Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

The Role of Human Resource Management Processes in Achieving Information Security: An applied Study on Saudi Government Universities

تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى الكشف واقع مساهمة وحدات إدارة الموارد البشرية في تحقيق الأمن المعلوماتي في الجامعات الحكومية السعودية من خلال فحص مدى التزامها بضوابط المواصفة العالمية لنظام إدارة أمن المعلومات ((ISO/IEC 27002:2013. اعتمدت الدراسة على طرق البحث النوعي، حيث تم تصميم قائمة فحص لجمع البيانات اللازمة للدراسة، باستخدام أسلوب المقابلات شبه المهيكلة، والملاحظة المباشرة، وفحص والوثائق المستخدمة بوحدات إدارة الموارد البشرية، كما تم استخدام أسلوب تحليل الفجوات لتحليل البيانات وفهم مدى امتثال وحدات إدارة الموارد البشرية في الجامعات التي شاركت في الدراسة لضوابط أمن المعلومات التي نصت عليها المواصفة ((ISO/IEC 27002:2013. توصلت الدراسة إلى عدد من النتائج كان من أهمها التزام الجامعات المشاركة في الدراسة بنسب متفاوتة تراوحت بين المتوسط والمرتفع في تطبيق بنود المواصفة العالمية ((ISO/IEC 27002:2013 فيما يتعلق بعمليات إدارة الموارد البشرية (قبل التوظيف، واثناء التوظيف، وعمليات ترك الخدمة أو تغير الوظيفة). وفي ضوء تلك النتائج قدمت الدراسة عدد من التوصيات التي ترشد الجامعات نحو الالتزام الكامل بمتطلبات تلك المواصفة بهدف رفع مستوى مساهمة عمليات إدارة الموارد البشرية في تحقيق الامن المعلوماتي. تصنيف جال: M15.This study aims to reveal the reality of the Human Resources Management Units contribution to achieving information security at Saudi government universities by examining their compliance with the international standard of the Information Security Management System (ISO/IEC 27002:2013). The study was based on qualitative research methods, where a checklist was designed to collect the data needed for the study, using semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and documents examination used in Human Resources management units. The gap analysis method has also been used to analyse data in order to determine the range of compliance of the Universities Human Resources Management Units to the information security controls provided by the international standard (ISO/IEC 27002:2013). The study reached a number of results, the most important of which was the commitment of the participating universities in different rates ranging from medium to high in the application of the international standard (ISO/IEC 27002:2013) controls concerning human resources management processes (before employment, during employment, termination or change of employment). In the light of those findings, the study made several recommendations that guide universities towards full compliance with controls of that international standard in order to raise the level of the contribution of human resources management processes to achieve full information security

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic