The purpose of this study was to apply and explore, in the context of an Icelandic preschool, the methods developed by the New Zealand Te Whaariki curriculum to assess children's well-being and ...learning dispositions. This article describes the process of piloting learning stories as a research method, where researchers and preschool teachers cooperate in generating data. Data were generated by means of interviews, observations and documentation, following a research process in which learning stories were documented, reflected upon and analysed by the researchers and teachers, where possible in cooperation with the four- to five-year-old children. The learning stories were constructed and analysed using the five domains of learning dispositions identified in the Te Whaariki curriculum. The study asks how a collaborative approach to assessing children's well-being and learning dispositions could be used in preschools both for professional learning and for research purposes. The findings show children as skilful communicators who are capable of finding solutions and reacting to various situations arising from the social context of the preschool. The study demonstrates that documenting children's learning stories enables researchers to focus on children's strengths and capabilities, and adds to preschool teachers' knowledge of individual children and groups.
Þessi rannsókn greinir hvernig vörumörkun birtist í utanríkisþjónustu Íslands í gegnum jafnréttismál. Einnig er leitast við að greina hvaða aðferðir eru nýttar við vörumörkun og hvaða þættir valda ...því að jafnréttismál verða fyrir valinu. Breiður kenningarammi er mótaður úr kenningum smáríkjafræða, kenningum um vörumörkun ríkja og femínískum fræðum í alþjóðasamskiptum. Tekin voru viðtöl við fimm fyrrverandi og núverandi starfsmenn utanríkisþjónustu Íslands og orðræðugreiningu beitt á þau. Þrjú þemu voru mótuð út frá niðurstöðum orðræðugreiningarinnar; vörumerkið jafnrétti, aðferðir við vörumörkun og framboð og eftirspurn. Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar voru þær að greina má ómeðvitaða vörumörkun í gegnum jafnréttismál sem birtist einna helst sem rík áhersla á málaflokkinn í allri vinnu utanríkisþjónustunnar, innanlands sem erlendis. Sértækari vörumörkun á sér einnig stað í formi þess að færa jafnréttisumræðuna til karla. Ísland beitir þremur meginaðferðum við vörumörkun, en þær eru: kynjasamþætting, að taka sér dagskrárvald í málaflokknum og alþjóðleg samvinna. Framboð og eftirspurn virðast helsti áhrifavaldurinn fyrir því að jafnréttismál urðu fyrir valinu sem vörumerki Íslands. Ísland hefur mikið fram að færa í málaflokknum, hefur skipað sér í framvarðarsveit í jafnréttismálum og vakið athygli alþjóðasamfélagsins fyrir vinnu sína. Sú athygli hefur hvetjandi áhrif fyrir áframhaldandi vinnu ríkisins innan málaflokksins. Engu að síður er nauðsynlegt að vera meðvituð um það hvers vegna íslenska ríkið telur þessa stöðu eftirsóknaverða og í hvaða tilgangi hennar er leitað.
To evaluate the access to comprehensive diagnostics and novel antituberculosis medicines in European countries.
We investigated the access to genotypic and phenotypic Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug ...susceptibility testing and the availability of antituberculosis drugs and calculated the cost of drugs and treatment regimens at major tuberculosis treatment centres in countries of the WHO European region where rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis are the highest among all WHO regions. Results were stratified by middle-income and high-income countries.
Overall, 43 treatment centres from 43 countries participated in the study. For WHO group A drugs, the frequency of countries with the availability of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing was as follows: (a) 75% (30/40) for levofloxacin, (b) 82% (33/40) for moxifloxacin, (c) 48% (19/40) for bedaquiline, and (d) 72% (29/40) for linezolid. Overall, of the 43 countries, 36 (84%) and 24 (56%) countries had access to bedaquiline and delamanid, respectively, whereas only 6 (14%) countries had access to rifapentine. The treatment of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis with a regimen including a carbapenem was available only in 17 (40%) of the 43 countries. The median cost of regimens for drug-susceptible tuberculosis, multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (shorter regimen, including bedaquiline for 6 months), and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (including bedaquiline, delamanid, and a carbapenem) were €44 (minimum–maximum, €15–152), €764 (minimum–maximum, €542–15152), and €8709 (minimum–maximum, €7965–11759) in middle-income countries (n = 12) and €280 (minimum–maximum, €78–1084), €29765 (minimum–maximum, €11116–40584), and €217591 (minimum–maximum, €82827–320146) in high-income countries (n = 29), respectively.
In countries of the WHO European region, there is a widespread lack of drug susceptibility testing capacity to new and repurposed antituberculosis drugs, lack of access to essential medications in several countries, and a high cost for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Due to a tender process in Iceland, all patients on Humira® were switched nationwide to its biosimilar Imraldi® in March 2019. The study aimed to explore the patient's perspective of the Humira® and ...Imraldi® injection devices.
A standard telephone interview was carried out among patients with inflammatory arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis, who underwent this nationwide switching program a few months earlier.
The response rate was 84.5% (
= 198). The average age was 50.8 years, and 53.5% were female. The patients self-administered the drugs in 96% of the cases. The majority (90.5%) stated that they received individualized instruction on using the Humira® pen, compared to 18.2% who accepted instruction in the case of the Imraldi® pen. Almost half (46.6%) of the patients found it more difficult to use the Imraldi® pen than the Humira® pen, while only 12.5% found the Imraldi® pen easier to use. Firstly, these differences were due to more painful insertion of the needle (62.2%) and secondly, due to the experience, the injection process was different (63.0%).
Patients with inflammatory disorders who have been treated regularly with adalimumab preferred the Humira® injection device over the Imraldi® device, according to our results. After all, these injection devices' structure and content are not the same, although both contain the same active ingredient, i.e. adalimumab. Our results highlight the importance of thorough information, not only with an information letter but also with the possibilities for individualized introduction in planning switching to biosimilars.
Samfélagsvinna Gunn Strand Hutchinson (ED), (2009) Community work in the Nordic countries - New trends. ISBN: 9788215015088 Samfélagsvinna á Norðurlöndum er til umfjöllunar í bókinni Community work ...in the Nordic countries - New trends og er hún afrakstur samtaka félagsráðgjafaskóla á Norðurlöndum, NASSW og NSHK.
The Social Workers' Toolbox: Sustainable Multimethod Social Work Höfundur: Herman de Mönnink New York: Routledge, 2017. 579 bls. ISBN: 978-1-138-93434-4
With the urgent global need to limit warming to 2 °C as well as a localized need in our case study to address rising energy demand amid electrical and thermal network limitations, a critical ...examination of demand-side energy reductions and the concept of energy sufficiency is needed. This paper contributes to the sparse literature on bottom-up analysis by utilizing Iceland—a leader in renewable energy generation—as a case study to explore the socio-economic factors influencing energy footprints. Our findings reveal significant energy footprints across various consumption domains, particularly housing and mobility, influenced by income levels, urbanization, and lifestyle choices. The study highlights the paradox of a high renewable energy supply leading to potential misconceptions regarding abundant and low-cost energy, resulting in substantial energy consumption-related environmental impacts. Using detailed household consumption survey data, this research provides insights crucial for developing sustainable energy policies that not only target technological advancements but also address the need for a reduction in energy demand and a shift towards energy sufficiency. This work marks a contribution to the literature through the provision of a case study of low income inequality and high energy footprints in a highly renewable energy system context. Further, this work is useful for Icelandic and international policymakers to understand in such high-demand contexts which consumption domains would be most relevant for sufficiency policies. This comprehensive analysis opens pathways for future research to further explore the intersections of energy consumption, socio-economic factors, and well-being, offering a nuanced understanding necessary for crafting sufficiency and demand-side policies aimed at a sustainable energy future.
Abstract
Background
The Treatment as Prevention for Hepatitis C program started in 2016 in Iceland, offering treatment with direct-acting antivirals to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected individuals. ...Reinfections through injection drug use (IDU) can hamper elimination efforts. We determined reinfection rates of HCV among patients in the program.
Methods
Clinical data were gathered prospectively. The study cohort consisted of HCV-cured patients with an estimated sustained virologic response between 1 February 2016 and 20 November 2018, with follow-up until 20 November 2019. The observation period and time until reinfection was estimated using a single random point imputation method coupled with Monte Carlo simulation. The reinfection rates were expressed as reinfections per 100 person-years (PY).
Results
In total, 640 treatments of 614 patients (417 male; mean age, 44.3 years) resulted in cure, with 52 reinfections subsequently confirmed in 50 patients (37 male). Follow-up was 672.1 PY, with a median time to reinfection of 232 days. History of IDU was reported by 523 patients (84.8%) and recent IDU with 220 treatments (34.4%). Stimulants were the preferred injected drug in 85.5% of patients with a history of IDU. The reinfection rate was 7.7/100 PY. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models for interval-censored data, age (hazard ratio, 0.96 95% confidence interval, .94–.99) and recent IDU (2.91 1.48–5.76) were significantly associated with reinfection risk.
Conclusions
The reinfection rate is high in a setting of widespread stimulant use, particularly in young people with recent IDU. Regular follow-up is important among high-risk populations to diagnose reinfections early and reduce transmission.
Clinical Trials Registration
NCT02647879.
Rates of reinfection with hepatitis C virus after successful treatment with direct-acting antivirals are high in Iceland, particularly among young individuals with recent injection drug use. Emphasis on further follow-up of high-risk groups is essential.
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