Annual Survey Research Articles

51670 Undertreatment among patients with psoriasis in the United States: Results from the 2022 National Psoriasis Foundation Annual Survey

51670 Undertreatment among patients with psoriasis in the United States: Results from the 2022 National Psoriasis Foundation Annual Survey

Using the andersen healthcare utilization model to assess willingness to screen for prep in pharmacy-based settings among cisgender sexually minoritized men: results from the 2020 american men’s internet survey

BackgroundPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV is severely underutilized among sexually minoritized men (SMM). Inequitable access to PrEP-prescribing facilities and providers is a critical barrier to PrEP uptake among SMM. Integrating HIV prevention services, such as PrEP screening, into pharmacy-based settings is a viable solution to addressing HIV inequities in the US. We aimed to examine willingness to obtain PrEP screening in a pharmacy and its associated correlates, leveraging Andersen’s Healthcare Utilization Model (AHUM), among a national sample of SMM in the U.S.MethodsData from the 2020 American Men’s Internet Survey, an annual online survey among SMM, were analyzed. Drawing on AHUM-related constructs, we used a modified stepwise Poisson regression with robust variance estimates to examine differences in willingness to screen for PrEP in a pharmacy. Estimated prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI95%).ResultsOut of 10,816 men, most (76%) were willing to screen for PrEP in a pharmacy. Participants were more willing to screen for PrEP in a pharmacy if they (1) had a general willingness to use PrEP (PR = 1.52; CI95% =1.45, 1.59); (2) felt comfortable speaking with pharmacy staff about PrEP (PR = 2.71; CI95% =2.47, 2.98); and (3) had HIV-related concerns (PR = 1.04; CI95% =1.02, 1.06). There were no observed differences in men’s willingness to screen for PrEP in a pharmacy by race/ethnicity, education level, annual household income, nor insurance status.ConclusionsStrategically offering PrEP screening in pharmacies could mitigate access-related barriers to HIV prevention services among SMM, particularly across various sociodemographic domains. Importantly, this approach has vitally important implications for addressing broader inequities in HIV prevention. Future studies should examine strategies to successfully integrate PrEP screenings in pharmacies among diverse populations, especially among those at elevated risk for HIV.

Expectations of and perceived need for civil war in the USA: findings from a 2023 nationally representative survey

BackgroundSurveys have found concerningly high levels of agreement that the United States will experience civil war soon. This study assesses variation in expectation of and perceived need for civil war with respondent sociopolitical characteristics, beliefs, firearm ownership, and willingness to engage in political violence.MethodsFindings are from Wave 2 of a nationally representative annual longitudinal survey of members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, conducted May 18–June 8, 2023. All respondents to 2022’s Wave 1 who remained in KnowledgePanel were invited to participate. Outcomes are expressed as weighted proportions and adjusted prevalence differences, with p-values adjusted for the false discovery rate and reported as q-values.ResultsThe completion rate was 84.2%; there were 9385 respondents. After weighting, half the sample was female (50.7%, 95% CI 49.4%, 52.1%); the weighted mean (± standard deviation) age was 48.5 (25.9) years. Approximately 1 respondent in 20 (5.7%, 95% CI 5.1%, 6.4%) agreed strongly or very strongly that “in the next few years, there will be civil war in the United States.” About 1 in 25 (3.8%, 95% CI 3.2%, 4.4%), and nearly 40% (38.4%, 95% CI 32.3%, 44.5%) of those who strongly or very strongly agreed that civil war was coming, also agreed strongly or very strongly that “the United States needs a civil war to set things right.” Expectation of and perceived need for civil war were higher among subsets of respondents who in Wave 1 were more willing than others to commit political violence, including MAGA Republicans, persons in strong agreement with racist beliefs or statements of the potential need for violence to effect social change, persons who strongly approved of specified extreme right-wing political organizations and movements, firearm owners who purchased firearms in 2020 or later, and firearm owners who carried firearms in public all or nearly all the time.ConclusionsIn 2023, the expectation that civil war was likely and the belief that it was needed were uncommon but were higher among subsets of the population that had previously been associated with greater willingness to commit political violence. These findings can help guide prevention efforts.

Patient and quality characteristics in the treatment with disulfiram (Antabus) in the German "Network for Alcohol Aversive Pharmacotherapy"

More than adecade ago disulfiram lost its approval for use in Germany. Nonetheless, aconsiderable number of psychiatric hospital outpatient departments as well as practicing physicians continue to prescribe it. These professionals have formed the "Network for Alcohol Aversive Pharmacotherapy" (NAP) to maintain a high quality of this treatment approach. To describe the current use of disulfiram with respect to patient numbers and characteristics, side effects, and use of concomitant multimodal treatment forms. Since 2019 the NAP has conducted an annual retrospective survey among its members regarding the aforementioned parameters. From 2019 to 2023 atotal of 1579 treatment cases were described by 33centers, 152 patients reported atotal of 241 drinking events, 26of them resulting in hospitalization but none causing complications or permanent harm. The most frequent side effects, in descending order, were unpleasant body odor (2.5%), fatigue, male sexual dysfunction, mildly elevated liver enzymes, allergic skin reactions and polyneuropathy (0.8%). More than one quarter of the patients suffered from comorbid depression, and approximately 5% from ADHD, borderline or other personality disorders, trauma-related disorders and anxiety disorders, respectively. Of the patients 33% were treated with antidepressants and 12% with sedating antipsychotics. Various forms of concomitant group therapy were offered to 66% of the patients. Treatment with disulfiram is legally possible, generally well-tolerated and safe. It is offered in most treatment centers as part of acomprehensive treatment plan that includes multimodal treatment of comorbid psychiatric disorders.

Unpacking unfair transaction experiences, competition, and imports in technology-intensive SMEs' FDI

In this study we examine how unfair transaction experiences with domestic partners might affect international expansion efforts, as moderated by industry competition and importing network. With survey data from the Annual Survey of Korea Venture Firms (2014–2018), we identify an explanatory role of unfair transaction experiences, together with moderating roles of industry competition and importing network, on FDI, such that small and medium-sized firms that suffer unfair transaction experiences in their home country are more likely to internationalize. Importing network can catalyze this outward investment, whereas industry competition tends to discourage such international expansion, because the firms need to focus on defending their positions at home, more so than expanding their business internationally.

Empirical evidence of Goodwin’s growth cycle in the Indian organised manufacturing sector

PurposeThe aim of the paper is to investigate Goodwin’s growth cycle in the Indian organised manufacturing industries.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is based on bi-variate differential equation, econometrics model like log-linear regression and Autoregressive Distributed Lag model. An empirical investigation is conducted on data from the Annual Survey of Industries from 1980 to 2018 time period.FindingsThe results indicate that though the original Goodwin model estimates deviated from data estimates, its modified (neo-Goodwin) model are found to be equivalent to the data estimates. Moreover, in contrast to the original model, the capital accumulation rate (investment to profit ratio) is not assumed to be unitary in the modified Goodwin model. Furthermore, the labour market-led and cost effect conditions of the Goodwin cycle are empirically verified by investigating the interdependency between employment rate and wage share. Lastly, the short- and long-run Goodwin cycles are observed to be moving in anti-clockwise direction in the employment rate and wage share bi-dimensional plane, thus confirming the existence of profit-led distribution where wage share continuously reducing with high employment.Research limitations/implicationsThis study opens the discussion on application of capitalistic model in the emerging economy and also suggests to incorporate some theoretical models like Kaldorian, Keynesian, Kaleckian or Schumpetrian into the Goodwin cycle.Originality/valueThis is the first paper which empirically examines the capitalistic nature of Indian organised manufacturing industries through the lens of Goodwin growth cycle and then extend it to the Neo-Goodwin model by relaxing one of the unrealistic assumption regarding unitary investment to profit ratio.

The effects of potentially traumatic events on the recovery from pre-existing anxiety and depression symptomatology and the risk of PTSD.

The extent to which recent potentially traumatic events (PTEs) hinder the recovery from pre-existing mental health problems is largely unknown. The same applies to the extent to which non-recovery from pre-existing mental health problems increases the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of the present study is to gain insight in these effects. Data were extracted from six annual surveys of the Dutch population-based Victims in Modern Society (VICTIMS) study. Of the adult respondents who participated in two subsequent surveys (labeled T1 and T2, n = 6942), those with severe anxiety and depression symptoms (ADS) at T1 (n = 487) were selected. We distinguished respondents exposed to PTEs (PTE-group, n = 162) and not exposed to PTEs (comparison group, n = 325) between T1 and T2. We applied five indicators of recovery [based on the Reliable Change Index (RCI), degrees of symptom reduction, and the cut-off score at T2]. Differences in the recovery from ADS and probable PTSD at T2 were examined using multivariate logistic regression. The PTE group less often recovered from severe ADS between T1 and T2 than the comparison group according to all five indicators of recovery, while controlling for 11 different variables (0.40 ≤ adjusted OR's ≤ 0.66). Those in the PTE group who did not recover, considerably more often suffered from probable PTSD at T2 (63%-82%) than those who did recover (0%-29%; 8.96 ≤ adjusted OR ≤ 26.33). Recent potentially traumatic events hinder the recovery from pre-existing anxiety and depression symptomatology and thereby increase the risk of probable PTSD.

Choice of Law in the American Courts in 2023: Thirty-Seventh Annual Survey

Choice of Law in the American Courts in 2023: Thirty-Seventh Annual Survey

Trends, risk factors and interventions for some mental health problems in the US children and adolescents: evidence from the National Survey of Children’s Health, 2016-2022

PurposeThe purpose of this study is threefold: Determine recent trends in several mental health problems in the USA, identify risk factors that may be responsible for the trends and evaluate intervention policies to reduce the consequences of these problems.Design/methodology/approachThis study used data from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), a nationally representative survey of children under the age of 17 that was conducted between 2016 and 2022. Prevalence rates in the data take into account the probability of selection and nonresponse. Because of the possible correlation in the longitudinal responses in the data, an appropriate extension of the generalized linear models (the marginal models) was used. Marginal models, also known as population-average models, do not require distributional assumptions for the observations, only a regression model for the mean response. The avoidance of distributional assumptions leads to the use of the generalized estimating equations (GEE) method.FindingsThe author found that the odds of children and adolescents experiencing mental health problems in the USA changed over a seven-year period, from 2016 to 2022. Anxiety and depression, in particular, have both increased, with anxiety increasing faster than depression; however, behavioral issues and attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disoder (ADD/ADHD) remained stable until 2020 (the start of COVID-19), when they began to rise. This paper also found a link between increased social media use and increased mental health problems, and bullying has a negative impact on the mental health of children and adolescents.Originality/valueThe NSCH, an annual representative survey, was used in this study to assess mental health problems among children and adolescents in the USA. Marginal models, which enable the capture of potential correlations among observations of the same subject, were used in conjunction with the GEE method. This study differs from previous research, which used other surveys, pre-COVID-19 data points and logistic regressions that assumed independence in repeated observations.

Chronic contamination in the southern Gulf of Mexico coastal zone, as evidenced by meiofauna biological traits

Meiofauna is a good pollution indicator that reflects the ecological status of sediments and their linkages with overlying communities. However, long-term monitoring of this fauna is a developing research activity in most marine ecosystems. This study assessed seasonal spatial and temporal changes in meiofauna composition, abundance, and biological traits in the southern Gulf of Mexico sublittoral zone. We examined two questions: How do the meiofauna attributes vary spatially and seasonally? Which contaminants correlate with the distribution of meiofauna biological traits? We analysed sediment characteristics, metals, hydrocarbons, and meiofauna data collected at shallow coastal sites (<10 m) during eight annual surveys (2005–2020). Organic contamination increased when natural disturbances occurred, mainly in the dry season, decreasing the number of nematode taxa and increasing their abundance. During the eight yearly sampling events, nematodes, harpacticoid copepods, and polychaetes varied according to the sedimentary gradient. Chronic contamination (aromatic compounds, Cr, V, Cd, Cr) covaried with meiofauna biological traits. Our results point out meiofauna taxa (e.g., Anoplostoma, Halalaimus, Monhystera, harpacticoid copepods, saccocirrid polychaetes) as bioindicators of resilient and disturbed sites for terrigenous and transitional sediments, while in carbonate sediments dominated sensitive species. Resilient sites were exposed to the Grijalva-Usumacinta river discharges and the oil industry. Tolerant and opportunistic taxa such as the nematodes Anoplostoma and Xyala were classified as colonisers and non-selective deposit feeders. Conversely, sensitive taxa such as Halalaimus and harpacticoid copepods were semelparous, carnivorous, and persisters.

National trends in patterns of under-vaccination in early childhood: National Immunization Survey-Child, United States, 2011–2021

ABSTRACT Background The study's objective was to examine national trends in patterns of under-vaccination in the United States. Research design and methods The National Immunization Survey-Child (NIS-Child) is an annual cross-sectional survey that collects provider-verified vaccination records from a large national probability sample of children. Records from the 2011–2021 NIS-Child were used to assess receipt of the combined 7-vaccine series by age 24 months. Based on prior work, patterns indicative of hesitancy included zero vaccines, not starting ≥1 series, and consistent vaccine-limiting. Patterns indicative of practical issues included starting all series but missing doses. Up-to-date (UTD) was defined as receiving all doses in the combined 7-vaccine series. Results The study population comprised 127,257 children. Over the observation period, patterns indicative of hesitancy significantly decreased (p-trend < 0.0001), patterns indicative of practical issues significantly decreased (p-trend < 0.0001), and UTD significantly increased (p-trend < 0.0001). In 2021, the weighted percentage in each category was as follows: probable hesitancy 6.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.4%, 7.2%), probable practical issues 26.0% (95% CI 24.4%, 27.6%), and UTD 67.7% (95% CI 66.0%, 69.4%). Conclusion Over an 11-year period, vaccination coverage in the United States for the combined 7-vaccine series has improved, with patterns suggestive of practical issues or hesitancy declining.

Strategies to promote contraception use by female volunteers in Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer's Disease (API ADAD) Colombia trial.

Including women of childbearing age in a clinical trial makes it necessary to consider two factors from a bioethical perspective: first, the lack of knowledge about the potential teratogenic effects of an investigational product, and also, the principle of justice not to exclude any population from the benefits of research. The most common way to address this issue is by requiring volunteers to use contraceptives before, during, and a few weeks after the clinical trial. This work presents all the strategies used to promote contraception use and prevent pregnancy during the Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative Autosomal-Dominant Alzheimer's Disease (API ADAD) Colombia clinical trial. Two characteristics of this trial make it of special interest for closely monitoring contraception use. One is that the trial lasted more than 7 years, and the other is that participants could be carriers of the E280A PSEN1 mutation, leading to a mild cognitive impairment as early as their late 30s. An individual medical evaluation to select the contraception method that best fits the volunteer was carried out during the screening visit, remitting to the gynecologist when necessary. All non-surgical contraception methods were supplied by the sponsor. Staff were trained on contraception counseling, correctly dispensing contraceptive drugs to volunteers, and identifying, reporting, and following up on pregnancies. Two comprehensive educational campaigns on contraception use were performed, and the intervention included all volunteers. In addition, volunteers were asked on an annual survey to evaluate the dispensing procedure. Finally, the effectiveness of these strategies was retrospectively evaluated, comparing by extrapolation the number of pregnancies presented throughout the trial with the General Fertility Rate in Colombia. A total of 159 female volunteers were recruited. All strategies were implemented as planned, even during the COVID-19 contingency. Ten pregnancies occurred during the evaluation period (2015-2021). Two were planned; the rest were associated with a potential therapeutic failure or incorrect use of contraceptive methods for a contraceptive failure of 0.49% per year. Sixty percent of pregnancies led to an abortion, either miscarriage or therapeutic abortion. However, there was not enough data to associate the pregnancy outcome with the administration of the investigational product. Finally, we observed a lower fertility rate in women participating in the trial compared to the Colombian population. The lower rates of contraceptive failure and the decrease in the incidence of pregnancies in women participating in the trial compared to the Colombian population across the 7 years of evaluation suggest that the strategies used in API ADAD Colombia were adequate and effective in addressing contraception use.

Use of Pulmonary Rehabilitation After COPD Hospitalization: An Analysis of Statewide Patient and Hospital Data.

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a clinically and cost-effective outpatient treatment for COPD that remains highly underutilized. Existing analyses of PR utilization patterns have been largely focused on patient characteristics, however hospital level analysis is lacking, and is needed to inform interventions aimed at improving utilization after COPD hospitalization. To evaluate PR utilization across hospitals after COPD hospitalization in the state of Michigan, with the goal of characterizing hospital level variation and identifying the characteristics of high-performing hospitals. This is a retrospective study of patients with a COPD hospitalization between 1/1/18 and 12/31/21 using claims data from the Michigan Value Collaborative (MVC) and hospital data from the American Hospital Association annual survey. Our primary outcome was initiation of PR within 30 days of discharge. Chi-square tests and ANOVA were used to test for differences in patient and hospital covariates. Multilevel logistic regression was used to analyze associations between patient covariates and the primary outcome, and to characterize hospital level variation. A total of 36,389 patients and 99 hospitals were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were older than 65 years of age, female, White, and Medicare fee-for-service insured. The rate of PR initiation within 30 days after hospitalization was 0.8%. Adjusted rates of PR initiation by hospital ranged from 0.4-2.0%. Compared to the set reference groups, being female, in the 5th Distressed Community Index quintile, and being older than 85 years of age independently decreased the odds of initiating PR. Some variation in initiation rate was attributed to the hospital level (7% ICC 0.07, 95% CI 0.03-0.15). The median odds ratio was 1.6 for PR initiation by hospital. Rates of PR initiation after COPD hospitalization are universally low across all hospitals, though there is some variation. Interventions targeted at patients alone are not sufficient to improve utilization. Hospital-based strategies to improve PR utilization after discharge, adapted from those being successfully used with cardiac rehabilitation, should be further explored.

Community acceptance of a novel malaria intervention, Attractive Targeted Sugar Baits, in the Zambia phase III trial

BackgroundCommunity acceptance is an important criterion to assess in community trials, particularly for new tools that require high coverage and use by a target population. Installed on exterior walls of household structures, the attractive targeted sugar bait (ATSB) is a new vector control tool designed to attract and kill mosquitoes. ATSBs were evaluated in Western Zambia during a two-year cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of ATSBs in reducing malaria transmission. Community acceptance of ATSBs was critical for successful trial implementation.MethodsA community engagement strategy outlined activities and key messages to promote acceptance. Annual cross-sectional surveys, conducted during the peak transmission period, assessed households for presence of ATSBs as well as perceived benefits, concerns, and willingness to use ATSBs. Sixteen focus group discussions and 16 in-depth interviews, conducted at the end of each ATSB station deployment period, obtained a range of perceptions and household experiences with ATSB stations, as well as ITN use in the context of ATSB deployment.ResultsMethods used during the study to promote acceptance and continued use of ATSBs were effective in achieving greater than 90% coverage, a high (greater than 70%) level of perceived benefits, and fewer than 10% of households reporting safety concerns. Common facilitators of acceptance included the desire for protection against malaria and reduction of mosquitoes, trust in health initiatives, and understanding of the product. Common barriers to acceptance included misconceptions of product impact on mosquitoes, continued cases of malaria, association with satanism, and damage to household structures.DiscussionFuture use of the ATSB intervention will likely require activities that foster community acceptance before, during, and after the intervention is introduced. Additional research may be needed to understand the impact of different levels of community engagement on ATSB station coverage, ATSB station perception, and ITN use.ConclusionThere was high acceptance of ATSB stations during the trial in Western Zambia. Continuous and intense community engagement efforts contributed to sustained ATSB coverage and trust in the product. Acceptance of ATSBs during programmatic delivery requires further research.

A Three–Year Comparison of Fluctuations in the Occurrence of the Giant Jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai)

In this study, acoustic, sighting, trawl, and marine environmental surveys were used to determine the vertical distribution and density of giant jellyfish that have been observed in Korean waters over the past 3 years. From 2020 to 2022, annual surveys were conducted in May and July in the East China Sea and waters adjacent to South Korea. The acoustic data were processed by identifying and eliminating all signals considered as noise while excluding those suspected to be jellyfish signals. Subsequently, a single target detection method was employed. Giant jellyfish are distributed mostly in the middle and low layers. In May 2021, the average population density of giant jellyfish was recorded as 11.6 (ind./ha), which was the highest density. In July 2022, this value decreased to 1.7 (ind./ha), marking the lowest density. The sighting survey, which allows for the identification of jellyfish distributed in the surface layer, exhibited a difference of approximately 0.13 times compared to the acoustic survey conducted in the middle and low layers in 2020. In 2021 and 2022, this difference was approximately 0.11 times and 0.24 times, respectively. The average of this difference was 0.16 times or greater.

Experiences of participation in people with intellectual disability, in relation to service support received, and views from professionals in the field of disability.

Purpose: to describe experiences of people with intellectual disability of participating in the cognitive adapted annual national user survey of social services, and their perception of participation in the municipalities' improvement work. Additionally, social service professionals' views of opportunities to involve people with intellectual disability in improvement work based on survey results. Methods: Focus groups of people with intellectual disability and individual interviews with professionals were conducted and analysed, using content analysis. Results: People with intellectual disability expressed they felt listened to, and supported in expressing their views, but there was discrepancy between their and professionals' perceptions of whether their views were considered, and if they were involved in the improvement process. Conclusions: Evaluating services received from social services is important, expressed by people with intellectual disability and professionals, but improvement is needed to feed back results to social services clients, and to involve them in the improvement process.

The impact of buying external technology on employment and air quality: an empirical approach in Vietnamese manufacturing SMEs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the current situation of buying external technology in Vietnamese manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from 2013 to 2018. This paper also aims to examine the effect of buying technology on employment and environmental quality in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach External technology purchase and its impact on employment and environmental quality are taken from the Vietnam annual enterprise survey and the using technology in production survey from 2013 to 2018. The estimation is based on a feasible generalized least squares method. Findings This study finds that external technology purchase in manufacturing SMEs increases the employment rate in the industries. External technology purchase in Vietnamese manufacturing SMEs also increases the level of environmental pollution. This is a negative side of purchasing technology for production because if the technology used is old, outdated and of poor quality, it will increase environmental pollution. In addition, the growth in employment increases air pollution. This shows that purchasing advanced technology selectively helps to increase the employment rate in Vietnamese manufacturing sector, which is followed by a positive impact on environmental quality. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this study is that the research period was only investigated from 2013 to 2018 because the General Statistics Office of Vietnam no longer surveys the dataset about using technology in production surveys after 2018. This study has been conducted at the firm level, so results cannot be easily extended to the macroeconomic level, also taking into account the data limitations in terms of sector coverage. Practical implications This paper provides necessary policy recommendations for the government and manufacturing SMEs to solve negative technology issues related to the labour market and air quality in Vietnam. The results are expected to help policymakers in Vietnam propose appropriate national science and technology programmes towards sustainable development in the coming decades. Originality/value This paper focuses on assessing the effects of buying external technology by Vietnamese small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises on employment and air quality.

The relationship between hospital patient safety culture and performance on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services value-based purchasing metrics.

Despite the intense policy focus on reducing health-care-associated conditions, adverse events in health care settings persist. Therefore, evaluating patient safety efforts and related health policy initiatives remains critical. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between hospital patient safety culture and hospital performance on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (HVBP) metrics. A pooled cross-sectional study design was used utilizing three secondary datasets from 2018 and 2021: the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, the American Hospital Association annual survey, and the Hospital Compare data from CMS. We used two multivariable linear regression models to examine the relationship between organizational patient safety culture and hospital performance. The dependent variables included the overall CMS total performance score (TPS) and the four individual TPS domain scores. Hospital patient safety culture, the independent variable, was operationalized using two measures from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture: (a) the domain score of overall perceptions of patient safety and (b) the patient safety grade. We observed positive and significant associations between hospital patient safety culture and a hospital's overall TPS and the "patient and community engagement" and "safety" domains. Findings suggest that building a strong patient safety culture has the potential to lead health care organizations to achieve high performance on HVBP metrics. Our findings have important policy implications for both the future of CMS HVBP as a motivator of patient safety and how health care managers integrate culture change into programs to meet external quality metrics.

The role of patient and family advisory boards in promoting greater attention to patient social needs by U.S. acute care hospitals.

There is growing attention to individual-level patient social needs such as unstable housing and food insecurity. Such considerations, however, have historically been the purview of public health and have not been a priority of more traditional health care delivery organizations, such as acute care hospitals. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the presence of patient and family advisory boards (PFABs) among acute care community hospitals was associated with screening for and programs to address patient social needs. We used a secondary data set derived from the American Hospital Association's 2020 and 2021 annual surveys, along with multinomial and negative binomial regression models to assess the relationship between the presence/absence of a PFAB and the likelihood of offering and the number of areas addressed by social needs screening programs. More than half (55.9%) of all responding hospitals reported having a PFAB in 2020 (55.9%) and 2021 (52.7%). The presence of a PFAB among hospitals was significantly associated with patient social needs screening, more areas addressed by programs, and more types of partners to address these needs. Community hospitals with a PFAB have more robust programs and partnerships to address patient social needs. Hospital leaders should consider going beyond simply establishing programs to address social needs but also consider comprehensiveness of these programs to recognize the intersectionality of social needs. One way to do this is to formally establish a PFAB to help hospitals better identify and prioritize the needs in local communities and design social needs programs/solutions that are patient- and family-centric.

The association between employee lifestyles and the rates of mental health-related absenteeism and turnover in Japanese companies.

We assessed the association of employee lifestyles (e.g., smoking, exercise, drinking, and sleep habits) with mental health-related absenteeism and turnover rates utilizing data from the annual Health and Productivity Management survey by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This analysis included data from 1,748 companies, encompassing 4,199,021 employees. The average proportions of mental health-related absenteeism and employee turnover rates were 1.1±1.0% and 5.0±5.0%, respectively. In multivariable regression models that incorporated all lifestyle factors and confounders, a 1 percentage point increase in the proportion of employees who slept well was associated with reductions in their turnover rate (mean, -0.020%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.038 to -0.002) and in mental health-related absenteeism (mean, -0.005%; 95% CI, -0.009 to 0.001). A similar increase in the proportion of employees engaging in regular physical activity corresponded with a 0.005% decrease in the prevalence of mental health-related absenteeism (95% CI, -0.010 to -0.001). A 1 percentage point increase in the proportion of employees who smoked was associated with a 0.013% reduction in mental health-related absenteeism (95% CI, -0.017 to -0.008). Nonetheless, the current study's observational and cross-sectional design restricted the ability to establish causality between employee lifestyle factors and mental health issues.