Features and frequency of use of electronic health records in primary care across 20 countries:a cross-sectional study

Objectives: Variation exists in the capabilities of electronic healthcare records (EHRs) systems and the frequency of their use by primary care physicians (PCPs) from different settings. We aimed to examine the factors associated with everyday EHRs use by PCPs, characterise the EHRs features available to PCPs, and to identify the impact of practice settings on feature availability. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: PCPs from 20 countries completed cross-sectional online survey between June and September 2020. Responses which reported frequency of EHRs use were retained. Associations between everyday EHRs use and PCP and practice factors (country, urbanicity, and digital maturity) were explored using multivariable logistic regression analyses. The effect of practice factors on the variation in availability of ten EHRs features was estimated using Cramer's V. Results: Responses from 1520 out of 1605 PCPs surveyed (94·7%) were retained. Everyday EHRs use was reported by 91·2% of PCPs. Everyday EHRs use was associated with PCPs working &gt;28 h per week, having more years of experience using EHRs, country of employment, and higher digital maturity. EHRs features concerning entering, and retrieving data were available to most PCPs. Few PCPs reported having access to tools for ‘interactive patient education’ (37·3%) or ‘home monitoring and self-testing of chronic conditions’ (34·3%). Country of practice was associated with availability of all EHRs features (Cramer's V range: 0·2–0·6), particularly with availability of tools enabling patient EHRs access (Cramer's V: 0·6, P &lt; 0.0001). Greater feature availability of EHRs features was observed with greater digital maturity. Conclusions: EHRs features intended for patient use were uncommon across countries and levels of digital maturity. Systems-level research is necessary to identify the country-specific barriers impeding the implementation of EHRs features in primary care, particularly of EHRs features enabling patient interaction with EHRs, to develop strategies to improve systems-wide EHRs use.</p

Bacteria associated with the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus collected in Portugal

Abstract: In this study, we report on the bacterial community associated with the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus from symptomatic pine wilted trees, as well as from long-term preserved B. xylophilus laboratory collection specimens, emphasizing the close bacteria-nematode associations that may contribute to pine wilt disease development

Tuning Anatase-Rutile Phase Transition Temperature: TiO2/SiO2 Nanoparticles Applied in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

TiO2/SiO2 nanoparticles with 3, 5, and 10 molar percent of silica, were synthesized by hydrothermal method and characterized by SEM, TEM, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, and Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopy. While pristine TiO2 thermally treated at 500°C presents a surface area of 36 m2 g-1 (±10 m2 g-1), TiO2/SiO2 containing 3, 5, and 10 molar percent of silica present surface areas of 93, 124, and 150 m2 g-1 (±10 m2 g-1), respectively. SiO2 is found to form very small amorphous domains well dispersed in the TiO2 matrix. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy data show that anatase-to-rutile phase transition temperature is delayed by the presence of SiO2, enabling single-anatase phase photoanodes for DSSCs. According to the I×V measurements, photoanodes with 3% of SiO2 result in improved efficiency, which is mainly related to increased surface area and dye loading. In addition, the results suggest a gain in photocurrent related to the passivation of defects by SiO2

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann: Public drama and trial by media in the Portuguese press

The extraordinary media coverage regarding the disappearance of the British 3-yearold Madeleine McCann emerges as an illustrative example of a ‘public drama’ and ‘trial by media’. This article presents a comparative analysis of the perspectives and narrative devices employed by two Portuguese newspapers in establishing a dialogue with their respective audiences. High-profile mediatized criminal cases have the potential to linger in the public memory and become cultural references which may affect longterm public representations of crime and justice. Our analysis is limited to a sample of representative Portuguese newspapers. We found a basic distinction between ‘quality’ and ‘popular’ press which may be related to inherent differences of their market and implicit audiences. A distanced, neutral and reflexive style of the quality press contrasts with the construction of a sensationalistic narrative by the popular press. The latter provided the audience with a daily dose of vicarious participation in a criminal drama which developed into a trial by media, sustained by a rhetoric that encourages the audience to ‘take sides’. Sensationalist media narratives can potentially undermine the principles of fair trial and the presumption of innocence. But they can also elicit relevant collective energies directed at starting processes of change.Foundation for Science and Technology (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education) for financing this research, in the project ‘Justice, media and citizenship’ (PTDC/SDE/67021/2006) hosted at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbrainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio