BACKGROUND: Epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs) provide a safe environment for forming a more illustrative understanding of the patient’s seizure disorder. Patients are admitted to EMUs usually for several days at a time. Upon admission, electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes are placed and patients are continuously watched via EEG, video, and audio means. By weaning patients off anti-epileptic medications and monitoring brain activity with EEGs, the data will typically allow for a stronger appreciation of the seizure activity. Therefore, it will provide information to develop a more targeted clinical approach for the patient. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to gain a better understanding of patients’ expectations and experiences with being monitored for seizure activity in an EMU, especially during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic METHODS: Patients were interviewed with regards to their inpatient EMU admission for continuous EEG monitoring at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Phone interviews were conducted both before and after the EMU admission for each patient, using a structured questionnaire that focused on topics such as proclaimed knowledge of personal seizure disorder, quality of life, EMU experience, and hospital admission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient responses were documented and analyzed in an exploratory manner to identify relevant themes. The study was conducted according to a protocol approved by the BIDMC Committee on Clinical Investigations. RESULTS: From September 2020 through December 2020, 15 patients were enrolled and interviewed (11 female; age range 26-68 years [median 48]; length of stay range 2-12 days [median 5]). The majority of the population was admitted for event capture or seizure characterization (13/15) and had a history of seizure activity (14/15). The majority of patients had a history of focal seizures (12). Only 4/15 patients had a family history of seizures. Overall, patients felt extremely comfortable speaking with providers. A third (4/12) did not have any notable negative experiences. There were no overarching patterns to the negative experiences that were reported; most responses were specific to the individual. The vast majority (83.3%) applauded providers and staff involved in their EMU admission. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, epilepsy patients had mostly positive experiences with their EMU hospitalization at BIDMC. Continuous EEG monitoring remains an important aspect of clinical epilepsy evaluation for some patients, and was a feasible and well-tolerated procedure even during pandemic-altered circumstances.

Lena C. Steinjahns verfasste einen theologisch-religionswissenschaftlichen Beitrag zu „Mächtige Männer – ohnmächtige Frauen? Machtkonzeption und Geschlecht in den spätantiken Texten zur Diakonin Olympias von Konstantinopel“. Der Aufsatz bietet eine geschlechtersensible Lesart von spätantiken Texten über die byzantinische Diakonin, Ordensstifterin und Äbtissin Olympias, ihre Vita und Legende. Ausgehend vom Machtkonzept Foucaults, werden einerseits die Zusammenhänge zwischen Machtverhältnissen, Machtvoraussetzungen und unkonventionellen weiblichen Handlungs- und Gestaltungspotenzialen von Olympias als historischer Person analysiert. Andererseits wird die jeweilige auktoriale Deutungsmacht der Texte in den Blick genommen. Auf diese Weise werden die textuellen Konstruktionen, Erzähl- und Deutungsschemata transparent, mit denen die einzelnen Verfasser ihr meist hagiographisches Olympias-Bild legendial modellieren und strategisch zur Sicherung tradierter patriarchaler Geschlechterrollen und -stereotype verwenden.

The principle purpose of the study was to investigate the role of women in the mission and ministry of The Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (LCSA). The researcher raised the question of why women are viewed as inferior within the LCSA, and whether this is Biblically supported. I investigated the distinction between men and women with regard to the church culture, tradition, pastoral office, priesthood, and authority within the LCSA. As a general theoretical framework, I used two theories in church mission: (1) The unity of the Church and apostolic practice as propounded by Schenk in 1983. (2) Paradigm shifts in theology: mission as ministry by the whole people of God as propounded by Bosch in 1991. These theories explain the mission of proclaiming the Gospel of God as belonging to everyone (both male and female) as His servants in the Church. To obtain people’s views and interpretations of Scriptures, culture, church practice, and the social reality of women’s roles in the LCSA, focus-group and individual interviews were used to gather qualitative data from 525 respondents. The data was collected and analyzed using the descriptive qualitative research approach. Based on the research findings in Chapter 2 (pages 37-42), Chapter 6 (page140) presents proposals for the involvement of women in the LCSA. The findings show that participants were concerned about the topic and those women’s rights and voices are not yet acknowledged in many societies in Southern Africa. However, the scope of the study is limited to the LCSA, and its findings cannot be generalized. Valuable insights were gained into the church’s traditional construction of women’s roles in the LCSA, not allowing women to preach the Gospel and to administer the Sacraments in the Church mission work. From a missiological study perspective, the researcher recommended that women should be allowed to participate fully in the Church mission work. Therefore, the Involvement of Women in Mission in LCSA was an important dissertation research topic, affecting women in Southern Africa particularly, and potentially, in the African continent at large. / Dissertation (MA Theol)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Science of Religion and Missiology / unrestricted