Increasing uptake of influenza vaccine by pregnant women post H1N1 pandemic: a longitudinal study in Melbourne, Australia, 2010 to 2014

Background: A Melbourne (Australia) university affiliated, tertiary obstetric hospital provides lay and professional education about influenza vaccine in pregnancy annually each March, early in the local influenza season. Responding to a 2011 survey of new mothers' opinions, the hospital made influenza vaccine freely available in antenatal clinics from 2012. We wished to determine influenza vaccination uptake during pregnancy with these strategies 5 years after 2009 H1N1. Methods: Face to face interviews based on US Center for Disease Control and Prevention Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System with new mothers in postnatal wards each July, 2010 to 2014. We calculated recalled influenza vaccine uptake each year and assessed trends with chi square tests, and logistic regression. Results: We recorded 1086 interviews. Influenza vaccination during pregnancy increased by 6% per year (95% confidence interval 4 to 8%): from 29.6% in 2010 to 51.3% in 2014 (p < 0.001). Lack of discussion from maternity caregivers was a persistent reason for non-vaccination, recalled by 1 in 2 non-vaccinated women. Survey respondents preferred face to face consultations with doctors and midwives, internet and text messaging as information sources about influenza vaccination. Survey responses indicate messages about vaccine safety in pregnancy and infant benefits are increasingly being heeded. However, there was progressively lower awareness of maternal benefits of influenza vaccination, especially for women with risk factors for severe disease. Conclusions: We observed improving influenza vaccination during pregnancy. There is potential to integrate technology such as text message or internet with antenatal consultations to increase vaccination coverage further

Start With Your Hair

Jerita Douglas wants a new an individual hair style to harmonize with her oval face, high cheekbones and broad forehead. She also knows that as long as women\u27s fashions feature high necklines and the turned up collar, short hair will be the calling card for flattery

How the Trauma-Informed Approach Can Help Treat Substance Use Disorders

People who experience trauma- especially Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)- are at an elevated risk for substance use disorders, mental illness, and physical disorders. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an evidence-based approach to deliver healthcare in a way that recognizes and responds to the long-term health effects of the experience of trauma. In the 2014 Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 57, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) addressed trauma-related prevention, screening, assessment, intervention, and treatment issues and strategies, providing a framework for organizations that wanted to take a trauma informed approach. Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to: Explain the connection between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Substance Use Disorders; Describe promising practices for implementing the trauma-informed care approach; and Consider how trauma-informed care might work in your organization

Elder abuse screening tools: a systematic review

Purpose: Elder Abuse results in high rates of morbidity and mortality. It has longstanding physical and psychological effects and is difficult to detect. Due to fear or embarrassment victims may make attempts to hide it rather than to disclose and professionals are often reluctant to report it as they may worry about worsening a situation. If detected early enough serious harm can be prevented and lives saved. Screening and screening tools can assist health and social care practitioners to detect abuse. This review of screening tools was undertaken as part of an MSc in Clinical Research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research; the paper reports on the review and its findings. Design/methodology/approach: This was a systematic review with eligibility inclusion and exclusion criteria decided in advance. Keywords and their synonyms were combined and then used to search health and social care databases. Data items were collected from the included studies. The preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) was followed for the reporting of the results. A narrative synthesis approach was applied to the analysis. Findings: Thirty- four full text studies were downloaded read and analysed. Eleven met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Of these, three studies reported sensitivity and specificity, with the remainder reporting validity and reliability testing. Twelve tools of varying length and quality were found. The length and characteristics of tools affects the efficacy of their use. The clinical environment will determine choice of screening tool to be used. Screening tools should be used within an overall system of detection and management of abuse. Research limitations/implications: The synthesis of results was challenging due to the lack of homogeneity between the included studies. The variations in tool characteristics and qualities added to this challenge. A further limitation was the lack of a gold standard tool in elder Originality/value: This systematic review highlights a lack of robust evidence in the development and validation of screening tools to detect elder abuse. Though there is an increasing awareness and knowledge about elder abuse, its detection remains problematic and the lack of research in this area is worth emphasizing. Specific tools, centred on the clinical setting in which they are used, are recommended

Exploring the Experience of Dating as a Surviving Partner and Impact on Occupational Therapy

Background: Limited research has been conducted that explores the experience of dating as a member of the surviving partner community. This study aims to address this gap in literature by capturing the dating experience for those who are surviving partners. Method: A qualitative, phenomenological research design was used to gather data from thirteen surviving partners who have actively dated in the past, are currently dating, or are currently in a casual or serious relationship. Results: Interview data revealed that the participants\u27 dating experiences were impacted by their identity as a surviving partner. Participants reported experiencing pressure to engage in dating from their friends and family after losing their partner. Participants also experienced stigma from the general dating pool as well as judgment from inside and outside the surviving partner community. The importance of co-occupation to honor and remember their late partner with their current partner was a unique aspect of the surviving partner dating experience. Conclusion: This research adds to the body of knowledge regarding the surviving partner dating experience as well as the importance of co-occupation. Occupational therapists need to inquire about dating during evaluation and be aware of the impact of the surviving partner identity on occupation.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstones-spring2022/1010/thumbnail.jp

Increased Severity of Murine Infection with Toxioplasma Gondii Following Vitaman E and Selenium Supplementatoin

At present, toxoplasmosis is one of the most common opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. The need for a reliable experimental model is crucial not only for achieving a better understanding of the pathophysiology of this infection but also for developing a better method to evaluate new therapeutic regimens. This study was organized to determine if the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium would provide a beneficial effect in mice chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii. In the first phase of the study, 35 female Swiss Webster mice were infected with oocysts of the Me49 strain of Toxoplasma gondii while receiving diets supplemented with vitamin E alone or in combination with selenium, or a diet deficient in both nutrients. In the second phase of the study, 25 C57BL/6J mice were infected intraperitoneally (i.p) using the ME49 strain. Two different strains of mice were used for this experiment because each vary in their susceptibility to T. gondii infection, with the C57BL/6J mice being a more susceptible model with the development of toxoplasmic encephalitis. In the third phase of the study, because the natural route of infection is the oral route, 25 C57BL/6J mice were infected orally with the ME49 strain of Toxoplasma. The results of all three experiments demonstrate that vitamin E and Se supplementation does not provide a protective effect during murine Toxoplasma gondii infection. Mice fed diets supplemented with vitamin E and Se had more tissue cysts present in their brains, exhibited greater tissue pathology, and suffered the highest percent weight loss. In contrast, the unsupplemented groups (absence of vitamin E and Se from the diet) showed the lowest tissue cyst numbers, minor histopathology, and very little weight loss during experimental infection

2018 Scorecard on State Health System Performance

Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Utah are the top-ranked states according to the Commonwealth Fund's 2018 Scorecard on State Health System Performance, which assesses all 50 states and the District of Columbia on more than 40 measures of access to health care, quality of care, efficiency in care delivery, health outcomes, and income-based health care disparities.The 2018 Scorecard reveals that states are losing ground on key measures related to life expectancy. On most other measures, performance continues to vary widely across states; even within individual states, large disparities are common.Still, on balance, the Scorecard finds more improvement than decline between 2013 and 2016 in the functioning of state health care systems. This represents a reversal of sorts from the first decade of the century, when stagnating or worsening performance was the norm