The Evolution of Public Health Sciences in an Academic Medical Center

AbstractAs Ebola has spread beyond West Africa, the challenges confronting health care systems with no experience in managing such patients are enormous. Not only is Ebola a significant threat to a population’s health, it can infect the medical personnel trying to treat it. As such, it represents a major challenge to those in public health, emergency medical services (EMS), and acute care hospitals. Our academic medical center volunteered to become an Ebola Treatment Center as part of the US effort to manage the threat. We developed detailed policies and procedures for Ebola patient management at our university hospital. Both the EMS system and county public health made significant contributions during the development process. This article shares information about this process and the outcomes to inform other institutions facing similar challenges of preparing for an emerging threat with limited resources. The discussion includes information about management of (1) patients who arrive by ambulance with prior notification, (2) spontaneous walk-in patients, and (3) patients with confirmed Ebola who are interfacility transfers. Hospital management includes information about Ebola screening procedures, personal protective equipment selection and personnel training, erection of a tent outside the main facility, establishing an Ebola treatment unit inside the facility, and infectious waste and equipment management. Finally, several health policy considerations are presented. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:558–567)

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Tracking Substance Use Complications: A Collaborative Analysis of Public Health and Academic Medical Center Records on Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis

The Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/infdis/jiaa160 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 222 (Supplement_5) ◽

pp. S437-S441

Author(s):

David de Gijsel ◽

Martha DesBiens ◽

Elizabeth A Talbot ◽

David J Laflamme ◽

Stephen Conn ◽

...

Abstract Background Healthcare systems and public health agencies use different methods to measure the impact of substance use (SU) on population health. We studied the ability of systems to accurately capture data on drug use-associated infective endocarditis (DUA-IE). Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with IE discharge diagnosis from an academic medical center, 2011–2017, comparing data from hospital Electronic Health Record (EHR) to State Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS). To identify SU we developed a composite measure. Results EHR identified 472 IE discharges (430 of these were captured in UHDDS); 406 (86.0%) were correctly coded based on chart review. IE discharges increased from 57 to 92 (62%) from 2012 to 2017. Hospitalizations for the subset of DUA-IE identified by any measure of SU increased from 10 to 54 (440%). Discharge diagnosis coding identified 128 (60.7%) of total DUA-IE hospitalizations. The composite measure identified an additional 65 (30.8%) DUA-IE hospitalizations and chart review an additional 18 (8.5%). Conclusions The failure of discharge diagnosis coding to identify DUA-IE in 40% of hospitalizations demonstrates the need for better systems to capture the impact of SU. Collaborative data sharing could help improve surveillance responsiveness to address an emerging public health crises.

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Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center: A Model of a Telehealth Program Within an Academic Medical Center

Telemedicine Journal and e-Health ◽

10.1089/tmj.2012.0295 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 368-372 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Dale C. Alverson ◽

Denise Dion ◽

Margaret Migliorati ◽

Adrian Rodriguez ◽

Hannah W. Byun ◽

...

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Development and Implementation of a Zika Virus Disease Response Protocol at a Large Academic Medical Center

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2016.116 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 256-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rossana Rosa ◽

Lilian M. Abbo ◽

Girish Kapur ◽

Peter Paige ◽

Reynald Jean ◽

...

AbstractThe rapid spread of Zika virus represents a threat to public health and demands significant preparation from hospitals and health care systems. Establishment of procedures for the identification of cases of Zika virus infection is a fundamental aspect of response planning. We describe the steps taken in the development and implementation of a protocol for the diagnosis and management of suspected cases of Zika virus infection in a large academic medical center. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:256–258)

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Public Health Role of Academic Medical Center in Community Outbreak of Hepatitis A, San Diego County, California, USA, 2016–2018

Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽

10.3201/eid2607.191352 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (7) ◽

pp. 1374-1381 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Minji Kang ◽

Sarah F. Horman ◽

Randy A. Taplitz ◽

Brian Clay ◽

Marlene Millen ◽

...

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Assessing fear of COVID-19 at an academic medical center

Journal of Emergency Management ◽

10.5055/jem.0532 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 91-98

Author(s):

Michael W. Brand, PhD ◽

Brandt Wiskur, PhD, MSW ◽

Julio I. Rojas, PhD

Purpose: This study measured the degree of COVID-19-related fear among academic medical center employees, identified subsections with high COVID-19 fear, and validated the Fear of COVID-19 Scale with medical professionals in the United States. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional, inter-net-based survey delivered by Qualtrics. The survey was conducted at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center between May 21 and June 18, 2020. The medical center is composed of seven health-care colleges, child and adult hospitals, a Veterans Hospital, and outpatient services clinics across the Oklahoma City area. Faculty, staff, and students (N = 1,761) from the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center completed the survey. Results: COVID-19 fear is highest among non-clinical employees, smokers, and those with pre-existing conditions. Males and females, both clinicians and non-clinicians, appear to express their COVID-19 fears differently. Employees worried most about their families contracting the virus. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale is a valid and reliable assessment instrument among US healthcare workers. Responses were compared based on pre-existing medical condition(s), patient care or nonpatient care, sex, and occupational specialization. Analyses reveal a strong Cronbach’s α measure of internal consistency (α = 0.87). Significant differences were observed among employees with a nonclinical emphasis (p = 0.02), with a predisposing medical health condition (p 0.001), and with a nonacademic occupational specialization (p 0.01), and by sex (p 0.001). Conclusions and discussion: COVID-19 fear significantly impacts academic medical center employ-ees. Medical centers should address both healthcare and nonhealthcare workers’ COVID-19-related fears. It is important to recognize that men and women may have different types of fears and express them differently, necessitating a gender-specific approach to man-aging COVID-19 fears. Employees with pre-existing conditions or who have vulnerable family members require additional support to remain fully functional and on the job.

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