Search

BackgroundCOVID-19 is one of the greatest threats to human beings in terms of health care, economy, and society in recent history. Up to this moment, there have been no signs of remission, and there is no proven effective cure. Vaccination is the primary biomedical preventive measure against the novel coronavirus. However, public bias or sentiments, as reflected on social media, may have a significant impact on the progression toward achieving herd immunity. ObjectiveThis study aimed to use machine learning methods to extract topics and sentiments relating to COVID-19 vaccination on Twitter. MethodsWe collected 31,100 English tweets containing COVID-19 vaccine–related keywords between January and October 2020 from Australian Twitter users. Specifically, we analyzed tweets by visualizing high-frequency word clouds and correlations between word tokens. We built a latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic model to identify commonly discussed topics in a large sample of tweets. We also performed sentiment analysis to understand the overall sentiments and emotions related to COVID-19 vaccination in Australia. ResultsOur analysis identified 3 LDA topics: (1) attitudes toward COVID-19 and its vaccination, (2) advocating infection control measures against COVID-19, and (3) misconceptions and complaints about COVID-19 control. Nearly two-thirds of the sentiments of all tweets expressed a positive public opinion about the COVID-19 vaccine; around one-third were negative. Among the 8 basic emotions, trust and anticipation were the two prominent positive emotions observed in the tweets, while fear was the top negative emotion. ConclusionsOur findings indicate that some Twitter users in Australia supported infection control measures against COVID-19 and refuted misinformation. However, those who underestimated the risks and severity of COVID-19 may have rationalized their position on COVID-19 vaccination with conspiracy theories. We also noticed that the level of positive sentiment among the public may not be sufficient to increase vaccination coverage to a level high enough to achieve vaccination-induced herd immunity. Governments should explore public opinion and sentiments toward COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination, and implement an effective vaccination promotion scheme in addition to supporting the development and clinical administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

HIV researchers use short messaging service (SMS)-based surveys to monitor health behaviors more closely than what would be possible with in-person assessment. Benefits are tempered by nonresponse to completing surveys. Understanding response patterns and their associated study participant characteristics would guide more tailored use of SMS-based surveys for HIV studies. We examined response to weekly 7-item SMS surveys administered as part of an HIV prevention trial. Using Mixture hidden Markov models (MHMM), we identified the underlying response patterns shared by subgroups of participants over time and quantified the association between these response patterns and participant characteristics. Three underlying response patterns were identified; responders, responders with phone-related errors, and non-responders. Non-responders versus responders were more likely to be younger, male, cis-gender, Black and Latinx participants with histories of homelessness, incarceration, and social support service utilization. Responders with phone-related errors compared to non-responders were more likely to be Black, Latinx, female, students, and have a history of incarceration and social support service utilization. More nuanced results from MHMM analyses better inform what strategies to use for increasing SMS response rates, including assisting in securing phone ownership/service for responders with phone-related errors and identifying alternative strategies for non-responders. Actively collecting and monitoring non-delivery notification data available from SMS gateway service companies offers another opportunity to identify and connect with participants when they are willing but unable to respond during follow-up.

Objective: To compare the effects of the simplified 5-step and the conventional 7-Step hand hygiene programme in a cluster randomized controlled trial among students with intellectual disabilities. Method: A total of 472 Chinese students with intellectual disabilities were randomized to either simplified 5-step or conventional 7-step hand hygiene programme. Assessments included handwashing technique, cleanliness and sick leave days. Results: Handwashing technique scores (g = 0.25, 95% CI [0.18, 0.32]) and hand cleanliness scores (g = 0.33, 95% CI [0.26, 0.4]) in intervention group were significantly higher than those scores in control group at 6th month post-intervention although there were significant increases in the scores within both groups. The mean number of sick leave days decreased between baseline and 10 month in both groups according to descriptive statistics. Conclusions: It is feasible and effective to adopt the simplified 5-step intervention as a standardized handwashing technique for the population group with intellectual disabilities.

Aims: To measure nurses' compliance with standard precautions during the COVID‐19 pandemic, compare findings with previous assessments and describe the barriers affecting nurses' compliance. Background: Healthcare providers' compliance with standard precautions is still limited worldwide. Implementation of infection control policies in hospitals is needed internationally, especially during a pandemic. Surprisingly, studies exploring nurses' compliance with standard precautions are lacking during COVID‐19. Methods: A multicenter cross‐sectional study was adopted in two Italian hospitals. Nurses' compliance with standard precautions was measured through The Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (Italian version). An open‐ended question explored the barriers to nurses' compliance with standard precautions. Reporting, followed the STROBE guidelines. Results: A total of 201 nurses were enrolled in 2020. Nurses' compliance with standard precautions was suboptimal. A statistically significant improvement in the compliance rate with standard precautions was observed between pre‐ and during COVID‐19 assessments. High compliance was found in the appropriate use of surgical masks, gloves and sharps disposal. Nurses perceived personal, structural and organizational barriers to standard precautions adherence. Conclusion: Nurses' compliance with standard precautions was not 100%, and different factors impeded nurses to work safely. Our findings provide institutional leaders and educators with the basis for implementing policies to optimize nurse safety, well‐being and patient care. Implications for nursing and health policies: Nurses have the right to work safely, and when the shortage of personal protective equipment and nurses during an emergency threatens healthcare quality worldwide, policymakers are challenged to act by establishing an effective allocation of resources for consistent compliance with standard precautions. Moreover, nurses should actively engage in the implementation of infection control policies to improve safe behaviours among citizens and students accessing hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Student engagement is an important factor to the success of higher education. This study aimed to develop a Generic Student Engagement Scale (GSES) for face‐to‐face and online learning. Design: This was a cross‐sectional psychometric study. Methods: We tested the psychometric properties of GSES in 451 students at the school of nursing and health studies undertaking online and face‐to‐face learning at a local university in Hong Kong between 2016 and 2018. Results: Content validity, face validity and test–retest reliability of GSES were satisfactory. The 29‐item GSES contains five factors "self‐regulated learning," "cognitive strategy use," "experienced emotion," "teacher–student interaction," and "enjoyment of school life" with the good model fit. The GSES is a reliable and valid psychometric instrument to measure student engagement in face‐to‐face and online learning among undergraduates and higher diploma students. Our results implied that student engagement can be assessed in routine or research by using our instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]