduction Clostridioides difficile is a pathogen that has been recognized for decades. Historically, C. difficile infection (CDI) has been regarded as a healthcare-associated infection (Roth, 2016). Cases of CDI, however, [...]

Background: We explored priority areas of food safety education needed by high-school students within Ontario, Canada. Methods: We analyzed transcripts from semistructured interviews with 20 experts in food safety, food safety education in youth, and high-school education in Ontario. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify priority food safety education needs. Results: We identified 4 priority action areas for food safety education targeting students: how to safely do the things they typically do with food; how to keep themselves and their kitchens clean and safe; how microorganisms grow and how they can result in foodborne disease; and how to keep food out of the "danger zone" 4°C to 60°C (40° F to 140° F). The results indicate that students need specific education around the use of microwaves, consumption of convenience meals, preparing and handling foods at school events, and safe transportation of food for lunches, school trips, and sporting events. Conclusions: High-school students need food safety education specific to their usual interactions with food, including the foods, tools, and settings students regularly encounter. Delivery of food safety education should emphasize sequences of safe food-handling behaviors for specific food interactions, such as reheating a meal in the microwave, rather than traditional food safety concepts, such as temperature abuse.

Experiential learning is essential in medical and veterinary student education and can improve students' communication with clients during medical appointments. There is limited research in veterinary education investigating the effectiveness of experiential learning environments to provide an "integrative approach" to teaching. The present study uses an experiential learning environment to introduce an integrative approach to communication skills training in veterinary clinical education. Participants were final year veterinary students whose self-confidence around 28 common clinical communication statements frequently discussed in clinical practice was assessed before and after a 3-week experiential learning rotation. Client and veterinary doctor ratings on students' performance were also assessed. Students' self-confidence in all but one of the clinical communication statements improved significantly (p < 0.05). Veterinary doctor and clients' ratings were overall positive. The results from this study supports the use of experiential learning to promote an integrated learning approach in veterinary education.

There is a need for wildlife professionals to work together to more effectively protect wildlife health; however, collaboration between people of different professions and institutions can be challenging. Our objective was to examine and compare how the conservation and animal health fields share wildlife health data and information in Ontario, Canada. Fifty-five (50%) of 110 invited participants completed an online questionnaire about their wildlife health communication network over the previous 12 months. The professional communication networks (i.e., ego-networks) of practitioners were compared with respect to data sharing between institutions and professions. Results showed low levels of tie dispersion and high levels of ego-alter similarity. There was more data and information sharing occurring between people of different institutions than between people of different professions based on comparing tie dispersion and ego-alter similarity values for these categories. This study highlights opportunities for improved networking between wildlife conservation and health practitioners in Ontario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working in agriculture has been associated with an increased prevalence of psychological distress and mental health concerns. Farmers are also less likely than non-farmers to seek-help for their mental health. Previous research examining help-seeking among farmers has focused predominantly on male farmers, and has not included many of the Canadian agricultural commodity groups or provinces. The goal of this study was to explore perceptions of farmer help-seeking for mental health amongst farmers and people who work with farmers. The study objectives were to characterize the motivations and barriers to help-seeking behaviours. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 75 farmers and individuals who work with farmers in Ontario, Canada, between 2017 and 2018. Interviews were conducted in person, and by telephone when needed. Topics of discussion included farming stresses and their impacts; personal well-being; agricultural crises and mental health help-seeking; use of mental health supports; motivators and barriers to help-seeking; and perceived ideals for mental health supports. Thematic analysis was conducted collaboratively by three authors using inductive and deductive coding. Our analysis resulted in five themes around help-seeking motivations and barriers: 1) Accessibility of mental health supports and services; 2) Stigma around mental health in the agricultural community; 3) Anonymity and/or lack of anonymity in seeking support; 4) Farm credibility; and 5) Recommendations for implementing mental health services for the agricultural community. This study provides insights around how farming culture and the accessibility and delivery of services may influence help-seeking for mental health, and proposes strategies to break down barriers to help-seeking in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite numerous benefits, a dark side exists in human and veterinary caregiving professions that can negatively impact caregiver mental health. It was postulated that other nonhuman animal caregivers, animal welfare employees, might experience mental health outcomes similar to those in analogous caregiving occupations. This study investigated employee mental health at a Canadian animal welfare organization using five validated mental health instruments: Perceived Stress Scale (stress), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (anxiety and depression), Professional Quality of Life Scale (compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue), Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale (burnout), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (resilience). Front-line and support staff tended to have poorer mental health outcomes relative to the study population mean, potential for burnout was a notable concern, and resilience was below normal for most employees. These results shed light on the mental health of an animal caregiving occupation that has largely been ignored. Strategies for building employee resilience are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts on population health and wellbeing are spatially and socially distributed, and shape place-based capacities, constraints, and priorities for climate change adaptation. Inuit across the Circumpolar North have called for public health monitoring and response systems that integrate environmental and human health data, and provide localized information to support place-based adaptation strategies. The goal of this research was to qualitatively characterize how Inuit in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada, identify, interpret, and use environmental and climatic observations to make decisions that will protect and promote their health and wellbeing in the context of climate change. Inuit community research leads conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Rigolet Inuit to identify and contextualize environmental and climatic observations that were important for monitoring. Under the direction of community research leads, qualitative data from interviews were analyzed by the core research team using constant-comparative thematic analysis methods to ensure emergent findings were grounded in the voices and perspectives of Rigolet Inuit. Rigolet Inuit considered all climatic and environmental observations to be connected and emphasized the importance of collective, intergenerational knowledge in understanding and adapting to current and future climate change. The ways that Rigolet Inuit interpreted and used these observations for making decisions depended on perceived relevance and importance of observations, trustworthiness of information, and personal thresholds for risks. Knowledge shared by Rigolet Inuit demonstrated the nuanced, relational nature of how climatic and environmental observations are identified, interpreted, and used in decision-making for place-based climate change adaptation. It is important to prioritize these place-based and locally validated ways of knowing and learning about the land in the development of integrated monitoring systems to inform adaptation strategies that are based on a community's existing resilience and creativity, and premised on relationships among people and places. In so doing, we can identify entry points for improving the ways in which monitoring systems function to link environment and health data, and inform robust, evidence-based adaptation strategies and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]