Human factors methods in the design of digital decision support systems for population health: a scoping review.

Background: While Human Factors (HF) methods have been applied to the design of decision support systems (DSS) to aid clinical decision-making, the role of HF to improve decision-support for population health outcomes is less understood. We sought to comprehensively understand how HF methods have been used in designing digital population health DSS.

Materials And Methods: We searched English documents published in health sciences and engineering databases (Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Scopus, Comendex, Inspec, IEEE Xplore) between January 1990 and September 2023 describing the development, validation or application of HF principles to decision support tools in population health.

The impact of different imputation methods on estimates and model performance: an example using a risk prediction model for premature mortality.

Objective: To compare how different imputation methods affect the estimates and performance of a prediction model for premature mortality.

Study Design And Setting: Sex-specific Weibull accelerated failure time survival models were run on four separate datasets using complete case, mode, single and multiple imputation to impute missing values. Six performance measures were compared to access predictive accuracy (Nagelkerke R, integrated brier score), discrimination (Harrell's c-index, discrimination slope) and calibration (calibration in the large, calibration slope).

"Whatever journey you want to take, I'll support you through": a mixed methods evaluation of a peer worker program in the hospital emergency department.

Background: People who are unhoused, use substances (drugs and/or alcohol), and who have mental health conditions experience barriers to care access and are frequently confronted with discrimination and stigma in health care settings. The role of Peer Workers in addressing these gaps in a hospital-based context is not well characterized. The aim of this evaluation was to 1) outline the role of Peer Workers in the care of a marginalized populations in the emergency department; 2) characterize the impact of Peer Workers on patient care, and 3) to describe how being employed as a Peer Worker impacts the Peer.

Towards a community-driven definition of community wellbeing: A qualitative study of residents.

Background: Understanding what promotes or hinders a community's capacity to serve the priorities of its residents is essential for the alignment of citizen needs and governance. Participatory approaches that engage community residents on the topic of community wellbeing are useful methods for defining outcomes that reflect a community's goals and priorities. Using qualitative focus group methods, the aim of this study was to outline bottom-up definitions of community wellbeing from a diverse pool of community residents in Ontario, Canada.

Modelling population-level and targeted interventions of weight loss on chronic disease prevention in the Canadian population.

Obesity is a known risk factor for major chronic diseases. Prevention of chronic disease is a top global priority. The study aimed to model scenarios of population-level and targeted weight loss interventions on 10-year projected risk of chronic disease in Canada using a population-level risk prediction algorithm.

A retrospective population-based analysis of wait times for cataract surgery in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Current methods used to estimate surgical wait times in Ontario may be subject to inconsistencies and inaccuracies. In this population-level study, we aimed to estimate cataract surgery wait times in Ontario using a novel, objective and data-driven method.

Methods: We identified adults who underwent cataract surgery between 2005 and 2019 in Ontario, using administrative records.

Is life satisfaction associated with future mental health service use? An observational population-based cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the prospective association between life satisfaction and future mental health service use in: (1) hospital/emergency department, and (2) outpatient settings.

Design And Setting: Population-based cohort study of adults from Ontario, Canada. Baseline data were captured through pooled cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS 2005-2014) and linked to health administrative data for up to 5 years of follow-up.

Human factors applications in the design of decision support systems for population health: a scoping review.

Introduction: Public health professionals engage in complex cognitive tasks, often using evidence-based decision support tools to bolster their decision-making. Human factors methods take a user-centred approach to improve the design of systems, processes, and interfaces to better support planning and decision-making. While human factors methods have been applied to the design of clinical health tools, these methods are limited in the design of tools for population health.

Predictors of perceived success in quitting smoking by vaping: A machine learning approach.

Prior research has suggested that a set of unique characteristics may be associated with adult cigarette smokers who are able to quit smoking using e-cigarettes (vaping). In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to identify and rank the importance of these characteristics using machine learning. During July and August 2019, an online survey was administered to a convenience sample of 889 adult smokers (age ≥ 20) in Ontario, Canada who tried vaping to quit smoking in the past 12 months.

Relationship between sense of community belonging and self-rated health across life stages.

Background: Health interventions aimed at facilitating connectedness among seniors have recently gained traction, seeing as social connectedness is increasingly being recognized as an important determinant of health. However, research examining the association between connectedness and health across all age groups is limited, and few studies have focused on community belonging as a tangible aspect of social connectedness. Using a population-based Canadian cohort, this study aims to investigate (1) the associations between community belonging with self-rated general health and self-rated mental health, and (2) how these associations differ across life stages.

Real-World Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Smoking Cessation Aids: Time-Varying Effects.

Background: There are a limited number of studies that have examined the real-world effectiveness of smoking cessation aids and relapse longitudinally in population-representative samples. This study examines the association between use of nicotine gum, patch, bupropion, and varenicline and time to relapse as well as any changes in the association with increased length of abstinence.

Methods: Data of 1821 current adult smokers (18+) making their first serious quit attempt were compiled from 4504 individuals enrolled in the Ontario Tobacco Survey, a representative telephone survey of Ontario adults, which followed smokers every 6 months for up to 3 years.

Health professional advice, use of medications and smoking cessation: A population-based prospective cohort study.

Introduction: The mediating role of cessation medications in the association between health professional advice and quitting behaviors is unclear.

Methods: Data were from the Ontario Tobacco Survey longitudinal study, collected between July 2005 and June 2011 in Ontario, Canada. The analytic sample included 3437 baseline smokers who were seen by health professionals during follow-up.

Association between use of contraband tobacco and smoking cessation outcomes: a population-based cohort study.

Background: High tobacco prices, typically achieved through taxation, are an evidence-based strategy to reduce tobacco use. However, the presence of inexpensive contraband tobacco could undermine this effective intervention by providing an accessible alternative to quitting. We assessed whether the use of contraband tobacco negatively affects smoking cessation outcomes.

Young adult smoking cessation: predictors of quit attempts and abstinence.

We examined young adult smoking cessation behaviors, coding cessation behavior as no attempt, quit attempt (< 30 days), or abstinence (≥ 30 days) during follow-up from July 2005 through December 2008, observed in 592 young adult smokers from the Ontario Tobacco Survey. One in 4 young adults made an attempt; 14% obtained 30-day abstinence. Cessation resources, prior attempts, and intention predicted quit attempts, whereas high self-efficacy, using resources, having support, and low addiction predicted abstinence, indicating that young adult smokers require effective and appropriate cessation resources.

Transitions in smoking status over time in a population-based panel study of smokers.

Introduction: Few studies have examined the transitions of smokers in the general population through multiple periods of daily, occasional smoking, or abstinence over time. Transitions from daily to occasional smoking are particularly of interest as these may be steps toward cessation.

Methods: The Ontario Tobacco Survey panel study followed 4,355 baseline smokers, semiannually for up to 3 years.

Efficient screening of current smoking status in recruitment of smokers for population-based research.

Population-based samples of smokers are necessary for tobacco behavior monitoring and surveillance and for evaluating tobacco control programs and policies. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of a simple, one-question screener as a tool to maximize efficiency of obtaining a population representative sample of current smokers. This analysis was based on 5,002 respondents from the Ontario Tobacco Survey (OTS), a regionally stratified longitudinal survey of adult smokers and cross-sectional survey of nonsmokers in Ontario, Canada.