Preferences of Recent Mums in Remote and Rural Areas for Type of Intrapartum Care: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Background And Objectives: Pregnant women living in rural areas considering their preferred place of birth may have to 'trade-off' travel time/distance and other attributes of care (e.g. the full choice of birthplace options is rarely available locally).

Improving the mental health of farmers: what types of remote support are acceptable, feasible, and improve outcomes? A feasibility RCT.

Background: The farming community have high rates of poor mental health, and are relatively 'hard to reach' with mental health services. The aim of this study was therefore to undertake a feasibility RCT, based on two mental health interventions. These were (1) CBT based 'Living Life to the Full for Farming Communities' (LLTTF-F; www.

Learning the lessons for public health from the COVID-19 pandemic across British island communities: findings of a peer support group based on action learning.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic was a major public health challenge for island communities. Consequently, a peer support group was set up across British islands, led by Directors of Public Health, with the aim of using an action research approach to identify and share learning to inform aspects of the management of COVID-19 that were unique to island communities.

Methods: Qualitative analysis of nine group discussions over 13 months was undertaken.

The Perception of Women in Rural and Remote Scotland About Intrapartum Care: A Qualitative Study.

Background: The views of mothers are important in shaping policy and practice regarding options for intrapartum care. Mothers in rural and remote areas face unique challenges accessing services, and these need to be well understood. Therefore, our aim was to understand the compromises that women who live in remote and rural settings, more than 1 h from a maternity unit, face regarding intrapartum care.

Identifying pre-existing conditions and multimorbidity patterns associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19.

We investigated the association between a wide range of comorbidities and COVID-19 in-hospital mortality and assessed the influence of multi morbidity on the risk of COVID-19-related death using a large, regional cohort of 6036 hospitalized patients. This retrospective cohort study was conducted using Patient Administration System Admissions and Discharges data. The International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10) diagnosis codes were used to identify common comorbidities and the outcome measure.

Termites and asthma: is there a connection?

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Long-Term Conditions in Older People are Linked with Loneliness, but a Sense of Coherence Buffers the Adverse Effects on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The impact of disability, long-term conditions, rurality, living alone, and being a carer on health has some evidence base, but the extent to which a strong sense of coherence (SoC), a factor hypothesised to promote wellbeing, may moderate these associations is unknown. A model of physical, environmental and social factors on quality of life was tested, with particular emphasis on whether a strong SoC buffered (mitigated) these determinants of quality of life.

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional postal survey was undertaken of a random sample of 1471 respondents aged over 65 years, across a population of rural individuals.

Association between community-based self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and social deprivation explored using symptom tracker apps: a repeated cross-sectional study in Northern Ireland.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the spatial and temporal relationships between the prevalence of COVID-19 symptoms in the community-level and area-level social deprivation.

Design: Spatial mapping, generalised linear models, using time as a factor and spatial-lag models were used to explore the relationship between self-reported COVID-19 symptom prevalence as recorded through two smartphone symptom tracker apps and a range of socioeconomic factors using a repeated cross-sectional study design.

Setting: In the community in Northern Ireland, UK.

An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Computer Screening to Support Decision-Making about Use of Palliative Care Registers in Primary Care: GP Think Aloud and Patient and Carer Interviews.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand factors that influence general practitioner (GP) use of automated computer screening to identify patients for the palliative care register (PCR) and the experiences of palliative care and this emerging technology from patients' and carers' perspectives.

Methods: A computer screening program electronically searches primary care records in routine clinical practice to identify patients with advanced illness who are not already on a PCR. Five GPs were asked to "think aloud" about adding patients identified by computer screening to the PCR.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Digital Technology Interventions to Reduce Loneliness in Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Loneliness is a serious public health issue, and its burden is increasing in many countries. Loneliness affects social, physical, and mental health, and it is associated with multimorbidity and premature mortality. In addition to social interventions, a range of digital technology interventions (DTIs) are being used to tackle loneliness.

The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pandemic of Lockdown Loneliness and the Role of Digital Technology.

The focus of this perspective is on lockdown loneliness, which we define as loneliness resulting from social disconnection as a result of enforced social distancing and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also explore the role of digital technology in tackling lockdown loneliness amid the pandemic. In this regard, we highlight and discuss a number of the key relevant issues: a description of lockdown loneliness, the burden of lockdown loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, characteristics of people who are more likely to be affected by lockdown loneliness, factors that could increase the risk of loneliness, lockdown loneliness as an important public health issue, tackling loneliness during the pandemic, digital technology tools for social connection and networking during the pandemic, assessment of digital technology tools from the end users' perspectives, and access to and use of digital technology for tackling lockdown loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hematoidin crystals in sputum smears: Cytopathology and clinical associations.

Background: There has been limited correlation of hematoidin crystals (HC) in sputum with clinical and diagnostic characteristics, partly because they are difficult to recognize. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess these relationships in a consecutive cohort of sputum samples from patients submitted to a cytology laboratory.

Methods: Adequate sputum samples from 489 individuals were enrolled in this study.

Protozoan Cysts in Faecal Pellets of German Cockroaches (Blattella germanica), with Particular Emphasis on Lophomonas blattarum.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate protozoan cysts and oocyts in the faecal pellets of the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), with emphasis on the prevalence of Lophomonas blattarum.

Methods: Thirty adult Blattella germanica (12 males; 18 females) were trapped near Madrid, Spain. Expelled faecal pellets were collected in the laboratory over 5 days in two plastic containers.

Co-production of "nature walks for wellbeing" public health intervention for people with severe mental illness: use of theory and practical know-how.

Background: Interventions need to be developed in a timely and relatively low-cost manner in order to respond to, and quickly address, major public health concerns. We aimed to quickly develop an intervention to support people with severe mental ill-health, that is systematic, well founded both in theory and evidence, without the support of significant funding or resource. In this article we aim to open and elucidate the contents of the 'black box' of intervention development.

Ciliated nasal epithelial cells damage and human rhinovirus infection: cytological findings.

Human rhinovirus infection has been identified as the commonest cause of common cold. We were therefore interested in cytological assessment of nasal cells from patients with human rhinovirus infection. Cytological examination was undertaken of nasal smears from a group of 7 patients, 4 females and 3 males; aged between 27 and 14 years-old (average = 17.

Effectiveness of digital technology interventions to reduce loneliness in adults: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Loneliness is an emerging public health problem that is associated with social, emotional, mental and physical health issues. The application of digital technology (DT) interventions to reduce loneliness has significantly increased in the recent years. The effectiveness of DT interventions needs to be assessed systematically.

Demonstration of a Fair Level of Agreement Between Escalation Scores Reported by Hospital Managers and Analysis of Stress-Related Hospital Metrics.

Background: The National Health System in Wales has developed a novel national electronic dashboard which reports a daily "escalation score," reflecting management's opinion of the pressure each hospital is facing, primarily due to unscheduled care. The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of replacing human scores with a quantitative model, based on the relationship between reported escalation scores and selected hospital metrics.

Methods: Generalized linear mixed models were used to model the association between hospital metrics and escalation scores between October one year and October the next year utilizing hospital bed occupancy rate, ambulance hours lost waiting outside emergency departments, number of "boarded out" patients in the hospital, and the daily ratio of admissions to discharges in the hospital.

Improving wait time from referral to opiate replacement therapy in a drug recovery service.

While the reported incidence of heroin use in the UK has reduced, related hospital admissions and associated mortality have continued to increase. Prompt access to treatment (opiate replacement therapy (ORT) and counselling support) have been shown to reduce risk and offer clients the optimal route to recovery. The Specialist Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service (Osprey House) within National Health Service Highland had lengthy delays from referral to commencing ORT (median wait 56 days), which this project aimed to reduce.

Head-Mounted Virtual Reality and Mental Health: Critical Review of Current Research.

Background: eHealth interventions are becoming increasingly used in public health, with virtual reality (VR) being one of the most exciting recent developments. VR consists of a three-dimensional, computer-generated environment viewed through a head-mounted display. This medium has provided new possibilities to adapt problematic behaviors that affect mental health.

Assessing prevalence of urinary incontinence in Scottish fitness instructors and experience of teaching pelvic floor muscle exercises: an online survey.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of urinary incontinence in fitness instructors, experience of teaching pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME), and attitudes to incorporating such exercises into classes.

Method: An online survey was undertaken of fitness instructors working in Scotland based on the Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI).

Results: The survey was at least partially completed by 106, of whom 73.

Evaluation of Technology-Enhanced Learning Programs for Health Care Professionals: Systematic Review.

Background: Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) programs are increasingly seen as the way in which education for health care professionals can be transformed, giving access to effective ongoing learning and training even where time or geographical barriers exist. Given the increasing emphasis on this mode of educational support for health care practitioners, it is vital that we can effectively evaluate and measure impact to ensure that TEL programs are effective and fit for purpose. This paper examines the current evidence base for the first time, in relation to the evaluation of TEL programs for health care professionals.

An examination of user costs in relation to smokers using a cessation service based in the UK.

Background: Smoking cessation services provide support to smokers who desire to quit. Published studies to date have looked at the cost and benefit of service provision but typically focus on clinical trial data. Using routinely collected observational data, this study examined the costs involved in providing a service in terms of average health care expenditure per successful quit attempt in addition to population - level cost-effectiveness measures.