Background: Improving hypertension control is a public health priority. However, consistent identification of uncontrolled hypertension using computable definitions in electronic health records (EHR) across health systems remains uncertain.
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we applied two computable definitions to the EHR data to identify patients with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension and to evaluate differences in characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes between these patient populations.
Background: Dietary acid load seems to be associated with psychological disorders through several mechanisms, and may barricade their treatment and recovery. The aim of current study was to evaluate the relationship between dietary acid load, using potential renal acid load (PRAL) and dietary acid load (DAL) scores, with the severity of depression and anxiety among Iranian adults.
Methods: A total of 6531 participants aged 35-65 years were recruited in this cross-sectional study.
Background: Improving hypertension control is a public health priority. However, uncertainty remains regarding the optimal way to identify patients with uncontrolled hypertension using electronic health records (EHR) data.
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we applied computable definitions to the EHR data to identify patients with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension and to evaluate differences in characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes between these patient populations.
Importance: The ThermoCool SmartTouch catheter (ablation catheter with contact force and 6-hole irrigation [CF-I6]) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation and used in routine clinical practice for persistent AF ablation, although clinical outcomes for this indication are unknown. There is a need to understand whether data from routine clinical practice can be used to conduct regulatory-grade evaluations and support label expansions.
Objective: To use health system data to compare the safety and effectiveness of the CF-I6 catheter for persistent AF ablation with the ThermoCool SmartTouch SurroundFlow catheter (ablation catheter with contact force and 56-hole irrigation [CF-I56]), which is approved by the FDA for this indication.
Introduction: Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is effective at treating chronic insomnia, yet in-person CBT-I can often be challenging to access. Prior studies have used technology to bridge barriers but have been unable to extensively assess the impact of the digital therapeutic on real-world patient experience and multidimensional outcomes. Among patients with insomnia, our aim is to determine the impact of a prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) (PEAR-003b, FDA-authorised as Somryst; herein called PDT) that provides mobile-delivered CBT-I on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and healthcare utilisation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Personal digital devices that provide health information, such as the Apple Watch, have developed an increasing array of cardiopulmonary tracking features which have received regulatory clearance and are directly marketed to consumers. Despite their widespread and increasing use, data about the impact of personal digital device use on patient-reported outcomes and healthcare utilisation are sparse. Among a population of patients with atrial fibrillation and/or atrial flutter undergoing cardioversion, our primary aim is to determine the impact of the heart rate measurement, irregular rhythm notification, and ECG features of the Apple Watch on quality of life and healthcare utilisation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To determine the feasibility of using real-world data to assess the safety and effectiveness of two cardiac ablation catheters for the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation and ischaemic ventricular tachycardia.
Design: Retrospective cohort.
Setting: Three health systems in the USA.
Acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmission within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays an important modulatory role to support mPFC-dependent cognitive functions. This role is mediated by ACh activation of its nicotinic (nAChR) and muscarinic (mAChR) classes of receptors, which are both present on mPFC layer VI pyramidal neurons. While the expression and function of nAChRs have been characterized thoroughly for rodent mPFC layer VI neurons during postnatal development, mAChRs have not been characterized in detail.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs a component of the US Army's Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program (CSF2), the Global Assessment Tool (GAT) represents a multidimensional constellation of measures designed to assess characteristics related to resilience. Using a foundation of validated measures from prior research, the GAT has been the vehicle for self-assessment to provide Soldiers, their families, and Army Civilians snapshots of their psychosocial wellness. Despite the long history of the measurement instrument (first implemented in 2009) and widespread use (mandatory for all active-duty Soldiers annually), the longitudinal capabilities of the GAT has received little attention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The study sought to conduct an informatics analysis on the National Evaluation System for Health Technology Coordinating Center test case of cardiac ablation catheters and to demonstrate the role of informatics approaches in the feasibility assessment of capturing real-world data using unique device identifiers (UDIs) that are fit for purpose for label extensions for 2 cardiac ablation catheters from the electronic health records and other health information technology systems in a multicenter evaluation.
Materials And Methods: We focused on data capture and transformation and data quality maturity model specified in the National Evaluation System for Health Technology Coordinating Center data quality framework. The informatics analysis included 4 elements: the use of UDIs for identifying device exposure data, the use of standardized codes for defining computable phenotypes, the use of natural language processing for capturing unstructured data elements from clinical data systems, and the use of common data models for standardizing data collection and analyses.
The objective of the study was to measure implementation of telehealth for client consultations from Allied Health and Community Health clinicians' perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purposeful sampling was used to invite allied and community health clinicians to complete the survey. An online survey design, underpinned by normalisation process theory, utilising the NoMAD tool, which consists of 19 implementation assessment items.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
January 2021
Women are predicted to be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased carer responsibilities, loss of income, worry about the virus and a predominantly female healthcare workforce. Whilst there is emerging evidence that negative mental health impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may be more pronounced for women than men, less attention has focussed on changes to health behaviours and health seeking experienced by women. Similarly, the impact of the pandemic in rural areas has not been investigated in detail.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile quality programs have been shown to improve provider compliance, few have demonstrated conclusive improvements in patient outcomes. We hypothesized that there would be increased metric compliance and decreased postoperative complications after initiation of an anesthesiology quality improvement program at our institution. We performed a retrospective study of all adult inpatients having anesthesia for a twelve-month period that spanned six months before and after program implementation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfect Dis Health
February 2021
Background: World-wide antimicrobial resistance is increasing, and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions aimed at increasing compliance with optimal antimicrobial prescribing are essential in tackling this issue. Local level research about antimicrobial use is important to tailor interventions in a place-based approach to solve local level problems.
Methods: As part of a broader mixed methods study, Medical Practitioners and Senior Nurses at three rural health services were invited by email to participate in interviews to explore opinions and practices of antimicrobial prescribing.
Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) is a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Sirolimus plus tacrolimus is an accepted regimen for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, with both agents implicated as risk factors for SOS. We analyzed 260 consecutive patients who underwent allogeneic HSCT following myeloablative conditioning using total body irradiation (TBI)-based (n = 151) or chemotherapy only (n = 109) regimens, with sirolimus plus tacrolimus for GVHD prophylaxis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRural Remote Health
November 2019
Introduction: Lifelong health behaviour habits are often consolidated in adolescence, with primary health care an important element of current and future health and wellbeing. Barriers to adolescent primary healthcare access are complex and include social, behavioural and geographical issues as well as organisational and systemic barriers.
Method: This article describes the first year of implementation of a Doctors in Secondary School program in a rural setting in Victoria, Australia.
Background: There are staff shortages nation-wide in residential aged care, which is only predicted to grow as the population ages in Australia. The aged care staff shortage is compounded in rural and remote areas where the health service workforce overall experiences difficulties in recruitment and retention. There is evidence that nurse practitioners fill important service gaps in aged care and rural health care but also evidence that barriers exist in introducing this extended practice role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examined whether a history of beneficial social learning experiences affects social partner preferences in laboratory mice (Mus musculus) and whether observer mice acquire adaptive model-based social learning strategies through associative learning. We tested whether observers would come to socially prefer demonstrators who provide beneficial information through the social transmission of food preference (STFP), over demonstrators who do not; and whether they would preferentially attend to and learn from such demonstrators. Observers were given repeated exposures to two demonstrators who differed in whether or not they consistently provided beneficial information (which increased observers' ingestion of food via the STFP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Minimization of postoperative complications is important in patients with cancer. We wished to improve compliance with anesthesiology quality measures through staff education reinforced with automated monthly feedback.
Methods: The anesthesiology department implemented a program to capture and report quality metrics.
Progressive aged care reforms are shifting dementia care into the community. These efforts have been shown to prevent transition to residential aged care facilities and hospitals. There is a paucity of studies examining the utilisation of home care services for people living with dementia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe competitive threshold collision-induced dissociation technique is used to examine conformational effects on the relative gas-phase acidities of selected alcohols. By use of HF and HO as reference acids in a local thermochemical network to obtain absolute acidities, the measured 0 K gas-phase acidities for the propanol and pentanol isomers are Δ H(CHCHCHO-H) = 1563.9 ± 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContribution to Special Issue on Fast effects of steroids. Estrogens affect learning and memory through rapid and delayed mechanisms. Here we review studies on rapid effects on short-term memory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTandem autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) improves long-term survival of platinum-refractory germ cell tumors (GCT) patients. Studies, predominantly in lymphoma, showed that CD34 cell doses > 5.0 × 10/kg/single transplant led to decreased resource utilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the simplest alkylperoxy radical, CHOO, formed by reacting photolytically generated CH radicals with O, using the new combustion reactions followed by photoelectron photoion coincidence (CRF-PEPICO) apparatus at the Swiss Light Source. Modeling the experimental photoion mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectrum using Franck-Condon simulations including transitions to triplet and singlet cationic states yielded the adiabatic ionization energy of 10.265 ± 0.
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