Increasing Utilization and Awareness of an Existing Patient Portal Application

Patient portal applications (PPAs) are secure website or computer/mobile device applications that allow 24-hour access to a patient’s electronic health record (EHR). Patient portal applications are intended to improve quality and access to health care by engaging patients to be more active in managing and monitoring their health. A large Midwest multispecialty organization’s Follow My Healthpatient portal application (FMH app) is underutilized by patients and providers. While evidence supports the use of web-based patient portal applications, only 17% of this organization’s patients use the FMH app, and even less use its direct messaging capabilities. The purpose of this project was to increase awareness and use of the existing PPA at the clinic. This was accomplished through interviews, assessing patients’ knowledge and usage. Interviews were aimed at educating and raising patients’ awareness of the benefits and key features of the FMH app. More than half (61%) of the patients who were previously aware of the PPA reported being active users of the application. By contrast, only 39% knew about the PPA but were not users.Results of the quality improvement initiative indicated a technology limitation as the most common reported reason for lack of PPA usage. It was concluded that increasing patient use and awareness of PPAs can be challenging for healthcare providers. Continued research, discussion, and advancement of PPAs will be necessary for portals to fully live up to the capability of empowering patients to manage and track their own healthcare, provide meaningful use of EHRs, and enhance patient–provider communication

Research in the North American North: Action and Reaction

The political mobilization of indigenous peoples in the North American North has resulted in new guidelines, statements of ethical principles, and consultative processes for the conduct of scientific research. This article explores the history of large-scale physical science in the North, the development of ethical principles for research conduct in Canada and the United States, and the potential difficulties of bridging the gaps between scientists and indigenous communities.La mobilisation politique des populations autochtones de l'Amérique du Nord septentrionale a débouché sur de nouvelles lignes directrices et déclarations de principes de déontologie ainsi que sur des processus consultatifs novateurs visant la conduite de la recherche scientifique. Cet article examine l'histoire de la science physique menée sur une grande échelle dans le Nord, l'élaboration de principes de déontologie concernant la recherche au Canada et aux États-Unis, ainsi que les difficultés qu'il peut y avoir à rapprocher les scientifiques et les collectivités autochtones

Social Media Use and Access to Digital Technology in US Young Adults in 2016.

BACKGROUND: In 2015, 90% of US young adults with Internet access used social media. Digital and social media are highly prevalent modalities through which young adults explore identity formation, and by extension, learn and transmit norms about health and risk behaviors during this developmental life stage. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to provide updated estimates of social media use from 2014 to 2016 and correlates of social media use and access to digital technology in data collected from a national sample of US young adults in 2016. METHODS: Young adult participants aged 18-24 years in Wave 7 (October 2014, N=1259) and Wave 9 (February 2016, N=989) of the Truth Initiative Young Adult Cohort Study were asked about use frequency for 11 social media sites and access to digital devices, in addition to sociodemographic characteristics. Regular use was defined as using a given social media site at least weekly. Weighted analyses estimated the prevalence of use of each social media site, overlap between regular use of specific sites, and correlates of using a greater number of social media sites regularly. Bivariate analyses identified sociodemographic correlates of access to specific digital devices. RESULTS: In 2014, 89.42% (weighted n, 1126/1298) of young adults reported regular use of at least one social media site. This increased to 97.5% (weighted n, 965/989) of young adults in 2016. Among regular users of social media sites in 2016, the top five sites were Tumblr (85.5%), Vine (84.7%), Snapchat (81.7%), Instagram (80.7%), and LinkedIn (78.9%). Respondents reported regularly using an average of 7.6 social media sites, with 85% using 6 or more sites regularly. Overall, 87% of young adults reported access or use of a smartphone with Internet access, 74% a desktop or laptop computer with Internet access, 41% a tablet with Internet access, 29% a smart TV or video game console with Internet access, 11% a cell phone without Internet access, and 3% none of these. Access to all digital devices with Internet was lower in those reporting a lower subjective financial situation; there were also significant differences in access to specific digital devices with Internet by race, ethnicity, and education. CONCLUSIONS: The high mean number of social media sites used regularly and the substantial overlap in use of multiple social media sites reflect the rapidly changing social media environment. Mobile devices are a primary channel for social media, and our study highlights disparities in access to digital technologies with Internet access among US young adults by race/ethnicity, education, and subjective financial status. Findings from this study may guide the development and implementation of future health interventions for young adults delivered via the Internet or social media sites

Millennial Alumni Perceptions of Communications: A Look at One Land Grant University’s Media Use

An important aspect of higher education is alumni relationship cultivation, because it keeps alma maters connected to graduates. To assess this relationship, researchers sought to describe Millennial alumni perceptions of media distributed by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences (Bumpers College) from 2012 through 2014. Assessed media included alumni magazines, an e-newsletter, key event invitations, College website, and social media presences. Active and inactive alumni responses were gathered via telephone interviews and qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes. Researchers identified Building the Professional and Interest in Giving Back as themes related to respondents’ connection to Bumpers College. Five additional themes emerged related to assessed media and included Message Relationship, Specialized Content, Communications Medium, Message Barriers, and Need for Promotion. No alumni were dissatisfied with their collegiate experience and favored monetary donations for its convenience. Alumni sought a personable-angle communications media and were drawn by updates about the College’s research and global impacts. Respondents consumed print and digital media differently with engagement based on personal preference and flexibility. Subthemes emerged related to Message Barriers and included time, distance, vague messages, too much information, non-relatable subject matter, technical errors, and outdated information. Finally, there was little brand recognition between Bumpers College and University messaging, and most alumni were unaware of the College’s social media presences

Millennial Alumni Perceptions of Communications: A Look at One Land Grant University’s Media Use

An important aspect of higher education is alumni relationship cultivation, because it keeps alma maters connected to graduates. To assess this relationship, researchers sought to describe Millennial alumni perceptions of media distributed by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences (Bumpers College) from 2012 through 2014. Assessed media included alumni magazines, an e-newsletter, key event invitations, College website, and social media presences. Active and inactive alumni responses were gathered via telephone interviews and qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes. Researchers identified Building the Professional and Interest in Giving Back as themes related to respondents’ connection to Bumpers College. Five additional themes emerged related to assessed media and included Message Relationship, Specialized Content, Communications Medium, Message Barriers, and Need for Promotion. No alumni were dissatisfied with their collegiate experience and favored monetary donations for its convenience. Alumni sought a personable-angle communications media and were drawn by updates about the College’s research and global impacts. Respondents consumed print and digital media differently with engagement based on personal preference and flexibility. Subthemes emerged related to Message Barriers and included time, distance, vague messages, too much information, non-relatable subject matter, technical errors, and outdated information. Finally, there was little brand recognition between Bumpers College and University messaging, and most alumni were unaware of the College’s social media presences

Characterization of Stanniocalcin-1 Receptors in the Rainbow Trout

Mammalian stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) is one of several ligands targeted to mitochondria. High affinity STC-1 receptors are present on the mitochondrial membranes of nephron cells, myocytes, and hepatocytes, to enable ligand sequestration within the matrix. However, STC-1 receptors have not been characterized in fish. Nor is it known if mitochondrial targeting occurs in fish. The aim of the study was to address these questions. Saturation binding assays were carried out to obtain estimates of KD and Bmax. They revealed the presence of saturable, high-affinity receptors on both membranes and mitochondria of liver, muscle, and gill filament. In situ ligand binding (ISLB) was used to localize receptors at the histological level and revealed some unexpected findings. In cranium, for instance, receptors were found mainly in the cartilage matrix, as opposed to the chondrocytes. In brain, the majority of receptors were located on neuropil areas as opposed to neuronal cell bodies. In skeletal muscle, receptors were confined to periodic striations, tentatively identified as the Z lines. Receptors were even found on STC-1 producing corpuscles of Stannius cells, raising the possibility of there being an autocrine feedback loop or, perhaps, a soluble binding protein that is released with the ligand to regulate its bioavailability

Who Wears the MAGA Hat? Racial Beliefs and Faith in Trump

On the basis of a 2019 YouGov survey of white respondents (n = 734), the impact of racial beliefs on support for Donald Trump was explored. The analysis revealed that in addition to racial resentment, white nationalism—a desire to keep the United States white demographically and culturally—was strongly related to faith in Trump. Analyses based on a 2019 Amazon Mechanical Turk survey yielded similar results and also showed that white nationalism increased willingness to wear a MAGA hat. Future research on the political consequences of racial beliefs should focus on what whites think not only of blacks but also of themselves

More field-based carbon monitoring of tropical peatland restoration is urgently needed: findings from a systematic literature review

The tropical peatland degradation crisis in Southeast Asia has triggered a surge in peatland restoration activity to reduce carbon emissions caused by biological oxidation of dry peat and recurrent peat fires. Monitoring the effects of restoration activities on carbon cycling is essential. We conducted a systematic literature review to determine where, how and by whom field-based carbon monitoring of tropical peatland restoration is being conducted. Our search focused on rewetting, revegetation of native plant communities, and interventions to reduce fire. Despite tropical peatland restoration activities occurring since the early 2000s, published studies monitoring their carbon effects are extremely limited, both temporally and geographically; only nine studies met the criteria of our systematic search. Concentrated in Kalimantan and Sumatra (Indonesia) and Selangor (Malaysia), all except one of these studies were published in the last six years. Southeast Asian academic institutions, nonprofit organisations, government and the private sector are interconnected in generating this research through authorship and the provision and/or management of land. Monitoring activities are heavily focused on flux chamber measurements of peat surface carbon fluxes. Monitoring of revegetation and fire reduction is very limited, and establishment of pre-restoration baseline conditions is lacking. In the detected studies, reported monitoring periods extended to a maximum of two years. Standardised reporting of the spatial extent of restoration activities would assist comparisons of restoration outcomes. There is an urgent need for longer term, continuous studies investigating the carbon outcomes of tropical peatland restoration that transcend existing funding and political time constraints