scholarly journals Sustainable Public Safety and the Case of Two Epidemics: COVID-19 and Traffic Crashes. Can We Extrapolate from One to the Other?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3136
Author(s):  
Tsippy Lotan ◽  
David Shinar
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
National Level ◽  
Public Information ◽  
World Health ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
The Impact

COVID-19 and motor vehicle crashes (MVC) are both considered epidemics by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), yet their progression, treatment and success in treatment have been very different. In this paper, we propose that the well-established sustainable safety approach to road safety can be applied to the management of COVID-19. We compare COVID-19 and MVC in terms of several defining characteristics, including evolvement and history, definitions and measures of evaluation, main attributes and characteristics, countermeasures, management and coping strategies, and key success factors. Despite stark differences, there are also some similarities between the two epidemics, and these enable insights into how the principles of sustainable road safety can be utilized to cope with and guide the treatment of COVID-19. Major guidelines that can be adopted include an aggressive policy set at the highest national level. The policy should be data- and science-based and would be most effective when relying on a systems approach (such as Sweden’s Vision Zero, the Netherlands’ Sustainable Safety, and the recommended EU Safe System). The policy should be enforceable and supplemented with positive public information and education campaigns (rather than scare tactics). Progression of mortality and morbidity should be tracked continuously to enable adjustments. Ethical issues (such as invasion of privacy) should be addressed to maximize public acceptance. Interestingly, the well-established domain of MVC can also benefit from the knowledge, experience, and strategies used in addressing COVID-19 by raising the urgency of detection and recognition of new risk factors (e.g., cell phone distractions), developing and implementing appropriate policy and countermeasures, and emphasizing the saliency of the impact of MVC on our daily lives.

Defining Preterm Birth and Stillbirth in the Western Pacific: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 101053952110260
Author(s):  
Mairead Connolly ◽  
Laura Phung ◽  
Elise Farrington ◽  
Michelle J. L. Scoullar ◽  
Alyce N. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preterm Birth ◽  
National Level ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
World Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

Preterm birth and stillbirth are important global perinatal health indicators. Definitions of these indicators can differ between countries, affecting comparability of preterm birth and stillbirth rates across countries. This study aimed to document national-level adherence to World Health Organization (WHO) definitions of preterm birth and stillbirth in the WHO Western Pacific region. A systematic search of government health websites and 4 electronic databases was conducted. Any official report or published study describing the national definition of preterm birth or stillbirth published between 2000 and 2020 was eligible for inclusion. A total of 58 data sources from 21 countries were identified. There was considerable variation in how preterm birth and stillbirth was defined across the region. The most frequently used lower gestational age threshold for viability of preterm birth was 28 weeks gestation (range 20-28 weeks), and stillbirth was most frequently classified from 20 weeks gestation (range 12-28 weeks). High-income countries more frequently used earlier gestational ages for preterm birth and stillbirth compared with low- to middle-income countries. The findings highlight the importance of clear, standardized, internationally comparable definitions for perinatal indicators. Further research is needed to determine the impact on regional preterm birth and stillbirth rates.

scholarly journals An IoT Architecture for Assessing Road Safety in Smart Cities

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abd-Elhamid M. Taha
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Markov Models ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Route Planning ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
World Health ◽  
Road Users ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

The Safe System (SS) approach to road safety emphasizes safety-by-design through ensuring safe vehicles, road networks, and road users. With a strong motivation from the World Health Organization (WHO), this approach is increasingly adopted worldwide. Considerations in SS, however, are made for the medium-to-long term. Our interest in this work is to complement the approach with a short-to-medium term dynamic assessment of road safety. Toward this end, we introduce a novel, cost-effective Internet of Things (IoT) architecture that facilitates the realization of a robust and dynamic computational core in assessing the safety of a road network and its elements. In doing so, we introduce a new, meaningful, and scalable metric for assessing road safety. We also showcase the use of machine learning in the design of the metric computation core through a novel application of Hidden Markov Models (HMMs). Finally, the impact of the proposed architecture is demonstrated through an application to safety-based route planning.

Bioethics in Unani medicine: Relevant quotes from Kamilussanah, a 10th century manuscript

2022 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Ghazala Javed ◽  
Nandini Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Conventional Medicine ◽  
National Level ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
World Health ◽  
Medical Systems ◽  
Unani Medicine ◽  
Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) in its Alma Ata Declaration, 1978, focuses on the development, promotion and recognition of the traditional medical systems. India has taken steps in this direction by recognising Unani medicine with other traditional medical systems practised in India. Presently, Government is promoting integration of the recognised traditional medical systems with conventional medicine at the national level, as an interdisciplinary approach to providing better patient-centred care. Bioethics is a field of enquiry that examines ethical issues and dilemmas emerging from medical care and research involving humans. Although the term ‘bioethics’ was first mentioned in 1927 and later established as a distinct discipline in 1970s, the ethical principles in various contexts had been described centuries ago in the classical texts pertaining to traditional medical systems. Since ethics as a code of conduct was followed by ancient Unani physicians to safeguard the interests of humanity when providing healthcare, it was felt that a review of classical Unani manuscripts should be attempted to give an insight into codes of conduct described by various Unani physicians. In this paper, a 10th century book, “Kamilussanah” authored by Ali ibn Abbas al-Majoosi, also known as Majoosi (930-994 CE), is reviewed through the prism of ethics.

scholarly journals Between art and information: communicating world health, 1948–70

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Medcalf
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Public Information ◽  
World Health ◽  
Central Position ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
The World ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Situation ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWith the advent of new media technologies and approaches in the twentieth century, public health officials became convinced that health needed mass media support. The World Health Organization believed that educating people, as well as informing them about the health situation around the world, could assist in the enduring fight against disease. Yet in an increasingly competitive media landscape, the agency recognized the need to persuade people and hold their attention through attractive presentation. Public information, the name given to the multiple strategies used to communicate with the public, was rarely straightforward and required the agency not only to monitor the impact of its own efforts but also to identify opportunities to further enhance its reputation, especially when this was in danger of damage or misappropriation. The WHO’s understanding of public information provides insights into the development of international information, communication, and education networks and practices after 1945, as well as the increasingly central position of these processes in generating support for and evincing the value of international organizations.

scholarly journals The Impact of Urban Transportation Infrastructure on Air Quality

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujing Guo ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Kin Keung Lai ◽  
Yingqin Zhang ◽  
Shubin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
National Level ◽  
Transportation Infrastructure ◽  
Gdp Per Capita ◽  
Infrastructure Investment ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact

While previous study has confirmed significant correlation between infrastructure construction and air quality, little is known about the nature of the relationship. In this paper, we intend to fill this gap by using the Panel Smooth Transition Regression (PSTR) model to discuss the nonlinear relationship between transportation infrastructure construction and air quality. The panel data includes 280 cities in China for the period 2000-2017. We find that the transportation infrastructure investment is positively correlated to the air quality when the GDP per capita is below RMB 7151 or the number of motor vehicle population per capita is below 37 (vehicles per 10,000 persons) where the model is in the lower regime, and that the transportation infrastructure investment is negatively correlated to the air quality when the GDP per capita is greater than RMB 7151 or the number of motor vehicle population per capita is larger than 37 (vehicles per 10,000 persons) where the model is in the upper regime. The empirical results of the three sub-samples, including eastern, western and central regions, are similar to that of the national level. Furthermore, increasing transportation infrastructure investment is conducive to improving air quality. Urban bus services, green area, population density, wind speed and rainfall are also conducive to reducing air pollution, but the role of environmental regulation is not significant. After adding the instrumental variable (urban built-up area), the conclusions are further supported. Finally, relevant policy recommendations for reducing air pollution are proposed based on the empirical results.

scholarly journals Priorities for improving chemicals management in the WHO European Region—stakeholders’ views

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 812-817
Author(s):  
Joanne A Vincenten ◽  
Irina Zastenskaya ◽  
Peter Schröder-Bäck ◽  
Dorota Iwona Jarosinska
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
National Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Chemical Safety ◽  
Chemicals Management ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Prevention of the impact of chemicals on human health and the environment is an increasing focus of public health polices and policy makers. The World Health Organization European Centre for Environment and Health wanted to know what were stakeholders’ priorities for improving chemicals management and prevention. Methods Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 18 diverse stakeholders to answer this question. The interview questionnaire was developed using current WHO chemical meeting reports, the Evidence Implementation Model for Public Health Systems and categories of the theory of diffusion. Stakeholder views were attained on three main questions within the questionnaire. (i) What priority actions should be undertaken to minimize the negative impact of chemicals? (ii) Who needs to be more involved and what roles should they have? (iii) How can science and knowledge on chemicals and health be translated into policies more effectively and what are the greatest barriers to overcome? Results Cross cutting issues, such as legislation strengthening and enforcement, further collection of information, capacity building, education and awareness raising were considered priorities. The responders had the same vision on roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders. The greatest barrier to adoption, implementation and enforcement of evidence-based policies reported was leadership and political commitment to chemical safety. Conclusions Priorities raised differed depending on knowledge, professional background and type of stakeholder. Factors influencing priority identification at the national level include international and global context, availability of information, knowledge of the current situation and evidence-based good practice, and risks and priorities identified through national assessments.

Road Safety and Mobile Phone Behaviors

2015 ◽  
pp. 1356-1365
Author(s):  
Junaid Ahmad Bhatti
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Mobile Phone Use ◽  
Vehicle Collision ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Lane Position ◽  
The Impact

Mobile phone use while driving is one of the major road safety risks. In surveys from different settings, the rate of mobile phone use while driving ranged from 1 to 11%. Literature from observational and experimental studies show that driving capacities such as reacting to traffic hazards, maintaining a central lane position, maintaining a safe distance and speed are negatively affected when using a mobile phone while driving. Several epidemiological studies suggest that motor vehicle collision risks increase by two to nine times when using a mobile phone (handheld or hands-free) compared to not using the phone while driving. Considering these findings, almost three-quarters of the countries have adopted legislation banning the use of handheld mobile phone devices while driving. These interventions, however, are insufficient to deal with the use of hands-free mobile phones while driving and texting which are challenging to ascertain and prevent. Currently, “in-vehicle” and collision avoidance technologies are being evaluated to further reduce the impact of these road menaces in our society.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Socio-economic Indicators of the Selected Asian Countries

2021 ◽  
pp. 097492842110681
Author(s):  
Vaijanath Babshetti ◽  
Jyothi E. Singh ◽  
Prakash B. Yaragol
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Macroeconomic Factors ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Human Cost ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The virus has spread across the globe over the last 20 months. In the interest of public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency to harmonise international responses to the virus. In a strongly interconnected world, the effect of the pandemic goes beyond mortality and morbidity. The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 has also resulted in a global economic crisis. Almost every sector of the economy has been gravely affected by the pandemic to various degrees. In an attempt to curb the spread of the virus many countries have initiated measures such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, ban on public and private transportation, closure of schools and colleges and restrictions on public and social gatherings. These initiatives have led to the decline in GDP, foreign trade and foreign exchange reserves, the rise of unemployment, the crash of stock markets and the depreciation of national currencies among other things. This study assesses the impact of COVID-19 on selected macroeconomic parameters of various Asian countries to present insights on the economic and health crisis caused due to COVID-19. The study analyses the effect of the pandemic on the macroeconomic factors listed above as well as the human cost of the pandemic during the last 20 months. The research finds that the outbreak adversely affected the economy and lives of people in India when compared to selected Asian nations.

scholarly journals Road Safety Impact of Increased Rural Highway Speed Limits in British Columbia, Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Brubacher ◽  
Herbert Chan ◽  
Shannon Erdelyi ◽  
Gordon Lovegrove ◽  
Farhad Faghihi
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Vehicle Speed ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Insurance Claims ◽  
Speed Limits ◽  
Fatal Crashes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Road Segments

Control of vehicle speed is a central tenet of the safe systems approach to road safety. Most research shows that raising speed limits results in more injuries. Advocates of higher speed limits argue that this conclusion is based on older research, that traffic fatalities are decreasing despite higher speed limits, and that modern vehicles are able to safely travel at higher speeds. These arguments were used to justify raising speed limits on rural highways in British Columbia, Canada (July 2014). We used an interrupted time series approach to evaluate the impact of these speed limit increases on fatal crashes, auto-insurance claims, and ambulance dispatches for road trauma. Events were mapped to affected road segments (with increased speed limits) and to nearby road segments (within 5 km of an affected segment). Separate linear regression models were fitted for each outcome and road segment group. Models included gasoline sales to account for changes in vehicle travel. Our main findings were significant increases in (i) total insurance claims (43.0%; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 16.0–76.4%), (ii) injury claims (30.0%; 95% CI = 9.5–54.2%), and (iii) fatal crashes (118.0; 95% CI = 10.9–225.1%) on affected road segments. Nearby segments had a 25.7% increase in insurance claims (95% CI = 16.1–36.1%).

scholarly journals EP.WE.453Impact of COVID 19 pandemic on colorectal rapid access investigations

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Maye ◽  
R Sen ◽  
B Sebastian ◽  
N Ward ◽  
T Athisayaraj
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
National Level ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Aerosol Generation ◽  
Referral Service ◽  
Diagnosis Of Cancer ◽  
Delays In Diagnosis ◽  
Outcome Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Prospective Database

Abstract Aim The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays in diagnosis of cancer has been highlighted at a national level. Such a delay represents an ongoing source of mortality and morbidity missing from the COVID-19 statistics. This study examines the delay in investigation of patients referred to the urgent colorectal cancer referral service at a single centre. Method Retrospective data was collated from prospective database for all 1,894 referrals to the urgent colorectal cancer referral service for the period 21 January to 24 December 2020. The time to appointment (TTA) was compared by date of referral and outcome type (endoscopy, CT abdomen pelvis (CT-AP), CT colonography (CT-C), clinic appointment). Results Across 2020, fewer than 25% of patients met the NICE recommendation of appointment within 14 days (median TTA 30 days, first quartile 19). TTA increased dramatically in the first months of the pandemic (February median: 19; March: 80.5). TTA remained high, not falling below a median wait of 28 days until November. CT-C tests were particularly delayed (median TTA: 86) due to concerns regarding aerosol generation and COVID-19 transmission. Patients were offered CT-AP tests while awaiting their delayed CT-C, as CT-AP had a significantly better wait of 15 days. Conclusion COVID-19 was a major disruptor of colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2020, with patients waiting more than twice as long as NICE recommends. This will likely continue into 2021, with further research required to assess the impact of this disruption on mortality and morbidity.

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