Spiritual Care and Political Involvement, Womanist Public Theology, and Boston Medical Center

Author(s):  
Pamela Ayo Yetunde
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 30-30
Author(s):  
Grace Hyojung Yoon ◽  
Michael Holick ◽  
Arash Hossein

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The goals of this retrospective cohort study is threefold: 1) to assess how many pregnant women at Boston Medical Center from 2012 to 2017 have had their vitamin D status checked prior to and during pregnancy, 2) determine associations between vitamin D levels, birth outcomes and demographics and 3) assess how many of those found to have lower than satisfactory vitamin D levels (<30ng/mL) received interventions, including receiving vitamin D supplementation and/or being referred to an appropriate specialist such as an endocrinologist or a nutritionist. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Our study population is mothers over age 18 who received care at Boston Medical Center during their pregnancy from 2012 to 2017. Our primary outcomes are vitamin D utilization rates and associations between vitamin D levels with clinical outcomes during pregnancy and at birth. Secondary outcomes are demographic predictors of mothers who receive vitamin D testing and those who have complications associated with low vitamin D. We will conduct multiple linear regressions to check for associations between vitamin D levels, birth outcomes and demographic variables. We will adjust vitamin D levels with maternal BMI. De-identified clinical data was gathered from Boston University Medical Center’s (BUMC) Clinical Data Warehouse. This retrospective study was approved with a HIPAA waiver by the BUMC Institutional Data Warehouse. All statistical analysis was completed using SAS version 9.4 and was primarily done by the student PI and reviewed by Dr. Hossein, the co-investigator who is trained as a statistician and geneticist. The team also utilized Boston University’s Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Research Design (BERD) team to check the feasibility of the statistical methods. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate that our descriptive demographic data will reflect the medical center’s predominantly black/Hispanic and low-income profile. Based on previous literature, we expect low vitamin D levels to have positive associations with gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and preterm birth. Analyses are currently actively in progress and we expect to have results before the ACTS conference date in March, 2019. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Vitamin D is an essential part of the human body system. It is well documented in current literature that vitamin D is correlated with bone health, mental health and maternal health. Moreover, there is evidence that maternal vitamin D supplementation prevents vitamin D deficiency in newborns. Previous literature suggests that low vitamin D may be associated with gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and pre-term births. Boston Medical Center is Massachusetts’ largest urban medical center and acts as its only safety-net hospital, serving predominantly low-income and socially marginalized patient populations. There is limited existing research on assessment of maternal vitamin D in urban hospital settings. Pregnant women rarely receive vitamin D screenings as part of their prenatal checkups as current national and regional guidelines do not require pregnant women to be screened for vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. The results will demonstrate the potential effects vitamin D supplementation, or lack thereof, in expectant mothers living in urban, safety net communities. We hope to inform prenatal care practices and attitudes of vitamin D supplementation in maternal health with the results of our study.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-179
Author(s):  
Fanny K. Ennever

Boston Medical Center/Boston University Medical Campus recently reduced certain requirements for human subjects research where this could be done without adversely affecting the rights and welfare of participants, in anticipation of changes in the Final Common Rule. Modifications affected exempt and expedited categories, approval periods, ceding review, Quality Improvement/Quality Assessment activities, and some requirements for pregnant women, prisoners, and children. This case study may assist other institutions in responding to the Final Common Rule.


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