Mining drug properties for decision support in dental clinics

The rise of polypharmacy requires from health providers an awareness of a patient’s drug profile before prescribing. Existing methods to extract information on drug interactions do not integrate with the patient’s medical history. This paper describes state-of-the-art approaches in extracting the term frequencies of drug properties and combining this knowledge with consideration of the patient’s drug allergies and current medications to decide if a drug is suitable for prescription. Experimental evaluation of our models association of the similarity ratio between two drugs (based on each drug’s term frequencies) with the similarity between them yields a superior accuracy of 79%. Similarity to a drug the patient is allergic to or is currently taking are important considerations as to the suitability of a drug for prescription. Hence, such an approach, when integrated within the clinical workflow, will reduce prescription errors thereby increasing the health outcome of the patient

Drug prescription support in dental clinics through drug corpus mining

The rapid increase in the volume and variety of data poses a challenge to safe drug prescription for the dentist. The increasing number of patients that take multiple drugs further exerts pressure on the dentist to make the right decision at point-of-care. Hence, a robust decision support system will enable dentists to make decisions on drug prescription quickly and accurately. Based on the assumption that similar drug pairs have a higher similarity ratio, this paper suggests an innovative approach to obtain the similarity ratio between the drug that the dentist is going to prescribe and the drug that the patient is currently taking. We conducted experiments to obtain the similarity ratios of both positive and negative drug pairs, by using feature vectors generated from term similarities and word embeddings of biomedical text corpus. This model can be easily adapted and implemented for use in a dental clinic to assist the dentist in deciding if a drug is suitable for prescription, taking into consideration the medical profile of the patients. Experimental evaluation of our model’s association of the similarity ratio between two drugs yielded a superior F score of 89%. Hence, such an approach, when integrated within the clinical work flow, will reduce prescription errors and thereby increase the health outcomes of patients

Drug prescription support in dental clinics through drug corpus mining

The rapid increase in the volume and variety of data poses a challenge to safe drug prescription for the dentist. The increasing number of patients that take multiple drugs further exerts pressure on the dentist to make the right decision at point-of-care. Hence, a robust decision support system will enable dentists to make decisions on drug prescription quickly and accurately. Based on the assumption that similar drug pairs have a higher similarity ratio, this paper suggests an innovative approach to obtain the similarity ratio between the drug that the dentist is going to prescribe and the drug that the patient is currently taking. We conducted experiments to obtain the similarity ratios of both positive and negative drug pairs, by using feature vectors generated from term similarities and word embeddings of biomedical text corpus. This model can be easily adapted and implemented for use in a dental clinic to assist the dentist in deciding if a drug is suitable for prescription, taking into consideration the medical profile of the patients. Experimental evaluation of our model’s association of the similarity ratio between two drugs yielded a superior F score of 89%. Hence, such an approach, when integrated within the clinical work flow, will reduce prescription errors and thereby increase the health outcomes of patients

Environmental Implications of the Health Care Service Sector

This report analyzes the environmental effects associated with activities undertaken and influenced by the health care service sector. It is one part of a larger study to better understand the environmental effects of service sector activities and the implications for management strategies. Considerable analysis has documented the service sector's contribution to domestic economic conditions, yet little analysis has been performed on the broad impacts service firms have on environmental quality. For this study the authors developed a framework to examine the nature of service sector industries' influence on environmental quality. Three primary types of influence were identified: direct impacts, upstream impacts, and downstream impacts. In addition, indirect impacts induced by service sector activities include their influence over settlement patterns and indirect influences over other sectors of the economy. In their initial analysis, the authors noted that many functions performed in the service sector also are commonly found in other sectors. The impacts of these activities have been analyzed separately from those unique to the health care sector, as they present different challenges. Health care is one of the largest U.S. industries, employing one in nine workers and costing one in seven dollars generated in the economy. Functions performed in the industry that are common in other sectors include: transportation; laundry; food services; facility cleaning; heating and cooling; and photographic processing. Activities unique to the health care industry include: infectious waste generation and disposal; medical waste incineration; equipment sterilization; dental fillings; ritual mercury usage; x-ray diagnosis; nuclear medicine; pharmaceutical usage and disposal; and drinking water fluoridation. The industry has considerable leverage upstream on its suppliers, which is important to managing risks from the use of goods commonly used in the industry, including: mercury-containing products, polyvinyl chloride plastics, latex gloves, and syringe needles. The authors identified a number of areas for potential environmental management initiatives: controlling emissions from on-site "production" type functions; mercury use; the environmental consequences of infection control measures; pollution prevention through substitution of alternative health care services; and research and data collection.

Framework for overcoming barriers of complementary and alternative medicine acceptance into conventional healthcare system

Health disparities have been widely recognized as a problem throughout the world. This paper provided a strengthened collaborative virtual framework for overcoming barriers towards accepting complementary and alternative medical practice into conventional healthcare system. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered with semi-structured questionnaires and interviews from General Practitioners (GPs) with Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) knowledge, CAM Practitioners with biomedicine knowledge, CAM patients, and scholars. 2,760 semi-structured questionnaires exploring knowledge, attitudes, and skills’ barriers to integrative medical collaboration efforts were administered. Focus group discussions were held interviewing GPs, CAM practitioners, and others claiming effective prescriptions. Practitioners’ team meetings, retreats, interaction, and prescription operations were observed. In this study, a videoconferencing-based healthcare services delivery system was developed and implemented for seamless exchange of healthcare information. 2,591 (93.5%) questionnaires representing 657 physicians (23.80%), 997 CAM practitioners (36.12%), 855 patients (30.98%), and 82 healthcare researchers (2.97%) responded, while 169 (6.12%) declined response. Fifty-two percent of the 657 GPs still referred patients for CAM treatments. Patients found complementary approaches more aligned with “their own values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations”. Non-medical acceptance of CAM (43.27%) continued impeding CAM growth in Nigeria. CAM practitioners require evidence-based knowledge towards finding solutions and suggestions for seamlessly integrating CAM with modern healthcare practices. Key words: Collaboration, complementary and alternative medicine, integrated delivery system, videoconferencing

ChatGPT for Shaping the Future of Dentistry: The Potential of Multi-Modal Large Language Model

The ChatGPT, a lite and conversational variant of Generative Pretrained Transformer 4 (GPT-4) developed by OpenAI, is one of the milestone Large Language Models (LLMs) with billions of parameters. LLMs have stirred up much interest among researchers and practitioners in their impressive skills in natural language processing tasks, which profoundly impact various fields. This paper mainly discusses the future applications of LLMs in dentistry. We introduce two primary LLM deployment methods in dentistry, including automated dental diagnosis and cross-modal dental diagnosis, and examine their potential applications. Especially, equipped with a cross-modal encoder, a single LLM can manage multi-source data and conduct advanced natural language reasoning to perform complex clinical operations. We also present cases to demonstrate the potential of a fully automatic Multi-Modal LLM AI system for dentistry clinical application. While LLMs offer significant potential benefits, the challenges, such as data privacy, data quality, and model bias, need further study. Overall, LLMs have the potential to revolutionize dental diagnosis and treatment, which indicates a promising avenue for clinical application and research in dentistry

Youth Screening Protocol For General Psychopathology

There is a high prevalence rate of psychopathology among US youth, with at least one in four youth meeting clinical criteria for a mental health condition. Those youths who experience psychopathology tend to demonstrate greater functional impairments and have more adverse outcomes compared to youth who do not have these frequently occurring conditions. It is unfortunate that many of these conditions, along with their deleterious effects, are poorly identified in pediatric settings despite the availability of screening instruments. Most screening instruments, however, assess for domain-specific areas of psychopathology only, and can require substantial time to administer and interpret within the typical timeframe of a pediatric visit. The present study sought to design a brief, psychometrically sound, general youth screening instrument using data obtained from the NCS-A. Approximations for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and predictive accuracy did not support the development of a broad youth screening instrument to assess psychopathology more generally. The current lack of construct validity for a more general youth screening instrument are discussed, along with future areas of research

Appalachian Health and Well-Being

Appalachians have been characterized as a population with numerous disparities in health and limited access to medical services and infrastructures, leading to inaccurate generalizations that inhibit their healthcare progress. Appalachians face significant challenges in obtaining effective care, and the public lacks information about both their healthcare needs and about the resources communities have developed to meet those needs. In Appalachian Health and Well-Being, editors Robert L. Ludke and Phillip J. Obermiller bring together leading researchers and practitioners to provide a much-needed compilation of data- and research-driven perspectives, broadening our understanding of strategies to decrease the health inequalities affecting both rural and urban Appalachians. The contributors propose specific recommendations for necessary research, suggest practical solutions for health policy, and present best practices models for effective health intervention. This in-depth analysis offers new insights for students, health practitioners, and policy makers, promoting a greater understanding of the factors affecting Appalachian health and effective responses to those needs. Robert L. Ludke is a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Cincinnati. He is also a member of the Board of the Urban Appalachian Council. Phillip J. Obermiller is a Senior Visiting Scholar in the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati and a past president of the Appalachian Studies Association. This volume pulls together an enormous amount of information that has been scattered in obscure publications in diverse fields. It synthesizes that information, puts it in context, and makes it available to the anyone interested in general health issues. It should be in the library of every postsecondary education institution with an Appalachian constituency. -- Wayne Meyers, M.D. A well-written, insightful work that encompasses the breadth of this important topic. -- Baretta R. Casey, M.D., M.P.H. Ludke and Obermiller\u27s work goes far beyond the borders of Appalachia to document the relationship between health and economic status. It particularly emphasizes the long-term effects of poverty on health. Its usefulness is not limited to Appalachia but to all those who believe that the opportunity for good health should not be defined by income and wealth. -- William W. Philliber, author of Appalachian Migrants in Urban America An important and much-needed book. Mountaineers, both those inside the region as well as those beyond it, will receive better care from health-care providers and more humane treatment by policy makers if both read carefully the multidisciplinary perspectives contained in this timely volume. -- Chad Berry, author of Southern Migrants, Northern Exiles An excellent introduction to the persisting health challenges of Appalachia, where health disparities are one of the continuing markers of inequality. In this volume some of the region\u27s leading health researchers examine the economic, environmental, behavioral and systemic causes of those disparities. -- Ronald D Eller, Distinguished Professor of History, author of Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945 Brings together researchers who present data addressing health disparities affecting urban and rural Appalachians and offers possible solutions. -- Kentucky Enquirer Ludke and Obermiller summarize the state of Appalachian health. . . . An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia. -- Kentucky Libraries A truly exemplary book. . . . Surveys nine areas of health in the region and concludes with policy recommendations. -- Apalachian Heritage An important addition to the body of work documenting the state of Appalachia. -- Kentucky Libraries This medical text, the first of its kind, focuses on health of the region’s inhabitants as well as those who have moved away. -- Library Journal While the idea of geographically-based health disparities is still evolving, this engaging resource has greatly expanded the concept in what is a remarkable volume of well-organized, well-written, evidence-based studies on health in Appalachia presented from a host of critical perspectives. This book should become required reading for policy makers, health care providers, community activists, and students everywhere. -- Elke Jones Zschaebitz, David C. Gordon, Family and Community Health Appalachian Health and Well-being develops an enriched analytical framework for health care and creates a new, comprehensive source of knowledge that will benefit multidirectional efforts to improve Appalachian health. Authors offer informed recommendations for assessing and preventing disease and promoting health. This compilation is a pioneering work that will inform and guide readers and serve as a model for future Appalachian health research. -- Journal of Appalachian Studieshttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_medicine_and_health_sciences/1013/thumbnail.jp

Dentistry handbook

1999 handbook for the faculty of Dentistr

Dentistry handbook

1999 handbook for the faculty of Dentistr