Publications by authors named "M E Stafford"

Background: One avenue to improve outcomes among brain tumor patients involves the mitigation of healthcare disparities. Investigating clinical differences among brain tumors across socioeconomic and demographic strata, such can aid in healthcare disparity identification and, by extension, outcome improvement.

Methods: Utilizing a racially diverse population from Hawaii, 323 cases of brain tumors (meningiomas, gliomas, schwannomas, pituitary adenomas, and metastases) were matched by age, sex, and race to 651 controls to investigate the associations between tumor type and various demographic, socioeconomic, and medical comorbidities.

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Objectives: To examine the relationship between ethnicity and experiences of primary care for people with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) and assess the relative importance of demographic, practice, and area-level factors as influences on primary care experiences across ethnic groups.

Study Design: A retrospective study using 2018-19 GP Patient Survey data linked to General Practice Workforce data and small area data published by the Office for National Statistics.

Methods: We conducted multilevel regression analysis to assess the relationship between ethnicity and experience of accessing primary care and interacting with healthcare professionals.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzed acute care utilization for mental health issues in eight high-income countries (Canada, England, Finland, France, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the US) from 2017 to 2020, focusing on hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits.
  • - The findings revealed significant differences in care rates; the US had the highest combined rate of acute care at 1613/100,000 people, while Finland had the lowest at 776/100,000, with France and Spain showing varying hospitalization rates.
  • - Over the COVID-19 pandemic, shifts in care settings were noted, particularly in the US where patients moved more towards inpatient settings from EDs, while Canada and France experienced overall
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Although there is evidence that Medicaid beneficiaries in the continental United States experience barriers to accessing dermatological care, limited data exists on whether these same barriers exist in Hawai'i. Using a secret shopper study design, a total of 46 dermatology offices were contacted, 41 (89%) of which were accepting new patients. Thirty (73%) offices were located on O'ahu, and the remaining 11 (27%) were distributed among the neighboring islands (Hawai'i Island, Kaua'i, Maui).

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The FDA initiated a cross-sectional, statistically based sampling and testing study to characterize the quality of marketed alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) by evaluating the alcohol content and impurities present in ABHS products manufactured by establishments that registered with the FDA during March-April 2020. A stratified sampling design divided the population of manufacturers into independent groups based on each establishment's level of experience with FDA oversight and its geographic location. ABHS products were collected and analyzed by spatially offset Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

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