Publications by authors named "A Crocker"
Background: Assessing the financial burden of COVID-19 is important for planning health services and resource allocation to inform future pandemic response.
Objectives: This study examines the changing dynamics in healthcare utilization patterns and costs from a public healthcare perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Canada.
Design: Population-based descriptive study.
Article Synopsis
- There is a lack of research on antipsychotic prescribing practices specifically for patients in forensic psychiatric services, despite extensive literature on their use in general psychiatric settings.
- The study involved 153 forensic psychiatric patients with psychotic illnesses, finding that the majority were middle-aged males, predominantly white, and had serious offenses, with 75.9% prescribed atypical antipsychotics.
- Rehospitalization rates were notable, with 52.9% of patients rehospitalized at least once; clozapine showed lower rehospitalization rates compared to other medications, indicating it may be underused and warrants further investigation.
Article Synopsis
- Combination immune checkpoint blockade targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4 shows lower efficacy in acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) compared to cutaneous melanoma (CM), with an objective response rate of only 18.3%.
- In a study of 109 patients, most had advanced cancer (stage IV), with median progression-free survival of 4.2 months and overall survival of 17 months.
- Significant treatment-related adverse events were common, indicating similar toxicity levels, but specific demographic factors like Asian ethnicity were linked to worse overall survival, highlighting the need for new treatment strategies for ALM.
Older Texans living in rural areas may face challenges in accessing resources and services not felt by their urban counterparts, especially related to fall risk reduction. In a state the size of Texas, entities wishing to serve these individuals encounter barriers due to the vast geography that must be covered to reach rural communities. This paper explores a novel partnership between a university and a community organization to work toward rural equity in fall risk reduction education in Texas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives Access to stable, safe, and affordable housing is an important determinant of health and community integration among people living with mental illness. Previous studies on housing stability, housing satisfaction and residential preferences among people living with mental illness have primarily been conducted among those with extensive service use experiences. First-time mental health service users, and youth in particular, are likely to present with distinct housing needs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF