How can artificial intelligence decrease cognitive and work burden for front line practitioners?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to improve the cognitive and work burden of clinicians across a range of clinical activities, which could lead to reduced burnout and better clinical care. The recent explosion of generative AI nicely illustrates this potential. Developers and organizations deploying AI have a responsibility to ensure AI is designed and implemented with end-user input, has mechanisms to identify and potentially reduce bias, and that the impact on cognitive and work burden is measured, monitored, and improved.

Leveraging technology in public-private partnerships: a model to address public health inequities.

Long-standing inequities in healthcare access and outcomes exist for underserved populations. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are where the government and a private entity jointly invest in the provision of public services. Using examples from the Health Equity Consortium (HEC), we describe how technology was used to facilitate collaborations between public and private entities to address health misinformation, reduce vaccine hesitancy, and increase access to primary care services across various underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Essential Role of Technology in the Public Health Battle Against COVID-19.

Technology has played an important role in responding to the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and subsequent COVID-19 pandemic. The virus's blend of lethality and transmissibility have challenged officials and exposed critical limitations of the traditional public health apparatus. However, throughout this pandemic, technology has answered the call for a new form of public health that illustrates opportunities for enhanced agility, scale, and responsiveness.

Relationship between organizational factors and performance among pay-for-performance hospitals.

Background: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)/Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) project aims to improve clinical performance through a pay-for-performance program. We conducted this study to identify the key organizational factors associated with higher performance.

Methods: An investigator-blinded, structured telephone survey of eligible hospitals' (N = 92) quality improvement (QI) leaders was conducted among HQID hospitals in the top 2 or bottom 2 deciles submitting performance measure data from October 2004 to September 2005.

In-hospital observation after antibiotic switch in pneumonia: a national evaluation.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical benefit of in-hospital observation after the switch from intravenous (IV) to oral antibiotics in a large Medicare population. Retrospective studies of relatively small size indicate that the practice of in-hospital observation after the switch from IV to oral antibiotics for patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is unnecessary.

Methods: We performed a retrospective examination of the US Medicare National Pneumonia Project database.

Extramammary Paget's disease resistant to surgery and imiquimod monotherapy but responsive to imiquimod combination topical chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and retinoic acid: a case report.

Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is an uncommon skin neoplasm that usually affects the elderly population and occurs in the genital, anorectal, or axillary areas. The recommended treatment of EMPD involves surgical excision, including Mohs micrographic surgery; however, surgery is associated with a high rate of recurrence. There have been reports of successful treatment of recurrence with monochemotherapy involving topical imiquimod 5% cream.

Meta-analysis: angiotensin-receptor blockers in chronic heart failure and high-risk acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The role of angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) in treating patients with chronic heart failure and high-risk acute myocardial infarction (MI) has been controversial, and recent clinical trials provide more information on this topic.

Purpose: To quantify the effect of ARBs when compared with placebo (with and without background angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors) and ACE inhibitors on all-cause mortality and heart failure hospitalizations in patients with chronic heart failure and high-risk acute MI.

Data Sources: Data from original research published through 13 November 2003.

Prevalence and outcomes of anemia in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus: a systematic review of the literature.

In patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), anemia is a commonly encountered hematologic abnormality that has a significant impact on clinical outcomes and quality of life (QOL). This review describes the prevalence of anemia in several populations of patients with HIV and the effects of anemia on survival, morbidity, disease progression, transfusion requirements, and QOL. The prevalence of anemia in HIV disease varies considerably, ranging from 1.

Cost analysis of switching from i.v. vancomycin to p.o. linezolid for the management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species.

Background: Infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species (MRSS) are associated with higher treatment costs than infections with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus species in the United States--partly because of an increased length of hospital stay (LOS).

Objective: This study used pharmacoeconomic modeling to evaluate the costs and outcomes associated with the use of i.v.

Early switch and early discharge opportunities in intravenous vancomycin treatment of suspected methicillin-resistant staphylococcal species infections.

Background: Patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS) infections are usually treated with intravenous (IV) vancomycin and remain hospitalized for the duration of IV therapy. Oral linezolid has excellent bioavailability and activity against MRSA and MR-CoNS and offers the potential for outpatient treatment of MRSA and MR-CoNS infections.

Objective: To determine the potential for early switch (ES) from IV vancomycin to oral linezolid and subsequent early discharge (ED) in hospitalized, adult patients treated for an MRSA or MR-CoNS infection.

Association between protease inhibitor use and increased cardiovascular risk in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus: a systematic review.

Some studies have shown that currently available protease inhibitors (PIs) are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We have systematically reviewed the published literature and conference abstracts for studies evaluating cardiovascular risk factors and events in patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy, with and without PIs. The majority of studies showed that the use of PIs was associated with increased levels of total cholesterol (36 [75%] of 48 studies), triglycerides (35 [73%] of 48 studies), and low-density lipoprotein (12 [100%] of 12 studies).

Azithromycin monotherapy for patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia: a 31/2-year experience from a veterans affairs hospital.

Background: Current American Thoracic Society (ATS) community-acquired pneumonia treatment guidelines recommend azithromycin monotherapy for a limited subset of hospitalized patients. We evaluated the effectiveness of azithromycin monotherapy in a more generalized population of patients hospitalized with mild-to-moderate community-acquired pneumonia.

Methods: We reviewed medical records from a Veterans Affairs facility for patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia between December 1, 1997, and June 30, 2001, comparing those receiving azithromycin monotherapy, other ATS-recommended antibiotics, and non-ATS-recommended antibiotics.

Comparing quality of care for sexually transmitted diseases in specialized and general clinics.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare quality of care for patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in specialized vs. general clinics.

Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective chart review evaluating compliance with a set of STD-related process of care quality indicators for adult patients seen in six Los Angeles County clinics (two STD specialized clinics and four general medical clinics).