Venous thromboembolism performance measurement in the United States: An evolving landscape with many stakeholders.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a life-threatening, costly, and common preventable complication associated with hospitalization. Although VTE prevention strategies such as risk assessment and prophylaxis are available, they are not applied uniformly or systematically across US hospitals and healthcare systems. Hospital-level performance measurement has been used nationally to promote standardized approaches for VTE prevention and incentivize the adoption of guideline-based care management.

Budget Impact Analysis of the FreeStyle Libre Flash Continuous Glucose Monitoring System in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with Multiple Daily Insulin Injections in Argentina.

Objective: To estimate the budget impact of the potential coverage of FreeStyle Libre Flash Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (FSL) for glycemia monitoring in all type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients and in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with multiple daily insulin injections, from the social security and the private third-party payer's perspective in Argentina.

Methods: A budget impact model was developed to estimate the cost difference between the self-monitoring of blood glucose (standard of care) and FSL over 5 years. Input parameters were retrieved from local literature complemented by expert opinion.

Publication activities relating to digital teaching and learning in the GMS Journal for Medical Education - a descriptive analysis (1984-2020).

Aims And Objectives: Digital teaching, learning and assessment have been part of medical education and continuing education for decades. The objective of this review paper is to highlight developments and perspectives in these areas in the GMS Journal for Medical Education (GMS JME).

Methodology: In the spring of 2020, we conducted a systematic literature search of the Journal for Medical Education (JME) and analysed the articles with regard to different categories such as article type, digital tools used or mode of data collection.

Effects of Computer-Assisted Social Skills Training in Children With Disruptive Behavior Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Computer-assisted child-focused interventions are expected to improve efficiency and personalization of therapist-led treatments for children and adolescents. However, therapist-led, outpatient interventions using computer assistance are lacking for children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD). The present randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of individualized computer-assisted social skills training for children with aggressive behavior compared to a resource activation intervention.

Culture of Safety: Impact on Improvement in Infection Prevention Process and Outcomes.

Purpose: Safety culture is known to be related to a wide range of outcomes, and measurement of safety culture is now required for many hospitals in the U.S.A.

What do elderly problem drinkers aim for? Choice of goal for treatment among elderly treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent patients.

Objective: The patient's free choice of treatment goals for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is predictive for treatment outcome. Presently there is limited knowledge of whether the age at onset of AUD influences the choice of goal for treatment. The present study investigates whether there are differences in choice of treatment goal between patients with very late onset alcohol use disorder (VLO AUD ≥ 60 years) and those having early or mid-age onset of AUD (EMO AUD < 60 years).

Facilitators and challenges experienced by nursing homes enrolling in the CDC national health care safety network.

Background: Standardized measurement of health care-associated infections is essential to improving nursing home (NH) resident safety, however voluntary enrollment of NHs in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) requires several steps. We sought to prospectively identify NH structural, process or staff characteristics that affect enrollment and data submission among a cohort of NHs receiving facilitated implementation.

Methods: The evaluation employed a mixed methods approach.

Referrals of Infection Control Breaches to Public Health Authorities: Ambulatory Care Settings Experience, 2017.

Background: Beginning in October 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued expanded guidance requiring accrediting organizations and state survey agencies to report serious infection control breaches to relevant state health departments. This project sought to characterize and summarize The Joint Commission's early experiences and findings in applying this guidance to facilities accredited under the ambulatory and office-based surgery programs in 2017.

Methods: Surveyor notes were retrospectively reviewed to identify individual breaches, and then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Infection Prevention Checklist for Outpatient Settings was used to categorize and code documented breaches.

The Alcohol Dependence Scale and DSM-5 alcohol use disorder: Severity ratings correspond insufficiently in older patients.

Objectives: To investigate the psychometric properties of the frequently used Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS) in older adults and the associations between ADS scores and alcohol use and DSM-5 AUD symptom counts.

Methods: Using baseline data from an international multicenter RCT on outpatient AUD treatment for adults aged 60+ with DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD; n = 529), we computed Cronbach's alpha (α) and applied confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to determine the underlying factor structure. A structural equation model (SEM) explored the interrelationship of latent ADS factors with alcohol use and number of DSM-5 criteria endorsed.

Perceived Benefits and Challenges of Ebola Preparation Among Hospitals in Developed Countries: A Systematic Literature Review.

The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa provided an opportunity to improve our response to highly infectious diseases. We performed a systematic literature review in PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science of research articles that evaluated benefits and challenges of hospital Ebola preparation in developed countries. We excluded studies performed in non-developed countries, and those limited to primary care settings, the public health sector, and pediatric populations.

Evaluation of adding the community reinforcement approach to motivational enhancement therapy for adults aged 60 years and older with DSM-5 alcohol use disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To examine whether adding the Community Reinforcement Approach for Seniors (CRA-S) to Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) increases the probability of treatment success in people aged ≥ 60 years with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Design: A single blind multi-centre multi-national randomized (1 : 1) controlled trial.

Setting: Out-patient settings (municipal alcohol treatment clinics in Denmark, specialized addiction care facilities in Germany and a primary care clinic in the United States).

Estimation of the Number of People With Opioid Addiction in Germany.

Background: Opioid addiction is one of the most common substance-related disorders worldwide, and morbidity and mortality due to opioid addiction place a heavy burden on society. Knowing the size of the population that is addicted to opioids is a prerequisite for the development and implementation of appropriate health-policy measures.

Methods: Our estimate for Germany for 2016 is based on an enumeration of opioid-addicted persons who were entered in a registry of persons receiving substitution therapy, an enumeration of persons receiving outpatient and inpatient care for addiction without substitution therapy, an extrapolation to all addiction care facilities, and an estimation of the number of opioid-addicted persons who were not accounted for either in the substitution registry or in addiction care.

Opportunities to bridge gaps between respiratory protection guidance and practice in US health care.

Healthcare organizations are required to provide workers with respiratory protection (RP) to mitigate hazardous airborne inhalation exposures. This study sought to better identify gaps that exist between RP guidance and clinical practice to understand issues that would benefit from additional research or clarification.

Older adults in treatment for alcohol use disorders: service utilisation, patient characteristics and treatment outcomes.

Background: In western countries demographic changes are leading to an ageing society. Consequently, the number of older adults with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) will rise and the demand of treatment is likely to increase. However, thus far not many older adults with an AUD are seeking treatment and little is known about the efficacy of treatment for older adults.

Who uses self-exclusion to regulate problem gambling? A systematic literature review.

Background And Aims: Self-exclusion programs offer an intervention for individuals with problem gambling behavior. However, these programs are insufficiently used. This review describes sociodemographic features and gambling behavior of self-excluders as well as goals and motives for initiating self-exclusion from terrestrial and online gambling.

Convergent and construct validity and test-retest reliability of the Caen Chronotype Questionnaire in six languages.

Chronotype questionnaires provide a simple and time-effective approach to assessing individual differences in circadian variations. Chronotype questionnaires traditionally focused on one dimension of chronotype, namely its orientation along a continuum of morningness and eveningness. The Caen Chronotype Questionnaire (CCQ) was developed to assess an additional dimension of chronotype that captures the extent to which individual functioning varies during the day (amplitude).

Co-occurring Mental Disorders in Substance Abuse Treatment: the Current Health Care Situation in Germany.

Aim of this study was to investigate the current health care situation for patients with co-occurring mental disorders in addiction treatment. Therefore, data from the German Substance Abuse Treatment System ( = 194,406) was analysed with regard to the prevalence of comorbid mental disorders, treatment characteristics and outcomes of patients with comorbid psychiatric diagnosis. In outpatient setting, the prevalence of comorbid diagnoses was considerably lower (4.

Ebola Preparedness Resources for Acute-Care Hospitals in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study of Costs, Benefits, and Challenges.

OBJECTIVE To assess resource allocation and costs associated with US hospitals preparing for the possible spread of the 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in the United States. METHODS A survey was sent to a stratified national probability sample (n=750) of US general medical/surgical hospitals selected from the American Hospital Association (AHA) list of hospitals. The survey was also sent to all children's general hospitals listed by the AHA (n=60).

Proactive coping and gambling disorder among young men.

Objectives Male sex, young age, and frequent gambling are considered as risk factors for gambling disorder (GD) and stress might be one of the triggers of gambling behavior among problem gamblers. Conversely, well-developed coping with stress might counteract gambling problems. The Proactive Coping Theory provides a promising approach for the further development of preventive and treatment measures.

Comparing Public Quality Ratings for Accredited and Nonaccredited Nursing Homes.

Objectives: Compare quality ratings of accredited and nonaccredited nursing homes using the publicly available Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing Home Compare data set.

Methods: This cross-sectional study compared the performance of 711 Joint Commission-accredited (TJC-accredited) nursing homes (81 of which also had Post-Acute Care Certification) to 14,926 non-Joint Commission-accredited (non-TJC-accredited) facilities using the Nursing Home Compare data set (as downloaded on April 2015). Measures included the overall Five-Star Quality Rating and its 4 components (health inspection, quality measures, staffing, and RN staffing), the 18 Nursing Home Compare quality measures (5 short-stay measures, 13 long-stay measures), as well as inspection deficiencies, fines, and payment denials.

Research Methods in Healthcare Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship-Quasi-Experimental Designs.

Quasi-experimental studies evaluate the association between an intervention and an outcome using experiments in which the intervention is not randomly assigned. Quasi-experimental studies are often used to evaluate rapid responses to outbreaks or other patient safety problems requiring prompt, nonrandomized interventions. Quasi-experimental studies can be categorized into 3 major types: interrupted time-series designs, designs with control groups, and designs without control groups.