Occupational Safety and Health Practices among Physical Therapists in Metro Manila during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study Protocol

Introduction: The purpose of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is to protect and prevent workers from being exposed to risks and hazards that are detrimental to their health and safety. For the past two years, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the most significant occupational health outcomes to physical therapists (PTs) due to the nature of their work. However, minimal studies have been conducted about the experiences and OSH practices of PTs during the pandemic. This study aims to understand the experiences of clinical PTs in Metro Manila, Philippines during the pandemic. The study also seeks to explore the OSH practices and responses of PTs to presenting occupational risks and hazards through a qualitative descriptive study design. Methods: In this qualitative descriptive study, a maximum variation purposeful sampling method will be used in recruiting an estimated total of twelve (12) participants. A preliminary questionnaire would be disseminated via Google Forms to determine the eligibility of potential participants. Data will be gathered through a one-to-one semi-structured online interview, which will be transcribed verbatim and recorded with audio and video. Both manual coding and software-aided coding (NVivo) will be utilized in the data analysis. Emerging themes will be identified using thematic inductive analysis. Discussion: The results of the study may contribute to the formulation of better guidelines in handling infectious diseases even after quarantine restrictions are lifted. Furthermore, the findings will also provide the groundwork for the local body of knowledge in the Philippines and may serve as a future reference for research concerning OSH practices in physical therapy locally

Bullying: Keys to its detection, prevention and psychoeducational intervention

El acoso escolar o bullying es un tipo de violencia escolar que ha recibido gran atención por parte de la comunidad científica, pero también de las administraciones y otras organizaciones y organismos. Hoy sabemos que es un fenómeno complejo con una naturaleza idiosincrática que está presente casi en la totalidad de centros educativos, pero no de forma generalizada. También se ha avanzado mucho en la identificación de los factores asociados a su implicación y, consecuentemente, en el diseño de prácticas basadas en la evidencia para prevenirlo e intervenir ante él. El presente capítulo se dedica a hacer una síntesis del estado del arte sobre este problema de violencia escolar atendiendo a las tres principales fases que se deben seguir para afrontarlo entre el alumnado adolescente: detección, prevención e intervención. En la detección, se diferenciará de otras formas de violencia; en la prevención, se describirán los factores de riesgo y de protección asociados; y en la intervención, la diversidad de programas que se han desarrollado y su eficacia.Bullying is a type of school violence that has received a great deal of attention from the scientific community, but also from administrations and other organizations and bodies. We now know that it is a complex phenomenon with an idiosyncratic nature that is present in almost all schools, but not in a generalized way. Much progress has also been made in identifying its factors associated and, consequently, in designing evidence-based practices to prevent and intervene against it. This chapter is devoted to a synthesis of this problem of school violence, focusing on the three main phases that must be followed to tackle it among adolescent students: detection, prevention and intervention. In detection, it will be differentiated from other forms of violence; in prevention, the associated risk and protective factors will be described; and in intervention, the diversity of programmes that have been developed and their effectiveness

The role of marital status in the association between benzodiazepines, psychotropics and injurious road traffic crashes: a register-based nationwide study of senior drivers in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Among senior drivers, benzodiazepines (BZDs) have a documented effect on the risk of road traffic crashes (RTCs). It remains unclear however if BZDs play the same role when considering marital status. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of marital status in the association between BZD use and injurious RTCs among senior drivers. METHODS: Matched case-control study based on five national Swedish registers (n = 154 225). Cases comprised the first non-alcohol-related injurious RTC sustained by drivers aged 50-80 years from July 2005 to December 2009 and controls included registered residents with a valid license who did not crash during that period. Four controls were matched to each case by sex, age and place of residence. Conditional logistic regression analysis for injurious RTC was performed with adjustment for occupation and number of medications. The main exposure was dispensation of BZDs, alone or in combination with other psychotropic medications, 1-30 days prior to the crash date stratified by marital status. RESULTS: BZD use, alone or in combination with other psychotropic medications, increased the risk of being involved in an RTC (BZD only: adjusted OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.17-1.36; BZDs and other psychotropics: adjusted OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.12-1.41). Compared to married drivers, those divorced (1.48, 1.43-1.53) and widowed (1.54; 1.45-1.63) had higher adjusted ORs. Marital status modified the association between BZDs and RTCs, particularly among younger male drivers. CONCLUSIONS: Both BZDs and marital status independently affect the risk for senior drivers to be involved in an RTC. However, marital status plays a role in the association between BZD use and RTCs and this may have implications for targeting risk populations for RTCs among senior drivers

Type, number or both? A population-based matched case-control study on the risk of fall injuries among older people and number of medications beyond fall-inducing drugs.

Drug use is a modifiable risk factor for fall-related injuries in older people. Whereas the injurious effect of polypharmacy is established, that of low numbers of medications has not been fully ascertained. Neither do we know whether it is the number per se or the type of medications that actually matters. We assessed this question for fall injuries leading to hospitalization.National register-based, population-based, matched case-control study.Community dwellers aged 65+ years living in Sweden between March 2006 and December 2009.Cases (n = 64,399) were identified in the national inpatient register and four controls per case were randomly matched by gender, date of birth and residential area. The association between number of prescribed medications, assessed through linkage with the Swedish prescribed drug register, and the risk of injurious falls was estimated with odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals using conditional logistic regression, adjusted for demographic and health status.The number of medications was associated with an increased risk of fall injury in a dose-response fashion, even after adjustment for marital status, comorbidity and number of fall-risk-inducing drugs (FRIDs). Using ten or more medications was associated with an almost two-fold higher risk (adjusted OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.66 to 1.88). When stratified by use (or not) of at least one FRID, the association weakened slightly among both non-users (adjusted OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.34 to 1.67) and users (adjusted OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.58 to 1.77).In older people, not only large but also small numbers of medications may affect the risk for them to sustain injurious falls. Although the mechanisms lying behind this are complex, the finding challenges the prevention strategies targeting either specific types of medications (FRIDs) or high numbers of them

Hierarchical self-assembled structures based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as advanced negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries and 3D microbatteries

Hierarchical structures based on carbon paper and multi-walled nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were fabricated and subsequently decorated with hematite nanorods to obtain advanced 3D architectures for Li-ion battery negative electrodes. The carbon paper provides a versatile metal-free 3D current collector ensuring a good electrical contact of the active materials to its carbon fiber network. Firstly, the nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes onto the carbon paper were studied and a high footprint area capacity of 2.1 mAh cm(-2) at 0.1 mA cm(-2) was obtained. The Li can be stored in the inter-wall regions of the nanotubes, mediated by the defects formed on their walls by the nitrogen atoms. Secondly, the incorporation of hematite nanorods raised the footprint area capacity to 2.25 mAh cm(-2) at 0.1 mA cm(-2). However, the repeated conversion/de-conversion of Fe2O3 limited both coulombic and energy efficiencies for these electrodes, which did not perform as well as those including only the N-doped carbon nanotubes at higher current densities. Thirdly, long-cycling tests showed the robust Li insertion mechanism in these N-doped carbonaceous structures, which yielded an unmatched footprint area capacity enhancement up to 1.95 mAh cm(-2) after 60 cycles at 0.3 mA cm(-2) and an overall capacity of 204 mAh g(-1) referred to the mass of the entire electrode. De 2 första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.</p

Hierarchical self-assembled structures based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as advanced negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries and 3D microbatteries

Hierarchical structures based on carbon paper and multi-walled nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were fabricated and subsequently decorated with hematite nanorods to obtain advanced 3D architectures for Li-ion battery negative electrodes. The carbon paper provides a versatile metal-free 3D current collector ensuring a good electrical contact of the active materials to its carbon fiber network. Firstly, the nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes onto the carbon paper were studied and a high footprint area capacity of 2.1 mAh cm(-2) at 0.1 mA cm(-2) was obtained. The Li can be stored in the inter-wall regions of the nanotubes, mediated by the defects formed on their walls by the nitrogen atoms. Secondly, the incorporation of hematite nanorods raised the footprint area capacity to 2.25 mAh cm(-2) at 0.1 mA cm(-2). However, the repeated conversion/de-conversion of Fe2O3 limited both coulombic and energy efficiencies for these electrodes, which did not perform as well as those including only the N-doped carbon nanotubes at higher current densities. Thirdly, long-cycling tests showed the robust Li insertion mechanism in these N-doped carbonaceous structures, which yielded an unmatched footprint area capacity enhancement up to 1.95 mAh cm(-2) after 60 cycles at 0.3 mA cm(-2) and an overall capacity of 204 mAh g(-1) referred to the mass of the entire electrode. De 2 första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.</p

Hierarchical self-assembled structures based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as advanced negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries and 3D microbatteries

Hierarchical structures based on carbon paper and multi-walled nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were fabricated and subsequently decorated with hematite nanorods to obtain advanced 3D architectures for Li-ion battery negative electrodes. The carbon paper provides a versatile metal-free 3D current collector ensuring a good electrical contact of the active materials to its carbon fiber network. Firstly, the nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes onto the carbon paper were studied and a high footprint area capacity of 2.1 mAh cm−2 at 0.1 mA cm−2 was obtained. The Li can be stored in the inter-wall regions of the nanotubes, mediated by the defects formed on their walls by the nitrogen atoms. Secondly, the incorporation of hematite nanorods raised the footprint area capacity to 2.25 mAh cm−2 at 0.1 mA cm−2. However, the repeated conversion/de-conversion of Fe2O3 limited both coulombic and energy efficiencies for these electrodes, which did not perform as well as those including only the N-doped carbon nanotubes at higher current densities. Thirdly, long-cycling tests showed the robust Li insertion mechanism in these N-doped carbonaceous structures, which yielded an unmatched footprint area capacity enhancement up to 1.95 mAh cm−2 after 60 cycles at 0.3 mA cm−2 and an overall capacity of 204 mAh g−1 referred to the mass of the entire electrode

Matched adjusted ORs with 95% CI for injurious road traffic crashes in senior drivers exposed to benzodiazepines (BZD), alone or in combination with psychotropic medications, within 1–30 days prior to the index date stratified by sex, age group, and marital status, Sweden 2005–2009.

1<p>Matched by age, sex and residence place (four controls per case); adjusted for occupation and number of medications dispensed within 1–30 days prior to the index date.</p>2<p>Exposed to at least one BZD but no other psychotropic medications.</p>3<p>Exposed to at least one BZD and at least one other psychotropic medication (N05A-antipsychotics, N05B- anxiolytics, N05C-hypnotics/sedatives, and N06A-antidepressants).</p><p>N/A: Not available (unable to estimate due to small subgroup).</p