Tag: nevin manimala

MMWR Surveill Summ. 2024 May 2;73(2):1-11. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.ss7302a1.

ABSTRACT

PROBLEM/CONDITION: A 2019 report quantified the higher percentage of potentially excess (preventable) deaths in U.S. nonmetropolitan areas compared with metropolitan areas during 2010-2017. In that report, CDC compared national, regional, and state estimates of preventable premature deaths from the five leading causes of death in nonmetropolitan and metropolitan counties during 2010-2017. This report provides estimates of preventable premature deaths for additional years (2010-2022).

PERIOD COVERED: 2010-2022.

DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM: Mortality data for U.S. residents from the National Vital Statistics System were used to calculate preventable premature deaths from the five leading causes of death among persons aged <80 years. CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics urban-rural classification scheme for counties was used to categorize the deaths according to the urban-rural county classification level of the decedent’s county of residence (1: large central metropolitan [most urban], 2: large fringe metropolitan, 3: medium metropolitan, 4: small metropolitan, 5: micropolitan, and 6: noncore [most rural]). Preventable premature deaths were defined as deaths among persons aged <80 years that exceeded the number expected if the death rates for each cause in all states were equivalent to those in the benchmark states (i.e., the three states with the lowest rates). Preventable premature deaths were calculated separately for the six urban-rural county categories nationally, the 10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services public health regions, and the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

RESULTS: During 2010-2022, the percentage of preventable premature deaths among persons aged <80 years in the United States increased for unintentional injury (e.g., unintentional poisoning including drug overdose, unintentional motor vehicle traffic crash, unintentional drowning, and unintentional fall) and stroke, decreased for cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD), and remained stable for heart disease. The percentages of preventable premature deaths from the five leading causes of death were higher in rural counties in all years during 2010-2022. When assessed by the six urban-rural county classifications, percentages of preventable premature deaths in the most rural counties (noncore) were consistently higher than in the most urban counties (large central metropolitan and fringe metropolitan) for the five leading causes of death during the study period.During 2010-2022, preventable premature deaths from heart disease increased most in noncore (+9.5%) and micropolitan counties (+9.1%) and decreased most in large central metropolitan counties (-10.2%). Preventable premature deaths from cancer decreased in all county categories, with the largest decreases in large central metropolitan and large fringe metropolitan counties (-100.0%; benchmark achieved in both county categories in 2019). In all county categories, preventable premature deaths from unintentional injury increased, with the largest increases occurring in large central metropolitan (+147.5%) and large fringe metropolitan (+97.5%) counties. Preventable premature deaths from CLRD decreased most in large central metropolitan counties where the benchmark was achieved in 2019 and increased slightly in noncore counties (+0.8%). In all county categories, preventable premature deaths from stroke decreased from 2010 to 2013, remained constant from 2013 to 2019, and then increased in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Percentages of preventable premature deaths varied across states by urban-rural county classification during 2010-2022.

INTERPRETATION: During 2010-2022, nonmetropolitan counties had higher percentages of preventable premature deaths from the five leading causes of death than did metropolitan counties nationwide, across public health regions, and in most states. The gap between the most rural and most urban counties for preventable premature deaths increased during 2010-2022 for four causes of death (cancer, heart disease, CLRD, and stroke) and decreased for unintentional injury. Urban and suburban counties (large central metropolitan, large fringe metropolitan, medium metropolitan, and small metropolitan) experienced increases in preventable premature deaths from unintentional injury during 2010-2022, leading to a narrower gap between the already high (approximately 69% in 2022) percentage of preventable premature deaths in noncore and micropolitan counties. Sharp increases in preventable premature deaths from unintentional injury, heart disease, and stroke were observed in 2020, whereas preventable premature deaths from CLRD and cancer continued to decline. CLRD deaths decreased during 2017-2020 but increased in 2022. An increase in the percentage of preventable premature deaths for multiple leading causes of death was observed in 2020 and was likely associated with COVID-19-related conditions that contributed to increased mortality from heart disease and stroke.

PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION: Routine tracking of preventable premature deaths based on urban-rural county classification might enable public health departments to identify and monitor geographic disparities in health outcomes. These disparities might be related to different levels of access to health care, social determinants of health, and other risk factors. Identifying areas with a high prevalence of potentially preventable mortality might be informative for interventions.

PMID:38687830 | DOI:10.15585/mmwr.ss7302a1

Mil Med. 2024 Apr 30:usae162. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usae162. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Providing resilient Damage Control Resuscitation capabilities as close to the point of injury as possible is paramount to reducing mortality and improving patient outcomes for our nation’s warfighters. Emergency Fresh Whole Blood Transfusions (EFWBT) play a critical role in supporting this capability, especially in future large-scale combat operations against peer adversaries with expected large patient volumes, restrictive operating environments, and unreliable logistical supply lines. Although there are service-specific training programs for whole blood transfusion, there is currently no dedicated EFWBT training for future military medical officers. To address this gap, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a training program to enhance EFWBT proficiency in third-year military medical students at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the USU.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: After reviewing both the 75th Ranger Regiment Ranger O-Low Titer program and the Marine Corps’ Valkyrie program, along with the relevant Joint Trauma System Clinical Practice Guidelines, we created a streamlined and abbreviated training curriculum. The training consisted of both online preparatory materials as well as a 2-hour in-person training that included didactic and experiential learning components. Participants were 165 active duty third-year medical students at USU. Participants were assessed using a pre- and post-assessment self-reported questionnaire on their confidence in the practical application and administrative oversight requirements of an EFWBT program. Participants’ performance was also assessed using a pre/post knowledge assessment consisting of 10 multiple choice questions identified as critical to understanding of the academic principles of EFWBT along with the baseline questionnaire.

RESULTS: Differences in the mean scores of the pre- and post-assessment self-reported questionnaire (increased from 2.32 to 3.95) were statistically significant (P < .001). Similarly, there was a statistically significant improvement in student test scores, with the mean score increasing by approximately 3 points or 30%. There was no significant difference in student confidence assessment or test scores based on branch of service. Students who had previously deployed did not show a statistically significant difference in scores compared to students who had not previously deployed.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the implementation of streamlined EFWBT training into the undergraduate medical education of future military medical officers offers an efficient way to improve their baseline proficiency in EFWBTs. Future research is needed to assess the impact of this training on real-world applications in forward-deployed environments.

PMID:38687599 | DOI:10.1093/milmed/usae162

J Med Internet Res. 2024 Apr 30;26:e51628. doi: 10.2196/51628.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect over 1.5 billion people worldwide, primarily impoverished populations in low- and middle-income countries. Skin NTDs, a significant subgroup, manifest primarily as skin lesions and require extensive diagnosis and treatment resources, including trained personnel and financial backing. The World Health Organization has introduced the SkinNTDs app, a mobile health tool designed to train and be used as a decision support tool for frontline health care workers. As most digital health guidelines prioritize the thorough evaluation of mobile health interventions, it is essential to conduct a rigorous and validated assessment of this app.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the usability and user experience of World Health Organization SkinNTDs app (version 3) as a capacity-building tool and decision-support tool for frontline health care workers.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ghana and Kenya. Frontline health care workers dealing with skin NTDs were recruited through snowball sampling. They used the SkinNTDs app for at least 5 days before completing a web-based survey containing demographic variables and the user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS), a validated scale for assessing health apps. A smaller group of participants took part in semistructured interviews and one focus group. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS with a 95% CI and P≤.05 for statistical significance and qualitative data using ATLAS.ti to identify attributes, cluster themes, and code various dimensions that were explored.

RESULTS: Overall, 60 participants participated in the quantitative phase and 17 in the qualitative phase. The SkinNTDs app scored highly on the uMARS questionnaire, with an app quality mean score of 4.02 (SD 0.47) of 5, a subjective quality score of 3.82 (SD 0.61) of 5, and a perceived impact of 4.47 (SD 0.56) of 5. There was no significant association between the app quality mean score and any of the categorical variables examined, according to Pearson correlation analysis; app quality mean score vs age (P=.37), sex (P=.70), type of health worker (P=.35), country (P=.94), work context (P=.17), frequency of dealing with skin NTDs (P=.09), and dermatology experience (P=.63). Qualitative results echoed the quantitative outcomes, highlighting the ease of use, the offline functionality, and the potential utility for frontline health care workers in remote and resource-constrained settings. Areas for improvement were identified, such as enhancing the signs and symptoms section.

CONCLUSIONS: The SkinNTDs app demonstrates notable usability and user-friendliness. The results indicate that the app could play a crucial role in improving capacity building of frontline health care workers dealing with skin NTDs. It could be improved in the future by including new features such as epidemiological context and direct contact with experts. The possibility of using the app as a diagnostic tool should be considered.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/39393.

PMID:38687587 | DOI:10.2196/51628

JMIR Form Res. 2024 Apr 30;8:e48185. doi: 10.2196/48185.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a prevalent and serious chronic condition associated with abnormal or excessive fat buildup that poses significant health risks. The rates of overweight and obesity in adults and children continue to rise, with global rates of children with overweight or obesity aged 5-19 years growing from 4% to 18% between 1975 and 2016. Furthermore, in 2017, nearly 4 million people died due to complications arising from being overweight or obese.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the potential impact of the mobile app Heia Meg on promoting healthier lifestyle choices regarding nutrition and physical activity.

METHODS: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in collaboration with the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Participants were recruited through the Heia Meg app and were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after using the app. A total of 199 responses were included in the first (preintervention) questionnaire, while 99 valid responses were obtained in the second (postintervention) questionnaire.

RESULTS: The majority (159/199, 79.9%) of participants were female, and their age ranged from 18 years to 70 years and older. The results show a reduction in BMI after the digital intervention. However, some variables influence the BMI reduction effect: sex, age, education, and smoking. The group that obtained the most benefit from the intervention consisted of those who were male, aged 30-39 years, highly educated, and nonsmokers. Although positive, some of the findings are slightly above the statistical significance threshold and therefore should be interpreted carefully.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study found weak evidence to support the effectiveness of the Heia Meg app in promoting healthier lifestyle choices. However, limitations and confounding factors suggest that further research in different populations with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm or disprove our findings.

PMID:38687565 | DOI:10.2196/48185

Brain Behav. 2024 Feb;14(2):e3415. doi: 10.1002/brb3.3415.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have reported a decreased risk of dementia with herpes zoster vaccination. Given this background, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between herpes zoster vaccination and the risk of dementia.

METHODS: We searched five databases until November 2023 for case-control, cross-sectional, or cohort studies investigating the association of herpes zoster vaccination and dementia. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were pooled in the meta-analysis. Meta-regression, subgroup, and sensitivity analysis were also conducted.

RESULTS: We evaluated a total of five studies (one cross-sectional, one case-control, and four cohort studies) that included a total number of 103,615 patients who were vaccinated with herpes zoster vaccine. All the studies were of high quality, ranging from 7 to 9. Due to the high heterogeneity (I² = 100%, p < .00001) observed in our study, a random effect model was used for the analysis. The pooled odds ratio was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.50, 1.43), p (overall effect) = .53), indicating that herpes zoster vaccination reduces the risk of dementia.

CONCLUSION: Herpes zoster vaccination is associated with a reduction of the risk of dementia. More epidemiological studies are needed to confirm the association.

PMID:38687552 | DOI:10.1002/brb3.3415

Rev Med Chil. 2023 May;151(5):610-617. doi: 10.4067/s0034-98872023000500610.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of intralesional 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in symptomatic relief, astigmatism, and desire for surgery in patients with primary pterygium.

METHODS: The experimental study was carried out between January and March 2020 in the Ophthalmology Unit of the Hospital del Salvador, Chile. Fourteen eyes (14 patients) were selected on the surgical waiting list and exposed to fortnightly intralesional injections of 10 mg of 5-FU. An initial evaluation was performed with OSDI for symptomatic measurement, a photographic camera and slit lamp for clinical appearance, and an auto-refractometer for astigmatism, being re-evaluated 60 days later, adding the question of whether they maintained the desire to undergo surgery. The sample was divided into groups A and B depending on whether they received two or one dose of 5-FU, respectively.

RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 56.8 ± 11.1 years. Group A presented an initial OSDI of 50 ± 23.8, which, after the intervention, decreased to 21 ± 13.5 (p < 0.001). Group B had an initial OSDI of 47 ± 17.3, decreasing to 22 ± 16.2 (p < 0.005)-statistically significant changes. The degree of astigmatism had no changes. Regarding the physical aspect, there was a reduction in the size of the lesion in 2 of the 14 patients, both in group A. Two patients decided not to undergo surgery after the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: The intralesional injection of 5-FU showed a significant improvement in symptomatic relief without associated complications, generating a therapeutic alternative in patients with primary pterygium without surgical indication.

PMID:38687543 | DOI:10.4067/s0034-98872023000500610

Rev Med Chil. 2023 May;151(5):600-609. doi: 10.4067/s0034-98872023000500600.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Obesity has been associated with a low-grade proinflammatory state, and it has been related to the development of cancer in general, including hematologic cancer.

AIM: The present work aimed to identify the association of the diagnosis of obesity according to the body mass index (BMI) with prognostic factors of adult patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

PATIENTS AND METHOD: This observational, retrospective study included hospitalized patients diagnosed with ALL of the B-cell lineages. BMI was estimated based on the weight and height registered on clinical records at the admission of the patients. The relapse risk and bone marrow relapse were determined, and the survival rate was measured. The statistical analysis included the Kaplan-Meier method using the log-Rank test.

RESULTS: This study included 128 clinical records of patients. Weight had no significant association with relapse risk. The frequency of bone marrow relapse was 43.8%. Obesity did not impact overall survival (p = 0.640) or disease-free survival (p = 0.527). The presence of obesity does not behave as a relapse risk variable (p = 0.873). BMI with a 30 kg/m2 cut-off point did not influence relapse risk (OR 1.078).

CONCLUSION: Obesity is not an independent risk factor for the prognosis of adult patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia B-lineage.

PMID:38687542 | DOI:10.4067/s0034-98872023000500600

Rev Med Chil. 2023 May;151(5):576-582. doi: 10.4067/s0034-98872023000500576.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of adverse drug events (ADE) in hospitalized patients in Chile. As part of our research, we also assessed the validity of the method used to identify the occurrence of an ADE based on the discharge diagnoses of the patient.

DESIGN: The study included 1,7 million patients hospitalized during 2019-2020. We analyzed the following variables for each patient: ICD-10 discharge diagnoses, sociodemographic information, and clinical outcome indicators, i.e., diagnosis-related group (DRG) weight, length of stay, and mortality. To validate the method for the identification of ADEs, first, we generated a random representative sample of patients, stratified by sex and medical specialty, hospitalized in a Chilean public hospital in 2019, and then we compared the outcome of the method with the opinion of a group of clinical experts that reviewed each patient’s discharge summary retrospectively.

RESULTS: The prevalence of ADEs in hospitalized patients in Chile during 2019 and 2020 was 2,7% and 3,1%, respectively. The precision of the method used to identify ADEs was 83,3% or higher (CI 90%).

CONCLUSIONS: This paper uses nationwide data to describe the prevalence of ADEs and their correlation with different factors associated with the patient, the patient’s disease, and the health service. These studies are essential to designing public health policies that effectively address healthcare quality and patient safety.

PMID:38687539 | DOI:10.4067/s0034-98872023000500576

Rev Med Chil. 2023 May;151(5):551-559. doi: 10.4067/s0034-98872023000500551.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To know the experience of first-year medical students at Universidad Austral de Chile regarding virtual Problem-Based learning (PBL) tutorials carried out by peer tutors during the second semester of 2021.

METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative research, transversal, descriptive. The non-probabilistic sample consisted of 45 medical students who participated in virtual PBL tutorials with peer tutors. Data collection through an anonymous and voluntary opinion survey comprised two areas: methodology and role of the tutor, considering open questions related to facilitating and hindering aspects. Quantitative data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics with frequency measurements. The qualitative ones with progressive reduction. Study approved by the Scientific Ethics Committee, Valdivia Health Service.

RESULTS: There is a high degree of satisfaction in all three areas. Both in the qualitative and quantitative results, the participants positively value the performance of the peer tutor, highlighting empathy, commitment, trust, facilitation, feedback, and a good learning environment, allowing collaborative learning. Unlike the quantitative, the qualitative is more frequently identified as hindering factors, poor internet connection, excessive curricular load, and lack of knowledge about the methodology by the tutor.

CONCLUSIONS: Although the preparation of peer tutors for PBL tutorials is essential, it is even more critical in virtual mode since they face challenges such as managing virtual platforms and achieving effective communication that allows learning collaboratively.

PMID:38687536 | DOI:10.4067/s0034-98872023000500551

Rev Med Chil. 2023 Apr;151(4):510-517. doi: 10.4067/s0034-98872023000400510.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Communication skills (CS) are competencies required by health professionals. Clinical simulation with a simulated/standardized patient (SP) is a good resource for teaching this skill. However, it requires trained teachers to guide the process. Not all teachers have this training. HC short evaluation instruments are required to develop a structured observation during the activity, especially those that can be applied by all the participants to guide and understand the process from a broader perspective.

AIM: Validate a short HC assessment questionnaire to evaluate these skills from a 360° analysis, i.e., from the learner, facilitator/teacher, and PS perspective.

METHOD: A brief HC questionnaire was created, subjected to construct and content validity, and thus applied to 40 Kinesiology undergraduate students, facilitator/teacher, and PS during a simulated teleconsultation scenario. We analyzed the result of the communication by descriptive statistics, Lashe, Cronbach, KMO, Bartlett, IVC, Fisher and Cohen tests, and exploratory factorial analysis.

RESULTS: The questionnaire showed content validity for 5 of 6 items. Construct validity with commonalities over 50% for each item. With good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.79). We found high levels of HC in the students, but the concordance between observers was weak (Cohen’s Kappa < 0.4).

CONCLUSION: The short questionnaire for HC is a valid assessment tool during clinical simulation. Incorporating the views and perceptions of all the simulation participants can improve the understanding of health communication.

PMID:38687527 | DOI:10.4067/s0034-98872023000400510