Canadian Patients Report High Levels of Satisfaction From an Integrated Model of Virtual and In-Person Care In an effort to increase access to care in underserved communities, researchers from the University of Ottawa evaluated the implementation of an integrated virtual care (IVC) model. Their study evaluated the overall experience and satisfaction of patients receiving care through a combination of virtual and in-person visits. A secondary aim was to compare the experiences of patients who had been previously seen in person by a family physician before transitioning to the IVC clinics with those who met their family physician virtually for the first ...

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Case Western Reserve University conducted weekly and monthly surveys of primary care clinicians to examine the use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The e-surveys were conducted between March 2020 and March 2022 and used convenience sampling. A total of 36 surveys were completed, with an average of 937 respondents per survey, representing clinicians from all 50 states and from multiple specialties. Initially, respondents reported difficulties in implementing telemedicine, citing challenges with infrastructure and reimbursement mechanisms. However, as time progressed, attitudes toward telemedicine became ...

In an effort to increase access to care in underserved communities, researchers from the University of Ottawa evaluated the implementation of an integrated virtual care (IVC) model. Their study evaluated the overall experience and satisfaction of patients receiving care through a combination of virtual and in-person visits. A secondary aim was to compare the experiences of patients who had been previously seen in person by a family physician before transitioning to the IVC clinics with those who met their family physician virtually for the ...

Growth plates (GP), situated at the ends of long bones in children, supply chondrocytes necessary for bone growth. Damage to the growth plate due to fractures often results in arrested bone growth, making it a significant cause of skeletal disorders in children. However, a small percentage of these injuries astonishingly manage to heal themselves, a phenomenon that had remained a mystery until now. In a new study published in International Journal of Oral Science, Yao Sun from Tongji University and other researchers identified that primary cilia, cellular ...

Bare minimum reimbursement rates could be a factor in why some clinics may be struggling to offer HPV vaccination in the U.S. MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researcher Kalyani Sonawane, Ph.D., and a team of researchers from South Carolina and Texas decided to quantify private insurance reimbursement rates for the HPV vaccine after several qualitative studies noted that health care providers were dissatisfied with HPV vaccine reimbursement by private insurance companies. The results of their investigation were published July 24 in the Annals of Family Medicine. They found that ...

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, authors Gabriel Gellner and Kevin McCann from the University of Guelph and SFI External Professor Alan Hastings (UC Davis) invert a classical approach to modeling food webs. Instead of trying to replicate stable, complex ecosystems using simplistic representations of species interactions, the authors’ novel inverse method assumes the ecosystems exist and works backward to characterize food webs that support that assumption. Their work represents a significant step toward addressing a fundamental ecological question of how biodiversity ...

Most navigation apps can show you the fastest possible route to your destination and some can even suggest an eco-friendly route calculated to produce the least amount of carbon emissions. But what if they could also map the safest route with the lowest possible risk of a crash? A new algorithm developed by UBC researchers could make this a reality. Led by Dr. Tarek Sayed, professor in the UBC department of civil engineering, and PhD student Tarek Ghoul, the group developed a new approach ...

CHICAGO—July 25, 2023—For his groundbreaking research in fortifying artificial intelligence systems with insights gained from the human immune system, Ren Wang of Illinois Institute of Technology has received the prestigious Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). Wang’s research may be used in the future to strengthen AI systems, making them more robust and resilient. As AI has increasingly permeated our daily lives through technologies, such as ChatGPT’s natural language ...

Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) identify a promising way to improve bone repair with important clinical applications Tokyo, Japan – Although bones have the ability to regenerate and repair themselves, they are generally unable to do so when the injury is larger than a small break or chip. In a study just published in Inflammation and Regeneration, Japanese researchers have developed a technique for improving bone regeneration over large areas in rats—and their findings may translate well to clinical settings. As most of us know from experience, bones can repair themselves after a minor break ...

Researchers present a methodology for developing joint displays of integrated mixed data collection. These joint displays provide a framework for supporting integration of a mixed methodology in research. Drawing upon a convergent mixed methods cohort study – the Early Discharge of Febrile Neutropenic Children with Cancer Study – the authors constructed a joint display of integrated mixed data collection from a patient/caregiver mixed methods survey instrument and manual medical chart abstraction. The paper outlines the methodological approach, including iterative ...

Brazilian researchers conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the concerns of caregivers of Brazilian girls with Down syndrome (DS) regarding gynecological aspects of DS including menstruation, contraception and sexual practices. The study included 100 caregivers of females aged 9 years or older with DS who had reached menarche. Participating caregivers completed a questionnaire about their concerns around puberty, menstruation, sexuality and contraceptive methods. Caregivers commonly expressed concerns around menstrual bleeding. Most caregivers ...

In their comprehensive meta-analysis (comprising 221 randomized controlled trials involving 65,601 patients), researchers investigated the effectiveness of various pharmacological therapies for acne vulgaris across diverse age groups and genders. The articles described 37 interventions, with a median patient age of 20 years old and median duration of treatment of 12 weeks. The median total, inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesion counts were 71.5, 27 and 44, respectively. The study revealed that oral isotretinoin was the most effective treatment (mean difference 48.41; p-score 1.00), followed in efficacy by a triple therapy containing ...

French researchers conducted a large, simulated study to examine the relationship between the presence of primary care physicians (PCPs) and the ability of patients to register with a PCP. The study aimed to analyze local PCP supply based on various indicators, including PCP presence, patient registration availability for office visits, and patient registration availability for home visits. Out of 5,188 census blocks, 55.4% had at least one PCP, with 38.6% of those blocks allowing registration for office visits and 19.46% allowing registration for home ...

Researchers from the Netherlands conducted an observational study to determine the association between personal continuity and potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) by family physicians in older patients. PIPs can be categorized as potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potential prescribing omissions (PPOs). The study utilized anonymized routine care data from 269,478 patients, receiving care in 48 Dutch family practices, from 2013 to 2018. They included all patients 65 and older with five or more contacts with their practice in six years, giving them a sample of 25,854 individuals. ...

Researchers from Mathematica studied high-performing Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) sites to identify key strategies that contributed to significant reductions in acute hospitalization rates. Researchers identified CPC+ practice sites with the highest likelihood of achieving substantial reductions in Medicare acute hospitalization rates between 2016 and 2018, and referred to them as "Acute Hospitalization Rate (AHR) high-performers." Afterwards, they conducted telephone interviews and within- and cross-case comparative analyses of 14 of these primary care practice sites, ...

Researchers explored how primary care physicians who have some familiarity with medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) make prescribing decisions and identify reasons for the underuse of MAUD in primary care. They interviewed 19 primary care physicians who had recently prescribed MAUD to patients in an outpatient setting. These physicians were selected from a large online database of medical professionals. Participating physicians reported several challenges in prescribing MAUD: (1) they had somewhat negative personal beliefs about the effectiveness of medications and the likelihood of patient ...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage has improved in the United States, but privately insured adolescents have lower initiation and completion rates compared to those under public insurance programs. One of the contributing factors to this disparity is the higher cost of the HPV vaccine compared to other routinely recommended adolescent vaccines. While private payers typically reimburse the cost of the HPV vaccine at or above the CDC list price (i.e., $210.99 in 2017-2018), it remains below ...

SAN ANTONIO — July 25, 2023 —The Geological Society of America (GSA) has elected Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Danielle Wyrick as a Fellow, recognizing her exemplary scientific achievements, support of young geoscientists and excellent service to GSA. She has played a significant role in GSA’s Planetary Geology Division leadership and committees.  “During my tenure on the board of GSA’s Planetary Geology Division, we adopted the motto ‘when one planet just isn’t enough,’ ...

BOSTON - Computational imaging techniques are growing more popular, but the large number of measurements they require often lead to slow speeds or damage to biological samples. A newly developed physics-informed variational autoencoder (P-VAE) framework could help speed up computational imaging by using supervised learning to jointly reconstruct many light sources, each with sparse measurements. Vidya Ganapati, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Swarthmore College, will present this research at the Optica Imaging Congress. The hybrid meeting will take place 14 – 17 August 2023 in ...

In children with suspected sinusitis, a nasal swab to test for three types of bacteria can tell whether antibiotics are likely to be effective or not, according to a new JAMA study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. “Five million kids in the U.S. get prescribed antibiotics for sinusitis each year,” said lead author Nader Shaikh, M.D., pediatrician at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and professor of pediatrics and clinical and translational science at Pitt. “Our study suggests that only half of these kids see an improvement in symptoms with antibiotic use, so ...

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2023 – Managing and classifying waste accurately for reuse is a growing challenge in environmental protection. Addressing this issue, researchers at Hefei University of Technology in China have embarked on a quest to innovate in the realm of waste management, seeking effective methods that can simplify and improve the identification and classification of recyclable waste. Delving into the intricacies of waste management, the researchers explored the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technology for the identification ...

About The Study: State restrictions were associated with significantly increased estimated drive times for youths seeking gender-affirming care. With more than 1 in 4 gender clinics located in states with restrictions, it is unknown whether existing clinics may have capacity to meet the increased need of out-of-state patients. Authors: Kevin C. Chung, M.D., M.S., of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2023.11299) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional ...

Researchers have created a robot capable of conducting experiments more efficiently and sustainably to develop a range of new semiconductor materials with desirable attributes. The researchers have already demonstrated that the new technology, called RoboMapper, can rapidly identify new perovskite materials with improved stability and solar cell efficiency. “RoboMapper allows us to conduct materials testing more quickly, while also reducing both cost and energy overhead – making the entire process more sustainable,” ...

Heart disease risk factors (being overweight, having diabetes or high blood pressure) increased among birthing adults between 2016 and 2020 Postpartum visits are crucial for checking mom’s heart health after delivery Each year, 90% of women in the U.S. attend at least one postpartum visit ‘We must take advantage of this prime opportunity when we have a captive audience’ CHICAGO --- Despite having risk factors for heart disease, only 60% of women reported receiving counseling on optimizing their heart health, which includes healthy eating, exercise and losing weight gained during pregnancy at their six-week ...

About The Study: The results of this study suggest that consuming a vegetarian diet may modestly but significantly improve cardiometabolic outcomes beyond standard pharmacological therapy in individuals at high risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), highlighting the potential protective and synergistic effects of vegetarian diets for the primary prevention of CVD. Authors: Tian Wang, A.P.D., R.D., of the University of Sydney in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.25658) Editor’s ...