Publications by authors named "Alexis Schmid"

Background: Following the 2022 Russian invasion, Ukraine's healthcare system suffered extensive damage, with over 1000 medical facilities destroyed, exacerbating the trauma care crisis. The absence of standardized trauma training left Ukrainian healthcare providers ill-equipped to manage the surge in trauma cases amid conflict. To bridge this gap, we implemented advanced trauma life support (ATLS) courses in Ukraine amid active warfare, aiming to enhance trauma care expertise among healthcare professionals.

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Introduction: On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale offensive in Ukraine, resulting in significant casualties to civilians, including children. As part of a seven-stream trauma education initiative, a novel pediatric trauma fundamentals course (PTF) was developed to provide standalone pediatric trauma education by our academic/NGO partnership. The objective of the program was to develop, implement, and evaluate a novel PTF educational course in the active armed conflict zone of Ukraine.

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Adult humans respond to heart injury by forming a permanent scar, yet other vertebrates are capable of robust and complete cardiac regeneration. Despite progress towards characterizing the mechanisms of cardiac regeneration in fish and amphibians, the large evolutionary gulf between mammals and regenerating vertebrates complicates deciphering which cellular and molecular features truly enable regeneration. To better define these features, we compared cardiac injury responses in zebrafish and medaka, two fish species that share similar heart anatomy and common teleost ancestry but differ in regenerative capability.

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Purpose: Evaluate the effectiveness of the erector spinae plane (ESP) block in lumbar spine surgeries.

Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis.

Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and other gray literature were searched for eligible studies.

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Adult humans respond to heart injury by forming a permanent scar, yet other vertebrates are capable of robust and complete cardiac regeneration. Despite progress towards characterizing the mechanisms of cardiac regeneration in fish and amphibians, the large evolutionary gulf between mammals and regenerating vertebrates complicates deciphering which cellular and molecular features truly enable regeneration. To better define these features, we compared cardiac injury responses in zebrafish and medaka, two fish species that share similar heart anatomy and common teleost ancestry but differ in regenerative capability.

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Article Synopsis
  • Healthcare workers in Albania faced significant risks from COVID-19, prompting a study assessing vaccine effectiveness over nearly a year.
  • The study enrolled 1504 healthcare workers, revealing a vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 65.1% against COVID-19 and varying effectiveness levels based on prior infections.
  • The findings suggest that vaccination is important for healthcare workers, especially those with past infections, reinforcing the need for ongoing vaccination efforts in Albania.
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  • This study assessed the effectiveness of a CBRNE training course implemented during the Russia-Ukraine War, focusing on changes in knowledge and skill confidence among participants.
  • Conducted over three months in various Ukrainian cities, the training included written exams and practical assessments, with significant improvements observed in pre and post-course test scores (from 57.8% to 81.4%).
  • The program proved successful, with 90.7% of participants showing increased test scores and enhanced self-efficacy in recognizing and managing CBRNE incidents, suggesting a need for further research on knowledge retention and improved training resources.
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  • A study on 1504 healthcare workers in Albania revealed that 88.9% received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but only 19.1% got a booster shot by June 2022.
  • Factors influencing booster uptake included age (older individuals more likely to get boosted) and prior influenza vaccination, while females, those previously infected, and certain job roles (like nurses) had lower booster rates.
  • At enrollment, 72% of the participants were found to be seropositive for SARS-CoV-2, with certain groups like nurses and support staff showing higher odds of seropositivity, while smokers had lower odds.
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Background: Biomarkers may enhance diagnostic capability for common paediatric infections, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where standard diagnostic modalities are frequently unavailable, but disease burden is high. A comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic capability of commonly available biomarkers for neonatal sepsis in LMICs is lacking. Our objective was to systematically review evidence on biomarkers to understand their diagnostic performance for neonatal sepsis in LMICs.

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Introduction: Critical questions remain about COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) in real-world settings, particularly in middle-income countries. We describe a study protocol to evaluate COVID-19 VE in preventing laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in health workers (HWs) in Albania, an upper-middle-income country.

Methods And Analysis: In this 12-month prospective cohort study, we enrolled HWs at three hospitals in Albania.

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Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is essential for clinical decision-making, improving care, reducing costs and achieving optimal patient outcomes. The Evidence-based Practice Mentorship Program (EBPMP) is a flexible, self-directed programme whereby participants carry out EBP projects guided by expert mentors.

Aims: To evaluate EBPMP effectiveness and participant experience.

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Background: Pediatric Early Warning Scores (PEWS) are nurse-administered clinical assessment tools utilizing vital signs and patient signs and symptoms to screen for patients at risk for clinical deterioration. When utilizing a PEWS system, which consists of an escalation algorithm to alert physicians of high risk patients requiring a bedside evaluation and assessment, studies have demonstrated that PEWS systems can decrease pediatric intensive care (PICU) utilization, in-hospital cardiac arrests, and overall decreased mortality in high income settings. Yet, many hospital based settings in low and lower middle income countries (LMIC) lack systems in place for early identification of patients at risk for clinical deterioration.

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Background: Pediatric early warning (PEW) scores represent a "track-and-trigger system" that identifies clinical deterioration in a patient's condition in the hours preceding a sentinel event. Before implementation, nurses reported feeling unprepared to identify and advocate for acutely ill patients owing to a lack of skills, vocabulary, and agency. We implemented a Pediatric Early Warning Score for Resource-Limited Settings (PEWS-RL) with nurses in a rural district hospital in Rwanda.

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Objectives: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research study was to understand the current state, perceived content, and experiential needs of pediatric nurses preparing for global health (GH) fieldwork experience. This study aimed to inform stakeholders about the standard and unique preparation needs of pediatric GH nurses.

Study Design And Methods: One group and five individual interviews were held with nurses from a large pediatric quaternary care facility in the Northeast United States.

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Due to factors related to increasing globalization, geopolitical conflicts, and climate change, tropical nursing is increasingly important. This article offers an overview of the Diploma in Tropical Nursing program and explores the challenges facing nurses who serve patients in tropical settings with limited resources.

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