Abstract

Abstract

Abstract
Medical rescuers are the frontline for COVID-19 and their psychological experience and health are major concerns to our society and healthcare system. This study aims to understand how medical rescuers psychologically experienced this pandemic and explore the contributing variables to COVID-19 anxiety. Portuguese medical rescuers (n = 203) answered questions about their COVID-19 experience, the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, Patient-Health Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, and Well-Being Questionnaire. Rescuers presented low COVID-19 anxiety and low-moderate levels of fear. Most already faced or were facing changes in their job-related tasks, did not change household and did not feel stigma/discrimination. COVID-19 workplace security measures were considered moderately adequate and low anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, low to moderate stress and moderate well-being were found. Only COVID-19 fear and security measures, anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive symptoms explained COVID-19 anxiety. Overall, findings showed these rescuers were psychologically well adjusted during the pandemic's initial stages. © 2023 Associacao Portuguesa de Psicologia. All rights reserved.

Abstract
Background: Trauma is a public health issue with a significant social and economic impact. However, national data on its characterization and the role of nursing in its management is still scarce. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of prehospital nursing interventions in stabilizing trauma victims provided by nurses of Immediate Life Support Ambulances in Portugal. Methodology: Observational, prospective, and descriptive-correlational study. Data were collected by nurses of the Immediate Life Support Ambulances in mainland Portugal, from 01/03/2019 to 30/04/2020, and the Azores, from 01/10/2019 to 30/04/2020. Trauma severity indices were assessed before and after the nursing interventions. Results: This study included 606 cases (79.4% blunt trauma; 40.8% road accidents) reported by 171 nurses. Nurses performed mostly interventions for hemodynamic support (88.9%) and non-pharma-cological pain control (90.6%) of trauma victims. The nursing interventions improved the Revised Trauma Score and the Shock Index (p<0.001). Conclusion: Prehospital nursing interventions improve trauma victims’ clinical status.

Abstract
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) increasingly enhance the Quality of Service (QoS) in wireless networks due to their flexibility and cost-effectiveness. However, optimizing UAV placement in dynamic, obstacle-prone environments remains a significant research challenge due to their complexity. Reinforcement Learning (RL) offers adaptability and robustness in such environments, proving effective for UAV positioning optimization.This paper introduces RLpos-3, a novel framework that integrates standard RL techniques and simulation libraries with Network Simulator 3 (ns-3) to facilitate the development and evaluation of UAV positioning algorithms. RLpos-3 serves as a supplementary tool for researchers, enabling the implementation, analysis, and benchmarking of UAV positioning strategies across diverse environmental conditions while meeting user traffic demands. To validate its effectiveness, we present use cases demonstrating RLpos-3's performance in optimizing UAV placement under realistic conditions, such as urban and obstacle-rich environments. © 2025 IEEE.

Abstract