Building a performance measurement framework for telephone triage services in Finland: a consensus-making study based on nominal group technique.

Background: There has been a significant expansion in the measurement of healthcare system performance. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive performance measurement framework to assess the effects of telephone triage services on the urgent care system. The aim of our Delphi study was to construct and validate a performance measurement framework designed explicitly for telephone triage services.

Measuring Cardiac Dyssynchrony with DENSE (Displacement Encoding with Stimulated Echoes)-A Systematic Review.

Background: In this review, we introduce the displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) method for measuring myocardial dyssynchrony using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. We provide an overview of research findings related to DENSE from the past two decades and discuss other techniques used for dyssynchrony evaluation. Additionally, the review discusses the potential uses of DENSE in clinical practice.

A call from 40 public health scientists for an end to the continuing humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in Gaza.

An under-recognised aspect of the current humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is the impact of the war on the environment and the associated risks for human health. This commentary contextualises these impacts against the background of human suffering produced by the overwhelming violence associated with the use of military force against the general population of Gaza. In calling for an immediate cessation to the violence, the authors draw attention to the urgent need to rebuild the health care system and restore the physical and human infrastructure that makes a liveable environment possible and promotes human health and well-being, especially for the most vulnerable in the population.

Identifying performance indicators to measure overall performance of telephone triage - a scoping review.

Objective: This article aims to summarize performance indicators used in telephone triage services research, and make recommendations for the selection of valid indicators to measure the performance of telephone triage. We describe what kind of frameworks, performance indicators, or variables have been used for evaluating telephone triage performance by systematically mapping the telephone triage performance measurement. The objective was to find measures for each Triple Aim dimension.

Using a stochastic continuous-time Markov chain model to examine alternative timing and duration of the COVID-19 lockdown in Kuwait: what can be done now?

Background: Kuwait had its first COVID-19 in late February, and until October 6, 2020 it recorded 108,268 cases and 632 deaths. Despite implementing one of the strictest control measures-including a three-week complete lockdown, there was no sign of a declining epidemic curve. The objective of the current analyses is to determine, hypothetically, the optimal timing and duration of a full lockdown in Kuwait that would result in controlling new infections and lead to a substantial reduction in case hospitalizations.