Respiratory Protection: Lessons Learned from a Global Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the limitations of global health systems' abilities to manage the rapid spread of a novel infectious disease, which was exacerbated by shortages of respiratory protective devices and other critical personal protective equipment (PPE). An advisory panel of experienced health-care professionals with backgrounds in Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS), Infection Prevention, Nursing, and Clinical Application Specialists convened to discuss challenges and strategies associated with the selection and use of respiratory protective devices as experienced during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. This discussion led to the following recommendations: 1) the need for clear communication of alternative respiratory protection selection and use recommendations in accordance with US regulatory and agency guidance; 2) the need for collaboration between Infection Prevention, OEHS, clinical staff, supply chain/materials management, emergency preparedness, executive leadership, and finance; 3) the need for adequate stockpiling, inventory rotation, and diverse respiratory protection options to accommodate the majority of health-care workers; 4) the need for efficient and innovative strategies to communicate evolving regulatory, agency, and facility recommendations and to deliver appropriate training on respiratory protection; and 5) the need for additional research on respiratory protection use - involving filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) as well as other respirator types designed to be reused - to balance infection prevention best practices with a sustainable process.

A systematic review on the role of trust in the water governance literature.

Trust is generally considered to play a key enabling role in water governance. Despite this notion, there have been no systematic assessments examining the way in which the literature on water governance engages with 'trust'. Our article fills this gap by providing an overview of the way in which this literature has engaged with trust as a conceptual lens, analytical device and empirical phenomenon.

Dysphagia treatment post stroke: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Background: dysphagia is common following stroke and is associated with the development of pneumonia. Many dysphagia treatment options are available, some still experimental and others already rooted in common practice. Previous reviews of these treatments were limited due to a dearth of available studies.

The rehabilitation of patients recovering from brainstem strokes: case studies and clinical considerations.

An estimated 15% of all patients admitted to stroke rehabilitation units experience a brainstem stroke. Two case studies are presented to illustrate some of the difficulties encountered in the rehabilitation of these individuals. Unlike hemispheric stroke, the characteristic consequences of brainstem stroke include ataxia, dysarthria, and diplopia.

Risk of tornado-related death and injury in Oklahoma, May 3, 1999.

On May 3, 1999, powerful tornadoes, including a category F5 tornado, swept through Oklahoma. The authors examined all tornado-related deaths, hospital admissions, and emergency department visits to identify important risk factors. Data on deaths and injuries directly related to the tornadoes and information obtained from a survey of residents in the damage path of the F5 tornado were used in a case-control analysis.