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Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Inheritance?

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences & Services".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (27 March 2023) | Viewed by 9222

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stefania Costi

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Guest Editor

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Viale Risorgimento n80, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Interests: physical therapy; cancer rehabilitation; pulmonary rehabilitation

Dr. Stefania Fugazzaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Viale Risorgimento n80, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Interests: cancer rehabilitation; stroke rehabilitation

Dr. Mara Paneroni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Respiratory Rehabilitation Department, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Mazzini, 129, Lumezzane (BS), Italy
Interests: respiratory rehabilitation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has had a huge impact on populations’ wellbeing and healthcare systems. A growing number of COVID-19 survivors experience post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), a multisystem condition characterized by dyspnea, fatigue, headache, brain fog, mood disturbances, and atypical chest pain. These symptoms can persist long after the acute phase of COVID-19, worsening the individual’s functional status and resulting in reduced social participation and quality of life, especially in the presence of comorbidities. Moreover, the lockdowns imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus have had an impact on lifestyle, as they have disrupted habits and behaviors, potentially leading to an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases in the near future.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the issues raised during the recovery process from the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges that societies must face to recover the wellbeing of those who suffer from PASC and to investigate the negative impact of the restrictions imposed, including economic ones. We also want to highlight any disparities between genders and among social classes, provoked or emphasized during the recovery process from the ongoing pandemic, and possible actions to minimize these inequities.

However, we also want to highlight the positive aspects and opportunities associated with this dramatic experience, such as the increase in and improvement of skills and the rapid technological advances that have taken place during this period, as well as the opportunities to improve one’s lifestyle, to better manage work and leisure time, and to improve the quality of the relationships with others.

Authors are invited to contribute to this Special Issue with original research and review articles.

Dr. Stefania Costi
Dr. Stefania Fugazzaro
Dr. Mara Paneroni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19 survivors
post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)
lockdown
lifestyle
non-communicable diseases
quality of life
health equity
technological advancements

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CO₂ Concentrations and Thermal Comfort Analysis at Onsite and Online Educational Environments

by Alba Alegría-Sala, Elisenda Clèries Tardío, Lluc Canals Casals, Marcel Macarulla and Jaume Salom

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16039; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316039 - 30 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1615

Abstract

In building areas with high occupancy, such as classrooms, transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 are increased when indoor air quality is deficient. Under this scenario, universities have adopted ventilation measures to mitigate contagious environments. However, the lack of adequate equipment or designs in old educational buildings is a barrier to reach minimum requirements. This study aims to quantify the indoor air quality and thermal comfort at universities and compare it to conditions in students’ households. In this regard, several classrooms in buildings of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia were monitored for temperature, CO₂ concentration and relative humidity. The people who used these classrooms were surveyed about their comfort perceptions. A sample of students was also monitored at their homes where they reported to studying during the exam period. By means of point-in-time surveys, students reported their daily comfort, for comparison with the monitored data. The results show that the recommendations for CO₂ concentration, temperature, and relative humidity are not always met in any of the study spaces. These factors are more critical at universities due to the high occupancy. In addition, the surveys highlighted the perception that the environment is better at home than at university. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Inheritance?)

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12 pages, 1257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Post-Viral Fatigue Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Comparative Study

by Ana Maria da Silva Sousa Oliveira, Mariana Azevedo Carvalho, Luis Nacul, Fábio Roberto Cabar, Amanda Wictky Fabri, Stela Verzinhasse Peres, Tatiana Assuncao Zaccara, Shennae O’Boyle, Neal Alexander, Nilton Hideto Takiuti, Philippe Mayaud, Maria de Lourdes Brizot and Rossana Pulcineli Vieira Francisco

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15735; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315735 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

Studies reported post-COVID-19 fatigue in the general population, but not among pregnant women. Our objectives were to determine prevalence, duration, and risk factors of post-viral fatigue among pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2. This study involved 588 pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy or delivery in Brazil. Three groups were investigated: G1 (n = 259, symptomatic infection during pregnancy); G2 (n = 131, positive serology at delivery); G3 (n = 198, negative serology at delivery). We applied questionnaires investigating fatigue at determined timepoints after infection for G1, and after delivery for all groups; fatigue prevalence was then determined. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI of the risk of remaining with fatigue in G1. Overall fatigue prevalence in G1 at six weeks, three months and six months were 40.6%, 33.6%, and 27.8%, respectively. Cumulative risk of remaining with fatigue increased over time, with HR of 1.69 (95% CI: 0.89–3.20) and 2.43 (95% CI: 1.49–3.95) for women with moderate and severe symptoms, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed cough and myalgia as independent risk factors in G1. Fatigue prevalence was significantly higher in G1 compared to G2 and G3. Post-viral fatigue prevalence is higher in women infected during pregnancy; fatigue’s risk and duration increased with the severity of infection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Inheritance?)

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16 pages, 547 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of COVID-19 on the Organization of Cancer Care in Belgium: Lessons Learned for the (Post-)Pandemic Future

by Ilyse Kenis, Sofie Theys, Ella Hermie, Veerle Foulon and Ann Van Hecke

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12456; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912456 - 30 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1382

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed tremendous challenges to healthcare systems. Care for oncology patients, a vulnerable population during the pandemic, was disrupted and drastically changed. A multicenter qualitative study was conducted in 11 Belgian hospitals with the aim to provide an overview of the most important changes that were made in the care of oncology patients in Belgium. In each hospital, a nurse or physician was interviewed by telephone. Two rounds of structured interviews—during the first and second waves of the pandemic—were conducted. The data were analyzed using content analysis. The impact of COVID-19 on care practices for patients with cancer was enormous during the first wave. Major changes, including good but also less patient-centered practices, were implemented with unprecedented speed. After the initial wave, regular care was resumed and only limited new care practices were maintained. In only a few hospitals, healthcare teams reflected on lessons learned and on the maintenance of good practices that came from the COVID-19 experience. As a result, opportunities for healthcare innovation and quality improvement seemed to be missed. Our recommendations aim to support policymakers, hospital managers, and healthcare professionals to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and to drive patient-centered initiatives in future cancer care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Inheritance?)

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25 pages, 470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Injurious Memories from the COVID-19 Frontline: The Impact of Episodic Memories of Self- and Other-Potentially Morally Injurious Events on Romanian Nurses’ Burnout, Turnover Intentions and Basic Need Satisfaction

by Mihaela Alexandra Gherman, Laura Arhiri, Andrei Corneliu Holman and Camelia Soponaru

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9604; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159604 - 4 Aug 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1967

Abstract

Nurses have been frequently exposed to Potentially Morally Injurious Events (PMIEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to resource scarcity, they both perpetrated (self-PMIEs) and passively witnessed (other-PMIEs) moral transgressions toward the patients, severely violating their moral values. Our study investigated the impact of self- and other-PMIEs on work outcomes by exploring nurses’ episodic memories of these events and the basic psychological need thwarting associated with them. Using a quasi-experimental design, on a convenience sample of 463 Romanian nurses, we found that PMIEs memories were uniquely associated with burnout and turnover intentions, after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, general basic psychological need satisfaction at work and other phenomenological characteristics. Both self- and other-PMIEs memories were need thwarting, with autonomy and competence mediating their differential impact on burnout, and with relatedness—on turnover intentions. Our findings emphasize the need for organizational moral repair practices, which should include enhancing nurses’ feelings of autonomy, relatedness and competence. Psychological counseling and psychotherapy should be provided to nurses to prevent their episodic memories of PMIEs to be (fully) integrated in autobiographical knowledge, because this integration could have severe consequences on their psycho-social function and occupational health, as well as on the organizational climate in healthcare institutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Inheritance?)

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11 pages, 702 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Clusters of Survivors of COVID-19 Associated Acute Respiratory Failure According to Response to Exercise

by Michele Vitacca, Mara Paneroni, Alberto Malovini, Annalisa Carlucci, Chiara Binda, Vincenzo Sanci and Nicolino Ambrosino

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 11868; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182211868 - 12 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1601

Abstract

COVID-19 survivors are associated with acute respiratory failure (ARF) and show a high prevalence of impairment in physical performance. The present studied aimed to assess whether we may cluster these individuals according to an exercise test. The presented study is a retrospective analysis of 154 survivors who were admitted to two hospitals of Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri network, Italy. Clinical characteristics, walked distance, heart rate (HR), pulse oximetry (SpO₂), dyspnoea, and leg fatigue (Borg scale: Borg-D and Borg-F, respectively) while performing the six-minute walking test (6MWT) were entered into unsupervised clustering analysis. Multivariate linear regression identified variables that were informative for the set of variables used for cluster definition. Cluster 1 (C1: 86.4% of participants) and Cluster 2 (C2: 13.6%) were identified. Compared to C1, the individuals in C2 were significantly older, showed significantly higher increase in fatigue and in dyspnoea, greater reduction in SpO₂, and a lower HR_peak during the test. The need of walking aids, time from admission to acute care hospitals, age, body mass index, endotracheal intubation, baseline HR and baseline Borg-D, and exercise-induced SpO₂ change were significantly associated with the variables that were used for cluster definition. Different characteristics and physiological parameters during the 6MWT characterise survivors of COVID-19-associated ARF. These results may help in the management of the long-term effects of the disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Inheritance?)

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