BackgroundPeople from lower and middle socioeconomic classes and vulnerable populations are among the worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, thus exacerbating disparities and the digital divide.ObjectiveTo draw a portrait of e-services as a digital approach to support digital health literacy in vulnerable populations amid the COVID-19 infodemic, and identify the barriers and facilitators for their implementation.MethodsA scoping review was performed to gather published literature with a broad range of study designs and grey literature without exclusions based on country of publication. A search was created in Medline (Ovid) in March 2021 and translated to Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus and CINAHL with Full Text (EBSCOhost). The combined literature search generated 819 manuscripts. To be included, manuscripts had to be written in English, and present information on digital intervention(s) (e.g. social media) used to enable or increase digital health literacy among vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. older adults, Indigenous people living on reserve).ResultsFive articles were included in the study. Various digital health literacy-enabling e-services have been implemented in different vulnerable populations. Identified e-services aimed to increase disease knowledge, digital health literacy and social media usage, help in coping with changes in routines and practices, decrease fear and anxiety, increase digital knowledge and skills, decrease health literacy barriers and increase technology acceptance in specific groups. Many facilitators of digital health literacy-enabling e-services implementation were identified in expectant mothers and their families, older adults and people with low-income. Barriers such as low literacy limited to no knowledge about the viruses, medium of contamination, treatment options played an important role in distracting and believing in misinformation and disinformation. Poor health literacy was the only barrier found, which may hinder the understanding of individual health needs, illness processes and treatments for people with HIV/AIDS.ConclusionsThe literature on the topic is scarce, sparse and immature. We did not find any literature on digital health literacy in Indigenous people, though we targeted this vulnerable population. Although only a few papers were included, two types of health conditions were covered by the literature on digital health literacy-enabling e-services, namely chronic conditions and conditions that are new to the patients. Digital health literacy can help improve prevention and adherence to a healthy lifestyle, improve capacity building and enable users to take the best advantage of the options available, thus strengthening the patient’s involvement in health decisions and empowerment, and finally improving health outcomes. Therefore, there is an urgent need to pursue research on digital health literacy and develop digital platforms to help solve current and future COVID-19-related health needs.
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This study investigates the degree of news avoidance during the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. Based on two panel surveys conducted in the period April–June 2020, this study shows that the increased presence of this behavior, can be explained by negative emotions and feelings the news causes by citizens. Moreover, news avoidance indeed has a positive effect on perceived well-being. These findings point to an acting balance for individual news consumers. In a pandemic such as Covid-19 news consumers need to be informed, but avoiding news is sometimes necessary to stay mentally healthy.
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While there is extensive research on how Russian interference – in particular Russian disinformation operation – has played out in different European countries, indications of Russian interference directly targeting EU, its institutions or policies received little attention. This paper argues why there is good reason to assume that the EU, its institutions and its policies are an ideal a target for authoritarian regimes to exploit. It then explores in what ways, if any, Russian disinformation campaigning targeted EU institutions and their policies during the political and electoral campaigns leading up to the European Parliament (EP) elections of May 2019. In this context disinformation campaigning in terms of both network flows and contents (‘narratives’) have been examined, on the basis of a review of various reports identifying Russian interference and disinformation and of analyses of overall disinformation flows in Europe and the use of a database monitoring occurrences of disinformation.
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Tussen 1 maart 2021 en 30 april 2023 heeft een consortium (bestaande uit in Nederland: de Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB), De Haagse Hogeschool, het Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid te Hilversum; in België: Media & Learning Association te Leuven en Public Libraries 2030 te Brussel; en in Spanje: Fundación Platoniq te Barcelona) een door Erasmus+ gesubsidieerd onderzoeksproject uitgevoerd naar nieuwsmediawijsheid onder jongeren. Het ging om Nederlandse, Belgische en Spaanse jongeren in de leeftijd van 12-15 jaar. Voor de projecttitel is gekozen voor het acroniem SMILES, dat staat voor ‘innovative methodS for Media & Information Literacy Education involving schools and librarieS’. De belangrijkste doelen van het SMILES-project zijn: • Het vormen van duo’s tussen bibliothecarissen en docenten uit het voortgezet onderwijs in de drie Europese landen, die met behulp van train-the-trainer workshops in staat werden gesteld om middelbare scholieren les te geven over nieuwsmediawijsheid in relatie tot desinformatie; • De leerlingen helpen om digitale technologieën veiliger en verantwoorder te gebruiken met een focus op de herkenning van betrouwbare en authentieke informatie versus het weerbaarder worden tegen desinformatie; • Het ontwikkelen van vijf modules dienend als lesmateriaal voor de Nederlandse, Belgische en Spaanse leerlingen tussen de 12-15 jaar met als doel hen desinformatie te laten herkennen en hen hiertegen weerbaarder te maken; • Een wetenschappelijke evaluatie van de effectiviteit van de geïmplementeerde lessen door middel van een effectmeting met behulp van ‘kennistoetsen vooraf’ en ‘kennistoetsen achteraf’; • Een versterking van de bestaande samenwerkingen en het opzetten van nieuwe samenwerkingen tussen scholen en bibliotheken in de drie partnerlanden. Het SMILES-project is uitgevoerd aan de hand van drie werkpakketten. In het eerste werkpakket werden vijf zogenaamde ‘Baseline-onderzoeken’, oftewel literatuuronderzoeken, uitgevoerd. Centraal stond de vraag wat de verschillende onderwijsbenaderingen in Spanje, België en Nederland zijn met betrekking tot desinformatie en hoe deze benaderingen met elkaar zijn te verbinden. Op basis van deze onderzoeken werden in het tweede werkpakket de vijf modules ontwikkeld. Daarnaast werd aan de onderwijzende duo’s het door SMILES op maat ontwikkelde trainingsprogramma aangeboden via een ‘train-the-trainer-methodiek’ om veilig en verantwoord het gebruik van digitale mediatools in te kunnen zetten tijdens de lessen met de leerlingen. Ook werden op basis van de literatuur omtrent desinformatie de kennistoetsen ontworpen om een effectmeting van de train-the-trainer workshops en de lessen te kunnen uitvoeren onder respectievelijk de trainers (onderwijzende duo’s) en de leerlingen. Deze kennistoetsen bevatten stellingen over desinformatie die door respondenten juist of onjuist beantwoord werden. Het aantal juist beantwoorde stellingen voorafgaand aan de lessen werd vergeleken met het aantal juist beantwoorde stellingen na afloop van de lessen. Op deze manier werd getracht een positief leereffect van de ingezette lessen te bewijzen. In het derde werkpakket werden de resultaten uit de ‘kennistoetsen vooraf’ en de ‘kennistoetsen achteraf’ geanalyseerd. Naast deze kwantitatieve analyses, werd ook met behulp van kwalitatieve resultaten geanalyseerd en bekeken in hoeverre de trainingen aan de trainers (onderwijzende duo’s)en de lessen met de vijf modules voor de leerlingen doeltreffend zijn gebleken in het respectievelijk onderwijzen, herkennen van en weerbaarder worden tegen desinformatie. Daarmee reflecteren we ook op de vraag of de geteste methodologie in de drie landen effectief is geweest: wat zijn de ‘best practices’ en waar zien we verbeterpunten? Uit de analyse blijkt dat de stellingen uit de kennistoetsen onvoldoende aansluiten bij de modules om een significante leercurve te kunnen vaststellen. Wel blijkt uit de kennistoetsen dat leerlingen zélf zeggen na het volgen van de lessen het verschil te kunnen zien tussen desinformatie en betrouwbaar nieuws. Daarnaast geven de leerlingen aan nieuwe dingen te hebben geleerd en meer te willen weten over het onderwerp desinformatie. Het leereffect blijkt ook uit de analyse van de kwalitatieve data: de modules hebben duidelijk een toegevoegde waarde in het verzorgen van onderwijs over nieuwsmediawijsheid in relatie tot desinformatie en journalistiek. Ook uit de kennistoetsen die onder de trainers (de onderwijzende duo’s) zijn ingevuld, blijken geen significante verschillen tussen het aantal juist beantwoorde stellingen in de ‘kennistoets vooraf’ en ‘kennistoets achteraf’ en zijn er geen duidelijke onderlinge verschillen tussen de landen waarneembaar. Wel blijkt, ook hier weer op grond van de kwalitatieve data, dat een ruime meerderheid van de trainers na afloop van de train-the-trainer workshops het gevoel heeft zelf de lessen aan de leerlingen te kunnen verzorgen. Ook blijkt uit de verschillende kwalitatieve bronnen dat docenten erg positief zijn over de modules. Zij geven aan dat de modules goed in elkaar zitten en een toevoeging vormen op het bestaande lesmateriaal. Alle trainers geven dan ook aan door te gaan met het onderwijzen van de door SMILES ontwikkelde modules, al zullen ze dat in de nabije toekomst soms in aangepast vorm doen. Het onderhavige rapport sluit af met aanbevelingen voor docenten en bibliotheekprofessionals die aan de slag willen gaan met de door SMILES ontwikkelde en geteste modules.
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Background The global nursing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a drastic reorganization in nursing practices. Work routines, the composition of teams and subsequently mundane nursing practices were all altered to sustain the accessibility and quality of care. These dramatic changes demanded a reshaping of the nurses’ work environment. The aim of this study was to explore how nurses reshaped their work environment in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive study comprising 26 semi-structured interviews conducted in a large Dutch teaching hospital between June and September 2020. Participants were nurses (including intensive care unit nurses), outpatient clinic assistants, nurse managers, and management (including one member of the Nurse Practice Council). The interviews were analysed with open, axial, and selective coding. Results We identified five themes: 1) the Nursing Staff Deployment Plan created new micro-teams with complementary roles to meet the care needs of COVID-19 infected patients; 2) nurse-led adaptations effectively managed the increased workload, thereby ensuring the quality of care; 3) continuous professional development ensured adequate competence levels for all roles; 4) interprofessional collaboration resulted in experienced solidarity, a positive atmosphere, and increased autonomy for nurses; and, 5) supportive managers reduced nurses’ stress and improved work conditions. Conclusions This study showed that nurses positively reshaped their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. They contributed to innovative solutions in an environment of equal interprofessional collaboration, which led to greater respect for their knowledge and competencies, enhanced their autonomy and improved management support.
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Background The global nursing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a drastic reorganization in nursing practices. Work routines, the composition of teams and subsequently mundane nursing practices were all altered to sustain the accessibility and quality of care. These dramatic changes demanded a reshaping of the nurses’ work environment. The aim of this study was to explore how nurses reshaped their work environment in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A descriptive study comprising 26 semi-structured interviews conducted in a large Dutch teaching hospital between June and September 2020. Participants were nurses (including intensive care unit nurses), outpatient clinic assistants, nurse managers, and management (including one member of the Nurse Practice Council). The interviews were analysed with open, axial, and selective coding. Results We identified five themes: 1) the Nursing Staff Deployment Plan created new micro-teams with complementary roles to meet the care needs of COVID-19 infected patients; 2) nurse-led adaptations effectively managed the increased workload, thereby ensuring the quality of care; 3) continuous professional development ensured adequate competence levels for all roles; 4) interprofessional collaboration resulted in experienced solidarity, a positive atmosphere, and increased autonomy for nurses; and, 5) supportive managers reduced nurses’ stress and improved work conditions. Conclusions This study showed that nurses positively reshaped their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. They contributed to innovative solutions in an environment of equal interprofessional collaboration, which led to greater respect for their knowledge and competencies, enhanced their autonomy and improved management support.
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Between 1 March 2021 and 30 April 2023, a consortium (consisting of in the Netherlands: the National Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek -KB), The Hague University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum; in Belgium: Media & Learning Association in Leuven and Public Libraries 2030 in Brussels; and in Spain: Fundación Platoniq in Barcelona) carried out an Erasmus+-funded research project on news media literacy among young people. It involved Dutch, Belgian and Spanish young people aged 12-15. The acronym SMILES, which stands for 'innovative methodS for Media & Information Literacy Education involving schools and librarieS', was chosen for the project title. The main goals of the SMILES project are: • Forming pairs between librarians and secondary school teachers in the three European countries, who were empowered through train-the-trainer workshops to teach secondary school students about news media literacy in relation to disinformation; • Helping students use digital technologies more safely and responsibly with a focus on recognising reliable and authentic information versus becoming more resilient to disinformation; • Developing five building blocks serving as teaching materials for Dutch, Belgian and Spanish pupils aged 12-15 with the aim of making them recognise disinformation and making them more resilient against it; • A scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of the implemented lessons through impact measurement using 'pre-knowledge tests' and 'post-knowledge tests'; • A strengthening of existing collaborations and creation of new collaborations between schools and libraries in the three partner countries. The SMILES project was implemented through three work packages. In the first work package, five so-called 'Baseline studies', or literature reviews, were conducted. The focus was on what the different educational approaches in Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands are with regard to disinformation and how these approaches can be linked. Based on these studies, the five building blocks were developed in the second work package. In addition, the teaching pairs were offered the training programme developed by SMILES through a 'train-the-trainer methodology' to safely and responsibly deploy the use of digital media tools during lessons with students. Also, based on the disinformation literature, the knowledge tests were designed to conduct an impact measurement of the train-the-trainer workshops and lessons among the trainers (teaching pairs) and students, respectively. These knowledge tests contained statements on disinformation that were answered correctly or incorrectly by respondents. The number of correctly answered statements prior to the lessons was compared with the number of correctly answered statements after the lessons. In this way, an attempt was made to prove a positive learning effect of the deployed lessons. In the third work package, the results from the pre-knowledge tests and the post-knowledge tests were analysed. In addition to these quantitative analyses, qualitative results were also used to analyse and look at the extent to which the training provided to trainers (teaching pairs) and the lessons with the five building blocks for students proved effective in teaching, recognising and becoming more resilient to disinformation, respectively. In doing so, we also reflect on whether the methodology tested has been effective in the three countries: what are the best practices and where do we see areas for improvement?
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This article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sign language interpreting profession drawing on data from a fourth and final survey conducted in June 2021 as part of a series of online “living surveys” during the pandemic. The survey, featuring 331 respondents, highlights significant changes in the occupational conditions and practices of sign language interpreters due to the sudden shift towards remote video-mediated interpreting. The findings reveal a range of challenges faced by interpreters, including the complexities of audience design, lack of backchanneling from deaf consumers, the need for heightened self-monitoring, nuanced conversation management, and team work. Moreover, the study highlights the physical and mental health concerns that have emerged among interpreters as a result of the shift in working conditions, and a need for interpreters to acquire new skills such as coping with the multimodal nature of online interpreting. While the blend of remote, hybrid, and on-site work has introduced certain advantages, it also poses new challenges encompassing workload management, online etiquette, and occupational health concerns. The survey’s findings underscore the resilience and adaptability of SLIs in navigating the shift to remote interpreting, suggesting a lasting transformation in the profession with implications for future practice, training, and research in the post-pandemic era.
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Social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have millions of users logging in every day, using these platforms for commu nication, entertainment, and news consumption. These platforms adopt rules that determine how users communicate and thereby limit and shape public discourse.2 Platforms need to deal with large amounts of data generated every day. For example, as of October 2021, 4.55 billion social media users were ac tive on an average number of 6.7 platforms used each month per internet user.3 As a result, platforms were compelled to develop governance models and content moderation systems to deal with harmful and undesirable content, including disinformation. In this study: • ‘Content governance’ is defined as a set of processes, procedures, and systems that determine how a given platform plans, publishes, moder ates, and curates content. • ‘Content moderation’ is the organised practice of a social media plat form of pre-screening, removing, or labelling undesirable content to reduce the damage that inappropriate content can cause.
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