"Palliative care is so much more than that": a qualitative study exploring experiences of hospice staff and bereaved carers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The way in which end-of-life care was provided changed significantly during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The national lockdown restrictions reduced formal care support services and increased the burden on many carers taking on the caring role for the first time. We aimed to explore decision-making about the place of care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on experience from the perspectives of carers and hospice staff caring for people at the end-of-life.

The Experiences of Informal Carers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Systematic Review.

Objectives: To identify, critically appraise and synthesise the qualitative literature on the experiences of informal carers of people with long-term conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: A qualitative systematic literature review.

Data Sources: Eight electronic databases were systematically searched (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Nursing and Allied Health and ASSIA) along with Google Scholar and handsearching via secondary sources.

Factors influencing adult carer support planning for unpaid caregiving at the end of life in Scotland: Qualitative insights from triangulated interviews and focus groups.

Caring for a relative or friend at the end of life can be rewarding but all-encompassing. These caregivers are often not identified, meaning their diverse needs remain unmet, and the lack of assessment, support and planning increases the likelihood of crisis and burnout. The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 places responsibility on local authorities to implement such a plan, which will be fast-tracked for carers supporting someone at the end of life.

Approach to estimating participant pollutant exposures in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air).

Most published epidemiology studies of long-term air pollution health effects have relied on central site monitoring to investigate regional-scale differences in exposure. Few cohort studies have had sufficient data to characterize localized variations in pollution, despite the fact that large gradients can exist over small spatial scales. Similarly, previous data have generally been limited to measurements of particle mass or several of the criteria gases.

Clinical course and management of SARS in health care workers in Toronto: a case series.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has only recently been described. We provide individual patient data on the clinical course, treatment and complications experienced by 14 front-line health care workers and hospital support staff in Toronto who were diagnosed with SARS, and we provide follow-up information for up to 3 weeks after their discharge from hospital.

Methods: As part of the initial response to the SARS outbreak in Toronto, our health care centre was asked to establish a SARS unit for health care workers who were infected.

Increased reporting of occupational hearing loss: workers' compensation in Washington State, 1984-1998.

Background: Workers' compensation claims for hearing loss increased two-fold during 1984-1991 in Washington State.

Methods: This population-based descriptive study examined 27,019 claims filed during 1984-1998 and accepted for hearing loss, in the workers' compensation jurisdiction that covers nearly all non-federal workers in Washington State.

Results: The number of claims increased 12-fold during 1984-1998.

Noise exposure and hearing conservation practices in an industry with high incidence of workers' compensation claims for hearing loss.

Background: Washington State has experienced a striking increase in workers' compensation claims for hearing loss.

Methods: This cross-sectional study examined noise exposures and hearing conservation practices in one industry with a high rate of hearing loss claims. We evaluated 10 representative foundries with personal noise dosimetry, management interviews, employee interviews, and existing audiometry.