Background: Interest in the use of social network analysis (SNA) in healthcare research has increased, but there has been little methodological research on how to choose the name generators that are often used to collect primary data on the social connection between individuals for SNA.
Objective: We sought to determine a minimum set of name generators sufficient to distinguish the social networks of a target population of physicians active in quality improvement (QI).
Methods: We conducted a pilot survey including 8 name generators in a convenience sample of 25 physicians active in QI to characterize their social networks. We used multidimensional scaling to determine what subset of these name generators was needed to distinguish these social networks.
Results: We found that some physicians maintain a social network organized around a specific colleague who performed multiple roles while others maintained highly differentiated networks. We found that a set of 5 of the 8 name generators we used was needed to distinguish the networks of these physicians.
Conclusions: Beyond methodology for selecting name generators, our findings suggest that QI networks may require 5 or more generators to elicit valid sets of relevant actors and relations in this target population.
AbstractIn many species, individuals are embedded in a network of kin with whom they interact. Interactions between kin can affect survival and fertility rates and thus the life history of individuals. These interactions indirectly affect both the network of kin and the dynamics of the population.
Jennifer S. Tinman, MPH, is a PhD student, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
The intersections of HIV with aging, incarceration, and racial disparities have been well studied, but little is known about the lived incarceration experiences of older African American persons living with HIV. This phenomenological study examined the fear of HIV disclosure among older African Americans living in Kentucky who have experienced incarceration. Based on the interviews analyzed, five main themes were identified: experiences with fear, experiences pertaining to confidentiality, experiences with disclosure, experiences with stigma, and the desire to be accepted.
Paediatric critical care units are designed for children at a vulnerable stage of development, yet the evidence base for practice and policy in paediatric critical care remains scarce. In this Health Policy, we present a roadmap providing strategic guidance for international paediatric critical care trials. We convened a multidisciplinary group of 32 paediatric critical care experts from six continents representing paediatric critical care research networks and groups.
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated health inequities worldwide. While several studies have examined the impact of individual social factors on COVID infection, our objective was to examine how interactions of social factors were associated with the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the first two years of the pandemic.
Study Design And Setting: We conducted an observational cohort study using linked health administrative data for Ontarians tested for SARS-CoV-2 between January 1st, 2020, and December 31st, 2021.
The unquestionable importance of social networks as a means of communication in the 21st century leads us to analyze the behavior of a sample of X accounts representing people and firms who have shown a link with the world of economics at an international level. We analyze these agents in-depth and their behavior in this social network. We conclude that significant differences exist in how women, men, and companies interact on X.
