Workplace violence experienced by healthcare providers (HCPs) in Sudan has gone viral, driving many HCPs outside the country. Globally, HCPs have accepted workplace violence as a phenomenon integral to their clinical work, causing an underreporting of incidents. This study reviews the causes and explores solutions for the phenomenon. Search strategies were conducted using internet sources including PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane. References to Sudan were limited to HCPs in public healthcare facilities. A descriptive analysis was conducted on the global status of workplace violence toward HCPs. Future interventions were examined and discussed considering Sudan\'s circumstances. Results showed the \"pandemic\" nature of the phenomenon. Workplace violence contributes to the deterioration of the quality and efficiency of the healthcare system with consequences for effective healthcare delivery. It is concluded that a multiapproach intervention needs to be integrated to circumvent the standing multifactorial situation. Statutory actions are needed towards the widespread violence and impunity. Workplace organizational procedures are needed to address the patient\'s needs that overwhelm scarce resources. Robust educational efforts are recommended by HCP training bodies, the media, and other stakeholders to improve the doctor/patient relationship.

Access to healthcare facilities is an essential measure of the urban development of contemporary cities. Governments often budget huge sums to fulfill the healthcare demands of the population, however neglect to address requirements specific to women. This paper assesses the density, spatial distribution, and services of healthcare facilities to identify care requirements specific to women, and how their needs are-or could be-met. The analysis addresses the research question: What strategies will improve women\'s access to healthcare and satisfy their healthcare requirements? Methods include a case study in the Yuetan Area of Beijing, field investigation, mapping, and questionnaires. The survey was carried out in November 2021 and January 2022 and involved 462 women residents in the Yuetan Area. Results indicate: (i) that, despite the total number of facilities meeting the standards recommended by the WHO, the spatial distribution of healthcare facilities is imbalanced; (ii) women\'s healthcare encompasses both physical and psychological health. Optimizing accessibility to healthcare facilities can positively impact women\'s health and well-being. Conclusions include insights regarding the relationship between access to healthcare facilities women\'s healthcare requirements, as well as proposing strategies for improved healthcare facilities with a focus on an equitable and sympathetic society.

The global COVID-19 pandemic causes hundreds of thousands of deaths and has created a catastrophic economic and health crisis around the World. Transportation, manufacturing industries, business and people\'s movement came to almost a halt and sharp oil and gas prices reduction were observed. The impact of the pandemic for sub-Saharan countries like Ethiopia, which was already struggling with many economic and social welfare problems, is more evident than in other wealthy nations around the World. In Ethiopia, the general energy access rate is 44% and in healthcare facilities is only about 10%. Therefore, the response for the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging, since activities such as information sharing, communication with health centers, diagnosis and medical treatment require electricity access. This paper aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on energy access plans during and post-pandemic. The paper analyzed, the status of the current COVID-19 outbreak in Ethiopia, the energy access situation in health facilities, and the impacts of COVID-19 on energy access during and post-pandemic periods. Data related to the universal energy access plan of Ethiopia, the impact of energy access on healthcare services and the impact of the pandemic were reviewed for the assessment. The analysis indicates that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopian healthcare facilities and on the overall universal energy access plan is immense and to minimize the global impact short and long-term policy responses are identified and urgently recommended. Furthermore, powering healthcare facilities with microgrids composed of solar panels and battery storage systems could be one cost-effective and sustainable solution for the speedy and effective response of the pandemic challenges.

Civil liability represents one of the main responsibilities for healthcare facilities; it is the legal responsibility of paying money for damage to a person\'s health. Even though this responsibility plays a key role in the economic sustainability of healthcare facilities, the literature does not enough investigate this responsibility in regional health services. The paper aims to define the evolution of compensation models for health civil liability adopted by regional health services. Through a longitudinal case study, the paper investigates the compensation model by a leading regional health service. The finding highlights the evolution of the compensation model for health civil liability adopted by a leading Regional Health Service from 1990 to 2021. It describes a transition from an insurance model to a mixed model based on self-coverage up to a set economic level, an insurance policy with self-insurance retention and deductible for all claims. The research contributes to the literature and practice throughout the definition of a compensation model for damages based on self-insurance of regional health service and insurance policies. The research promotes a compensation model used by a leading regional health service.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare facilities worldwide have been overwhelmed by the amount of coronavirus patients needed to be served. Similarly, the U.S. also experienced a shortage of healthcare resources, which led to a reduction in the efficiency of the whole healthcare system. In order to evaluate this from a transportation perspective, it is critical to understand the extent to which healthcare facilities with intensive care unit (ICU) beds are available in both urban and rural areas. As such, this study aims to assess the spatial accessibility of COVID-19 patients to healthcare facilities in the State of Florida. For this purpose, two methods were used: the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) and the enhanced two-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA). These methods were applied to identify the high and low access areas in the entire state. Furthermore, a metric, namely the Accessibility Ratio Difference (ARD), was developed to evaluate the spatial access difference between the models. Results revealed that many areas in the northwest and southern Florida have lower access compared to other locations. The residents in central Florida (e.g., Tampa and Orlando cities) had the highest level of accessibility given their higher access ratios. We also observed that the 2SFCA method overestimates the accessibility in the areas with a lower number of ICU beds due to the \"equal access\" assumption of the population within the catchment area. The findings of this study can provide valuable insights and information for state officials and decision makers in the field of public health.

This study investigates how patients and medical staff assess the physical environments of two recently built hospitals in Sulaimani City to understand the extent to which indoor environmental factors influence the creation of an optimal healing environment.
A contemporary healing environment may be recognized by the quality of an indoor environment in positively influencing patients\' psychological comfort and supporting their recovery.
Post-occupancy evaluations were conducted in Shar General Hospital and Faruk Medical City wards. A 43-item questionnaire was distributed to 312 patients, doctors, and nurses to gather their perspectives. In total, 175 valid questionnaires were retrieved.
The results show that the quality of the indoor environments met patients\' psychological needs and expectations, and as a result, they were generally satisfied with the indoor healing environments. The findings from the patient and medical staff surveys suggest three essential factors in creating a healing environment, which are (1) Interior appearance, (2) Privacy, and (3) Comfort and control. Significant negative correlations of some demographic characteristics, such as educational attainment and age, with patient satisfaction were observed.
This study shows that exploring patients\' and medical staff\'s experiences can reveal factors that positively influence patients\' satisfaction levels, which may vary depending on their sociocultural perspectives and personal characteristics. Additionally, the findings emphasize the role of the tested factors in increasing patients\' satisfaction levels, optimizing healing environments, and informing design decisions.

BACKGROUND: A hospital-associated outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was reported. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of infection control measures among healthcare workers (HCWs) who were exposed to a MERS patient and/or his body fluids in our institute.
METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted among HCWs who worked with a MERS patient in Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, Thailand, between 18 June and 3 July 2015. Contacts were defined as HCWs who worked in the patient\'s room or with the patient\'s body fluids. Serum samples from all contacts were collected within 14 days of last contact and one month later. Paired sera were tested for detection of MERS-CoV antibodies by using an indirect ELISA.
RESULTS: Thirty-eight (88.4 %) of 43 identified contacts consented to enroll. The mean (SD) age was 38.1 (11.1) years, and 79 % were females. The median (IQR) cumulative duration of work of HCWs in the patient\'s room was 35 (20-165) minutes. The median (IQR) cumulative duration of work of HCWs with the patient\'s blood or body fluids in laboratory was 67.5 (43.7-117.5) minutes. All contacts reported 100 % compliance with hand hygiene, using N95 respirator, performing respirator fit test, wearing gown, gloves, eye protection, and cap during their entire working period. All serum specimens of contacts tested for MERS-CoV antibodies were negative.
CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence of effective infection control practices against MERS-CoV transmission in a healthcare facility. Strict infection control precautions can protect HCWs. The optimal infection control measures for MERS-CoV should be further evaluated.