Acknowledging the need for more gender work in Public Administration, this paper engages feminist standpoint theory to analytically frame the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic from a feminist perspective. By assessing the differential impact of the pandemic on women and men in the United States across several sectors of the political economy and society, it is apparent women face immense obstacles in the labor market, as well as in access to health, food and housing. This analytical approach is in line with the United Nation's fifth Sustainable Development Goal, gender equity. The imperative to include women's perspectives in pandemic response and planning is juxtaposed against the current pandemic response that primarily leaves women out of the decision-making process. The policy tool of gender responsive budgeting, successfully implemented in various countries, is proposed to offset the gender inequities triggered by the pandemic in the U.S.
This article identifies the ways that White supremacy manifests throughout the field of public administration in its research and scholarship. Through a critical discourse analysis of symposia over a period of 20 years in three foremost public administration journals, this paper investigates the extent to which each journal either reinforces or resists systemic racism. Peer-reviewed journals serve as gatekeepers to advancing and shaping the direction of research; as such, symposia are a mechanism through which editors signal interest, create intellectual space, open dialogue in a particular research direction, and share editorial power with guest editors who either represent marginalized or hegemonic identities and positions. Our analysis reveals there is an opportunity to enhance race-consciousness, intentional anti-racist language, powersharing, and resistance in future symposia. The article concludes by offering a path forward toward dismantling, reconciling, and repairing the entrenched, systemic, and historic racism and anti-Blackness in the field of public administration.
Introduction
Telehealth is a relatively new tool for patient care, and to reach underserved areas where certain specialties are available. With the advent of the COVID19 pandemic, Telehealth has become a universal way to provide safe and quality patient care. However, Telehealth is a new experience for many providers and patients. We surveyed patients who received telehealth visits in sleep medicine between March and June 2020 to determine patient satisfaction and common technology-related barriers. The goal was to formulate actionable steps for improving patient’s experiences and determine the feasibility of long-term telehealth services for sleep medicine.
Methods
We interviewed 63 patients by phone, utilizing IRB approved surveys for telehealth satisfaction and technology. Responses were de-identified, tabulated, and analyzed in aggregate using Excel®.
Results
85% of respondents had a high-school diploma or a higher level of education (9.6% students, 39.7% employed, 15.9% unemployed, and 19% retirees). 62% of participants participated in Telehealth for the first time. 89% preferred Telehealth, and 76% rated telehealth experience as good or better than in-person visits. 92% did not require technical assistance during the visit. Long-term telehealth care was acceptable to 63% of participants. Approximately 33% had technology-related barriers (no computer or webcam), and 12% did not have email. However, 89% had smartphones (70% connected to personal internet). Other barriers cited were lack of private space (13%) and taking time off work (9%). No clear preference for phone versus video Telehealth was noted (approximately 40% each), but 7% expressed concern about bi-directional video communication. This may be related to the privacy and security concerns expressed by 20% of respondents. However, only 5% reported using the electronic health record (EHR) based secure communication portal.
Conclusion
Sleep care via Telehealth is preferred by most patients during the COVID pandemic and is acceptable to two-thirds of patients for the long-term. In addition to access to personal devices or the internet, privacy concerns were a barrier to Telehealth. We plan to increase patient enrollment in the EHR-based portal to deliver telehealth services and communication securely to mitigate these barriers.
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