Publications by authors named "Sandra E Loza-Avalos"
Introduction: Nationwide shelter-in-place (SIP) orders during the pandemic have had long-lasting effects, including increased rates of domestic violence and interpersonal violence. Screening for violence varies by institution, which tool is used, and when. Given increases in burn and trauma admissions over the course of the pandemic, we sought to examine trends at our institution during this time period to better guide care and anticipate system-level effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Though artificial intelligence ("AI") has been increasingly applied to patient care, many of these predictive models are retrospective and not readily available for real-time decision-making. This survey-based study aims to evaluate implementation of a new, validated mortality risk calculator (Parkland Trauma Index of Mortality, "PTIM") embedded in our electronic healthrecord ("EHR") that calculates hourly predictions of mortality with high sensitivity and specificity.
Methods: This is a prospective, survey-based study performed at a level 1 trauma center.
Article Synopsis
- Early pregnancy loss, or miscarriage, is a prevalent issue in the U.S., affecting around 1 million people each year, and can be managed through different methods like medications or surgeries that vary in patient experience, effectiveness, and cost.
- This study compared the cost-effectiveness of medical management with mifepristone and misoprostol to office uterine aspiration, analyzing data over a 30-day period and assessing factors like quality-adjusted life-years gained and costs.
- Findings indicated that while office uterine aspiration had higher efficacy in complete gestational sac expulsion (97.3% vs 83.8%), medical management was more cost-effective and resulted in higher estimated quality-adjusted life-years gained.
Objectives: Our study sought to explore and assess pediatric emergency department (ED) health care providers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding an existing intimate partner violence (IPV) screening program 4 years after initial implementation.
Methods: We used anonymous electronic surveys and telephone interviews to obtain provider perspectives using a mixed-methods analysis. We used χ2 tests to analyze the quantitative survey results, and an unstructured qualitative approach to analyze the telephone interviews.
Importance: Early pregnancy loss (EPL) is the most common complication of pregnancy. A multicenter randomized clinical trial compared 2 strategies for medical management and found that mifepristone pretreatment is 25% more effective than the standard of care, misoprostol alone. The cost of mifepristone may be a barrier to implementation of the regimen.
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