Somerset County Council

ABSTRACTIntroductionAs countries adapted their disaster responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic, South Africa responded with an alert‐level risk approach based on epidemiological principles that impacted all societal levels. We explored the everyday experiences of people in Cape Town whose basic needs were met and who could report on the realities of the COVID‐19 pandemic control. Gaining insight into their perspectives contributes to knowledge that can inform policies and practices for managing future public health crises.MethodsCommunity‐Based Participatory Research principles guided the design and a series of facilitated dialogues with 18 research participants. The thematic analysis was deepened through two colloquiums with members of an overarching research consortium and a participant reflection workshop.FindingsThe pandemic impacted individuals, their interpersonal relationships, workplaces and communities, leading to societal processes such as stigma, virtue signalling and the subversion of mandates. The public health response had mixed reactions, with useful information about preventive measures being diluted by COVID‐19 denialism and fake news. Health and other authorities were frequently perceived as out of touch with, and unresponsive to, the everyday realities of local communities.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates the connectedness of people and the need to maintain and re‐establish severed connections. A holistic approach to health care and promotion from social determinants of health and a community‐engaged perspective may significantly increase the outcomes of public health responses.Participant and Public ContributionPeople with everyday experience of the COVID‐19 pandemic—including community members, healthcare workers, case managers, carers and researchers—collaborated on the study design, interview schedule, data interpretation, analysis and refinement of this article.

Paramedicine as a profession has developed in leaps and bounds since the early days of its inception. Extended scope, specialist and advanced practice are all now very much within the grasp of paramedics. However, understanding the basics of the profession is the key to developing a core knowledge base on which to build. This chapter looks at the basics of research and interpreting evidence that will not only be useful for practice but also for assignments. It is important for Paramedics and pre-hospital practitioners to understand the basics of research so that they are able to correctly interpret the evidence used to guide their practice. Seeking out, interpreting, critiquing and applying new research to practice underpins the phrase of evidence-based practice. By identifying which procedures or interventions have the best-supporting research that can be applied to practice is the basis of evidence-based practice.

Paramedicine as a profession has developed in leaps and bounds since the early days of its inception. Cell signally describes the process whereby information is shared between cells to maintain homeostasis. Cytokines is a general term encompassing a wide array of small proteins. Cell signalling is used in the maintenance of homeostasis and cell monitoring. If a cell begins to behave ‘strangely’, this will result in an altered cell signalling. The movement of substances across the cell membrane often requires a carrier molecule. This chapter discusses the pharmacology of nervous system. A ganglion is a neuronal cell body that sits outside of the central nervous system. Pain is ‘an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage’.

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the effects of a mentally fatiguing test on physical tasks among elite cricketers. In a cross-over design, 10 elite male cricket players from a professional club performed a cricket run-two test, a Batak Lite reaction time test and a Yo-Yo-Intermittent Recovery Level 1 (Yo-Yo-IR1) test, providing a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) after completing a 30-min Stroop test (mental fatigue condition) or 30-min control condition. Perceived fatigue was assessed before and after the two conditions and motivation was measured before testing. There were post-treatment differences in the perception of mental fatigue (P < 0.001; d = −7.82, 95% CIs = −9.05–6.66; most likely). Cricket run-two (P = 0.002; d = −0.51, 95% CIs = −0.72–0.30; very likely), Yo-Yo-IR1 distance (P = 0.023; d = 0.39, 95% CIs = 0.14–0.64; likely) and RPE (P = 0.001; d = −1.82, 95% CIs = −2.49–1.14; most likely) were negatively affected by mental fatigue. The Batak Lite test was not affected (P = 0.137), yet a moderate (d = 0.41, 95% CIs = −0.05–0.87) change was likely. Mental fatigue, induced by an app-based Stroop test, negatively affected cricket-relevant performance.

John Sharp has written a very readable and accessible work on how to engage with an educational research project. He targets students on Initial Teacher Training courses, although I feel the struct...

ObjectivesTo determine the association between area and individual measures of social disadvantage and infant health in the UK.DesignSystematic review and meta-analyses.Data sources26 databases and websites, reference lists, experts in the field and hand-searching.Study selection36 prospective and retrospective observational studies with socioeconomic data and health outcomes for infants in the UK, published from 1994 to May 2011.Data extraction and synthesis2 independent reviewers assessed the methodological quality of the studies and abstracted data. Where possible, study outcomes were reported as ORs for the highest versus the lowest deprivation quintile.ResultsIn relation to the highest versus lowest area deprivation quintiles, the odds of adverse birth outcomes were 1.81 (95% CI 1.71 to 1.92) for low birth weight, 1.67 (95% CI 1.42 to 1.96) for premature birth and 1.54 (95% CI 1.39 to 1.72) for stillbirth. For infant mortality rates, the ORs were 1.72 (95% CI 1.37 to 2.15) overall, 1.61 (95% CI 1.08 to 2.39) for neonatal and 2.31 (95% CI 2.03 to 2.64) for post-neonatal mortality. For lowest versus highest social class, the odds were 1.79 (95% CI 1.43 to 2.24) for low birth weight, 1.52 (95% CI 1.44 to 1.61) for overall infant mortality, 1.42 (95% CI 1.33 to1.51) for neonatal and 1.69 (95% CI 1.53 to 1.87) for post-neonatal mortality. There are similar patterns for other infant health outcomes with the possible exception of failure to thrive, where there is no clear association.ConclusionsThis review quantifies the influence of social disadvantage on infant outcomes in the UK. The magnitude of effect is similar across a range of area and individual deprivation measures and birth and mortality outcomes. Further research should explore the factors that are more proximal to mothers and infants, to help throw light on the most appropriate times to provide support and the form(s) that this support should take.