The Challenges of Measuring Socioeconomic Inequality in Pharmacoepidemiology Studies.

Social conditions like socioeconomic status (SES) are critical sources of health disparities. In pharmacoepidemiology research, our ability to measure SES in retrospective, real world clinical data remains challenged by a lack of patient-reported data. Some broadly accepted concepts can be measured at the individual level, such as income, poverty, and education.

The impact of regional disparities on the availability of meningococcal vaccines in the US.

Background: In the United States (US), three types of vaccines are available to prevent invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), a severe and potentially fatal infection: quadrivalent conjugate vaccines against serogroups A, C, W, Y (MenACWY), and monovalent vaccines against serogroup B (MenB) as well as a newly licensed pentavalent vaccine (MenABCWY) protecting against serogroup A, B, C, W, and Y. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) routinely recommends MenACWY vaccine for all 11- to 12-year-olds with a booster dose at 16 years. MenB vaccination is recommended based on shared clinical decision-making (SCDM) for 16- to 23-year-olds.

Associations between health literacy, cognitive function and general literacy in people with schizophrenia attending community mental health clinics in Australia.

Background: Health literacy (HL) has been defined as the ability of individuals to access, understand, and utilise basic health information. HL is crucial to patient engagement in treatment through supporting patient autonomy, informed consent and collaborative care. In people with physical disorders, poor HL is associated with poor health outcomes, but less is known about HL in people with severe mental illness.

Estimating pediatric cases of COVID-19 over time in the United States: Filling in a gap in public use data.

Background: COVID-19 continues to disturb nearly all aspects of life, leaving us striving to reach herd immunity. Currently, only weekly standardized incidence rate data per age group are publicly available, limiting assessment of herd immunity. Here, we estimate the time-series case counts of COVID-19 among age groups currently ineligible for vaccination in the USA.

SARS-CoV-2 screening testing in schools for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Background: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools primarily for typically developing children is rare. However, less is known about transmission in schools for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), who are often unable to mask or maintain social distancing. The objectives of this study were to determine SARS-CoV-2 positivity and in-school transmission rates using weekly screening tests for school staff and students and describe the concurrent deployment of mitigation strategies in six schools for children with IDD.

SARS-CoV-2 Screening Testing in Schools for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

BACKGROUNDTransmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools primarily for typically developing children is rare. However, less is known about transmission in schools for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), who are often unable to mask or maintain social distancing. The objectives of this study were to determine SARS-CoV-2 positivity and in-school transmission rates using weekly screening tests for school staff and students and describe the concurrent deployment of mitigation strategies in six schools for children with IDD.

Methodology minute: A statistical test primer for infection prevention and control.

Selecting the appropriate statistical tests for data analysis is a critical skill for the infection preventionist (IP), both for analyzing their own data as well as evaluating the scientific literature methodology. Obtaining results from data analyses has never been easier thanks to computational improvements, but the interpretation of results relies on a keen awareness that the approach was sound. The purpose of this primer is to introduce the infection preventionist to the ideas behind hypothesis testing with a focus on statistical test selection.

Excess mortality in the United States in 2020: Forecasting and anomaly detection.

All-cause mortality may be better than disease-specific data for computing excess COVID-19 mortality. We documented approximately 350,000 excess deaths using a 20-year forecast of all-cause mortality compared to provisional estimates. We must develop more granular approaches to the collection of mortality data for real-time evaluation of excess deaths.

Prevalence and Predictors of Limited Literacy in Public Mental Health Care.

Literacy is an important predictor of health care utilization and outcomes. We examine literacy among people seeking care in a state funded mental health clinic (Site 1) and a safety-net hospital clinic (Site 2). Limited literacy was defined as literacy at or below the 8th grade level.

What matters: Factors impacting the recovery process among outpatient mental health service users.

Objective: Understanding factors that promote and hinder the recovery process for people living with serious mental illness remains of critical importance. We examine factors, including limited literacy, associated with mental health recovery among public mental health service users.

Method: This study uses data from a mixed-methods, service-user informed project focused on the impact of limited literacy in the lives of people with serious mental illness.

An R package for correcting continuous water quality monitoring data for drift.

Continuous water quality monitoring ins- truments are used to understand the chemical and physical behaviors of aquatic environments over time. However, the data generated from these instruments are susceptible to inaccuracies due to drift that can occur between site visits. While there are several software packages available to correct drift in water quality data, these packages are often proprietary, expensive, and/or do not offer the user control over the data corrections.

Emergency medical services and "psych calls": Examining the work of urban EMS providers.

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics form the backbone of the United States' Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system. Despite the frequent involvement of EMS with people with mental health and substance abuse problems, the nature and content of this work, as well as how EMS providers think about this work, have not been fully explored. Using data obtained through observations and interviews with providers at an urban American EMS agency, this paper provides an analysis of the ways in which EMS providers interact with people with mental illness and substance abuse problems, as well as providers' experiences with the mental health care system.

The need for trauma-sensitive language use in literacy and health literacy screening instruments.

The authors recently began a research study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, aimed at increasing the understanding of the ways in which limited literacy affects the lives of people with serious mental illness. In preparing for the study, the authors reviewed many health literacy screens and assessments for their appropriateness in public urban mental health settings. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, perhaps the most frequently used assessments of health literacy, involve assessments that include lists of words that the test-taker must choose from or read.