Development and validation of computable social phenotypes for health-related social needs.

Objective: Measurement of health-related social needs (HRSNs) is complex. We sought to develop and validate computable phenotypes (CPs) using structured electronic health record (EHR) data for food insecurity, housing instability, financial insecurity, transportation barriers, and a composite-type measure of these, using human-defined rule-based and machine learning (ML) classifier approaches.

Materials And Methods: We collected HRSN surveys as the reference standard and obtained EHR data from 1550 patients in 3 health systems from 2 states.

A Clinical Decision Support System for Addressing Health-Related Social Needs in Emergency Department: Defining End User Needs and Preferences.

Background:  Health-related social needs (HRSNs) are the unmet social and economic needs (e.g., housing instability) that affect individuals' health and well-being.

Dietary intake of isoflavones and coumestrol and risk of pancreatic cancer in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening trial.

Background: Although phytoestrogens modulated pancreatic tumour growth in experimental studies, it remains unclear whether phytoestrogen intake is associated with pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Of 92,278 persons who completed the Diet History Questionnaire in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, 346 were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within a median follow-up of 9.4 years.

Preliminary findings regarding the association between patient demographics and ED experience scores across a regional health system: A cross sectional study using natural language processing of patient comments.

Objective: Existing literature shows associations between patient demographics and reported experiences of care, but this relationship is poorly understood. Our objective was to use natural language processing of patient comments to gain insight into associations between patient demographics and experiences of care.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 14,848 unique emergency department (ED) patient visits from 1/1/2020 to 12/31/2020.

Performance of Dysmorphology-Based Screening for Genetic Disorders in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Supports Wider Genetic Testing.

Background: Dysmorphology evaluation is important for congenital heart disease (CHD) assessment, but there are no prior investigations quantifying the screening performance compared to standardized genetics evaluations. We investigated this through systematic dysmorphology assessment in CHD patients with standardized genetic testing in primarily pediatric patients with CHD.

Methods: Dysmorphology evaluations preceding genetic testing results allowed us to test for associations between dysmorphic status and genetic diagnoses while adjusting for extracardiac anomalies (ECAs).

Standards of care for peripheral intravenous catheters: evidence-based expert consensus.

Background: The insertion of a PIVC is the most commonly performed invasive procedure in healthcare. Despite its frequency in placement in hospitalized patients, PIVCs are generally perceived as being safe; however, the prevalence of failure ranges from 35%-50%. Additionally, complications are common and often deemed 'acceptable' by clinicians.

Comparing the performance of screening surveys versus predictive models in identifying patients in need of health-related social need services in the emergency department.

Background: Health-related social needs (HRSNs), such as housing instability, food insecurity, and financial strain, are increasingly prevalent among patients. Healthcare organizations must first correctly identify patients with HRSNs to refer them to appropriate services or offer resources to address their HRSNs. Yet, current identification methods are suboptimal, inconsistently applied, and cost prohibitive.

Building bridges - Fostering collaborative education in training dental informaticians.

Background: Dental informatics is an emerging discipline. Although the accreditation agency governing dental education programs asserts the importance of informatics as foundational knowledge, no well-defined dental informatics courses currently exist within the standard predoctoral dental curriculum. There is a nationwide lack of dental informatics academic programs.

Factors associated with early sexual onset and delaying sex in rural middle school youth.

Purpose: Early sexual onset contributes to poor health outcomes through the life course. We use the social behavioral model to examine the behaviors and attitudes associated with early sexual onset and the intention to delay sex in middle school youth.

Methods: Youth in rural communities with high rates of hepatitis C and HIV filled out a survey prior to implementation of an evidence-based sex education program.

Associations Between Intakes of Carotenoids and Tocopherols with Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in a Population-Based Case-Control Study.

Objective: Experimental studies suggest that carotenoids and tocopherols modulate pancreatic carcinogenesis because they have antioxidant and other functions. We investigated the associations between intakes of these compounds and the risk of pancreatic cancer in a case-control study conducted in 1994-1998.

Methods: The present analysis included 150 cases of pancreatic cancer recruited from all hospitals in the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities and Mayo Clinic and 459 controls randomly selected from the general population and frequency matched to cases by age, sex, and race.

What extraordinary times tell us about ordinary ones: A multiple case study of precariously employed food retail and service workers in two U.S. state contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disease prevention relies on a complex interplay between social context and individual behaviors. Work and the employment conditions that shape it are key domains where this interplay occurs, a reality highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore the links between employment quality and social context as drivers of disease prevention, we conducted a multiple case study of food retail and services workers during COVID-19 in two U.

Availability of behavioral health crisis care and associated changes in emergency department utilization.

Objective: To determine whether availability of behavioral health crisis care services is associated with changes in emergency department (ED) utilization.

Data Sources And Study Setting: We used longitudinal panel data (2016-2021) on ED utilization from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's State ED Databases and a novel dataset on crisis care services compiled using information from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Directories of Mental Health Treatment Facilities. A total of 1002 unique zip codes from Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, and Wisconsin were included in our analyses.

Recommendations for managing adults with chronic non-cancer pain in primary care: A systematic clinical guideline review.

Rationale: Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is a leading driver of disability. Primary care clinicians treat most patients with CNCP. Yet, they are often unable to identify appropriate pain treatments, mainly due to concerns about the safety and effectiveness of available medications.

Market Factors Associated with Comprehensive Behavioral Health Crisis Care Availability: A Resource Dependence Theory Study.

Behavioral health crisis care (BHCC) is a care delivery model for individuals experiencing acute distress related to a mental health or substance use disorder. We examined market factors associated with comprehensive BHCC availability using 2022 data on mental health treatment facilities (n = 9385) obtained from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. We aggregated facility-level data by county (n = 3142) and merged with county-level market factors.

State Laws Governing the Hiring of Public Health Government Employees, 2023.

Objective: Governmental public health agencies have experienced longstanding challenges in recruiting individuals at the state and local level. Understanding civil service laws as they relate to the hiring processes is an important component of recruitment and increasing public health workforce capacity. This study presents state hiring laws and regulations governing the public health government workforce.

Evolving availability and standardization of patient attributes for matching.

Variation in availability, format, and standardization of patient attributes across health care organizations impacts patient-matching performance. We report on the changing nature of patient-matching features available from 2010-2020 across diverse care settings. We asked 38 health care provider organizations about their current patient attribute data-collection practices.

A multi-site cultural and linguistic adaptation of a hypospadias decision aid for Latinx communities.

Introduction: Latinx, Spanish-speaking (LSS) patients are more likely to experience decisional conflict and regret about healthcare decisions than non-Hispanic, white, English-speaking patients.

Objective: To adapt the Hypospadias Hub (Hub), a rigorously developed and tested web-based decision aid (DA), for LSS parents.

Methods: Guided by the Ecological Validity Model (EVM), a heuristic framework was followed to culturally adapt the Hub (see Extended Summary Figure).

In-silico prediction of dislodgeable foliar residues and regulatory implications for plant protection products.

Background: When experimentally determined dislodgeable foliar residue (DFR) values are not available, regulatory agencies use conservative default DFR values as a first-tier approach to assess post-application dermal exposures to plant protection products (PPPs). These default values are based on a limited set of field studies, are very conservative, and potentially overestimate exposures from DFRs.

Objective: Use Random Forest to develop classification and regression-type ensemble models to predict DFR values after last application (DFR0) by considering experimentally-based variability due to differences in physical and chemical properties of PPPs, agronomic practices, crop type, and climatic conditions.

Characterizing participants who respond to text, email, phone calls, or postcards in a SARS-CoV-2 prevalence study.

Introduction: Multiple modalities and frequencies of contact are needed to maximize recruitment in many public health surveys. The purpose of this analysis is to characterize respondents to a statewide SARS-CoV-2 testing study whose participation followed either postcard, phone outreach or electronic means of invitation. In addition, we examine how participant characteristics differ based upon the number of contacts needed to elicit participation.

Observation of spectators' mask-wearing behavior at a national basketball tournament.

Rationale/purpose: 1.Mass gathering events have resumed with the availability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. However, the pandemic is ongoing and such events potentially contribute to upsurges in COVID-19 cases.

Manual Evaluation of Record Linkage Algorithm Performance in Four Real-World Datasets.

Objectives:  Patient data are fragmented across multiple repositories, yielding suboptimal and costly care. Record linkage algorithms are widely accepted solutions for improving completeness of patient records. However, studies often fail to fully describe their linkage techniques.

Health-related social needs information in the emergency department: clinician and patient perspectives on availability and use.

Background: Patient health-related social needs (HRSN) complicate care and drive poor outcomes in emergency department (ED) settings. This study sought to understand what HRSN information is available to ED physicians and staff, and how HRSN-related clinical actions may or may not align with patient expectations.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured interviews guided by HRSN literature, the 5 Rights of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) framework, and the Contextual Information Model.

State Policies Associated with Availability of Mobile Crisis Teams.

Mobile crisis teams are comprised of multidisciplinary mental health professionals that respond to mental health crisis calls in community settings. This study identified counties with mobile crisis teams and examined state policies associated with mobile crisis teams. Descriptive statistics and geographic information system software were used to quantify and map counties with mobile crisis teams in the United States.