Library services enriching community engagement for dementia care: The Tales & Travels Program at a Canadian Public Library as a case study.

Growing dementia-friendly library services are contributing to community-based dementia care. Emerging community programs in libraries and museums provide notable opportunities for promoting engagement and inclusivity, but these programs have yet to receive in-depth assessments and analyses to guide future research and practice. This paper presents a case study examining a social and storytelling program for people with dementia run by a Canadian public library.

COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Insured Persons Aged ≥16 Years, by Race/Ethnicity and Other Selected Characteristics - Eight Integrated Health Care Organizations, United States, December 14, 2020-May 15, 2021.

COVID-19 vaccination is critical to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of minority racial and ethnic groups have experienced disproportionate COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality (1); however, COVID-19 vaccination coverage is lower in these groups (2). CDC used data from CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD)* to assess disparities in vaccination coverage among persons aged ≥16 years by race and ethnicity during December 14, 2020-May 15, 2021.

Long-term effectiveness of zoster vaccine live for postherpetic neuralgia prevention.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) occurs in 5-30% of individuals with herpes zoster (HZ) and is characterized by long-lasting pain. Zoster vaccine live (ZVL) is licensed for people 50 years and older to prevent HZ and PHN. This study evaluated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of ZVL against PHN.

Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Effectiveness Over Time.

Objectives: To determine pertussis risk by diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccination status and time since last DTaP dose.

Methods: Children born at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between 1999 and 2016 were followed from 3 months of age until they tested positive for pertussis; disenrolled from Kaiser Permanente Northern California; received the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis, adsorbed vaccine; turned 11 years of age, or the end of the study period. DTaP vaccination status was categorized on the basis of the number of doses received in relation to the number of doses expected according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice-recommended ages.

Long-Term Effectiveness of the Live Zoster Vaccine in Preventing Shingles: A Cohort Study.

A live attenuated zoster vaccine was licensed in the United States in 2006 for prevention of shingles in persons aged 60 years or older; the indication was extended in 2011 to cover those aged 50-59 years. We assessed vaccine effectiveness (VE) against shingles for 8 years after immunization at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. VE was estimated by Cox regression with a calendar timeline that was stratified by birth year.

Effectiveness of Vaccination During Pregnancy to Prevent Infant Pertussis.

Background: Vaccination against pertussis during pregnancy is recommended to protect newborns, yet there is limited information about the effectiveness of maternal tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine before the first infant dose of diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine and during the first year of life in infants who have received DTaP.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study of infants born at Kaiser Permanente Northern California from 2010 to 2015, we estimated the effectiveness of maternal pertussis vaccination for protecting newborns against pertussis in the first 2 months of life and in the first year of life accounting for each infant DTaP dose.

Results: Among 148 981 newborns, the vaccine effectiveness of maternal Tdap was 91.

Waning protection following 5 doses of a 3-component diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine.

Background: The effectiveness of diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccines wanes substantially after the 5 dose given at ages 4-6years, but has not been described following 5 doses of the same type of DTaP vaccine. We investigated waning effectiveness against pertussis in California over nearly 10years, which included large pertussis outbreaks, following 5 doses of GSK DTaP vaccines (DTaP).

Methods: We conducted a case-control study (NCT02447978) of children who received 5 doses of DTaP at Kaiser Permanente Northern California from 01/2006 through 03/2015.

Waning Tdap Effectiveness in Adolescents.

Background And Objective: Because the effectiveness of diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine wanes substantially after the fifth dose at ages 4 to 6 years, there is a growing cohort of adolescents who rely on tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) for protection against pertussis. Yet despite high Tdap vaccine coverage among adolescents, California experienced large pertussis outbreaks in 2010 and 2014. We investigated Tdap vaccine effectiveness (VE) and waning within Kaiser Permanente Northern California among adolescents exclusively vaccinated with DTaP vaccines.

A characterization of clinical questions asked by rehabilitation therapists.

Objective: This study explored the information needs of rehabilitation therapists (occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists) working with patients who have had strokes in order to characterize their clinical questions, defined as their formalized information needs arising in the context of everyday clinical practice.

Methods: The researchers took a constructivist, interpretive approach, in which fifteen rehabilitation therapists working in various settings were recruited. Data were gathered using diaries, followed by diary-guided interviews, and thematically analyzed using template analysis.

Effectiveness of pertussis vaccines for adolescents and adults: case-control study.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of reduced acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines in adolescents and adults.

Setting: Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

Design: Case-control study.

Comparative effectiveness of acellular versus whole-cell pertussis vaccines in teenagers.

Background: During the 1990s, the United States switched from combined diphtheria, tetanus toxoids, whole-cell pertussis (DTwP) vaccines to combined acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccines because of safety concerns. After a 2010-2011 pertussis outbreak, we sought to evaluate whether disease risk in 10 to 17 year olds differed between those who previously received DTwP from those who received DTaP.

Methods: A case-control study among individuals born from 1994 to 1999 who received 4 pertussis-containing vaccines during the first 2 years of life at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC).

Waning protection after fifth dose of acellular pertussis vaccine in children.

Background: In the United States, children receive five doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine before 7 years of age. The duration of protection after five doses of DTaP is unknown.

Methods: We assessed the risk of pertussis in children in California relative to the time since the fifth dose of DTaP from 2006 to 2011.

Safety of Zostavax™--a cohort study in a managed care organization.

Background: Zostavax™ is a live, attenuated varicella-zoster virus vaccine indicated for the prevention of herpes zoster (shingles). An observational post-licensure (Phase IV) study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), a US managed care organization, to assess the safety of zoster vaccine in people 60 years of age or older, vaccinated in routine medical care.

Methods: We performed a cohort study, comparing rates of clinical events resulting in hospitalizations or emergency department visits in a 42-day risk time period immediately following vaccination with rates in the same cohort in a subsequent comparison time period.

A postmarketing evaluation of the safety of Ann Arbor strain live attenuated influenza vaccine in adults 18-49 years of age.

Background: The Ann Arbor strain-live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) was licensed in 2003 for use in the United States for individuals aged 5-49 years of age. As part of a postmarketing commitment to safety, LAIV was studied in adults 18-49 years participating in the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan over 5 influenza seasons.

Methods: Individuals received LAIV as part of routine care from October 2003 through March 2008.

A postmarketing evaluation of the safety of Ann Arbor strain live attenuated influenza vaccine in children 5 through 17 years of age.

Background: Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) was licensed in 2003 in the United States for use in individuals aged 5-49 years.

Methods: A prospective observational postmarketing study was conducted to evaluate the safety of LAIV. Rates of medically attended events (MAEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) in eligible children aged 5-17 years receiving LAIV as part of routine care from October 2003 to March 2008 were compared with rates in nonrandomized self, matched unvaccinated, and matched trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV)-vaccinated controls.

Combining classifiers for robust PICO element detection.

Background: Formulating a clinical information need in terms of the four atomic parts which are Population/Problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome (known as PICO elements) facilitates searching for a precise answer within a large medical citation database. However, using PICO defined items in the information retrieval process requires a search engine to be able to detect and index PICO elements in the collection in order for the system to retrieve relevant documents.

Methods: In this study, we tested multiple supervised classification algorithms and their combinations for detecting PICO elements within medical abstracts.

Clinical information behavior of rehabilitation therapists: a review of the research on occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists.

Objectives: The review sought to synthesize existing research relevant to rehabilitation therapists' clinical information behavior and to identify gaps in evidence, particularly in comparison to what is already known about the information behavior of other health professionals, such as physicians.

Methods: A literature review was conducted of both quantitative and qualitative research studies that included information on the clinical information behavior of occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists. Findings were organized according to a taxonomy of variables derived from the literature.

Seven reasons why health professionals search clinical information-retrieval technology (CIRT): toward an organizational model.

Rationale And Aim: Clinical Information-Retrieval Technology (CIRT) is increasingly used, for example in accessing drug databases. However, no comprehensive framework exists to understand why health professionals search for information using CIRT. The present article aims to propose such organizational framework.

Can disease management reduce health care costs by improving quality?

Disease management (DM) promises to achieve cost savings by improving the quality of care for chronic diseases. During the past decade the Permanente Medical Group in Northern California has implemented extensive DM programs. Examining quality indicators, utilization, and costs for 1996-2002 for adults with four conditions, we find evidence of substantial quality improvement but not cost savings.