14 research outputs found
Seeing faces, when faces can't be seen: Wearing portrait photos has a positive effect on how patients perceive medical staff when face masks have to be worn.
IntroductionSince the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, wearing surgical face masks has become mandatory for healthcare staff in many countries when interacting with patients. Recently, it has been shown that wearing face masks impairs social interaction by diminishing a person's ability to read the emotion of their counterparts, an essential prerequisite to respond adequately in social situations. It is easily conceivable that this may have a tangible negative influence on the communication and relationship between patients and healthcare personnel. We therefore investigated whether it has an effect on how patients perceive healthcare professionals when physicians and nursing staff wear portrait photos with their smiling faces in addition to face masks.MethodsDuring the study period of 16 days, the medical staff of our Department wore surgical face masks at all times during any kind of interaction with patients. In a pseudorandomized order, all members of our staff additionally affixed their portrait photos to their work clothes on 8 of the 16 days. After completion of their visit, 226 patients were interviewed anonymously in a cross-sectional study design using a questionnaire in which they rated the following three items: friendliness of staff, medical quality of treatment, and how well they felt taken care of during treatment in our Department.ResultsOn days, on which staff wore photos, mean scores of the questionnaires were significantly higher than on non-photo days (p = 0.013; mean ± standard deviation = 92.8 ± 11.3 vs. 91.0 ± 12.6; median (range) = 97 (98) vs. 96 (76)). When analyzed separately, the increased scores were only significant for the item friendliness of staff (p = 0.009; mean ± standard deviation = 95.8 ± 6.3 vs. 92.2 ± 11.5; median (range) = 98 (39) vs. 97 (54)).ConclusionOur study suggests that the use of portrait photos with smiling faces has a positive effect on how patients perceive healthcare staff
Responsive Wormlike Micelles from Dynamic Covalent Surfactants
Dynamic covalent chemistry is a powerful tool for the
construction of adaptive and stimulus-responsive nanosystems. Here
we report on the spontaneous formation of dynamic covalent wormlike
micelles from imine-based gemini surfactants, formed upon mixing aqueous
solutions of two complementary non-surface-active precursors. Resulting
from the reversibility of the dynamic covalent imine bond, the wormlike
micelles can be switched between an isotropic solution and the assembled
state, triggered by pH and temperature. Thermodynamic modeling of
the reaction equilibria shows that, although mixtures of single- and
double-tailed surfactants are formed, it is mainly the double-tailed
surfactant that assembles into the wormlike micelles
Dynamically functionalized polymersomes via hydrazone exchange
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