Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System
Volume:8 Issue: 4, Oct 2020

The new Corona virus disease (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Methods, such as quarantine, isolation, and social distancing, if implemented properly, can help prevent the transmission of the disease. This study aimed to examine the effects of quarantine, isolation, and social distancing on the prevention of COVID-19.

In this systematic review, EMBASE (Elsevier, 2018), MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, 2018), Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics, 2018b), and Google Scholar databases were searched for the studies published prior to 10 April 2020. The search and data extraction were conducted by two authors and to check and control the quality of the articles, we used the Newcastle-Ottawa checklist.

Based on the inclusion criteria, 24 out of the 768 primarily screened studies were finally assessed. Studies showed that the short-term negative psychological effects of quarantine included frustration, boredom, anger, and confusion. Nonetheless, extending the adult quarantine period to 18-21 days could be effective in preventing the spread of the virus and controlling the disease. Moreover, the decision to control the people’s travels through restrictions on freedom of movement must be balanced regarding the estimated epidemiological impact and the expected economic outcome.

Although isolation, quarantine, and social distancing all have challenges, they are very useful methods for controlling the disease, which can be best used by knowing their duration of implementation.

Iran is among the top ten disaster-prone countries in the world because of its size, geographical location, and climatic diversity. Practically, the healthcare sector is an active part in disaster management and an integral part of the national health plan. This study aimed to determine the preparedness of the personnel to cope with natural disasters in Valiasr Hospital of Mamasani, Iran.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in Valiasr Hospital, which has 100 beds.  Data were collected using a 210-item researcher-made checklist. For each target, six domains of equipment, human resources, structure, physical space, protocol, and performance charts were considered. Face and content validities were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the questionnaire.
The results of this study showed that the support unit scored the highest (69.45 %), followed by the command and management (66.16%) and education units (66%), respectively. Security units (51%), transportation (41.47%), and evacuation (40%) received the lowest score, respectively.
The findings showed that the hospital under the study was in moderate level in preparedness for disaster. Improving the preparedness of hospitals for disasters will be possible with proper management of available resources and the use of update technologies.

Caregiving burden is defined as a specific level of  pressure and problems expressed by caregiver or family, which involves a range of psychological, emotional, social and economic problems. Further, satisfaction is described as the level of the mental happiness, self-confidence and usefulness sensed by caregiver about his/her own caregiving behaviour. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of caregiving satisfaction (SCR) and caregiving burden of grandchildren scales (BCR) among grandparent population by considering the lack of a Persian tool for their measurement.

This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 70 grandparents who were selected through convenience sampling among the individuals referred to the healthcare centres of five southern cities in Iran Shiraz, Sepidan, Fasa, Jahrom, and Borazjan  from April to August, 2019. The questionnaires were filled out by individual interview with participants and the data were analysed through explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses and ROC curve, using SPSS 25 and Amos 21.

Two factors were extracted in each questionnaire (Regarding each questionnaire, happiness and responsibility in individual and social satisfaction in caregiving burden were extracted through explanatory factor analysis), representing 78.1 and 75.1% of total variance, respectively. The Cronbach's coefficients alpha related to these subscales were obtained as 0.709-0.859 by indicating an acceptable internal consistency.

The Persian version of these questionnaires had appropriate validity and reliability required for measuring satisfaction and caregiving burden of grandchildren among Iranian grandparents and can be used in day care and healthcare centres.

Burnout, as the consequence of uncontrolled chronic stress, can lead to less efficient clinical performance. Spiritual intelligence enables the individuals to manage their carrier more efficiently. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between spiritual intelligence and burnout among dental residents.
This analytic cross-sectional study included all dental residents in Shiraz Dental School during 2019, except for those who were no willing to participate in the study. Of 72 dental residents, 57 participated in the study and filled out the questionnaires. Maslach Burnout Inventory and King’s Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaires were used to collect the data. The Maslach’s Questionnaire consists of three domains: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
The results showed that 91.2% of the participants experienced a high degree of reduced  personal accomplishment. Reduced personal accomplishment had a significant correlation with almost all spiritual intelligence dimensions: personal meaning (r=-0.345, P=0.009), transcendental awareness (r=-0.280, P=0.035), and conscious state expansion (r=-0.268, P=0.044). Moreover, personal meaning was inversely correlated with emotional exhaustion (r=-0.411, P=0.002). The scores of spiritual intelligence and burnout dimensions had no significant differences based on marital status, gender, and academic year, except for gender in critical thinking domain(P=0.020).
The participants experienced high degrees of burnout in reduced personal accomplishment domain. The level of spiritual intelligence was moderate among the participants. In general, the higher scores of spiritual intelligence dimensions were correlated to higher personal accomplishment as a main dimension of burnout. Policy- makers should adopt methods to reduce burnout and improve spiritual dimensions.

The occurrence of crises such as the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) showed that the availability of a mask that fits the face is of great importance for individuals. The present study was performed to design a tool to assess the facial fitness of the mask based on face dimensions. A hybrid method is introduced which consists of modeling of a fuzzy system using a neural network, so that with only one-time training of this neuro-fuzzy system, ANFIS, it is possible to easily determine the fit of N95 respiratory mask only by applying the anthropometric dimensions of the face. Six anthropometric dimensions of the face were assigned as the inputs and respiratory mask fitness was assigned as the output of the ANFIS model. The proposed neuro-fuzzy system, ANFIS, is designed in such a way that by specifying the input parameters for each individual, the fitness of the mask to the face can be predicted. According to the results of the probability predicted by the neuro-fuzzy system, using the data of the six dimensions of the face, in about 75 percent of the cases the fitness of the mask to the face of individuals can be predicted accurately; therefore, the designed ANFIS network can be used instead of the fitness test to predict the fitness of the respiratory mask to the face using the anthropometric data of the face of the individuals only when it is not possible to perform the fit testing.

One of the main challenges of Methadone Maintenance treatment (MMT) centers is the patients’ non-adherence to treatment process in tempting situations. This study was conducted to validate the Persian version of one of the valid questionnaires on situational drug use temptation.

A cross‑sectional study was carried out on 150 men referring to MMT centers in Shiraz, Iran, in 2019. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire containing demographic data and Persian version of drug use temptation questionnaire with 20 items. The content validity was assessed by 15 psychiatrists and health education and promotion experts based on the Lawshe criteria. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined using Cronbach’s alpha. The construct validity was evaluated by exploratory Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24 and Amos 24.

 Overall, 141 individuals completed the questionnaire (response rate: 94%). The mean and standard deviation of the participants' age were 37±7. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test of sampling was adequate (KMO 0.913) and the Bartlett test of sphericity was significant (Chi-square 1847.65; p= 0.001). Four factors were extracted and two items were not included in any of the factors. Goodness of fit indices of structural equation model, i.e. Chi2, Chi2/df, and RMSEA were ​​ 158.504, 1.22 and 0.04, respectively, which indicated the acceptable fitness of the model.

The Persian version of the questionnaire of temptation to use drugs is suitable for use among the Iranian population.

The estimation of the real number of COVID-19 infected people is one of the concerns of the governments around the world. In this sense, this study seeks to assess the incidence and fatality of COVID-19 in Europe considering the expected number of the infected cases.

A quantitative exploratory study was performed on the top 10 countries most affected by COVID-19 by 9th June in Europe. Furthermore, this study presents three propagation estimation models of the COVID-19 that help us to understand the real incidence of the pandemic in each country. Each model is briefly explained and applied.

The findings revealed a great heterogeneity of COVID-19 cases and deaths among the countries. The indicator of the number of deaths reveals the greatest disparity between other countries with the United Kingdom, recording about 6 or 7 times more deaths than Russia or Germany. Infection fatality rate (IFR) tends to be a more reliable indicator when analyzing data because it is less dependent on the number of tests performed.

Several estimation models can be used to determine the incidence of COVID-19. However, their results in European countries are still quite asymmetrical although they are more reliable than just looking at the perspective of the number of cases or deaths recorded. The infection fatality rate (IFR) emerges as a more accurate indicator by estimating the expected number of registered cases, which includes asymptomatic cases and patients with mild symptoms that are not known and reported by health authorities.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19), which originated in December 2019, on January 30, 2020 was declared  by the World Health Organization as the sixth public health emergency from international concerns [1]. Since the onset of the disease in late 2019 to mid-June 2020, more than 8.5 million people around the world have been infected with COVID 19. Of these, more than 450,000 have died [2]. So far, six species of human coronavirus have been identified, most of which , like SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012, cause mild respiratory illness [3]. During the spread of COVID 19 worldwide, people use social media to receive and exchange information [4]. With the advent of smartphones, widespread access to the Internet, and the availability of instant messaging applications, it has become clear that these communications can have numerous benefits for healthcare providers as well. WhatsApp is one of the instant messaging applications that is widely used in healthcare and is, therefore, a popular app [5]; it has about 1.5 billion users worldwide [6]. WhatsApp is compatible with all smartphone operating systems such as iPhone, Android, Windows phone [7]. This messenger allows its users to easily share text and video messages as well as media files and content with other users.  A,lso group chats and the participation of several users in calls for conversation are easily available in this messenger. WhatsApp communications can be done easily and internationally. WhatsApp is available for everyone for an annual subscription fee of $0.99 [6, 8]. In addition to major changes in people's daily lifestyles, social media has improved communication between patients and professionals by establishing fast multimedia communication, health education, social support, and better health decisions, so that WhatsApp has been used in cases such as drug therapy problems, drug and dietary supplements, emotional changes, lifestyle habits, social rights, physical symptoms, commitment to treatment, medical emergencies, oral health promotion and issues of dentistry [9]. According to a study by Kurubaran Ganasegeran et al., most health system employees understand the use of WhatsApp in health and clinical matters, and it has been observed that these messengers in clinical departments (approximately 61% of employees), clinics (about 60%), operating room (56%) and when calling the treatment staff (approximately 55%) have been used [8]. The World Health Organization also defines mobile (wireless) health as public health, supported by wireless devices such as mobile phones, monitoring devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other wireless devices [10]. Given the prevalence of COVID 19 worldwide and the risk to all individuals, the use of WhatsApp Messenger to inform the latest announcements of the World Health Organization, public and regional health centers, health professionals, and researchers can have a significant impact on public health. The messenger can also be used to effectively communicate with members of the medical staff to resolve the questions and rumors, and avoid frequent visits to health centers that are high-risk areas. WhatsApp can also be contacted by friends and acquaintances using voice and video calls, which can probably reduce the psychological pressure of the quarantine and isolation to some extent.

In December 2019, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China led to its spread around the world and became one of the major international concerns (1). The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that COVID-19 has become a global health concern and causes severe respiratory infections in humans (1, 2). Human-to-human transmission has been described through droplets, and contaminated hands and surfaces. Early diagnosis, quarantine, and supportive care are essential in treating the patients (1). With the spread of COVID 19 worldwide (3) and also because of the lack of specific antiviral treatment and clinical pressure of treatment, thousands of severe cases of the disease die every day in the world (4). COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of social life, including mental health and physical health(5), and the direct and indirect psychological and social effects of COVID-19 epidemic disease are now apparent. It can affect the mental health now and in  future (5). Concerns such as fear of death are increasing among patients in epidemics(6). By forcing several directives, including house arrests and quarantine, to deal with the spread of the virus, patients, health professionals, and the general public are under unbearable psychological pressure. COVID-19 appears to be a serious mental health challenge(7, 8). Some groups, such as the elderly, may be more vulnerable than others(9). The world's growing elderly population highlights the need to pay more attention to the psychological problems of the elderly, such as death anxiety(10). One of the important issues of the elderly health is its psychological dimension, which requires special attention and prevention of disorders such as anxiety(10).  Anxiety is one of the most common psychological problems in old age because people face all kinds of deficiencies and disabilities at this stage of life. Studies show that older people are more likely to be anxious because of low self-esteem, reduced activity and movement, loss of friends, reduced financial and physical independence, and chronic illness. Their most common anxiety is death anxiety(11). Death anxiety is a natural experience, and having a low degree of death anxiety throughout life is necessary to lead us to positive activities, but high abnormal death anxiety may lead to incompatibility. Such anxiety exacerbates the stressful situations and creates feelings of emptiness and frustration about life(12). The elderly people face various life challenges day by day that is inevitable. Approaching death and anxiety about death is one of the topics discussed in the elderly health. On the other hand, since home quarantine is known to be the best way to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that stress, including death anxiety, increases in people, especially the elderly.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a cluster of acute respiratory illnesses for unknown reasons that first occurred in December 2019 in Wuhan, China (1). With continuation of the coronavirus transmission, various health authorities, including the World Health Organization, advise people stay at home for restricting people from exposure to the virus (2).Although staying at home can reduce the spread of the disease,  the COVID-19 epidemic had a destructive global economic impact (3). In this regard, studies show that the number of suicides in people has increased during the economic crisis. For example, in the 2008 European and American economic crisis like other economic crises such as that in 1997  in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Asia, the number of suicides has risen and the economic crisis has been cited as one of the most important factors in increasing suicide rates. In this period of economic crisis, the number of unemployed individuals has increased and suicide rates have increased in countries with higher levels of job loss (4). However, the increase in the number of suicides shows a small part of the emotional distress of the economic crisis. In addition to successful suicides, there are many more thoughts about killing oneself without preparatory behavior, a self-destructive and non-lethal act and other suicidal behavior and preparatory acts, but a closer look reveals that although the results of studies show that the suicide rate has increased in many countries during the economic crisis, it has not been the same in all countries that have been affected by the crisis, and these results can be explained by the fact that in countries where there are social assistance networks, suicide prevention activities are being carried out, and national suicide prevention programs have been developed, the rate of suicide is more controlled at a time when economic insecurity is high. In other words, the lack of a clear correlation between suicide rates and the economic crisis shows that suicide rates are influenced by a number of national factors (5). Finally, it can be said that, in times of economic crisis, vulnerable people use suicide as the only way to escape the problems. Therefore, the existence of social support and also supporting the labor market in different countries can reduce the harmful psychological effects of economic recession.