Not all scientific publications are equally useful to policy-makers tasked with mitigating the spread and impact of diseases, especially at the start of novel epidemics and pandemics. The urgent need for actionable, evidence-based information is paramount, but the nature of preprint and peer-reviewed articles published during these times is often at odds with such goals. For example, a lack of novel results and a focus on opinions rather than evidence were common in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) publications at the start of the pandemic in 2019. In this work, we seek to automatically judge the utility of these scientific articles, from a public health policy making persepctive, using only their titles.

Deep learning natural language processing (NLP) models were trained on scientific COVID-19 publication titles from the CORD-19 dataset and evaluated against expert-curated COVID-19 evidence to measure their real-world feasibility at screening these scientific publications in an automated manner.

This work demonstrates that it is possible to judge the utility of COVID-19 scientific articles, from a public health policy-making perspective, based on their title alone, using deep natural language processing (NLP) models.

NLP models can be successfully trained on scienticic articles and used by public health experts to triage and filter the hundreds of new daily publications on novel diseases such as COVID-19 at the start of pandemics.

It is of critical importance to determine the factors that contribute to nurses’ disaster preparedness. This study aimed to examine nurses’ perceptions of disaster preparedness and the factors affecting it.

This descriptive study was conducted with 464 nurses working in the East Marmara region of Türkiye. The data were collected online using the “Personal Information Form,” “The Scale of Perception of Disaster Preparedness on Nurses,” and the “Adult Motivation Scale.” Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors.

It was found that nurses possessed a high level of perceived disaster preparedness, influenced by individual disaster preparedness, status of receiving disaster-related training, willingness to respond in the case of a disaster, disaster plan awareness, experience with caring for disaster victims, extrinsic motivation, and general motivation.

The results of the study offer evidence that can be implemented by managers and educators to better prepare nurses for disasters. Hospital administrators and policy makers should consider the factors affecting nurses’ perception of disaster preparedness to develop solutions for such disasters.

Cancer patients are among the most vulnerable populations during and after a disaster. We evaluated the impact of treatment interruption on the survival of women with gynecologic cancer in Puerto Rico following Hurricanes Irma and María.

A retrospective cohort study among a clinic-based sample of women with gynecological cancer diagnosed between January 2016 and September 2017 (n = 112) was done. Women were followed from their diagnosis until December 2019, to assess vital status. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models were performed.

Mean age was 56 (± 12.3) years; corpus uteri (58.9%) was the most common gynecologic cancer. Predominant treatments were surgery (91.1%) and chemotherapy (44.6%). Overall, 75.9% were receiving treatment before the hurricanes, 16.1% experienced treatment interruptions, and 8.9% died during the follow-up period. Factors associated with treatment interruption in bivariate analysis included younger age (≤55 years), having regional/distant disease, and receiving > 1 cancer treatment (P < 0.05). Crude analysis revealed an increased risk of death among women with treatment interruption (HR: 3.88, 95% CI: 1.09-13.77), persisting after adjusting for age and cancer stage (HR: 2.49, 95% CI: 0.69-9.01).

Findings underscore the detrimental impact of treatment interruption on cancer survival in the aftermath of hurricanes, emphasizing the need for emergency response plans for this vulnerable population.

Disaster experiences have long-term effects on disaster preparedness. This study examined the long-term (10-y) effect of disaster severity of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake on survivors’ disaster preparedness and the moderating effects of household vulnerability.

The data were collected in January 2018 covering 30 counties in Wenchuan earthquake-stricken areas. The dependent variable was survivors’ disaster preparedness (including overall, material, knowledge and awareness, and action preparedness) in 2018. Disaster severity included survivors’ housing damage and county death rate caused by the earthquake in 2008. Household vulnerability is a set of conditions that negatively affects the ability of people to prepare for and withstand disaster, proxied by households’ per-capita income and the highest years of schooling of household members. We performed multivariable linear regression models to answer the research questions.

A higher county death rate was associated with better overall preparedness (β = 0.043; P < 0.05) and knowledge and awareness preparedness (β = 0.018; P < 0.05), but housing damage was not significantly associated with disaster preparedness. The positive association of county death rate with overall preparedness (β = −0.065; P < 0.05) becomes weaker when a household has a higher per-capita income. Also, with the household per-capita income increasing, the associations of county death rate with material preparedness (β = −0.037; P < 0.05) and action preparedness (β = −0.034; P < 0.01) become weaker.

Disaster severity has positive and long-term effects on survivors’ disaster preparedness. Also, the positive and long-term effects are affected by household vulnerability. Specifically, the positive and long-term effects of disaster severity on disaster preparedness are more substantial when a household is more vulnerable.

In 2020, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare developed an Excel workbook entitled “Simple Simulator for calculating nutritional food stocks in preparation for large-scale disasters.” In September 2021, it was modified as the “Revised Simulator” to plan food stockpiles in normal times and post-disaster meals. This study aimed to further improve the Revised Simulator.

Eight group interviews were conducted with 12 public health dietitians, 9 disaster management officers, and 2 public health nurses from September to November 2021. They provided nutritional support during previous disasters or prepared for predicted future disasters. Qualitative analysis was conducted on interview transcriptions, then the Revised Simulator was improved based on their feedback.

The Revised Simulator was improved to the “Simulator for calculating nutritional food stocks and meals for large-scale disasters” with significant changes such as adding specific tags in the food list to denote long shelf life and elderly-friendly foods, as well as displaying bar graphs to visualize the required and supplied amounts of energy and nutrients.

The Revised Simulator was upgraded for planning and assessing stockpiles and meals in ordinary conditions and emergencies. This study will contribute to enhancing the quality and quantity of food supplies during disasters.

To determine factors predicting emergency preparedness (EP) behaviors among Hawaii parents.

A cross-sectional online survey of parents of children (age 0-12 y) living in Honolulu, Hawaii, in March 2023 examined associations with (1) having an EP kit (supplies for use during emergencies) and (2) having a family emergency plan (what to do, where to go, how to communicate during emergencies) with demographics/household characteristics and theoretical constructs of the Health Belief Model. A multivariable regression model obtained odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Participants (N = 278) were mainly female (84%), college-educated (68%), and were similar in diverse racial/ethnic composure (White; 13.3%) to the overall Honolulu County. Logistic regression determined participants with lower perceived susceptibility to disasters, greater time barriers, and those who needed help to prepare for emergencies were less likely to have an EP kit. Among participants without an EP kit, a website able to create personalized instructions for household EP would be useful. Participants who needed help to prepare for emergencies were less likely to have a family emergency plan.

Future interventions should focus on evidence-based strategies that improve self-efficacy associated with developing EP kits and family emergency plans.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been underutilized due to logistical challenges, lack of access, and variable treatment awareness among patients and health-care professionals. The use of telehealth during the pandemic provides an opportunity to increase access to COVID-19 care.

This is a single-center descriptive study of telehealth-based patient self-referral for mAb therapy between March 1, 2021, and October 31, 2021, at Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (BCCFH).

Among the 1001 self-referral patients, the mean age was 47, and most were female (57%). White (66%), and had a primary care provider (PCP) (62%). During the study period, self-referrals increased from 14/mo in March to 427 in October resulting in a 30-fold increase. Approximately 57% of self-referred patients received a telehealth visit, and of those 82% of patients received mAb infusion therapy. The median time from self-referral to onsite infusion was 2 d (1-3 IQR).

Our study shows the integration of telehealth with a self-referral process improved access to mAb infusion. A high proportion of self-referrals were appropriate and led to timely treatment. This approach helped those without traditional avenues for care and avoided potential delay for patients seeking referral from their PCPs.

The World Health Organization declared the current monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on July 23, 2022, as it has posed a great threat to human health. This bibliometric analysis aimed to explore the current research hotspots focused on monkeypox.

A systematic search of the Web of Science Core Collection database was conducted for published articles on monkeypox from database inception to February 23, 2023. VOSviewer software was used for analysis and visualization of research results.

A total of 1646 publications on monkeypox virus were included for bibliometric analysis. Results showed that (1) the number of publications about monkeypox virus increased significantly in 2022, (2) smallpox and monkeypox virus were popular research keywords, (3) the United States has made the most significant contribution to the study of monkeypox virus, (4) Journal of Virology was the most active journal in publishing articles about monkeypox, and (5) research themes mainly included the body’s reaction after monkeypox infection, epidemiology, diagnosis, and pathological mechanisms.

Future research should focus on early sensitive diagnostic measures of monkeypox and the development of vaccines based on the characteristics of the virus. Study findings also provided key areas for public health experts to focus on and collaborate with policymakers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted communities worldwide. Behavioral health providers are at the forefront providing services and are thus vulnerable to psychological sequalae. This study hypothesizes that the fear of COVID-19 predicts depression and anxiety among these providers.

A questionnaire was delivered to community behavioral health providers to assess fear of COVID-19 using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Anxiety and depression were assessed using Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2). Demographic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the relationship between explanatory variables and outcomes was assessed using univariate generalized linear models and 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

FCV-19S scores were significantly higher among persons who smoked (z = 2.4, P < 0.05) or had a predisposing health condition. The multivariate models showed significant association with fear of COVID-19 and having a predisposing health condition, belonging to an ethnic minority group, not been diagnosed positive, and having a high total anxiety score.

The study indicated that 50% of the behavioral health providers screened had poor mental health owing to multiple factors identified. Hence, it is essential to strengthen their support to better mitigate situations contributing to fear.

Special education enrollment increased in Flint following the 2014–2015 Flint Water Crisis, but lead exposure is not plausibly responsible. Labeling Flint children as lead poisoned and/or brain damaged may have contributed to rising special education needs (ie, nocebo effect). To better document this possibility, we surveyed schoolteachers and reviewed neuropsychological assessments of children for indications of negative labeling.

A survey of Flint and Detroit (control) public schoolteachers using a modified Illness Perception Questionnaire was conducted 5 years post-crisis. We also examined neuropsychological assessments from a recently settled class lawsuit.

Relative to Detroit (n = 24), Flint teachers (n = 11) believed that a higher proportion of their students had harmful lead exposure (91.8% Flint vs 46% Detroit; P = 0.00034), were lead poisoned (51.3% vs 24.3%; P = 0.018), or brain damaged (28.8% vs 12.9%; P = 0.1), even though blood lead of Flint children was always less than half of that of Detroit children. Neuropsychological assessments diagnosed lead poisoning and/or brain damage from water lead exposure in all tested children (n = 8), even though none had evidence of elevated blood lead and a majority had prior learning disability diagnoses.

Teachers’ responses and neuropsychological assessments suggest Flint children were harmed by a nocebo effect.

Patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis face heightened vulnerability during disasters like tropical cyclones, yet there is sparse research on their treatment-related challenges and countermeasures. This scoping review aims to highlight the issues maintenance hemodialysis patients encounter following tropical cyclones.

A systematic scoping review of 19 articles from 2000 to 2023 was conducted, evaluating eligibility against predefined criteria.

Hemodialysis patients encounter substantial challenges during and after tropical cyclones in the United States, Puerto Rico, Australia, and Taiwan. Thematic analysis identified 3 themes related to “challenges” (Hemodialysis health-related challenges, socially relevant challenges, and challenges of management inefficiencies). “Recommendations” comprised 4 themes and 4 phases across the “mitigation phase” (fortifying healthcare infrastructure and mobilizing community-focused risk mitigation initiatives), “preparedness” (emergency plan development, training, and patient education), “response” (activation of emergency plans and providing emergency healthcare services), and “recovery” (intersectoral collaboration for recovery and rebuilding).

This scoping review underscores challenges confronted by patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis post-tropical cyclones, highlighting the urgent need for targeted strategies to ensure the continuity of dialysis care during and after such disasters.

The frequency and severity of floods has increased in different regions of the world due to climate change. It is important to examine how adaptation measures impact the mental health of individuals affected by these disasters.

The goal of this scoping review was to document the existing studies on the impact of flood adaptation measures in affected populations to identify the best preventive strategies and limitations that deserve further exploration.

This study followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Inclusion criteria focused on studies in English or French available in MEDLINE and Web of Science that examined the impact of adaptation measures on the mental health of flood victims. Literature reviews or non-study records were excluded from the analysis.

A total of 857 records were obtained from the examined databases. After 2 rounds of screening, 9 studies were included for full-text analysis. Six studies sought to identify the factors that drive resilience in flood victims, whereas 3 studies analyzed the impact of external interventions on their mental health.

The limited number of studies demonstrates the need for public health policies to develop flood adaptation measures that can be used to support the mental health of flood victims.

To achieve resilience in the response of a major incident, it is essential to coordinate major processes and resources with the aim to manage expected and unexpected changes. The coordination is partly done through timely, adequate, and resilience-oriented decisions. Accordingly, the aim of the present paper is to describe factors that affected decision-making in a medical command and control team during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

This study used a qualitative method in which 13 individuals from a regional public healthcare system involved in COVID-19 related command and control were interviewed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

The factors affecting decision-making in medical command and control during early COVID-19 pandemic were grouped into 5 themes: organization, adaptation, making decisions, and analysis, as well as common operational picture.

The present study indicated that decision-making in medical command and control faces many challenges in the response to pandemics. The results may provide knowledge about disaster resilience and can be utilized in educational and training settings for medical command and control.

The appropriate response to mass causality biological events requires well-established preparedness and providing a surge capacity. In such a situation, a practical solution is to convert large public venues into shelter hospitals. Due to the lack of a guideline for the transformation of a large public center into a hospital, the present study collected the design criteria for the transformation of public buildings into shelter hospitals in response to biological events such as epidemics or mass causality biological accidents.

The keywords were searched in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases until November 2021. This systematic review was conducted using terms related to mass causality biological accidents, shelter hospitals, and design criteria.

Of 1802 extracted articles, duplicates (n = 280) and unrelated publications (n = 1342) were left out in the initial evaluation. Among 180 remained papers, 29 records satisfied our criteria after reviewing abstracts and full texts. Most of the included studies were related to the transformation of public venues into hospitals in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The investigated themes included site selection, layout and structure, waste and wastewater management, ventilation, communication, food and medicine delivery, humanitarians and social supports, post-treatment care, and Management measures.

In summary, large public venues are highly recommended alternatives for surge capacity in response to mass causality biological accidents. However, the main challenges for using these centers are the provision of basic requirements such as water and electricity, ventilation, and available space.

2022 - 2023 mpox outbreak necessitated rapid distribution of JYNNEOS vaccines from US Strategic National Stockpile to state and local public health agencies. New Hampshire’s centralized public health structure required partnering with healthcare facilities to reach at-risk persons. Among the 67 organizations contacted to partner with, only 7 established public JYNNEOS vaccine clinics. The study objective was to identify barriers and resources needed for emergency public vaccination.

In March 2023, mixed-method surveys were developed and sent to 20 non-participating organizations and 7 participating organizations (“vaccine-partners”).

35% (7/20) of non-participating organizations and 100% (7/7) vaccine-partners responded. Non-participating organizations (n = 5) identified lack of staffing (100%) and insufficient provider time or clinical resources (80%) as the most common barriers. Staffing needs reported by non-participating organizations included: administrative (100%); medical doctor or advanced practice practitioner (67%); and registered nurse, medical assistant, or licensed nursing assistant (67%). Vaccine partners reported similar staffing requirements. Estimated additional monthly funding needs were $3,750 for non-participating organizations and $1,680 for vaccine-partners.

A minority of NH healthcare facilities established public JYNNEOS vaccination clinics. The primary barrier was insufficient staffing; additional resources and funding needs were modest. Success of the next emergency vaccination campaign depends on sustained advocacy, resources, and partnership.