Full-time Equivalent Research Articles

A comparison between Full Time Equivalent and Length of Residence as measurements of time in bilingual speech research: the case of first language attrition

Full Time Equivalent (FTE), a product of Length of Residence (LOR) in L2 contexts multiplied by an index of frequency of L2 use, has been considered to be an important factor in bilingual speech development (Flege & Bohn, 2021). This work, therefore, seeks to analyze changes in the Voice Onset Time (VOT) of Brazilian Portuguese-L1 (short lag) in contexts of English-L2 (long lag) as a function of LOR and FTE (N=44) through Bayesian linear regression models with mixed effects. As a result, the models showed a positive effect of time on VOT values, with VOT values increasing over LOR. However, the models that used FTE yielded greater effects with greater credibility. We conclude that LOR underestimates the effect of time, making FTE a more accurate metric since it incorporates both ‘time’ and ‘language use’.

Development of infection prevention program standards for critical access hospitals

Although critical access hospitals are small, the expected infection prevention activities remain extensive. Program standards, aligned with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology infection prevention competency model domains, were developed and implemented in a midwestern health care system. Time estimates for completion of each activity were assigned and then extrapolated to offer guidance on necessary full-time equivalents for adequate staffing.

1778. Same Story, Different Outbreak: Lessons from a Survey Study Investigating JYNNEOS Mpox Public Vaccination Clinic Establishment in New Hampshire

Abstract Background The 2022-2023 mpox outbreak necessitated rapid distribution of JYNNEOS vaccines from the US Strategic National Stockpile to protect at-risk persons. New Hampshire’s centralized public health structure requires partnership with healthcare facilities to administer vaccines during public health responses. We reached out to 67 organizations; only seven were able to establish a community JYNNEOS vaccine clinic. Methods To identify barriers and resources needed for emergency public vaccination, surveys were sent to seven participating and 20 non-participating organizations. Results Seven (100%) participating organizations (“vaccine-partners”) and seven (35%) non-participating organizations responded. Two out of seven non-participating respondents were non-clinical and lacked facilities and staff to conduct vaccination clinics. Of the remaining five non-participating respondents, all identified lack of staffing, provider time, and clinical resources as barriers to establishing community vaccination clinics. Vaccine-partners and non-participating organizations reported needing or utilizing the following staff positions to conduct public vaccination clinics: administrators (0.15-1.5 Full Time Equivalents [FTE]), physicians or advanced practice providers (0.2-1 FTE), registered nurses (0.17-1.5 FTE), medical/licensed nursing assistants (0.2-1 FTE), and communications outreach staff (0.5 FTE). In addition to staffing, additional funding needs estimated by all survey respondents averaged $2,057 per month (range $0-$7,500).Figure 1.Consort flow diagram. *Public mpox vaccination clinics were intended to be clinics open to the general public (i.e., open points of distribution, or PODS) serving both the organizations existing patient population, new patients, and referrals from other providers or public health for both post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) vaccination. Public mpox vaccination clinics were advertised on the NH DHHS website and in the media as a resource for all NH residents and providers. ** These clinics went through initial "onboarding" process to be able to receive and administer mpox vaccine, but they either didn't complete the process to be a public clinic, only served as a PEP provider as needed, or only chose to administer vaccine to their patient population which was allowed in select circumstances (e.g., with FQHCs) to increase equitable access.Figure 2.Barriers to establishing public mpox vaccine clinic Conclusion A minority of NH healthcare facilities elected to establish public JYNNEOS vaccination clinics. Insufficient staffing was the primary barrier. Additional resources and funding were minimal. The repeated need for public health vaccination clinics requires sustained advocacy, support, and partnership to ensure an efficient and effective emergency response for the next outbreak. Disclosures Benjamin P. Chan, MD, MPH, General Electric (GE): Stocks/Bonds

The Association of Organizational, Environmental, and Staffing Characteristics of Residential Care Facilities and the Risk Rating of Statutory Notifications: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ireland.

Safety incidents (SIs) are an indicator of quality in health and social care services. Safety incident research has largely focused on acute health care settings. We aimed to examine the association of organizational, environmental, and staffing characteristics of residential care facilities (RCFs) and severity of regulatory SI notifications. This was a retrospective analysis of SI notifications to the regulator for social care in Ireland received in 2018 and 2019. The mean risk rating of SI notifications for each RCF was used as the outcome. Regression analysis was conducted for the association of RCF characteristics (beds, staff to bed ratio, staff full-time equivalent (FTE), nurse to bed ratio, nurse FTE, number of RCF operated by the service provider, non-statutory or statutory provider) and the outcome, separately for nursing homes and residential disability services. A total of 53,268 SI notifications were received. One thousand nine hundred RCFs were operational during the period: 594 (31.3%) for RCF-Nursing home and 1304 (68.7%) for RCF-Disability. For nursing homes, in the most adjusted model, the number of RCF operated by a provider ( β coefficient [95% confidence interval] = 0.508 [0.223-0.793]) was positively associated with mean risk rating of SI. For disability services, the following characteristics were positively associated in the most adjusted model: beds (0.081; 0.060-0.101), staff to bed ratio (0.068; 0.017-0.120), nurse to bed ratio (0.356; 0.044-0.667), staff FTE (0.029; 0.015-0.042), and number of RCF operated by a provider (0.067; 0.050-0.084). Various modifiable organizational, environmental, and staffing characteristics and severity of SI notifications were associated in this study, most of which were related to RCF-Disability. Policymakers and providers of social care services should be cognizant of the relationship of these characteristics and severity of SI, when designing and planning residential care.

The Relative Burden of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in Firefighters: An Analysis of Washington Workers' Compensation Claims, 2006-2020.

Firefighters face many hazards on the job and have a high rate of work-related injuries and illnesses (WRII). We analyzed Washington workers' compensation claims from 2006-2020 to characterize WRII in firefighters compared to law enforcement officers and "all other" workers. There were 9187 compensable claims for firefighters, 7801 for law enforcement officers, and 586,939 for "all other" workers. Nearly 40% of claims for firefighters were work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The claim rate per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) firefighters was 716.4, which is significantly higher than that of law enforcement officers (510.0) and "all other" workers (163.2). The rate per 10,000 FTE of WMSD claims was also higher in firefighters (277.0) than in law enforcement officers (76.2) and "all other" workers (57.6). Additional WRII among firefighters commonly included being struck or caught in objects, slipping or tripping, and exposure to caustic or noxious substances; and amongst law enforcement, transportation accidents and violence. Medical costs and time-loss days per claim were lower for firefighters and law enforcement than for "all other" workers. Common tasks associated with WMSDs in firefighters included lifting and transporting patients, using specific tools and equipment, and physical training. WMSDs stand out as an area for prevention and intervention activities.

Patterns of mental health services and mood disorder disability pensions: a standard comparison of Finland’s three largest hospital districts

IntroductionMental disorders are one of the most common and disabling health conditions worldwide. There is however no consensus on the best practice of system level mental health services (MHS) provision, in order to prevent e.g. mood disorder disability pensions (DPs). We analyzed the MHS provision between Finland’s three largest hospital districts Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), Southwest Finland and Pirkanmaa, with known differences in mood disorder DP risk but presumably equal rates of mood disorder prevalence.MethodsWe used public MHS data analyzed with the standardized DEscription and Evaluation of Services and DirectoriEs for Long Term Care (DESDE-LTC) mapping tool, focusing on all MHS, outpatient care provision, local services without and with gatekeeping, and centralized services. We also collected demographic data based on the European Socio-Demographic Schedule (ESDS). As a novel approach, the Gini-Simpson Diversity Index (GSDI) was calculated for the districts.ResultsEvident differences were observed regarding the districts’ MHS factors. As the hospital district with lower DP risk, HUS was characterized by the highest level of regional socioeconomic prosperity as well as high service richness and diversity. With a nationally average DP risk, Southwest Finland had the highest number of MHS personnel in full-time equivalents (FTE) per 100 000 inhabitants. Pirkanmaa, with a higher DP risk, had overall the lowest service richness and the lowest FTE of the three districts in all MHS, outpatient care and local services with gatekeeping.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that greater richness and diversity of MHS, especially in outpatient and community-based settings, may serve as indicators of a balanced, high-quality service system that is more effective in preventing mood disorder DP and meeting the different needs of the population. In addition, the need for sufficient resourcing in all MHS and outpatient services is indicated. We suggest using diversity indices to complement the measuring and reporting of regional service variation.

Palliative care need in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and human resource requirements for effective response.

Integration of palliative care into health care systems is considered an ethical responsibility, yet no country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EaMReg) has achieved integration. Data on palliative care need and cost are crucial forEaMReg health care planners and implementers in the region. Using data from the Lancet Commission on Palliative Care and Pain Relief, we estimated the number of people in each EaMReg country who needed palliative care in 2015 and their degree of access. In three countries, we estimated the number of days during which an encounter for palliative care was needed at each level of the health care system. This enabled calculation of the number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) of clinical and non-clinical staff members needed at each level to administer the essential package of palliative care recommended by WHO. In 2015, 3.2 million people in the EaMReg needed palliative care, yet most lacked access to it. The most common types of suffering were pain, fatigue, weakness, anxiety or worry, and depressed mood. To provide safe, effective palliative care at all levels of health care systems, between 5.4 and 11.1 FTEs of trained and supervised community health workers per 100,000 population would be needed in addition to 1.0-1.9 FTEs of doctors, 2.2-4.3 FTEs of nurses, and 1.4-2.9 FTEs of social workers. Data from our study enables design of palliative care services to meet the specific needs of each EaMReg country and to calculate the cost or cost savings.

Characterization of add-on testing before and after automation at a core laboratory

ObjectivesAdd-on testing refers to the process that occurs in clinical laboratories when clinicians request that additional tests be performed on a previously analysed specimen. This is a common but inefficient procedure, highly time-consuming, especially at core laboratories and could be optimised by automating these procedures. The aims of this study are: 1) To describe patterns of add-on testing at a core laboratory at a tertiary hospital, 2) To evaluate turnaround time (TAT) before and after automation of the pre-, post- and analytical phases. MethodsRetrospective, observational study conducted at the biochemistry area of a core laboratory of all add-on orders received in two different months (pre-automation and post-automation). ResultsA total of 2464 add-on orders were analysed, representing around 5 % of total requests. Most orders were for either one (>50 %) or two (≈20 %) tests. Most orders were received during the week (from Monday to Friday), particularly during the morning shift (>50 %). More than 50 % of requests were made by the Emergency Department. The two most common add-on parameters were C-reactive protein and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. After automation, the median TAT decreased by 42.3 % (from 52 to 22 min). The largest decreases in TAT were observed for routine samples (58.89 %) and fully automated analyses (56.86 %). ConclusionsAutomation of our core laboratory substantially reduced turnaround time for add-on testing, indicating an increase in efficiency. Automation eliminated several manual steps in the process, leading to a mean reduction of 15 work hours per day (more than 2 full-time equivalents).

WORKFORCE GROUPING IN COMPLETING PROJECTS WITH INTERN WORK ACTIVITY LOG DATA

This study consists of an attempt to optimize the K-Means Clustering Algorithm and calculating the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of each cluster based on intern's daily work log data. The optimization will be done by using some of K-Means Clustering’s validation method to estimate the best K clusters of the data. The validation methods that will be used to optimize the algorithm are Elbow Criterion Method and Silhouette Score Index. The initial k cluster will be formed and evaluated using Davies Bouldin Index analysis. The divided clusters are supposed to be classified by the rate of complexity of each project. The calculated FTE will be used to estimate the workload for the current workforce. This estimation is hoped to help companies decide in their hiring decision.

Personalized Multilevel Intervention for Improving Appropriate Use of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Older Adults

Despite guideline recommendations, clinicians do not systematically use prior screening or health history to guide colorectal cancer (CRC) screening decisions in older adults. To evaluate the effect of a personalized multilevel intervention on screening orders in older adults due for average-risk CRC screening. Interventional 2-group parallel unmasked cluster randomized clinical trial conducted from November 2015 to February 2019 at 2 US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities: 1 academic VA medical center and 1 of its connected outpatient clinics. Randomization at the primary care physician/clinician (PCP) level, stratified by study site and clinical full-time equivalency. Participants were 431 average-risk, screen-due US veterans aged 70 to 75 years attending a primary care visit. Data analysis was performed from August 2018 to August 2023. The intervention group received a multilevel intervention including a decision-aid booklet with detailed information on screening benefits and harms, personalized for each participant based on age, sex, prior screening, and comorbidity. The control group received a multilevel intervention including a screening informational booklet. All participants received PCP education and system-level modifications to support personalized screening. The primary outcome was whether screening was ordered within 2 weeks of clinic visit. Secondary outcomes were concordance between screening orders and screening benefit and screening utilization within 6 months. A total of 436 patients were consented, and 431 were analyzed across 67 PCPs. Patients had a mean (SD) age of 71.5 (1.7) years; 424 were male (98.4%); 374 were White (86.8%); 89 were college graduates (21.5%); and 351 (81.4%) had undergone prior screening. A total of 258 (59.9%) were randomized to intervention, and 173 (40.1%) to control. Screening orders were placed for 162 of 258 intervention patients (62.8%) vs 114 of 173 control patients (65.9%) (adjusted difference, -4.0 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI, -15.4 to 7.4 pp). In a prespecified interaction analysis, the proportion receiving orders was lower in the intervention group than in the control group for those in the lowest benefit quartile (59.4% vs 71.1%). In contrast, the proportion receiving orders was higher in the intervention group than in the control group for those in the highest benefit quartile (67.6% vs 52.2%) (interaction P = .049). Fewer intervention patients (106 of 256 [41.4%]) utilized screening overall at 6 months than controls (96 of 173 [55.9%]) (adjusted difference, -13.4 pp; 95% CI, -25.3 to -1.6 pp). In this cluster randomized clinical trial, patients who were presented with personalized information about screening benefits and harms in the context of a multilevel intervention were more likely to receive screening orders concordant with benefit and were less likely to utilize screening. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02027545.

Impact of capacity underutilization of milk processing plants on employment multipliers

The investigation into the employment-generating capacity of industries has captured the interest of numerous scholars on a global scale. However, there is a paucity of literature on the impact of the capacity underutilization of dairy processing plants (DPPs) on employment multipliers. This study employed secondary data sourced from the Tanzania Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries’ budget reports for the fiscal year 2022/23. Using the Leontief Input‒Output simulation model, the study establishes the effects of low utilization of milk processing plants on employment generation. The study establishes employment gaps created by capacity underutilization of DPPs along the milk value chain. The fact that the available DPPs operate at just 23.4 % of their total capacity constrains employment opportunities across the entire value chain. Approximately 500,000 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) minimum wage jobs (i.e., direct, indirect, and induced) are lost annually, highlighting the need for measures to address the challenge of undercapacity utilization of DPPs. Furthermore, the study found significant backwards and forward linkages in the upstream and downstream parts of the dairy value chain. This indicates strong connections and the potential for job creation within the value chain. Thus, ensuring a consistent milk supply in dairy processing plants is crucial to mitigate undercapacity issues in DPPs and to sustain job growth in the milk value chain. Additionally, the study strongly recommends policy measures to boost DPPs’ capacity utilization, foster economic growth, develop the dairy industry, and enhance the overall national economy.

Workers needed: a needed assessment of the workforce in local public health services in Portugal

Abstract Background Portugal is planning to reform its public health services, which have been struggling with a shortage of professionals, even after hiring more staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, in 2023, new local health units will be created to reorganize the local public health services (LPHS). Therefore, it is essential to examine and discuss how many and where the professionals in LPHS are in Portugal. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive analysis was conducted using hiring data, in the second trimester of 2023. The number of professionals in LPHS in mainland Portugal was described and compared between the 55 LPHS and the 5 health regions. They were classified into categories, with a special attention given to medical specialists, nurses, and environmental health technicians, who have specific regulations. Results More than 20 different professions can be found in the different LPHS. The total number of professionals in public health services in mainland Portugal was 1720, of which 380 (22.1%) were medical specialists, 304 (17.7%) were nurses, 443 (25.8%) were environmental health technicians. The highest number of professionals was found in ACES Baixo Vouga with 70. The health region with the highest number of professionals was ARS Norte with 635. When considering full-time equivalents, only 18 (32,7%) LPHS have the legally recommended ratio of one medical specialist per 25 000 inhabitants, the ratio of one nurse per 30 000 inhabitants is attained in 18 (32,7%) LPHS, and only 12 (21,8%) have the indicated one environmental health technician per 15 000 inhabitants. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive overview of the number and distribution of professionals in LPHS in mainland Portugal, at a time of change, with concerning results. These can be useful to plan and evaluate policies and interventions regarding public health personnel recruitment and organization, considering impending the reforms. Key messages • There is a lack of professionals in local public health services in Portugal, with few meeting the legally recommended ratios of medical specialists, nurses, and environmental health technicians. • The incoming changes in public health services organizations are a good opportunity to reorganize and invest in their workforce, which is essential to improve public health in Portugal.

Power of Full-Time Certified School Librarians in Missouri

This study examines the impact of school librarian full-time equivalent (FTE) levels on student achievement in Missouri using state-level assessment data. The researchers obtained publicly available, aggregated data directly from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MO DESE) to conduct statistical analyses on multiple districts, years, and content areas. The dataset included data points from Missouri K-12 public schools over a nine-year period. The analysis utilized ANOVA and post-hoc tests to compare proficiency rates across FTE levels (no librarian, part-time librarian, and full-time librarian) for each school level and content area. Results indicated that schools with full-time librarians had significantly higher proficiency rates compared to schools with part-time or no librarians. Furthermore, the effect sizes demonstrated the positive impact of having a school librarian on student achievement across school levels and content areas. This study provides evidence supporting the importance of school librarians in enhancing student performance on state-level assessments.

The role of part-time arrangements in the sustainability of midwifery continuity of care models in Australia: An integrative review.

International maternity care experts have called for expanding midwiferyled continuity of care (MCoC) models. However, the number of models need augmentation as the number of women receiving this care is small. The majority of the midwifery workforce in Australian public health systems comprises women who work part-time. This aspect of the midwifery workforce demands careful consideration when attempting to change a maternity care system and sustain new models of care. Sparse research has been undertaken to explore whether part-time factors could play a role in the growth and sustainability of MCoC in Australia. This integrative review aims to analyze the role of parttime practice arrangements in the sustainability of MCoC models in Australia. Following a systematic search of research databases (CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Proquest) and screening the literature with eligibility criteria including keywords related to midwifery continuity of care, workforce arrangements and full-time equivalent (FTE), eight Australian research articles were identified for evaluation. The articles were appraised for bias using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and data were analyzed using an integrated convergent narrative synthesis method. The resulting themes from the synthesis suggest that part-time MCoC roles may support the sustainability of the MCoC workforce without reducing quality of care to women. In various studies, midwives reported that FTE (full-time equivalent) of 0.5 may not meet the job's demands. However, this is likely influenced by local context and caseload size rather than the quantum of each midwife's FTE. The quality of the studies is limited due to the small scale of the studies; however, the qualitative results give a depth of understanding to the strengths and challenges that part-time arrangements in MCoC add to the midwifery workforce. This review recommends that part-time arrangements in MCoC models in Australia be evaluated in conjunction with other routinely analyzed workforce data. Further considerations should be made by midwifery managers, leaders, stakeholders, and decision makers responsible for developing and supporting part-time job arrangements in caseload models of care in Australia.

A national survey on the medical physics workload of external beam radiotherapy in Japan†.

Several staffing models are used to determine the required medical physics staffing, including radiotherapy technologists, of radiation oncology departments. However, since Japanese facilities tend to be smaller in scale than foreign ones, those models might not apply to Japan. Therefore, in this study, we surveyed workloads in Japan to estimate the optimal medical physics staffing in external beam radiotherapy. A total of 837 facilities were surveyed to collect information regarding radiotherapy techniques and medical physics specialists (RTMPs). The survey covered facility information, staffing, patient volume, equipment volume, workload and quality assurance (QA) status. Full-time equivalent (FTE) factors were estimated from the workload and compared with several models. Responses were received from 579 facilities (69.2%). The median annual patient volume was 369 at designated cancer care hospitals (DCCHs) and 252 across all facilities. In addition, the median FTE of RTMPs was 4.6 at DCCHs and 3.0 at all sites, and the average QA implementation rate for radiotherapy equipment was 69.4%. Furthermore, advanced treatment technologies have increased workloads, particularly in computed tomography simulations and treatment planning tasks. Compared to published models, larger facilities (over 500 annual patients) had a shortage of medical physics staff. In very small facilities (about 140 annual patients), the medical physics staffing requirement was estimated to be 0.5 FTE, implying that employing a full-time medical physicist would be inefficient. However, ensuring the quality of radiotherapy is an important issue, given the limited number of RTMPs. Our study provides insights into optimizing staffing and resource allocation in radiotherapy departments.

Occupational Injuries Among Construction Workers by Age and Related Economic Loss: Findings From Ohio Workers' Compensation, USA: 2007–2017

BackgroundThis study examined age-group differences in the rate, severity, and cost of injuries among construction workers to support evidence-based worker safety and health interventions in the construction industry. MethodsOhio workers' compensation claims for construction workers were used to estimate claim rates and costs by age group. We analyzed claims data auto-coded into five event/exposure categories: transportation incidents; slips, trips, and falls (STFs); exposure to harmful substances and environments; contact with objects and equipment (COB); overexertion and bodily reaction. American Community Survey data were used to determine the percentage of workers in each age group. ResultsFrom 2007–2017, among 72,416 accepted injury claims for ∼166,000 construction full-time equivalent (FTE) per year, nearly half were caused by COB, followed by STFs (20%) and overexertion (20%). Claim rates related to COB and exposure to harmful substances and environments were highest among those 18–24 years old, with claim rates of 313.5 and 25.9 per 10,000 FTE, respectively. STFs increased with age, with the highest claim rates for those 55–64 years old (94.2 claims per 10,000 FTE). Overexertion claim rates increased and then declined with age, with the highest claim rate for those 35–44 years old (87.3 per 10,000 FTE). While younger workers had higher injury rates, older workers had higher proportions of lost-time claims and higher costs per claim. The total cost per FTE was highest for those 45–54 years old ($1,122 per FTE). ConclusionThe variation in rates of injury types by age suggests that age-specific prevention strategies may be useful.

FRI520 Disparities In Available Surgeons And Specialty Physicians Providing Endocrine-related Health Care Coverage To Populations In South Texas And The Rio Grande Valley

Abstract Disclosure: V. Alia: None. E.W. Alvarado: None. E.M. Diaz: None. H. Reinhart: None. Introduction: The Rio Grande Valley and South Texas is home to some of the most medically underserved populations in the nation, with gaps in health care ranging from low rates of adequately insured individuals, to the amount of primary and specialty healthcare services available [1]. Populations living in these areas near the Texas-Mexico border have some of the highest incidence of metabolic and endocrine-related disease in the U.S., while paradoxically having a large deficit in endocrine-specialists available to meet the medical and surgical needs of the community [1,2,3]. Methodology: We analyzed data from the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA), as well as data from the Texas department of state health services (TDSHS) to determine current and projected endocrine-related healthcare coverage needs in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) between 2013 to 2025 and 2018 to 2032 respectively [2,3]. Results: Analysis of the data provided by the NCHWA revealed that by 2025 the southern region of the U.S. is projected to have the largest shortage of full-time equivalent (FTE) surgical specialty physicians in the entire country with a deficit of 10,210 [3]. ​Additionally, data displaying critical-shortages provided by the TDSHS stated that in 2018 the percent demand met (PDM) for FTE endocrinologists in South Texas was only 76.6% with a projected decline to 65.7% by 2032 [2]. Noteworthy data from the TDSHS also stated that in 2018 the RGV specifically had a significant deficit in endocrinologists with a PDM of only 53.6%, while simultaneously having a projected increase to 66.4% by 2032 [2]. The TDSHS classified specialties in South Texas to be critically short when they are projected to have a deficit of ≥100 FTEs and <80% of the physician demand being met [2]. Conclusion: The collection of data analyzed led us to effectively identify significant disparities in endocrine-related healthcare coverage in the South Texas region, specifically the RGV. Additionally, new multidisciplinary healthcare institutions built in the RGV are striving to improve patient access to primary and subspecialty care by recruiting and training physicians in the area, but further action is still needed to counteract the described critical-shortages in physicians responsible for the long-term management of endocrine-related diseases. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

What Indicators Are Shaping China’s National World-Class High-Tech Zones? Constructing a Feature Indicator System Based on Machine Learning

China’s high-tech parks have significant effects on driving national ecological innovation. Among them, ten world-class high-tech parks represent the highest level of development in China’s high-tech industry. Understanding the development characteristics of national world-class high-tech parks is of great significance for guiding the construction of other parks and achieving the high-quality development of parks. Based on the evaluation data of over 200 indicators of national high-tech parks from 2013 to 2017, this study used the XGBoost classic machine learning algorithm to select the characteristic indicators of national world-class high-tech parks and establish an evaluation indicator system, and it identified four primary indicators of the world-class high-tech parks, including innovation development, enterprise development, international development, and economic development. The indicators cover 30 important sub-indicators and highlight the importance of innovation resource input indicators, such as “use of technology activity funding from government departments”, “full-time equivalent of R&D personnel”, and “financial technology expenditure in high-tech parks”. Compared to the expert analysis, the application of the machine learning method in the evaluation of national high-tech parks improves the efficiency of selecting important indicators and makes the selection results more objective. The results of this research provide a reference value for guiding and promoting national high-tech parks to become world-class parks.

National Hospital and Health-System Controlled Substances Drug Diversion Prevention & Surveillance Program Assessment Survey - 2021.

To present and discuss the results of the National Hospital and Health-System Controlled Substances Drug Diversion Prevention & Surveillance Program Assessment Survey. The survey was emailed to 1,529 chief pharmacy officers utilizing the list of directors of pharmacy from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The survey opened September 15, 2021, and closed October 4, 2021. Forty-nine questions were included in 5 different sections, and participants were also given the option to respond to 39 additional questions. The survey response rate was 12.75%, with the results showing consistencies in practice around drug security and human resource management. Sixty-two percent of sites had a formalized drug diversion committee, half of which had been implemented since 2018. Adoption of electronic controlled substance systems continues to increase, with 50% of sites having implemented such a system in the previous 3 years. At the time of the survey, 18% of organizations did not have an electronic system, but 90% of sites had implemented or intended to implement one by 2023. Over 40% of sites that utilized an electronic system were looking to upgrade to a next-generation system. Most organizations had 0.5 to 1 full-time equivalent dedicated to diversion prevention, and two-thirds of sites had a formalized diversion committee. The majority of sites defined "significant loss" by utilizing professional judgement, based on the scenario, as a percentage of inventory or as a range of units. Community practice consensus is needed around auditing adjustments to controlled substance inventory and for perpetual inventory processes. Respondents reported 1 to 2 (29%), 3 to 5 (26%), and more than 10 (26%) formal drug diversion investigations annually. This first-time survey provided significant insight into the realities of drug diversion prevention practices in hospitals and health systems nationally.

Impact of Economic and Environmental Factors on O3 Concentrations in the Yangtze River Delta Region of China

The concentration of atmospheric ozone (O3) pollution is showing a rapid growing tendency, and O3 pollution has become one of the bottleneck issues that restrict the continuous improvement of air quality in China. In this study, we first identified the primary factors based on the source apportionment of O3, then used factor analysis to divide these selected factors into economic and environmental categories. The geographical detector model was used to analyze the impact of factors and their interactions on O3 concentration in 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in 2020. The results showed that forest coverage ranked first among all the detected factors, suggesting a strong relationship between the regional O3 concentration and forest coverage. The driving factors of economic activity were ranked as follows: actual utilization of foreign capital (0.400) > gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (0.387) > proportion of tertiary industry (0.360) > urbanization rate (0.327) > per capita consumption expenditure (0.194) > research and development (R&D) of full-time equivalents of industrial enterprises above designated size (0.182) > number of industrial enterprises (0.126). The interaction between any two factors enhanced their influence on O3 concentration more than any single factor, indicating that the variability of regional O3 concentration was an outcome of a combination of multiple factors. This study could provide recommendations for the prevention and control of O3 pollution and the development of ecological integration in the YRD region.