Article
Microbiology
Maia Simon, Ouarda Pereira, Julie Guillet-Thibault, Marlies E. J. L. Hulscher, Celine Pulcini, Nathalie Thilly
Summary: The study found that antibiotic prescriptions in dental care are often unnecessary or inappropriate, but there is a lack of standardized indicators for evaluating the appropriateness of antibiotics prescribed by dentists. By designing and evaluating proxy indicators, the research revealed significant variations among dentists, indicating room for improvement.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Costanza Vicentini, Valentina Blengini, Giulia Libero, Roberto Raso, Carla Maria Zotti
Summary: This study investigated antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs in acute-care trusts in Piedmont, Northern Italy, and evaluated the structure, process, and outcome indicators. The study found improvements in antimicrobial usage, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae between 2017 and 2019. Significant correlations were found between structure indicators and changes in antimicrobial usage and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION CONTROL
(2023)
Review
Computer Science, Information Systems
Abigail E. Lewis, Nicole Weiskopf, Zachary B. Abrams, Randi Foraker, Albert M. Lai, Philip R. O. Payne, Aditi Gupta
Summary: The objective of this study was to determine recent improvements or changes in EHR data quality assessment methodologies. A systematic review of PubMed articles from 2013 to April 2023 was conducted. The findings indicate that there is still a lack of a standard approach for assessing EHR data quality. Guidelines are needed to improve the efficiency, transparency, comparability, and interoperability of data quality assessment.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL INFORMATICS ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
L. Renggli, C. Pluess-Suard, M. Gasser, B. Sonderegger, A. Kronenberg
Summary: This feasibility study assessed the possibility of converting electronic medical record (EMR) data into indicators for appropriate antibiotic use. The study found that algorithms could be programmed to compute the majority of pre-selected indicators from EMR data, but improvements in data structure and processing are needed to enhance validity. The study highlights the importance of optimizing EMR systems for antibiotic stewardship programs.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism
Adiyukh Berbekova, Muzaffer Uysal, A. George Assaf
Summary: This study examines the reciprocal relationship between objective quality of life indicators and traditional destination performance measures. Findings suggest that economic factors, education, and health indicators are strongly associated with performance measures of the tourism industry.
JOURNAL OF TRAVEL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Eder Rodriguez-Campos, Ana Belen Guisado-Gil, German Penalva, Beatriz Fernandez-Rubio, Teresa Aldabo, Laura Herrera-Hidalgo, Esperanza Fernandez-Delgado, Marta Mejias-Trueba, Maria Luisa Gascon, Maria Adriaensens, Jose Miguel Cisneros, Maria Victoria Gil-Navarro
Summary: This study assessed the quality of antimicrobial use in ICUs using a bundle of indicators in a teaching hospital in Spain. The indicators were selected based on consumption data and trends were analyzed using segmented regression. The findings showed an increase in the use of certain antimicrobial agents and the detection of patterns that align with local guidelines and antibiogram reports. The use of these novel indicators provides additional information for analysis and improvement within antimicrobial stewardship programs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS
(2023)
Article
Orthopedics
Elsie Rizk, Sharla Tajchman, Ezekiel Fink, Dipendra K. Aryal, Tomona Iso, Eleazar Flores, Anthony E. Brown, Sagar P. Chokshi, Shetal-Nicholas Desai, Ashvin K. Dewan, Sarah A. Kazzaz, Myriam Guevara, Sudha Nagaraj, Christopher P. Robben, Veronica Vittone, Joshua T. Swan
Summary: This study developed a set of valid and feasible quality indicators for osteoarthritis pain management in primary care settings through literature search and expert panel discussions. The final list of 15 prioritized quality indicators covers aspects such as pain management safety, education, weight-management, psychological wellbeing, optimizing first-line medications, referral, and imaging.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Teske Schoffelen, Jeroen Schouten, Jacobien Hoogerwerf, Alejandro Martin Quiros, Larissa May, Jaap Ten Oever, Marlies Hulscher
Summary: This study developed a set of 22 quality indicators for antimicrobial use in the emergency department through expert appraisal, covering various aspects of appropriate antimicrobial use.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Ralf Stemkens, Jeroen A. Schouten, Sophie A. M. van Kessel, Reinier P. Akkermans, Denise S. C. Telgt, Hanneke W. H. A. Fleuren, Mark A. A. Claassen, Marlies E. J. L. Hulscher, Jaap ten Oever
Summary: This study provides practical guidance on using quality indicators (QIs) to measure the quality of antibiotic use, helping AMS teams identify targets for improvement.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Montana Jimenez-Espada, Francisco Manuel Martinez Garcia, Rafael Gonzalez-Escobar
Summary: Among the concerns of public managers, the problem of efficiently managing urban space in cities is widely acknowledged. Local governments are particularly focused on creating a livable city model based on sustainable development parameters. This research analyzes the relationship between urban sustainability and spatial morphology in a medium-sized Spanish city using open data, urban sustainability indicators, and GIS tools at the neighborhood level. The results show that while many indicators meet regulatory requirements and demonstrate a satisfactory level of sustainability, others fall short, suggesting the need for corrective measures to align the urban configuration with sustainable development objectives. Implementing urban sustainability indicators linked to GIS tools can objectively facilitate measures to improve citizens' quality of life, but the availability of open data sources is crucial for practical application in urban environments.
ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ge Peng, Wendy S. Gross, Rorie Edmunds
Summary: This article compares three maturity assessment approaches and analyzes their similarities and differences in data discovery, accessibility, interoperability, and usability. It also highlights the potential issues caused by the complexity of these approaches.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
E. Desiderio, L. Garcia-Herrero, D. Hall, A. Segre, M. Vittuari
Summary: This article reviews the current state of social sustainability in food supply chains and analyzes the tools and indicators used for measurement. The results show variations in the quantity and quality of social sustainability tools and indicators across different stages of the supply chain, highlighting the need for consistent social sustainability throughout the entire chain.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Ayyoob Sharifi, Ayotunde Dawodu, Ali Cheshmehzangi
Summary: The study identifies nine major methodological limitations of Neighborhood Sustainability Assessment tools, including limited coverage of sustainability dimensions, lack of transparency, neglect of context-specific issues, rigid design measures, absence of basic sustainability requirements, lack of consistency between assessment methodologies provided by different tools, insufficient consideration of interlinkages between indicators, boundary linkages, and the complexity of the assessment tool. Recommendations are provided to inform tool developers on measures that could be taken to address these limitations, while acknowledging the potential challenges of addressing all limitations at once. Further research on the methodological limitations of all identified tools is suggested.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Torsten Schlett, Christian Rathgeb, Olaf Henniger, Javier Galbally, Julian Fierrez, Christoph Busch
Summary: This survey provides an overview of the literature on face image quality assessment, focusing on visible wavelength face image input. The trend towards deep learning-based methods is observed, along with the integration of quality assessment into face recognition models. The paper also discusses the various application scenarios for face image quality assessment and highlights open issues and challenges, including the importance of comparability for algorithm evaluations and the need for interpretable deep learning approaches.
ACM COMPUTING SURVEYS
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Jense Wils, Veroniek Saegeman, Annette Schuermans
Summary: MRVP results can reduce inappropriate antibiotic use, guide appropriate antiviral therapy, and have added value in infection control measures. Factors that contribute to reduction in antibiotic therapy include active antimicrobial stewardship, low likelihood of bacterial infection, and quick turnaround time.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Myron Anthony Godinho, Siaw-Teng Liaw, Chipo Kanjo, Heimar F. Marin, Henrique Martins, Yuri Quintana
Summary: Following the outbreak of COVID-19, several countries have attempted to implement digital vaccine passports (DVPs) to facilitate international travel. These passports, comprised of essential personal data, have the potential to become part of a global electronic health record, raising important issues related to building a global digital health ecosystem. Debate simulations provide a secure and interactive space for participatory policy discussions in advancing digital health diplomacy. This study analyzed the sociotechnical issues associated with the global implementation of DVPs through an online simulation of a Model World Health Assembly, generating valuable insights and questions regarding the role of diplomacy in global digital health. The debate arguments addressed various aspects of DVPs, including technological, scientific, ethical, legal, policy, and societal considerations. Reflecting on the simulation, the study discusses the opportunities and challenges it presents for the digitalization, decolonization, decentralization, and democratization of participatory policymaking.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL INFORMATICS ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Susan Holmes, Matthew Harries, Abby E. Macbeth, Wing S. Chiu, Simon de Lusignan, Andrew G. Messenger, Christos Tziotzios
Summary: This large UK population-based study reveals that individuals with alopecia areata (AA) have a 40% higher risk of developing new-onset atopic and autoimmune conditions compared to a control group, supporting the involvement of both Th1 and Th2 immune responses in the pathogenesis of AA.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
Andrew G. Messenger, Matthew Harries, Abby E. Macbeth, Wing Sin Chiu, Susan Holmes, Christos Tziotzios, Simon de Lusignan
Summary: This population-based study explored the association between alopecia areata (AA) and common infections. Although a slightly higher incidence of common infections was found in people with AA, no association between AA and infection was observed. The findings suggest that the higher incidence of common infections in people with AA may be due to their higher healthcare utilization, rather than a true association.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Ruby S. M. Tsang, Mark Joy, Rachel Byford, Chris Robertson, Sneha N. Anand, William Hinton, Nikhil Mayor, Debasish Kar, John Williams, William Victor, Ashley Akbari, Declan T. Bradley, Siobhan Murphy, Dermot O'Reilly, Rhiannon K. Owen, Antony Chuter, Jillian Beggs, Gary Howsam, Aziz Sheikh, Fd Richard Hobbs, Simon de Lusignan
Summary: This study estimated the incidence of adverse events of interest (AEIs) following COVID-19 vaccination in England and reported safety profile differences between vaccine brands using a self-controlled case series design. The results showed a decrease in medically attended AEI incidence overall following vaccination, although some brands had an increase in certain AEIs. The overall incidence of AEIs associated with COVID-19 vaccines was small.
Review
Computer Science, Information Systems
Siaw-Teng Liaw, Myron Anthony Godinho
Summary: This study provides a literature review on capability maturity models (MMs) for the implementation and evaluation of digital health (DH) ecosystems. It identifies diverse domain-specific MMs and their development, implementation, and evaluation methods. The study also introduces a new category of community-facing MMs. The conclusion suggests using a metamodel like DHPMAT-MM to unify domain-specific MMs and guide the overall implementation and evaluation of DH ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL INFORMATICS ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hana Mullerova, Jennie Medin, Matthew Arnold, Hugo Gomes da Silva, Supriya Kumar, Magnus Nord, Richard Hubbard, Simon de Lusignan
Summary: This study aims to report the prepandemic background event rates of thrombosis with thrombocytopaenia syndrome (TTS) in the general population. The study found that the background incidence of TTS was estimated to be 9.8-11.1 per 100,000 person-years in a health insurance claims database. The rates were higher in males and increased with age.
Article
Primary Health Care
Alexander Hodkinson, Salwa S. Zghebi, Evangelos Kontopantelis, Christos Grigoroglou, Darren M. Ashcroft, Mark Hann, Carolyn A. Chew-Graham, Rupert A. Payne, Paul Little, Simon de Lusignan, Anli Zhou, Aneez Esmail, Maria Panagioti
Summary: This study found associations between prescribing of strong opioids and antibiotics and GP burnout and wellness, indicating that GP well-being plays a role in overprescribing of these medications in primary care.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Primary Health Care
Faraz Mughal, Simon de Lusignan, Ulrike Schmidt, Kamaldeep Bhui
BRITISH JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Anna K. Forbes, Rebecca J. Suckling, William Hinton, Michael D. Feher, Debasish Banerjee, Nicholas I. Cole, Simon de Lusignan, Pauline A. Swift
Summary: This systematic review of observational studies indicates that SGLT2 inhibitors have significant kidney benefits for a diverse population of adults with type 2 diabetes. The meta-analysis shows that SGLT2 inhibitors are associated with a 46% lower risk of kidney failure events compared to other glucose-lowering drugs, regardless of baseline eGFR or albuminuria status.
DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Mary A. Sinnathamby, Fiona Warburton, Arlene J. Reynolds, Simon Cottrell, Mark O'Doherty, Lisa Domegan, Joan O'Donnell, Jillian Johnston, Ivelina Yonova, Suzanne Elgohari, Nicola L. Boddington, Nick Andrews, Joanna Ellis, Simon de Lusignan, Jim McMenamin, Richard G. Pebody
Summary: The study evaluates the impact of vaccinating primary school-aged children against influenza across five countries. The results show that LAIV vaccination is associated with population-level benefits, particularly in reducing infection incidence in primary care.
INFLUENZA AND OTHER RESPIRATORY VIRUSES
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Claudia Atala-Acevedo, Roisin McGrath, Kristen Glenister, Daniel Capurro, Lisa Bourke, David Simmons, Mike Morgan, Rodrigo Marino
Summary: This study compared the oral health status of adults in rural Australia based on clinical assessment and self-rated oral health (SROH). The results showed a correlation between SROH and clinical indicators, suggesting that SROH can be used as an indicator of oral health status.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Seng Hansun, Ahmadreza Argha, Siaw-Teng Liaw, Branko G. Celler, Guy B. Marks
Summary: This systematic literature review confirms the high potential of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) for tuberculosis (TB) detection using chest radiography (CXR). However, future studies need to pay attention to two aspects of risk of bias, namely the reference standard and the flow and timing aspects.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
James Rufus John, Jahidur Rahman Khan, Ping- Lin, Jitendra Jonnagaddala, Nan Hu, Josephine Belcher, Siaw-Teng Liaw, Raghu Lingam, Valsamma Eapen
Summary: This study examined the impact of COVID-19 on mental health-related visits to general practices among children and young people in Australia. Data from January 2014 to September 2021 showed a significant increase in overall mental health-related visits during the COVID-19 period, particularly for depressive disorders. Females and those in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas experienced the greatest increase. The findings highlight the need for targeted resources to improve mental health outcomes and alleviate the burden on the healthcare system.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Virology
Megan Bardsley, Paul Loveridge, Natalia G. Bednarska, Sue Smith, Roger A. Morbey, Gayatri Amirthalingam, William H. Elson, Chris Bates, Simon de Lusignan, Daniel Todkill, Alex J. Elliot
Summary: This study examined GP consultations for chickenpox in England and found a decrease in consultation rates over the years, with higher rates among children aged 1-4 years. The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the rates, and there was a higher proportion of consultations among children aged <1 year. The lasting effects of the pandemic on disease transmission remain to be seen, highlighting the importance of monitoring chickenpox burden for vaccine program decisions.
Article
Primary Health Care
Alexander Hodkinson, Salwa S. Zghebi, Evangelos Kontopantelis, Christos Grigoroglou, Darren M. Ashcroft, Mark Hann, Carolyn A. Chew-Graham, Rupert A. Payne, Paul Little, Simon de Lusignan, Anli Zhou, Aneez Esmail, Maria Panagioti
Summary: The study found that the well-being of GPs is associated with the overprescribing of strong opioids and antibiotics in primary care. GPs with higher levels of burnout symptoms, job dissatisfaction, and turnover intentions are more likely to overprescribe these medications. Additionally, longer working hours and practices located in the north of England are also associated with increased prescribing of strong opioids and antibiotics.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
(2023)