Repatriation rates in Filipino seafarers: a five-year study of 6,759 cases

Background: Studies on medical repatriation of seafarers due to illnesses and injuries have been limited. The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiology of medical repatriation among Filipino seafarers. Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of records from January 2010 to December 2014 of medical repatriations of Filipino seafarers from the claims and legal departments of different manning agencies in Manila, Philippines. Results: We analysed data from a total of 6,759 medical repatriation cases in a 5-year period, representing 174 shipping companies and 2,256 vessels. The total number of seafarers deployed from the manning agencies where we obtained data was 388,963 with the rate of medical repatriations calculated at 1.7%. We used the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) to determine the most common causes of repatriation. We found that these were injuries (trauma), musculoskeletal disorders, gastrointestinal problems, and genitourinary illnesses. We also conducted an analysis of the most common clinical problems per organ system. Conclusions: Filipinos represent the most numerous group of seafarers in the world. Profiling their health issues may help in optimising current protocols, implementing health surveillance programs, and formulating health policies for seafaring personnel. In addition, our study results may help physicians performing pre-employment medical examinations to identify and manage conditions that are at a high risk of medical repatriation

Does long-term length of stay on board affect the repatriation rates of seafarers?

Background: The length of seafarers’ contract has undergone scrutiny regarding the health, welfare, and fatigue of the crew. This study investigates whether a stay of more than 200 days can increase the risk of medical repatriation among Filipino seafarers. Materials and methods: We reviewed the number of medical repatriations from January 2014 to December 2016, specifically those who were repatriated after more than 200 days on board. We used WHO ICD-10 classification to categorise diseases and medical events that cause the repatriation, and classified them under “Injury” or “Illness” as defined by the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual. We also separated those who worked on cargo vessels as well as those who worked on passenger ships. We requested for the total number of seafarers who worked longer than 200 days on board. After calculating a repatriation rate for this specific group of long-term workers, we then compared this with a previous study. Chi-square analysis and regression analysis were applied to analyse the data comparing the passenger versus cargo ships repatriation rates. Results: There were a total of 840 cases of long-term repatriations in this study for the 3 year period. The total number of crew who had stayed for more than 200 days was 51,830. The different causes of repatriation are presented. Repatriation rates are also shown and a study of the regular stay and long term contracts are also compared. Conclusions: There are various disease entities significantly higher in the long term work group. We offer some possible explanations for some of these differences in repatriation rates. This data could be useful in planning of schedules, work hours and contracts as well as the prevention of disease in seafarers

Mathematical Analysis of a COVID-19 Compartmental Model with Interventions

Mathematical models of the COVID-19 pandemic have been utilized in a variety of settings as a core component of national public health responses. Often based on systems of ordinary differential equations; compartmental models are commonly used to understand and forecast outbreak trajectories. In view of the primarily applied nature of COVID-19 models; theoretical analysis can provide a global and long-term perspective of key model properties; and relevant insights about the infection dynamics they represent. This work formulates and undertakes such an investigation for a compartmental model of COVID-19; which includes the effect of interventions. More specifically; this paper analyzes the characteristics of the solutions of a compartmental model by establishing the existence and stability of the equilibrium points based on the value of the basic reproductive number R0. Our results provide insights on the possible policies that can be implemented to address the health crisis

Understanding COVID-19 Dynamics and the Effects of Interventions in the Philippines: A Mathematical Modelling Study

Background COVID-19 initially caused less severe outbreaks in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) compared with many high-income countries; possibly because of differing demographics; socioeconomics; surveillance; and policy responses. Here; we investigate the role of multiple factors on COVID-19 dynamics in the Philippines; a LMIC that has had a relatively severe COVID-19 outbreak. Methods We applied an age-structured compartmental model that incorporated time-varying mobility; testing; and personal protective behaviors (through a “Minimum Health Standards” policy; MHS) to represent the first wave of the Philippines COVID-19 epidemic nationally and for three highly affected regions (Calabarzon; Central Visayas; and the National Capital Region). We estimated effects of control measures; key epidemiological parameters; and interventions. Findings Population age structure; contact rates; mobility; testing; and MHS were sufficient to explain the Philippines epidemic based on the good fit between modelled and reported cases; hospitalisations; and deaths. The model indicated that MHS reduced the probability of transmission per contact by 13-27%. The February 2021 case detection rate was estimated at ~8%; population recovered at ~9%; and scenario projections indicated high sensitivity to MHS adherence. Interpretation COVID-19 dynamics in the Philippines are driven by age; contact structure; mobility; and MHS adherence. Continued compliance with low-cost MHS should help the Philippines control the epidemic until vaccines are widely distributed; but disease resurgence may be occurring due to a combination of low population immunity and detection rates and new variants of concern

Current trends in nursing informatics: Results of an international survey

© 2016 IMIA and IOS Press. Nursing informatics (NI) can help provide effective and safe healthcare. This study aimed to describe current research trends in NI. In the summer 2015, the IMIA-NI Students Working Group created and distributed an online international survey of the current NI trends. A total of 402 responses were submitted from 44 countries. We identified a top five NI research areas: standardized terminologies, mobile health, clinical decision support, patient safety and big data research. NI research funding was considered to be difficult to acquire by the respondents. Overall, current NI research on education, clinical practice, administration and theory is still scarce, with theory being the least common. Further research is needed to explain the impact of these trends and the needs from clinical practice

Advancing nursing informatics in the next decade: Recommendations from an international survey

© 2016 IMIA and IOS Press. In the summer of 2015, the International Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics Special Interest Group (IMIA NISIG) Student Working Group developed and distributed an international survey of current and future trends in nursing informatics. The survey was developed based on current literature on nursing informatics trends and translated into six languages. Respondents were from 31 different countries in Asia, Africa, North and Central America, South America, Europe, and Australia. This paper presents the results of responses to the survey question: "What should be done (at a country or organizational level) to advance nursing informatics in the next 5-10 years?" (n responders=272). Using thematic qualitative analysis, responses were grouped into five key themes: 1) Education and training; 2) Research; 3) Practice; 4) Visibility; and 5) Collaboration and integration. We also provide actionable recommendations for advancing nursing informatics in the next decade

Five-year (2015–2019) follow-up study of 6,526 cases of medical repatriation of Filipino seafarers

Background: There is a limited number of studies on the medical repatriation of seafarers. The aimof the study was to follow up on the previous 2010–2014 study using data from 2015–2019 to evaluatethe epidemiology of medical repatriation among Filipino seafarers.Materials and methods: Data from medical repatriation records of Filipino seafarers from January 2015 toDecember 2019 were collected from various claims departments of different manning agencies in Manila,Philippines.Results: Data from a total of 6,526 medical repatriation cases and 464,418 deployments in a 5-year periodresulted in a medical repatriation rate calculated at 1.4%. We used the 10th revision of the InternationalStatistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) to determine the most commoncauses of repatriation. We found that these were musculoskeletal disorders, gastrointestinal problems,and traumatic injuries. The distribution of the specific illnesses per organ system is presented.Conclusions: Filipinos continue to represent the most numerous group of seafarers in the world. The continuedprofiling of health issues should lead to better health protocols and controlling medical costs. Itshould also lead to better prioritisation of health protection and care on board ships. Within the present10-year database of medical repatriations coinciding with the implementation of Maritime ConventionLabour Convention 2006, there is a compelling need to compare the two data sets to have an objectiveevaluation of the convention’s projected goals

The current state of Nursing Informatics – An international cross-sectional survey

An international survey to explore current and future trends in Nursing Informatics (NI) was done in 2015. This article explores responses to questions about: what should be done to further develop NI as an independent discipline; existing policies and standards influencing NI; perceived support towards NI as a discipline; and advice from NI specialists to students and emerging professionals. Nurse and allied health professionals in academia and practice were reached with snowball sampling. Open-ended questions were analysed with thematic content analysis and the mean and standard deviation is reported for the perceived support towards NI (scale ranging from 1 (not at all supportive) to 10 (very supportive)). A total of 507 respondents from 46 countries responded to the survey. Respondents reported mediocre support towards NI from the environment (M 5.79, SD 2.60). Results showed that NI education needs development to better meet practice demands, that current NI resources seem insufficient, that NI expertise is not used to its full potential in health institutions and the community, and that NI needs to show its value through research and increase visibility to be recognised among stakeholders worldwide. In conclusion, there is a need to clarify NI as a discipline and a need for strong leadership to impact policy making. An increase in NI teaching at undergraduate level in nursing as well as an increase in postgraduate NI programmes worldwide would better support practice demands. National policies and international white papers in NI are needed to guide resource distribution to better support practice.An international survey to explore current and future trends in Nursing Informatics (NI) was done in 2015. This article explores responses to questions about: what should be done to further develop NI as an independent discipline; existing policies and standards influencing NI; perceived support towards NI as a discipline; and advice from NI specialists to students and emerging professionals. Nurse and allied health professionals in academia and practice were reached with snowball sampling. Open-ended questions were analysed with thematic content analysis and the mean and standard deviation is reported for the perceived support towards NI (scale ranging from 1 (not at all supportive) to 10 (very supportive)). A total of 507 respondents from 46 countries responded to the survey. Respondents reported mediocre support towards NI from the environment (M 5.79, SD 2.60). Results showed that NI education needs development to better meet practice demands, that current NI resources seem insufficient, that NI expertise is not used to its full potential in health institutions and the community, and that NI needs to show its value through research and increase visibility to be recognised among stakeholders worldwide. In conclusion, there is a need to clarify NI as a discipline and a need for strong leadership to impact policy making. An increase in NI teaching at undergraduate level in nursing as well as an increase in postgraduate NI programmes worldwide would better support practice demands. National policies and international white papers in NI are needed to guide resource distribution to better support practice

Factors Affecting Students, Faculties and Industry Partners Readiness in Virtual Internship: Input for Institutional Planning and Development in the Age of Pandemic

This study is about to stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society.The institute of Technology and College of Education come up with a research to assess the factors affecting students and faculty readiness in online internship. The output of this study will serve as an input for the Institutional planning and development of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in order to address the gap that will hamper the services provided by the university to all its stakeholders.The study cannot be over emphasized because of the fact that the preparedness of online internship transmission have become an essential element in every aspect of human society in today’s globalized world, its contribution in enhancement of the teaching – learning process to individuals, groups, society and to educational institutions have been overwhelming. It is believed that the tools available used  in the teaching of online  would greatly increase the learning activity of the students

Anthropogenic perturbation of the carbon fluxes from land to ocean

A substantial amount of the atmospheric carbon taken up on land through photosynthesis and chemical weathering is transported laterally along the aquatic continuum from upland terrestrial ecosystems to the ocean. So far, global carbon budget estimates have implicitly assumed that the transformation and lateral transport of carbon along this aquatic continuum has remained unchanged since pre-industrial times. A synthesis of published work reveals the magnitude of present-day lateral carbon fluxes from land to ocean, and the extent to which human activities have altered these fluxes. We show that anthropogenic perturbation may have increased the flux of carbon to inland waters by as much as 1.0 Pg C yr-1 since pre-industrial times, mainly owing to enhanced carbon export from soils. Most of this additional carbon input to upstream rivers is either emitted back to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (~0.4 Pg C yr-1) or sequestered in sediments (~0.5 Pg C yr-1) along the continuum of freshwater bodies, estuaries and coastal waters, leaving only a perturbation carbon input of ~0.1 Pg C yr-1 to the open ocean. According to our analysis, terrestrial ecosystems store ~0.9 Pg C yr-1 at present, which is in agreement with results from forest inventories but significantly differs from the figure of 1.5 Pg C yr-1 previously estimated when ignoring changes in lateral carbon fluxes. We suggest that carbon fluxes along the land–ocean aquatic continuum need to be included in global carbon dioxide budgets.Peer reviewe