Music and Dance in respiratory disease management in Uganda: A qualitative study of patient and healthcare professional perspectives

Introduction: Music and dance are increasingly used as adjunctive arts-in-health interventions in high-income settings, with a growing body of research suggesting biopsychosocial benefits. Such low-cost, low-resource interventions may have application in low-resource settings such as Uganda. However, research on perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals regarding such approaches is lacking. Methods We delivered sample sessions of music and dance for chronic respiratory disease (CRD) to patients and healthcare professionals. Seven participants took part in one singing and dance sample session. One patient completed only the dance session. We then conducted an exploratory qualitative study, using thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with the healthcare professionals and patients regarding i) the role of music and dance in Ugandan life and ii) the perceived acceptability and feasibility of using music and dance in CRD management in Uganda. Results We interviewed 19 participants, made up of eleven patients with long-term respiratory conditions and eight healthcare professionals, who were selected by purposeful convenience sampling. Four key themes were identified from interview analysis: Music and dance: 1) were central components of daily life; 2) had an established role supporting health and wellbeing; 3) had strong therapeutic potential in respiratory disease management. A fourth theme was: 4) the importance of modulating demographic considerations of culture, religion and age. Conclusion Music and dance are central to life in Uganda, with established roles supporting health and wellbeing. These roles could be built on in the development of music and dance interventions as adjuncts to established components of CRD disease management like pulmonary rehabilitation. Through consideration of key contextual factors, and co-development and adaptation of interventions, such approaches are likely to be well received

OPAC 2.0: towards the next generation of online library catalogues

While the 4th Law of S.R. Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science (1931) says that: “Save the time of the reader”, it is a big question to ask whether the current Library catalogues precisely do this for its library patrons. There is a common understanding that the evolution of OPAC should be in line with the evolution of technology and its services. They have to be designed in such a way that the users should be able to find what they are looking for in a timely manner only then they will be more satisfied, and more likely to feel like their needs have been met. While it is mandatory that the OPACs should not be a complex matrix for the users, it is important that it should encompass the current trends and features of advancements. There is no doubt that Librarians are the Architects to design best next generation OPACs by amalgamating Web 2.0 tools and the social networking aspects to the traditional catalogues which offer interacting options to the patrons. This paper looks at the current trend in formulating the next generation of Online Library catalogues with glimpses of isolated experiments and improvements in the library catalogues coupled with various open source software packages for OPAC 2.0 and the benefits to the users therewith

Respiratory patient experience of measures to reduce risk of COVID-19: findings from a descriptive cross-sectional UK wide survey

Objectives: To assess the experience of people with long-term respiratory conditions regarding the impact of measures to reduce risk of COVID-19. Design: Analysis of data (n=9,515) from the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation partnership COVID-19 survey collected online between 1st and 8th of April 2020. Setting: Community Participants: 9,515 people with self-reported long term respiratory conditions. 81% female, age ranges from <17 years to 80 and above, from all nations of the UK. Long term respiratory conditions reported included asthma (83%), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (10%), bronchiectasis (4%), Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) (2%), and ‘other’ (<1%) (e.g. lung cancer and pulmonary endometriosis). Outcome measures: Study responses related to impacts on key elements of health care, as well as practical, psychological and social consequences related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures. Results: 45% reported disruptions to care, including cancellations of appointments, investigations, pulmonary rehabilitation, treatment, and monitoring. Other practical impacts such as difficulty accessing healthcare services for other issues, and getting basic necessities such as food, were also common. 36% did not use online prescriptions and 54% had not accessed online inhaler technique videos. Psycho-social impacts including anxiety, loneliness and concerns about personal health and family were prevalent. 81% reported engaging in physical activity. Among the 11% who were smokers, 48% reported they were planning to quit smoking because of COVID-19. Conclusions: COVID-19 and related social distancing measures are having profound impacts on people with chronic respiratory conditions. Urgent adaptation and signposting of services is required to mitigate the negative health consequences of the COVID-19 response for this group

Flow equation approach to heavy fermion systems

We use Wegner's flow equation method to investigate the infinite-$U$ periodic Anderson model. We show that this method poses a new approach to the description of heavy fermion behaviour. Within this scheme we derive an effective Hamiltonian where the $c$ and $f$ degrees of freedom are decoupled. By evaluating one-particle energies as well as correlation functions we find an electronic structure which comprises two gapped quasiparticle bands. We also address the lattice Kondo temperature, which shows a typical exponential dependence on the hybridisation energy. This energy scale exhibits a significant decrease compared to that of the single impurity Anderson model