Globally, forecasting is rapidly gaining acceptance in healthcare and its use in public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic has been beneficial to improve emergency preparedness and response towards the pandemic, particularly during the early and peak phases.
Despite these benefits, forecasting capacity, largely in terms of expertise and support systems, remains significantly limited in Africa, where the burden of public health emergencies is highest.
Given the syndemics understanding of public health emergencies as extended by the COVID-19 pandemic, we shared our viewpoint on the need to develop a sustainable forecasting capacity in the African region for better health and social outcomes during and after public health emergencies in the region, and globally.
by
Daniel Chavez-Yenter;
Jingsong Zhao;
Chelsea L Ratcliff;
Kelsey Kehoe;
Allison Blumling;
Emily Peterson;
William MP Klein;
Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou;
Kimberly A Kaphingst
Background.
Effective communication of cancer-related genetic and genomic testing (CGT) with patients and the public is paramount to transforming and managing cancer prevention, detection, and care. Behavioral and social science theories could improve communication effectiveness and, in turn, health outcomes.
Methods.
In this study, we characterized the use of theory in recent research on communication about CGT from 2010 to 2017.
Results.
Of 513 empirical papers focusing on communication about CGT, only 119 (23%) utilized any theory in the study design. Behavior change and health psychology/cognitive representation theories (24.2% and 21.9%, respectively) were the most commonly used with minimal use of communication theories (3%). Theories were primarily used to guide hypotheses or research question development (73.9%), and for selecting measures or codes (68.9%). Approximately half of the papers (48.3%) related their study findings to the referenced theory. Fewer papers (14.3%) discussed implications of the findings for the theory.
Conclusions.
While theories are being utilized to inform study design, few discuss their results in the context of theoretical implications and thus decrease potential generalizability. Greater use of theory could help scholars to identify and develop theories suited to this clinical context and inform our understanding of related communication processes more broadly.
Background: The growing availability of genomic information to the public may spur discussion about genetics and genomics on social media. Sites, including Twitter, provide a unique space for the public to access and discuss health information. The objective of this study was to better understand how social media users are sharing information about genetics and genomics in health and healthcare and what information is most commonly discussed among Twitter users. Methods: We obtained tweets with specific genetics- and genomics-related keywords from Crimson Hexagon. We used Boolean logic to collect tweets containing chosen keywords within the timeframe of October 1, 2016, to October 1, 2017. Features of the software were used to identify salient themes in conversation, conduct an emergent content analysis, and gather key demographic information. Results: We obtained 347,196 tweets from our search. There was a monthly average volume of 28,432 tweets. The five categories of tweets included: genetic disorders/disease (45.3%), health (15.6%), genomics (8%), and genetic testing (7.3%). Top influencers in the conversation included news outlets and universities. Conclusions: This content analysis provides insight about the types of conversation related to genomics and health. Conversations about genomics are occurring on Twitter, and they frequently emphasize rare genetic diseases and genetic disorders. These discussions tend to be driven by key influencers who primarily include news media outlets. Further understanding of the discussions related to genomics and health in social media may offer insight about topics of importance to the public.
A recurring theme in both the composition and information literacy literature is that writing faculty and librarians need to collaborate more frequently and deeply. Our work is relevant to and should inform each other’s. We need to engage with each other’s’ theories, findings, and values. And we need to work with each other as institutional and pedagogical partners.
As the recipient of a Pearson Emerging Pedagogies Research and Travel Grant, I used the 2014 CCCC, the major conference for compositionists, as an artifact for exploring and documenting the state of the conversation between composition and information literacy. While doing the same with a conference for academic and instructional librarians would also be useful for this type of inquiry, first-year composition tends to be the curricular location for teaching research and information literacy in addition to writing, and is therefore a productive site of inquiry. To explore this relationship, then, I identified the sessions most explicitly connected to information literacy and partnership with academic librarians, arriving at a total of eight to attend and summarize here (disclaimer: I presented at one of these eight).
What I discovered from this focused view of CCCC is that student research and source use is a significant concern for composition faculty. Many of the sessions I attended were full or close to it. I also started recognizing several faces, who were clearly attuned to the same keywords and themes. Striking up a conversation with one of these attendees, I discovered that she was an instructional librarian visiting CCCC for the first time, an encouraging sign of exchange. Some of the main themes that recurred during the sessions I attended included the notion of research as a process, the importance of engaging students in authentic inquiry, and the question of how certain information technologies may actually shortchange critical thinking. Explore my session summaries to find out more about information literacy at CCCC 2014.
by
Paula Frew;
Ian W Holloway;
Cameron Goldbeck;
Diane Tan;
Elizabeth Wu;
Juan Jauregui;
Vincent L Fenimore;
Laura A Randall;
Chelsea S Lutz;
Judith Mendel;
Ann L Aikin;
Glen J Nowak;
Robert Bednarczyk
Background: Recent serogroup C meningococcal disease outbreaks led to meningococcal vaccine recommendations for Southern California men who have sex with men (MSM). Assessment of vaccine confidence is critical to improving vaccine coverage in the context of disease outbreaks wherein immunization(s) are recommended. Methods: We surveyed MSM using venue-based sampling and began development of the vaccine confidence index (VCI) with 30 survey items corresponding to trust- and safety-related perceptions. We performed exploratory factor analyses and computed the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient to assess internal consistency of the VCI. We created a categorical confidence variable (low, medium, and high confidence) and conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to evaluate associations with reported confidence and immunization uptake. Results: Ten survey items were included in the final VCI and formed the confidence measure. Participants with low confidence had the lowest levels of reported uptake for both meningococcal vaccines. Confidence differed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) between MSM who indicated they received vaccines recommended within the context of the outbreak and those who did not. Conclusions: Our VCI is sensitive to a number of issues that may influence vaccine confidence. It is useful for assessing MSM trust and acceptance of recommended immunizations and may be used to inform intervention development.
While a strong case has been made for addressing multimodality in composition, the case has been less clear for WAC/WID and CxC programs and research. Studies of disciplinary communication have documented the use of multiple modes in a number of fields, but few engage directly with theories of multimodality or with multimodality in context of changes related to networked, digital media. This study presents a snapshot of multimodal communication practices and assignments across disciplines developed through a survey of faculty at a research-intensive public university. Quantitative results indicate that, with some disciplinary variation, faculty across disciplines use multiple modes of communication in their professional work, their scholarly communication, and their pedagogy. Qualitative analysis of faculty responses complicates this picture with diverse conceptualizations of the relationships between modes. Themes related to faculty experiences of genre change and to the challenges of communicating about multimodality across disciplines are also addressed. These results justify the need for professional development efforts focused on multimodality in the context of WAC/WID and CxC programs and for continued research on multimodality in university contexts, even as they point to the challenges of communicating across disciplines that lack shared vocabulary.
Given the complexities of communication within health systems, we investigated how the implementation of secure messaging in addition to traditional paging would impact hospital communication. This study was implemented at Grady Health System (GHS), a large safety net academic hospital system in metro Atlanta that includes inpatient and ambulatory settings. GHS uses Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR), and secure messaging was performed using Epic Haiku Platform. To assess states of communication, we implemented pre- and post-surveys. The secure messaging data tracked from 2018 to 2022 demonstrated a rise in usage from 9,378 chats per month when it went live in August 2018 to greater than 200,000 monthly messages during the pandemic when social distancing measures were enacted. Monthly usage peaked in March 2022 with 378,932 messages. Pre-and-post survey questions using a Likert scale (1–4) showed increased agreement in the ability to reach all team members through secure chat amongst healthcare workers. Within our unit staff, communication improved by being more rapid and reliable, as the Likert scale means increased from 2.18 pre-survey to 2.63 post survey. Pre-and-post survey analysis indicates improved satisfaction across GHS stakeholders with the implementation of secure chat in addition to the existing direct-paging system. Next steps could include exchanging digital media through secure messaging to facilitate faster diagnosis and treatment of certain medical conditions. Secure messaging integrated within the EHR (including mobile devices) enhances communication between healthcare team members in a HIPAA-compliant way reducing the number of pages and phone calls.
Objectives Medication information is frequently communicated via free-text computerized provider order entry (CPOE) orders in electronic health records. When such information is transmitted separately from a structured CPOE medication order, there is a significant risk of medication error. Although prior studies have described the frequency of using free-text CPOE orders for communicating medication information, there is a gap in understanding the nature of the medication information contained in the free-text CPOE orders. The aims of this study are to (1) identify the most common medication names communicated in free-text CPOE orders and their risk levels and (2) identify what actions physicians expect that nurses will complete when they place free-text CPOE orders, and (3) describe differences in these patterns across hospitals. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of a sample of 26,524 free-text CPOE orders from 6 hospitals in the mid-Atlantic U.S. region. Results Free-text CPOE orders contained in the sample mentioned 193 medication names. Free-text CPOE orders were used frequently to communicate information about naloxone, heparin, flumazenil, and dextrose. Twenty-two percent of the free-text CPOE orders related to discontinuing medication(s), whereas 7% of the free-text CPOE orders relate to giving medication(s). There was high variation across hospitals both in the percentage of free-text CPOE orders mentioning medication information and in the proportion of those that referred to high-risk medications. Conclusions The prevalence of medication information in free-text CPOE orders may suggest specific communication challenges in respect to urgency, uncertainty, planning, and other aspects of communication and clinical needs. Understanding and addressing communication challenges around commonly mentioned medication names and actions, especially those that are high risk, can help reduce the risk of medication errors.
Because of the limitations of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in indoor scenarios, various types of indoor positioning or localization technologies have been proposed and deployed. Wireless radio signals have been widely used for both communication and localization purposes due to their popular availability in indoor spaces. However, the accuracy of indoor localization based purely on radio signals is still not perfect. Recently, visible light communication (VLC) has made use of electromagnetic radiation from light sources for transmitting data. The potential for deploying visible light communication for indoor localization has been investigated in recent years. Visible-light-based localization enjoys low deployment cost, high throughput, and high security. In this article, the most recent advances in visible-light-based indoor localization systems have been reviewed. We strongly believe that visible-light-based localization will become a low-cost and feasible complementary solution for indoor localization and other smart building applications.
by
Priya Bansal;
Nathan Hare;
Sakina S. Bajowala;
Stuart L. Abramson;
Sheva Chervinskiy;
Robert Corriel;
David W. Hauswirth;
Sujani Kakumanu;
Reena Mehta;
Quratulain Rashid;
Michael R. Rupp;
Jennifer Shih;
Giselle S. Mosnaim
Waqar and Agarwal1 make significant points regarding the rapid adoption of technology, specifically telemedicine, into fellowship programs. As all of the authors in the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology telemedicine work group will attest to, many factors need to be taken into account before adopting a functional telemedicine platform in the clinic. Keeping up with current regulations to maintain compliance in light of the changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond also requires considerable effort.2 What is uniquely addressed in this letter are the practical issues that allergists and immunologists face with telemedicine.
Although spirometry is limited at this time, technologies are being created and implemented to accomplish home forced expiratory volume in 1 second measurement.3 Assessing and teaching the inhaler and emergency epinephrine device technique can be performed remotely and re-evaluated at follow-up visits via telemedicine. Telemedicine has also been valuable to evaluate and monitor our most at-risk patients, such as those with immunodeficiency, as they may be fearful of returning to the clinic for routine in-person evaluations. Time will reveal more data in our field as we are able to obtain cost-benefit analysis for allergy and immunology telemedicine encounters. By providing innovative, valuable, and cost-effective care while educating our fellows and continuing to rapidly adapt in times of need, we will persist in pushing open the door of modern medical technology in health care.