Crisis communication during beef recalls due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination

This study aims to evaluate the quantity and quality of crisis communication efforts during one specific type of public health emergency, beef recalls due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. A content analysis of 452 US newspaper reports within 30 days of a beef recall was conducted to determine the sources cited and the messages communicated to the public. The analysis involved a total of 36 recalls issued from 2003 to 2008. The study found the sources cited by reporters include two of the major stakeholders involved in the crisis - government agencies and meat companies who processed or sold the contaminated product. Messages regarding information the public needs to know about the threat were found at a high frequency in the coverage. Self-efficacy messages related to how to control or manage the threat were less common. Messages communicating measures to safeguard against future threat and those that indicate the recall has ended were scant, suggesting areas for improvement in crisis communication. Over the six year time span, there was only a moderate to slight degree of message consistency. This study concludes that the type of media coverage, the sources used, and the messages communicated led to the attenuation of risks associated with beef recalls. Over all, the findings indicate the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship between the food industry and the media, especially during instances that threaten public health and well-being

The Family Experience of Participating in an ICU Support Group: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of family members participating in an intensive care unit support group. The family experience of an adult family member\u27s critical illness is filled with emotional distress, suffering, and difficulty coping. Few family nursing interventions to care for family members of ICU patients have been researched. Research is inconsistent regarding the value of a support group in the ICU setting of a hospital. A qualitative design, using hermeneutic phenomenology was chosen. Five interviews were conducted with seven family members. The experience of participating in an ICU support groups was analyzed within Van Manen\u27s (1990) framework of lived space, lived relation, lived body, and lived time. An overall pattern of gaining strength was uncovered. Within the support group experience, families found their lived space occupied by trying to understand, wherein subthemes of exchanging information, decision making, and sense of direction were identified. Being not alone was a reflection of families\u27 lived relation with subthemes of nursing presence and being together with other families. The life world of lived body was identified as comforting. After initial experiences of vulnerability with others in the support group and intensive care unit setting, families found comfort by sharing their story and sharing suffering. The final life world of lived time was experienced by family members as pausing; an opportunity to take a break from the experience of having a loved one as a patient in the ICU. Findings suggest support groups can be a useful intervention for ICU nurses to help families gain strength to endure the stressful experience of having a family member hospitalized in the ICU

Algorithmische Arbeitskoordination in der plattformbasierten Gig Economy: das Beispiel Foodora

Die Plattformökonomie mit ihren ambivalenten Effekten auf die Wirtschafts- und Arbeitswelt gerät zunehmend in den Blickpunkt der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung. Anknüpfend an diesen Diskurs befasst sich der vorliegende explorative Beitrag mit den Potentialen und Risiken algorithmisch strukturierter Plattformen in der Koordination ortsgebundener Erwerbsarbeit. Zunächst arbeiten wir allgemeine Organisationsprinzipien und Funktionsweisen online-zentrierter Plattformunternehmen heraus. Anschließend beleuchten wir am Beispiel des Unternehmens Foodora bis dato beobachtbare Dynamiken und Rückwirkungen plattformbasierter Arbeitskoordination in der On-Demand bzw. Gig Economy.The platform economy with its ambivalent effects on the business and working environment is becoming a focal point of social science research. On that note, our contribution explores the potentials and challenges of digital platforms and algorithmic management in the coordination of localized labor. First, we outline the general organizational structures and operational patterns of platform-based enterprises. Drawing on the example of the online food delivery company Foodora, we subsequently elaborate on the currently observable dynamics and implications of algorithm-driven labor coordination in the so-called ‘gig’ or ‘on-demand’ economy

Long Term Immune Responses to Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1 Infection in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

In solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients it is unknown if natural infection with influenza confers protection from re-infection with the same strain during the next influenza season. The purpose of this study was to determine if infection with pandemic influenza A/H1N1 (pH1N1) resulted in a long-term immunologic response. Transplant recipients with microbiologically proven pH1N1 infection in 2009/2010 underwent humoral and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) testing for pH1N1 just prior to the next influenza season. Concurrent testing for A/Brisbane/59/2007 was done to rule-out cross-reacting antibody. We enrolled 22 adult transplant patients after pH1N1 infection. Follow up testing was done at a median of 7.4 months (range 5.8–15.4) after infection. After excluding those with cross-reactive antibody, 7/19 (36.8%) patients were seroprotected. Detectable pH1N1-specific CD4+ and CD8+ interferon-γ producing T-cells were found in 11/22 (50%) and 8/22 (36.4%) patients respectively. Humoral immunity had a significant correlation with a CD4 response. This is the first study in transplant patients to evaluate long-term humoral and cellular response after natural influenza infection. We show that a substantial proportion of SOT recipients with previous pH1N1 infection lack long-term humoral and cellular immune responses to pH1N1. These patients most likely are at risk for re-infection

Influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients: systematic review and meta-analysis from a public health policy perspective.

Immunocompromised patients are vulnerable to severe or complicated influenza infection. Vaccination is widely recommended for this group. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients in terms of preventing influenza-like illness and laboratory confirmed influenza, serological response and adverse events

Crisis communication during beef recalls due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination

This study aims to evaluate the quantity and quality of crisis communication efforts during one specific type of public health emergency, beef recalls due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. A content analysis of 452 US newspaper reports within 30 days of a beef recall was conducted to determine the sources cited and the messages communicated to the public. The analysis involved a total of 36 recalls issued from 2003 to 2008. The study found the sources cited by reporters include two of the major stakeholders involved in the crisis - government agencies and meat companies who processed or sold the contaminated product. Messages regarding information the public needs to know about the threat were found at a high frequency in the coverage. Self-efficacy messages related to how to control or manage the threat were less common. Messages communicating measures to safeguard against future threat and those that indicate the recall has ended were scant, suggesting areas for improvement in crisis communication. Over the six year time span, there was only a moderate to slight degree of message consistency. This study concludes that the type of media coverage, the sources used, and the messages communicated led to the attenuation of risks associated with beef recalls. Over all, the findings indicate the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship between the food industry and the media, especially during instances that threaten public health and well-being.</p