The effect of perceived morbidity and mortality risk on risk-taking and patience

Beyond immediate health consequences, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected people's environment. People had to adapt to new circumstances and take into account the risks related to COVID-19 in their everyday decisions. Given the unprecedented circumstances associated with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, we might ask how people adapt to their new environment. In particular, we ask how people form their morbidity and mortality risk perception associated with the virus and whether increased perceived risk affects psychological traits, such as risk-taking and patience. To address these questions, we analyzed data from a large survey conducted during the first wave in France on 5,000 nationally-representative people. We find that people use the public information on COVID-19 deaths in the area where they live to form their perceived morbidity and mortality risk. Using a structural model approach to lift endogeneity concerns, we found that higher perceived morbidity and mortality risk increases risk aversion. We also found that higher perceived morbidity and mortality risk leads to less patience, although this was only observed for high levels of perceived risk.

Perceived Morbidity Patterns among Workers in the Oil Industry of Nigeria

Background: Globally, the oil industry is replete with several high-risk activities as seen in seismic exploration, construction, drilling, production, and maintenance. Generated hazards could impact exposed workers. Exposure to associated hazards and rigour of activities usually puts workers in oil and gas installations at risk of developing several occupational illnesses. Environmental problems have also been reportedly associated with these activities as well. This study was thus aimed at determining the perceived environmental effects and morbidity patterns among staff of an oil and gas installation in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was used in conducting this study in an onshore oil and gas hub in Nigeria. Study group comprised engineers and technicians of various oil and gas specialties. A random sampling method was used to select 256 personnel from the study population. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to the personnel of the facility. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Scientific Solutions (SPSS) version 17.0 (statistical software package) for analyses. Ethical considerations were adhered to during this study. Results: Common complaints include transient tinnitus (97.3%), joint pain of varying degrees (83.6%), occasional prickling sensation in the skin (78.1%) and the lowest frequency of health effects was claims of stressful feeling (56.6%). Environmental problems including the destruction of aquatic biodiversity as well as water contamination were reported in this study. Conclusion: This study found experience of several morbidities by the respondents. They also reported observation of certain environmental problems related with oil exploratory activities at the oil and gas installation. It is recommended that a regular review of measures be put in place to prevent these health and environmental problems from occurring in or around oil and gas installation located in Nigeria.

Impact of Anticoagulant and Antiplatelet Use on Outcomes in Blunt Chest Injury

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of prehospital antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant (APAC) use on treatment and outcomes in patients with severe blunt chest injury. Patients with three or more rib fractures and a hospital length of stay (LOS) > three days admitted from 2014 to 2015 were included. Demographics, mortality, complications, injuries, hospital and ICU LOS, use of blood products, and thoracostomy were studied. Of 383 patients, 27.4 per cent were on APAC medication. Patients on APAC were older ( P < 0.0001), had higher Glasgow Coma Score ( P < 0.0001), and had lower Injury Severity Score ( P < 0.0001) and total number of fractures ( P = 0.0013) than the non-APAC group. APAC was not a predictor of mortality with or without age adjustment. In multiple linear regressions, APAC did not predict an increased LOS. APAC patients did not demonstrate an increase in admission diagnosis or complication of hemothorax, blood transfusions, tube thoracostomy, tracheostomy, LOS, or mortality rates. Similar findings are present in the subgroup of patients studied with high kinetic energy mechanism of injury. Our study does not support the perceived morbidity of APAC therapy in patients with severe blunt chest injury.

A Re-assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of Interleukin-2 for the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) can provide long term durable remissions for patients with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The perceived morbidity and the difficulties in delivering this treatment hampered its widespread use in these patients. This review aims to place IL-2 in the modern milieu by reviewing the pharmacology, efficacy and toxicity of this drug. These will be contrasted and compared with the new targeted-agents. The methodology of providing high dose IL-2 treatment, follow-up care and its impact on patient quality of life will be discussed. Importantly, the ability of these agents to provide durable, complete remissions for RCC patients will be placed in context. The goal is to provide the perspective and framework for the reader to balance the important attributes of each of these drugs during the clinical decision making process.

Assessing morbidity in the paediatric community

INTRODUCTION: Morbidity information is easily available from medical records but its scope is limited to the population attended by the health services. Information on the prevalence of diseases requires community surveys, which are not always feasible. These two sources of information represent two alternative assessments of disease occurrence, namely demand morbidity and perceived morbidity. The present study was conceived so as to elicit a potential relationship between them so that the former could be used in the absence of the latter. METHODS: A community of 13,365 families on the outskirts of S. Paulo, Brazil, was studied during the period from 15/Nov/1994 to 15/Jan/1995. Data regarding children less than 5 years old were collected from a household survey and from the 2 basic health units in the area. Prevalence of diseases was ascertained from perceived morbidity and compared to estimates computed from demand morbidity. RESULTS: Data analysis distinguished 2 age groups, infants less than 1 year old and children 1 to less than 5. The most important groups of diseases were respiratory diseases, diarrhoea, skin problems and infectious & parasitical diseases. Basic health units presented a better coverage for infants. Though disease frequencies were not different within or outside these units, a better coverage was found for diarrhoea and infectious & parasitical diseases in the infant group, and for diarrhoea in the older age group. Equivalence between the two types of morbidity was found to be limited to the infant group and concerned only the best covered diseases. The odds of a disease being seen at the health service should be of at least 4:10 to ensure this equivalence. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that, provided that health service coverage is good, demand morbidity can be taken as a reliable estimate of community morbidity.