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Global and regional knowledge of antibiotic use and resistance among the general public: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textAntibiotic resistance threatens effective infection treatment and medical procedures. Global initiatives, such as World AMR Awareness Week, aim to improve public understanding and promote rational antibiotic use to combat this growing crisis. This systematic review synthesised and analysed existing evidence on the public's knowledge of antibiotic use and resistance to provide pooled global, regional and national estimates. Data sources: We searched PubMed®, Embase®, CINAHL, grey literature, and reference lists of primary studies. Observational studies published between January 2015 and October 2025 that reported the knowledge of antibiotic use and resistance among the public. Assessment of risk of bias: The Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal framework for prevalence studies was used. of data synthesis: Pooled estimates of correct knowledge were determined using random-effects meta-analysis. Of the 13,960 articles identified, 227 studies from 98 countries were included. The majority of the public correctly understood that antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections, with a pooled estimate of 73.2% (95% CI: 70.2 - 76.0). However, only 42.1% (95% CI: 39.2 - 44.9) recognised that antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections. Notable national variations were observed regarding the ineffectiveness of antibiotics against viral infections, with estimates ranging from 7.2% (95% CI: 5.3 - 9.7) in Lao DPR to 77.0% (95% CI: 74.4 - 79.4) in Sweden. Our findings indicate that a substantial proportion of the public is aware that unnecessary antibiotic use reduces their effectiveness, with a pooled estimate of 72.5% (95% CI: 69.9 - 75.0). However, significantly fewer individuals (39.1%, 95% CI: 33.7 - 44.6) were aware that antibiotic-resistant bacteria can spread from person to person. Although antibiotic awareness campaigns have expanded globally, public understanding remains insufficient, particularly concerning the ineffectiveness of antibiotics against viral infections and the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These findings underscore the need for multifaceted strategies to promote public awareness and advance sustainable antibiotic stewardship worldwide. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Healthcare access and perceived value of liver screening among people experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders: a qualitative study
Get PDFBackground People experiencing homelessness face multiple barriers to healthcare and are at increased risk of advanced liver disease, which often remains undiagnosed. This study explored the acceptability and perceived value of a novel liver screening pathway using Vibration Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE), embedded within an assertive outreach drug and alcohol service. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with service users experiencing homelessness (n=12) post-VCTE. Questionnaires assessing substance use history, social networks, and readiness to change were used to characterise the participants. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results Participants’ scores indicated high levels of readiness to change and limited social networks. Three interrelated themes were identified in the semi-structured interviews. First, participants reported co-occurring vulnerabilities—including polysubstance use, housing precarity, and trauma—which, in combination with previous negative experiences and stigma, contributed to reduced engagement with conventional healthcare services. Second, the provision of VCTE within an assertive outreach drug and alcohol service was perceived as a more accessible and acceptable alternative to mainstream pathways. Third, the screening encounter was experienced as a reflective moment, with several participants describing increased awareness of liver health and, in some cases, enhanced motivation to modify risk behaviours. Conclusions Liver screening embedded within an outreach-based drug and alcohol service was acceptable for users of those services and, for some, represented an opportunity for reflection and harm reduction. Findings support the integration of non-invasive liver screening into services for people experiencing homelessness to improve early detection and engagement with care
Towards a Digital Skills framework for England
Get PDFDespite the growing centrality of a broad set of digital competencies in modern life, England lacks a coherent, age-appropriate digital skills framework for pupils aged 3–18. Although there is an awareness of a digital skills gap, an urgent need for media literacy and “an appetite from government and industry to address it” (Princes Trust, 2024), it remains unaddressed. This has led to fragmented provision, inconsistent expectations across schools and a widening digital divide, particularly affecting already disadvantaged learners. The persistent “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) myth has led to false assumptions about the capabilities of young people. Despite computing being part of England’s national curriculum for over a decade, many young people finish school without digital qualifications, and a significant digital skills gap persists in the UK workforce (British Computer Society [BCS], 2023). These issues are compounded when social disadvantage and gender factors are considered
IoT-Enabled Fog-Based Secure Aggregation in Smart Grids Supporting Data Analytics
Get PDFThe Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed multiple industries, providing significant potential for automation, efficiency, and enhanced decision-making. The incorporation of IoT and data analytics in smart grid represents a groundbreaking opportunity for the energy sector, delivering substantial advantages in efficiency, sustainability, and customer empowerment. This integration enables smart grids to autonomously monitor energy flows and adjust to fluctuations in energy demand and supply in a flexible and real-time fashion. Statistical analytics, as a fundamental component of data analytics, provides the necessary tools and techniques to uncover patterns, trends, and insights within datasets. Nevertheless, it is crucial to address privacy and security issues to fully maximize the potential of data analytics in smart grids. This paper makes several significant contributions to the literature on secure, privacy-aware aggregation schemes in smart grids. First, we introduce a Fog-enabled Secure Data Analytics Operations (FESDAO) scheme which offers a distributed architecture incorporating robust security features such as secure aggregation, authentication, fault tolerance and resilience against insider threats. The scheme achieves privacy during data aggregation through a modified Boneh-Goh-Nissim cryptographic scheme along with other mechanisms. Second, FESDAO also supports statistical analytics on metering data at the cloud control center and fog node levels. FESDAO ensures reliable aggregation and accurate data analytical results, even in scenarios where smart meters fail to report data, thereby preserving both analytical operation computation accuracy and latency. We further provide comprehensive security analyses to demonstrate that the proposed approach effectively supports data privacy, source authentication, fault tolerance, and resilience against false data injection and replay attacks. Lastly, we offer thorough performance evaluations to illustrate the efficiency of the suggested scheme in comparison to current state-of-the-art schemes, considering encryption, computation, aggregation, decryption, and communication costs. Moreover, a detailed security analysis has been conducted to verify the scheme’s resistance against insider collusion attacks, replay attack, and false data injection (FDI) attack
'The Long and Short of It: Rethinking the Longevity of Nineteenth-Century Periodicals'
Get PDFThis essay argues that short-lived newspapers, often overlooked as the expected casualties of a developing industry, were actually a significant proportion of the nineteenth century’s press. It explores the methodological problem of how to gauge the ‘shape’ of the nineteenth-century press, particularly in terms of relative longevity of publication, offering a critique of the sources and systems of knowledge that have moulded our conception of the industry. Analysing datasets drawn from nineteenth-, twentieth- and twenty-first-century sources, this approach provides a fresh perspective that restores short-lived nineteenth-century newspapers to greater prominence, suggesting an imbalance in historical research focused on longstanding newspapers
Systematic observation
No full textThe purpose of this book chapter is to present the method of systematic observation and how to use it as a method of data collection within coaching research. Systematic observation is one of the most employed data collection methods in sports coaching literature. Originally undertaken in the 1970s but gaining traction in the 80s and 90s, systematic observation has predominately been used in sports coaching research to offer descriptions of coaches’ behaviour and practice activities. Systematic observation continues to advance knowledge and understanding of what coaches do and has been used alongside other methods to serve as a stimulus to explore the rationale behind coaches’ behaviour. This chapter provides recommendations on which systematic observation system to use, practical considerations to consider, how to represent best the data collected, and finally, our reflections on having extensive experience using this method to inform future coaching research. The book chapter, therefore, aims to give greater clarity for researchers and practitioners wanting to employ systematic observation.</p
"Can you really love your neighbour?” A Theoretical exploration of the silenced concept of 'academic love' in Higher Education institutions.
No full textIn a landscape increasingly dominated by neoliberal ideologies, where productivity, individual achievement, and institutional rankings often take precedence, compassion and empathy are at risk of being sidelined (Hokka, 2023). These pressures privilege successful research bids and publications in high-impact journals over research that prioritises societal impact (Ball, 2015). In response to this, I explore how 'academic love' can inspire change and equip academics to resist market-driven values and re-centre human connection in Higher Education (HE) (Caddell & Wilder, 2018). Building on Blanco-Bayo’s (2022) concept of cariño -spontaneous, reciprocal affection rooted in love- I argue that ‘academic love’ is a necessary and can transform the current culture in HE. I redefine ‘academic love’ as a deep level of compassion between academics, grounded in love and affection. This concept counterbalances the competitive nature of neoliberal academic spaces (Waddington, 2018) and reiterates that compassion strengthens collegial relationships and promotes humane academic communities (Andrew et al., 2023). Rather than prioritising productivity, ‘academic love’ forms the foundation of academic culture and nurtures collective well-being and promotes, equity, collaboration (Aguado-López, Becerril-García & Godínez-Larios, 2018) and justice in academic work. Ultimately, this definition can help rethink academic values based on love and demonstrations of solidarity towards each other, and in the process, reshape the future of research and teaching in HE
“It is noisy, busy and smells weird”: Sensory Friendly Environments for Children and Young People visiting health care settings
Get PDFChildren and young people with sensory differences and sensitivities can struggle to access healthcare settings as the sights, sounds, smells, interactions, and touch involved can be overwhelming and create distress and dysregulation. This can result in inequitable access to healthcare. Initiatives to develop sensory-friendly healthcare environments for children remain limited and are not always informed by evidence directly from children and their parents. This project explored the perceptions and experiences of children and young people with sensory needs and their parents visiting an acute hospital during a program aimed at building a sensory-friendly environment. Thirty-one children and young people (5-16 years) with sensory differences and sensitivities and thirty-eight caregivers shared their views using paper activity sheets and online surveys. Data were analyzed using content analysis approaches. Children and young people reported that the hospital environment was often too loud, too busy, and too bright, causing them to feel anxious, stressed, and dysregulated. Interactions with healthcare staff were reported by children, young people, and parents as difficult, with professionals described as lacking an understanding of individual communication differences, needs, and adaptations. Equitable access to healthcare settings could be improved by quiet calm spaces, more resources such as fidget toys, and staff who invested time in developing trust and rapport and could adapt care provision to meet the needs of children and young people
Erratum:Correction: Towards an affect intensity regulation hypothesis: Systematic review and meta-analyses of the relationship between affective states and alcohol consumption (PloS one (2022) 17 1 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262670)
No full text[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262670.].</p
