Publications by authors named "Walden A"

Background: Medical record abstraction (MRA) is a commonly used method for data collection in clinical research, but is prone to error, and the influence of quality control (QC) measures is seldom and inconsistently assessed during the course of a study. We employed a novel, standardized MRA-QC framework as part of an ongoing observational study in an effort to control MRA error rates. In order to assess the effectiveness of our framework, we compared our error rates against traditional MRA studies that had not reported using formalized MRA-QC methods.

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Background: In clinical research, prevention of data errors is paramount to ensuring reproducibility of trial results and the safety and efficacy of the resulting interventions. Over the last 40 years, empirical assessments of data accuracy in clinical research have been reported, however, there has been little systematic synthesis of these results. Although notable exceptions exist, little evidence exists regarding the relative accuracy of different data processing methods.

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Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parent and child COVID-19 immunization series completion using vaccine records.

Methods: A cross-sectional chart review was performed on parent and child patients at the Albany Medical Center Internal Medicine and Pediatrics practice. Patient and parent demographic data, COVID-19 immunization status, and health care worker status was collected.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated the prevalence of vestibular disorders in patients with COVID-19 compared to those without the virus using data from the National COVID Cohort Collaborative database.
  • Results showed that individuals with COVID-19 were significantly more likely to experience vestibular disorders, with the highest risk associated with the omicron 23A variant (OR of 8.80).
  • The findings underscore the need for further research on the long-term effects of vestibular disorders in COVID-19 patients and implications for patient counseling.
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Problems with schools' indoor-air quality are common, and they can cause health problems to adolescents. However, no previous research has examined how adolescents make sense of such contaminated socio-material environments or what kinds of agency those environments afford. Taking an ecological psychology perspective informed by frame analysis, we analysed longitudinal focus group interviews with adolescents in a Finnish school with longstanding indoor-air problems.

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Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) poses a significant maternal health challenge. The current approach to detecting PPD relies on in-person postpartum visits, which contributes to underdiagnosis. Furthermore, recognizing PPD symptoms can be challenging.

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Nursing staff, healthcare assistants (HCAs) and other healthcare professionals on the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) at Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) were taught a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) skill during a twenty minute session. Practitioners learned how to take bladder volume measurements with the Butterfly iQ, a portable ultrasound device which provides a visually-aided method of volume measurement. A Likert scale was used to measure the confidence that staff had in performing volume measurements with the AMU automated scanners, and with the semi-automated Butterfly iQ.

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  • The study focuses on improving patient monitoring after discharge from Intensive Care Units (ICUs) by developing an enhanced scoring system that predicts adverse events using ongoing vital signs and an initial risk score from ICU discharge.
  • A modified Delphi process helped identify relevant variables from electronic records, and a logistic regression model estimated the risk of complications, combining static and dynamic scoring to provide continuous updates on patient risk.
  • Validation of the scoring system demonstrated its effectiveness in predicting ICU readmissions or in-hospital deaths within 24 hours, outperforming existing scoring systems like the National Early Warning Score (EWS).
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The National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) is a public-private-government partnership established during the Coronavirus pandemic to create a centralized data resource called the "N3C data enclave." This resource contains individual-level health data from participating healthcare sites nationwide to support rapid collaborative analytics. N3C has enabled analytics within a cloud-based enclave of data from electronic health records from over 17 million people (with and without COVID-19) in the USA.

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Background: In clinical research, prevention of systematic and random errors of data collected is paramount to ensuring reproducibility of trial results and the safety and efficacy of the resulting interventions. Over the last 40 years, empirical assessments of data accuracy in clinical research have been reported in the literature. Although there have been reports of data error and discrepancy rates in clinical studies, there has been little systematic synthesis of these results.

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The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) is a widely used resource that comprehensively organizes and defines the phenotypic features of human disease, enabling computational inference and supporting genomic and phenotypic analyses through semantic similarity and machine learning algorithms. The HPO has widespread applications in clinical diagnostics and translational research, including genomic diagnostics, gene-disease discovery, and cohort analytics. In recent years, groups around the world have developed translations of the HPO from English to other languages, and the HPO browser has been internationalized, allowing users to view HPO term labels and in many cases synonyms and definitions in ten languages in addition to English.

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  • Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 1 in 7 women and is often missed due to reliance on in-person visits for detection.
  • A study explored using digital biomarkers from consumer wearables to identify PPD, showing that machine learning models can effectively distinguish between different stages related to pregnancy and postpartum mental health.
  • The key finding was that calories burned from the basal metabolic rate were the most predictive of PPD, with individualized machine learning models outperforming traditional methods, suggesting a new, effective approach for early detection of the condition.
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The Deadly Liver Mob (DLM) is a peer-delivered incentivised health promotion program by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and was introduced in response to the disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who are impacted by blood borne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The goal of the program is to increase access to BBV and STI education, screening, treatment, and vaccination in recognition and response to the systemic barriers that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face in accessing health care. This commentary introduces a series of papers that report on various aspects of the evaluation of the Deadly Liver Mob (DLM) program.

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Background And Objectives: Ageism is oftentimes sugarcoated within humor. Paper birthday cards are 1 delivery approach in which ageist messages are perpetuated and reinforced through humor.

Research Design And Methods: A convenience sample of birthday cards (k = 227), all indicating a decade of age, were acquired from 7 national retail stores in Colorado Springs, CO.

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Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are disproportionately impacted by blood-borne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmissible infections (STIs). Stigma remains one of the key barriers to testing and treatment for BBVs and STIs, particularly among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Deadly Liver Mob (DLM) is a peer-delivered incentivised health promotion program by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

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Article Synopsis
  • * These guidelines emphasize the importance of enhanced care units that allow for better monitoring and nursing support, while clarifying that they are not substitutes for critical care services.
  • * The guidance incorporates insights from various medical organizations and will be updated over time as more evidence and understanding in this area develop.
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Background: Medical record abstraction (MRA) is a commonly used method for data collection in clinical research, but is prone to error, and the influence of quality control (QC) measures is seldom and inconsistently assessed during the course of a study. We employed a novel, standardized MRA-QC framework as part of an ongoing observational study in an effort to control MRA error rates. In order to assess the effectiveness of our framework, we compared our error rates against traditional MRA studies that had not reported using formalized MRA-QC methods.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to understand site readiness for eSource software, which automates the transfer of patient data into clinical study forms, as there is limited evidence on choosing suitable sites for eSource multi-center studies.
  • - Researchers conducted an eSource site readiness survey with 61 participants from various clinical roles, identifying that key data categories like medication and vital signs were prioritized for automation, yet only 21% of sites utilized certain data exchange standards.
  • - Findings suggest that readiness for eSource studies is influenced by not only technical capabilities but also organizational priorities and the support of clinical research functions, highlighting the need for a comprehensive assessment of site readiness.
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  • - The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of strong leadership and administration in Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program hubs to effectively respond to health crises.
  • - CTSA hubs had to rapidly adapt to virtual setups while ensuring team safety and supporting program operations, showcasing the critical role of leadership during unexpected challenges.
  • - The experience highlighted the significance of emergency planning, suggesting that lessons learned could help organizations improve their ability to handle future emergencies and maintain operational readiness.
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Children have historically been underrepresented in randomized controlled trials and multi-center studies. This is particularly true for children who reside in rural and underserved areas. Conducting multi-center trials in rural areas presents unique informatics challenges.

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An increasing number of studies have reported using natural language processing (NLP) to assist observational research by extracting clinical information from electronic health records (EHRs). Currently, no standardized reporting guidelines for NLP-assisted observational studies exist. The absence of detailed reporting guidelines may create ambiguity in the use of NLP-derived content, knowledge gaps in the current research reporting practices, and reproducibility challenges.

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Background: To compare academic proficiency among children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) versus controls and identify predictors of academic performance among children with CDH.

Methods: Infants born with CDH in Arkansas, 2000-2005, were identified from the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System. For each case, two controls were selected from birth certificate data and matched for hospital and month of birth, sex, and race/ethnicity.

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