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As a mental health team for homeless people, we are aware of poor health outcomes for our patients. They face the double-hit of chronic serious mental illness (SMI) and homelessness, reducing life expectancy. As outlined in guidance, “secondary care team should maintain… monitoring service user's physical health”. We aimed to improve recorded annual physical health checks according to Trust Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for weight; hypertension; diabetes; cholesterol; and screening for smoking, drugs and alcohol on SystmOne (e-patient record) in Westminster's Joint Homelessness Team's (JHT) caseload, with target of 90% by December 2021 set by Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Trust.
Methods
Using monthly physical health KPI reports to target uncompleted annual health checks for JHT's 135 patients. PDSA cycles were used over a six-month period from July 2021 – January 2022.
Intervention 1: Using available GP data to pull across into our records, making use of existing information.
Intervention 2: Dedicated clinical session from FY2 doctor to assess patients with missing physical health checks.
Intervention 3: Specific teaching to whole MDT to increase awareness and uptake.
Intervention 4: Designed our own reporting to give real-time rather than monthly reporting.
Outcomes were measured from monthly Physical Health reports for the active caseload.
Results
At baseline only 26.67% of patients had completed recorded health checks. Intervention 1 more than doubled our recordings to 54.17% over a 2-month period. Our second intervention further improved recorded physical health checks.
The third intervention increased our recorded physical health checks to 82.35% over a 2-month period. Notably, at the beginning of our project 7 out of 135 patients, had no engagement in physical health check monitoring, this reduced to 1 after intervention 3.
At the end of our fourth cycle, we had increased our recorded physical health checks to 83.93%.
Overall, results show an improvement of 57.26%, or a relative increase of 3.15 times the amount of recorded physical health checks over 6 months.
Conclusion
As a result of incorporating dedicated clinical time, teaching and real-time use of data, we have improved our recorded physical health checks. There is room for improvement with 16% of patients still with incomplete health checks and approximately 10% of patients without blood tests. Some of this is due to accessibility and engagement difficulties for people with SMI and entrenched rough-sleeping, with ongoing work being done.
We evaluated povidone-iodine (PVI) decolonization among 51 fracture-fixation surgery patients. PVI was applied twice on the day of surgery. Patients were tested for S. aureus nasal colonization and surveyed. Mean S. aureus concentrations decreased from 3.13 to 1.15 CFU/mL (P = .03). Also, 86% of patients stated that they felt neutral or positive about their PVI experience.
Background: Nasal decolonization significantly decreases the incidence of Staphylococcus aureus surgical-site infections (SSIs). Patient adherence with self-administration of a decolonization ointment (ie, mupirocin) is low, especially among patients having urgent surgery. Povidone-iodine decolonization may overcome patient adherence challenges because povidone-iodine needs to be applied only on the day of surgery. We assessed the effectiveness and acceptability of povidone-iodine decolonization given on the day of surgery among patients having orthopedic trauma surgery. Methods: Adult patients who underwent operative fixation of traumatic lower extremity fractures were consented to receive 10% intranasal povidone-iodine solution. Povidone-iodine was applied ~1 hour before surgical incision and was reapplied the evening after surgery. Patients were tested for S. aureus nasal colonization before surgery, the evening after surgery (before povidone-iodine reapplication), and the day after surgery. Swabs were inoculated into Dey-Engley neutralizer and processed in a vortexer. A series of dilutions were performed and plated on mannitol salt agar plates. S. aureus cultures were quantitatively assessed to determine the reduction in S. aureus after povidone-iodine use. Reductions in S. aureus nasal growth were evaluated using the Skillings-Mack test. SSIs manifesting within 30 and 90 days of surgery were identified using NHSN definitions. A survey was administered the morning after surgery to determine the acceptability of intranasal povidone-iodine. Results: In total, 51 patients participated in this pilot study between February 2020 and June 2021. Nasal samples from 12 participants (23.5%) grew S. aureus. The S. aureus concentration decreased significantly across the time points (P = .03) (Fig. 1). No SSIs were identified within 30 days of surgery. One SSI occurred within 90 days of surgery; this patient did not carry S. aureus, and cultures from the infected site were negative. Also, 31% of patients reported at least 1 mild side effect while using povidone-iodine: dripping (n = 7), itching (n = 6), dryness (n = 4), stinging (n = 4), staining (n = 3), unpleasant taste (n = 3), runny nose (n = 2), burning (n = 1), sneezing (n = 1), sore throat (n = 1), tickling (n = 1), and/or cough (n = 1). Also, 86% of patients stated that povidone-iodine felt neutral, pleasant, or very pleasant, and only 14% stated that it felt unpleasant or very unpleasant. Discussion: In this pilot study, 2 applications of nasal povidone-iodine on the day of surgery were acceptable for patients, and this protocol significantly reduced S. aureus concentration in nares of patients. Future large clinical trials should evaluate whether this 2-application regimen of povidone-iodine significantly decreases rates of SSI among orthopedic trauma surgery patients.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization stressed the importance of daily clinical assessments of infected patients, yet current approaches frequently consider cross-sectional timepoints, cumulative summary measures, or time-to-event analyses. Statistical methods are available that make use of the rich information content of longitudinal assessments. We demonstrate the use of a multistate transition model to assess the dynamic nature of COVID-19-associated critical illness using daily evaluations of COVID-19 patients from 9 academic hospitals. We describe the accessibility and utility of methods that consider the clinical trajectory of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
International relations scholarship concerns dyads, yet standard modeling approaches fail to adequately capture the data generating process behind dyadic events and processes. As a result, they suffer from biased coefficients and poorly calibrated standard errors. We show how a regression-based approach, the Additive and Multiplicative Effects (AME) model, can be used to account for the inherent dependencies in dyadic data and glean substantive insights in the interrelations between actors. First, we conduct a simulation to highlight how the model captures dependencies and show that accounting for these processes improves our ability to conduct inference on dyadic data. Second, we compare the AME model to approaches used in three prominent studies from recent international relations scholarship. For each study, we find that compared to AME, the modeling approach used performs notably worse at capturing the data generating process. Further, conventional methods misstate the effect of key variables and the uncertainty in these effects. Finally, AME outperforms standard approaches in terms of out-of-sample fit. In sum, our work shows the consequences of failing to take the dependencies inherent to dyadic data seriously. Most importantly, by better modeling the data generating process underlying political phenomena, the AME framework improves scholars’ ability to conduct inferential analyses on dyadic data.
Otitis media (OM) is a common reason for children to be prescribed antibiotics and undergo surgery but a thorough understanding of disease mechanisms is lacking. We evaluate the evidence of a dysregulated immune response in the pathogenesis of OM.
Methods
A comprehensive systematic review of the literature using search terms [otitis media OR glue ear OR AOM OR OME] OR [middle ear AND (infection OR inflammation)] which were run through Medline and Embase via Ovid, including both human and animal studies. In total, 82 955 studies underwent automated filtering followed by manual screening. One hundred studies were included in the review.
Results
Most studies were based on in vitro or animal work. Abnormalities in pathogen detection pathways, such as Toll-like receptors, have confirmed roles in OM. The aetiology of OM, its chronic subgroups (chronic OM, persistent OM with effusion) and recurrent acute OM is complex; however, inflammatory signalling mechanisms are frequently implicated. Host epithelium likely plays a crucial role, but the characterisation of human middle ear tissue lags behind that of other anatomical subsites.
Conclusions
Translational research for OM presently falls far behind its clinical importance. This has likely hindered the development of new diagnostic and treatment modalities. Further work is urgently required; particularly to disentangle the respective immune pathologies in the clinically observed phenotypes and thereby work towards more personalised treatments.
Background: Hospitalized patients may unknowingly carry severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), even if they are admitted for other reasons. Because SARS-CoV-2 may remain positive by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for months after infection, patients with a positive result may not necessarily be infectious. We aimed to determine the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients admitted for reasons unrelated to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is an 811-bed tertiary-care center. We use a nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR to screen admitted patients without signs or symptoms compatible with COVID-19. Patients with positive tests undergo a repeat test to assess cycle threshold (Ct) value kinetics. We reviewed records for patients with positive RT-PCR screening admitted during July–October 2020. We used a combination of history, serologies, and RT-PCR Ct values to assess and qualify likelihood of infectiousness: (1) likely infectious, if Ct values were <29, or (2) likely not infectious, if 1 or both samples had Cts <30 with or without a positive SARS-CoV-2 antinucleocapsid IgG/IgM test or history of a positive result in the past 90 days. Contact tracing was only conducted for patients likely to be infectious. We describe the isolation duration and contact tracing data. Results: In total, 6,447 patients were tested on hospital admission for any reason (persons under investigation or admitted for reasons other than COVID-19). Of these, 240 (4%) had positive results, but 65 (27%) of these were admitted for reasons other than COVID-19. In total, 55 patients had Ct values available and were included in this analysis. The median age was 56 years (range, 0–91), 28 (51%) were male, and 12 (5%) were children. The most frequent admission syndromes were neurological (36%), gastrointestinal (16%), and trauma (16%). Our assessment revealed 23 likely infections (42%; 14 definite, 9 possible) and 32 cases likely not infectious (58%). The mean Ct for patients who were likely infectious was 22; it was 34 for patients who were likely not infectious. Mean duration of in-hospital isolation was 6 days for those who were likely infectious and 2 days for those who were likely not infectious. We detected 8 individuals (1 healthcare worker and 7 patients) who were exposed to a likely infectious patient. Conclusions: SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients hospitalized for other reasons was infrequent. An assessment of the likelihood of infectiousness including history, RT-PCR Cts, and serology may help prioritize patients in need of isolation and contact investigations.
Patients admitted to the hospital may unknowingly carry severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and hospitals have implemented SARS-CoV-2 admission screening. However, because SARS-CoV-2 reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays may remain positive for months after infection, positive results may represent active or past infection. We determined the prevalence and infectiousness of patients who were admitted for reasons unrelated to COVID-19 but tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on admission screening.
Methods:
We conducted an observational study at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics from July 7 to October 25, 2020. All patients admitted without suspicion of COVID-19 were included, and medical records of those with a positive admission screening test were reviewed. Infectiousness was determined using patient history, PCR cycle threshold (Ct) value, and serology.
Results:
In total, 5,913 patients were screened and admitted for reasons unrelated to COVID-19. Of these, 101 had positive admission RT-PCR results; 36 of these patients were excluded because they had respiratory signs/symptoms on admission on chart review. Also, 65 patients (1.1%) did not have respiratory symptoms. Finally, 55 patients had Ct values available and were included in this analysis. The median age of the final cohort was 56 years and 51% were male. Our assessment revealed that 23 patients (42%) were likely infectious. The median duration of in-hospital isolation was 5 days for those likely infectious and 2 days for those deemed noninfectious.
Conclusions:
SARS-CoV-2 was infrequent among patients admitted for reasons unrelated to COVID-19. An assessment of the likelihood of infectiousness using clinical history, RT-PCR Ct values, and serology may help in making the determination to discontinue isolation and conserve resources.
To explore, from the perspectives of adolescents and caregivers, and using qualitative methods, influences on adolescent diet and physical activity in rural Gambia.
Design:
Six focus group discussions (FGD) with adolescents and caregivers were conducted. Thematic analysis was employed across the data set.
Setting:
Rural region of The Gambia, West Africa.
Participants:
Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Four FGD, conducted with forty adolescents, comprised: girls aged 10–12 years; boys aged 10–12 years; girls aged 15–17 years, boys aged 15–17 years. Twenty caregivers also participated in two FGD (mothers and fathers).
Results:
All participants expressed an understanding of the association between salt and hypertension, sugary foods and diabetes, and dental health. Adolescents and caregivers suggested that adolescent nutrition and health were shaped by economic, social and cultural factors and the local environment. Adolescent diet was thought to be influenced by: affordability, seasonality and the receipt of remittances; gender norms, including differences in opportunities afforded to girls, and mother-led decision-making; cultural ceremonies and school holidays. Adolescent physical activity included walking or cycling to school, playing football and farming. Participants felt adolescent engagement in physical activity was influenced by gender, seasonality, cultural ceremonies and, to some extent, the availability of digital media.
Conclusions:
These novel insights into local understanding should be considered when formulating future interventions. Interventions need to address these interrelated factors, including misconceptions regarding diet and physical activity that may be harmful to health.
We analyse oscillatory instabilities for a coupled partial-ordinary differential equation (PDE-ODE) system modelling the communication between localised spatially segregated dynamically active signalling compartments that are coupled through a passive extracellular bulk diffusion field in a bounded 2D domain. Each signalling compartment is assumed to secrete a chemical into the extracellular medium (bulk region), and it can also sense the concentration of this chemical in the region around its boundary. This feedback from the bulk region, resulting from the entire collection of cells, in turn modifies the intracellular dynamics within each cell. In the limit where the signalling compartments are circular discs with a small common radius ɛ ≪ 1 and where the bulk diffusivity is asymptotically large, a matched asymptotic analysis is used to reduce the dimensionless PDE–ODE system into a nonlinear ODE system with global coupling. For Sel’kov reaction kinetics, this ODE system for the intracellular dynamics and the spatial average of the bulk diffusion field are then used to investigate oscillatory instabilities in the dynamics of the cells that are triggered due to the global coupling. In particular, numerical bifurcation software on the ODEs is used to study the overall effect of coupling defective cells (cells that behave differently from the remaining cells) to a group of identical cells. Moreover, when the number of cells is large, the Kuramoto order parameter is computed to predict the degree of phase synchronisation of the intracellular dynamics. Quorum sensing behaviour, characterised by the onset of collective behaviour in the intracellular dynamics as the number of cells increases above a threshold, is also studied. Our analysis shows that the cell population density plays a dual role of triggering and then quenching synchronous oscillations in the intracellular dynamics.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has greatly impacted health-care systems worldwide, leading to an unprecedented rise in demand for health-care resources. In anticipation of an acute strain on established medical facilities in Dallas, Texas, federal officials worked in conjunction with local medical personnel to convert a convention center into a Federal Medical Station capable of caring for patients affected by COVID-19. A 200,000 square foot event space was designated as a direct patient care area, with surrounding spaces repurposed to house ancillary services. Given the highly transmissible nature of the novel coronavirus, the donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) was of particular importance for personnel staffing the facility. Furthermore, nationwide shortages in the availability of PPE necessitated the reuse of certain protective materials. This article seeks to delineate the procedures implemented regarding PPE in the setting of a COVID-19 disaster response shelter, including workspace flow, donning and doffing procedures, PPE conservation, and exposure event protocols.
Hydrogen lithography has been used to template phosphine-based surface chemistry to fabricate atomic-scale devices, a process we abbreviate as atomic precision advanced manufacturing (APAM). Here, we use mid-infrared variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (IR-VASE) to characterize single-nanometer thickness phosphorus dopant layers (δ-layers) in silicon made using APAM compatible processes. A large Drude response is directly attributable to the δ-layer and can be used for nondestructive monitoring of the condition of the APAM layer when integrating additional processing steps. The carrier density and mobility extracted from our room temperature IR-VASE measurements are consistent with cryogenic magneto-transport measurements, showing that APAM δ-layers function at room temperature. Finally, the permittivity extracted from these measurements shows that the doping in the APAM δ-layers is so large that their low-frequency in-plane response is reminiscent of a silicide. However, there is no indication of a plasma resonance, likely due to reduced dimensionality and/or low scattering lifetime.
In a singularly perturbed limit, we analyse the existence and linear stability of steady-state hotspot solutions for an extension of the 1-D three-component reaction-diffusion (RD) system formulated and studied numerically in Jones et. al. [Math. Models. Meth. Appl. Sci., 20, Suppl., (2010)], which models urban crime with police intervention. In our extended RD model, the field variables are the attractiveness field for burglary, the criminal population density and the police population density. Our model includes a scalar parameter that determines the strength of the police drift towards maxima of the attractiveness field. For a special choice of this parameter, we recover the ‘cops-on-the-dots’ policing strategy of Jones et. al., where the police mimic the drift of the criminals towards maxima of the attractiveness field. For our extended model, the method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to construct 1-D steady-state hotspot patterns as well as to derive nonlocal eigenvalue problems (NLEPs) that characterise the linear stability of these hotspot steady states to ${\cal O}$(1) timescale instabilities. For a cops-on-the-dots policing strategy, we prove that a multi-hotspot steady state is linearly stable to synchronous perturbations of the hotspot amplitudes. Alternatively, for asynchronous perturbations of the hotspot amplitudes, a hybrid analytical–numerical method is used to construct linear stability phase diagrams in the police vs. criminal diffusivity parameter space. In one particular region of these phase diagrams, the hotspot steady states are shown to be unstable to asynchronous oscillatory instabilities in the hotspot amplitudes that arise from a Hopf bifurcation. Within the context of our model, this provides a parameter range where the effect of a cops-on-the-dots policing strategy is to only displace crime temporally between neighbouring spatial regions. Our hybrid approach to study the NLEPs combines rigorous spectral results with a numerical parameterisation of any Hopf bifurcation threshold. For the cops-on-the-dots policing strategy, our linear stability predictions for steady-state hotspot patterns are confirmed from full numerical PDE simulations of the three-component RD system.
The aim of this chapter is two-fold. First, the authors present a practical application of multidisciplinary research based on the experience of editing a book comprised of multidisciplinary cases and focusing on two chapter cases. There are many theoretical accounts of how one may approach multidisciplinary research, but here the authors aim to offer a practical account of how the theoretical goal of multidisciplinary research can play out in the ‘real world’. After addressing the current conceptual understanding of multidisciplinary versus interdisciplinary research, the authors will explain how useful these concepts, in fact, are when applied to the typical constraints that many academics face today in conducting joint research. The authors, who are both editors of the book, will provide lessons for future multidisciplinary collaboration and suggestions for developing methods of multidisciplinary research.
Political science does not offer a distinct subdiscipline to address the subject of energy. Insofar as political science has addressed energy, it has focused on issues often neglected by other disciplines, notably the role of geopolitics and international relations, and the domestic politics of resource-rich states. Apart from the different subfields, we examine different approaches including realism, constructivism, liberalism and Marxism. The rise and fall and rise again of academic articles on energy in leading political science journals is reviewed and linked to exogenous forces such as the price of oil. Two distinct energy topics which have received attention are nuclear power and the oil crises of 1973–79 because of their wider geopolitical ramifications. Perhaps the most prominent or consistent thread through studies of the politics of energy is the question of energy security or energy independence. Finally, in recent years, energy has increasingly emerged as a focus for study in environmental politics and climate change politics in particular.