Optimum Location of Field Hospitals for COVID-19: A Nonlinear Binary Metaheuristic Algorithm

Determining the optimum location of facilities is critical in many fields,particularly in healthcare.This study proposes the application of a suitable location model for field hospitals during the novel coronavirus 2019(COVID-19)pandemic.The used model is the most appropriate among the three most common location models utilized to solve healthcare problems(the set covering model,the maximal covering model,and the P-median model).The proposed nonlinear binary constrained model is a slight modification of the maximal covering model with a set of nonlinear constraints.The model is used to determine the optimum location of field hospitals for COVID-19 risk reduction.The designed mathematical model and the solution method are used to deploy field hospitals in eight governorates in Upper Egypt.In this case study,a discrete binary gaining–sharing knowledge-based optimization(DBGSK)algorithm is proposed.The DBGSK algorithm is based on how humans acquire and share knowledge throughout their life.The DBGSK algorithm mainly depends on two junior and senior binary stages.These two stages enable DBGSK to explore and exploit the search space efficiently and effectively,and thus it can solve problems in binary space.

COVID-19: Feelings Experienced by Nurses, Physiotherapists, and Medical Doctors in a Brazilian Field Hospital

Facing critical situations such as the ones triggered by COVID-19 may take healthcare professionals to confront their psychological resources, which may induce a higher stress level. We aimed to understand the feelings experienced by nurses, physiotherapists, and medical doctors in a field hospital dedicated to patients with COVID-19 in the biggest city of Brazil. Methods: We performed a qualitative study in a state field hospital in S?o Paulo city, Brazil, in a sample of 25 volunteer healthcare professionals. Participants answered to a sociodemographic electronic survey and were subjected to an individual semi-structured on-site interview. Results: Participants were mostly female (68%), comprised eight nurses, eight physiotherapists, and nine medical doctors, had an average age of 36.8 years, and were professionally experienced. Speech analysis revealed two thematic categories (related to work and assistance in the pandemic) and 11 subcategories: adaptation to the scenario, stressing experience, psychological support, difficulties with workwear, safety with workwear, non-verbal communication, empathy, patient comfort, outstanding experiences, major challenges, and teamwork. Conclusion: Nurses, physiotherapists, and medical doctors’ experiences while working in the field hospital were permeated by both positive and negative feelings. Those feelings originated directly from the fear of the unknown when dealing with a new disease without well-established scientific evidence, the use of medical workwear for long periods, and communication and environmental difficulties. In contrast, positive feelings, related to teamwork and empathy, arose and overlapped with the difficulties.

The Impact of Coronavirus on Staff Nurses’ Feeling While Giving Direct Care to COVID-19 Patients in Various COVID Facilities

Background: Nurses are very important frontline health care professionals as they spend more time with patients than other professionals. This is even more so at this critical time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The nursing profession is facing great challenges in coping with the pandemic as they are more vulnerable to exposure and infection with the disease. Kuwait is not spared from the global pandemic which has put the health sector under immense pressure. Because COVID-19 is highly transmissible and deadly, it poses a huge health risk to nurses and has a huge impact on their cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physical dimensions. Aim: The study aims to explore the positive and negative emotions and feelings of staff nurses while giving care to COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out. 300 nurses from different general hospitals, field hospitals, and quarantine facilities in Kuwait participated in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: The findings show that for the cognitive evaluation, 72% were moderately affected, for the emotional evaluation 51.3% and 44% were moderately and mildly affected respectively, for the behavioural evaluation, 66.7% were severely affected, and for the physical evaluation, 43.3% and 31.7% were moderately and severely affected respectively. Prolonged working hours has a highly significant negative correlation to emotional (r −0.165), behavioral (r −0.177) and physical (r −0.155) dimension of the nurses at 0.01 level using Spearman’s correlation. Conclusion: The study concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychophysical dimensions of staff nurses.

A Level Field for Private and Public Hospitals

China will encourage more private and foreign investment in hospitals and clinics The State Council on December 3 announced new policies to encourage private and foreign capital in China’s medical sector to meet the