Impact of a health campaign on Chinese public awareness of stroke: evidence from internet search data

IntroductionHealth campaigns have the potential to improve public awareness, but their impact can be difficult to assess. Internet search data provide information concerning online health information-seeking behaviour in the population and may serve as a proxy for public awareness to evaluate health campaigns. This study aimed to measure the impact of World Stroke Day (WSD) in China using Baidu search data.MethodsDaily search index values (SIV) for the term ‘stroke’ were collected from January 2011 to December 2019 using the Baidu Index platform. We examined the mean difference in SIV between the 4 weeks surrounding WSD (period of interest) and the rest of the year (control period) for each year by t-test analysis. The mean difference between the period of interest and the control period was also calculated. The joinpoint regression model was used to analyse the trends of internet search activity 30 days before and after WSD for each year (2011–2019). Finally, the top and rising queries related to stroke during the week of the campaign in 2020 were summarised.ResultsA significant mean increase in SIV of 418.5 (95% CI: 298.8 to 538.2) for the period of interest surrounding WSD was observed, 36.2% greater than the SIV during the control period (2011–2019). Short-term joinpoint analysis showed a significant increase in SIV 3 days before WSD, a peak on WSD and a decrease to the precampaign level 3 days after WSD. The rising related queries suggested that the public had increasing concerns about stroke warning signs, stroke prevention and stroke recovery during the campaign.ConclusionsThe WSD campaign increased internet search activity. These research techniques can be applied to evaluation of other health campaigns. Advancing understanding of public demand will enable tailoring of the campaign and strengthen health management.

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Application of Computerized Adaptive Testing to the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure

Foot & Ankle International ◽

10.1177/1071100720972663 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 107110072097266

Author(s):

Joseph T. O’Neil ◽

Otho R. Plummer ◽

Steven M. Raikin

Keyword(s):

Computerized Adaptive Testing ◽

Case Series ◽

Adaptive Testing ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Foot And Ankle ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Patient Reported ◽

The Mean ◽

Ability Measure ◽

The Impact

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures are an increasingly important tool for assessing the impact of treatments orthopedic surgeons render. Despite their importance, they can present a burden. We examined the validity and utility of a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) method to reduce the number of questions on the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM), a validated anatomy-specific outcome measure. Methods: A previously developed FAAM CAT system was applied to the responses of patients undergoing foot and ankle evaluation and treatment over a 3-year period (2017-2019). A total of 15 902 responses for the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) subscale and a total of 14 344 responses for the Sports subscale were analyzed. The accuracy of the CAT to replicate the full-form score was assessed. Results: The CAT system required 11 questions to be answered for the ADL subscale in 85.1% of cases (range, 11-12). The number of questions answered on the Sports subscale was 6 (range, 5-6) in 66.4% of cases. The mean difference between the full FAAM ADL subscale and CAT was 0.63 of a point. The mean difference between the FAAM Sports subscale and CAT was 0.65 of a point. Conclusion: The FAAM CAT was able to reduce the number of responses a patient would need to answer by nearly 50%, while still providing a valid outcome score. This measure can therefore be directly correlated with previously obtained full FAAM scores in addition to providing a foot/ankle-specific measure, which previously reported CAT systems are not able to do. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.

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The impact of nurse staffing levels and nurse’s education on patient mortality in medical and surgical wards: an observational multicentre study

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-019-4688-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Filip Haegdorens ◽

Peter Van Bogaert ◽

Koen De Meester ◽

Koenraad G. Monsieurs

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Control Period ◽

Nurse Staffing ◽

Control Group ◽

Unplanned Admission ◽

Unexpected Death ◽

Staffing Levels ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Growing evidence indicates that improved nurse staffing in acute hospitals is associated with lower hospital mortality. Current research is limited to studies using hospital level data or without proper adjustment for confounders which makes the translation to practice difficult. Method In this observational study we analysed retrospectively the control group of a stepped wedge randomised controlled trial concerning 14 medical and 14 surgical wards in seven Belgian hospitals. All patients admitted to these wards during the control period were included in this study. Pregnant patients or children below 17 years of age were excluded. In all patients, we collected age, crude ward mortality, unexpected death, cardiac arrest with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and unplanned admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A composite mortality measure was constructed including unexpected death and death up to 72 h after cardiac arrest with CPR or unplanned ICU admission. Every 4 months we obtained, from 30 consecutive patient admissions across all wards, the Charlson comorbidity index. The amount of nursing hours per patient days (NHPPD) were calculated every day for 15 days, once every 4 months. Data were aggregated to the ward level resulting in 68 estimates across wards and time. Linear mixed models were used since they are most appropriate in case of clustered and repeated measures data. Results The unexpected death rate was 1.80 per 1000 patients. Up to 0.76 per 1000 patients died after CPR and 0.62 per 1000 patients died after unplanned admission to the ICU. The mean composite mortality was 3.18 per 1000 patients. The mean NHPPD and proportion of nurse Bachelor hours were respectively 2.48 and 0.59. We found a negative association between the nursing hours per patient day and the composite mortality rate adjusted for possible confounders (B = − 2.771, p = 0.002). The proportion of nurse Bachelor hours was negatively correlated with the composite mortality rate in the same analysis (B = − 8.845, p = 0.023). Using the regression equation, we calculated theoretically optimal NHPPDs. Conclusions This study confirms the association between higher nurse staffing levels and lower patient mortality controlled for relevant confounders.

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Motivating continued knowledge sharing in crowdsourcing

Online Information Review ◽

10.1108/oir-01-2015-0038 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 795-811 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Misook Heo ◽

Natalie Toomey

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Sharing ◽

Visual Feedback ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Control Group ◽

Willingness To Participate ◽

Content Type ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact ◽

External Interventions ◽

Willingness To Contribute

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of system-generated visual feedback and continued contribution on individuals’ motivation to share knowledge in a crowdsourcing environment. Design/methodology/approach – An experimental setting was designed to investigate participants’ motivation to contribute knowledge in a crowdsourcing environment. Responses from a total of 101 participants were analyzed. The independent variables were visual feedback and time. The dependent variable was the participants’ self-expressed willingness to further contribute in the experimental knowledge-sharing activity. Findings – A significant main effect of time was found, showing overall gains in the mean willingness to participate over time. It was also found that the mean willingness of the control and top assimilation groups were higher than the mean willingness of the rank contrast and status groups. The mean difference obtained for the control group was mainly during the first half of the knowledge-sharing tasks, while the mean difference obtained for the top assimilation group was mainly during the second half of the knowledge-sharing tasks. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature related to motivation in knowledge sharing by providing theory-based, empirical evidence of the potential for external interventions to improve willingness to contribute and sustain knowledge sharing. The findings additionally provide practical implications for motivating and sustaining knowledge sharing.

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Different Vancomycin Immunoassays Contribute to the Variability in Vancomycin Trough Measurements in Neonates

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2016/1974972 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Janko Samardzic ◽

Anne Smits ◽

Isabel Spriet ◽

Ivan Soldatovic ◽

Andrew Atkinson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Volume ◽

Clinical Characteristics ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Circumstantial Evidence ◽

Similar Extent ◽

Dosing Regimens ◽

Vancomycin Trough ◽

Trough Concentrations ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact

Substantial interassay variability (up to 20%) has been described for vancomycin immunoassays in adults, but the impact of neonatal matrix is difficult to quantify because of blood volume constraints in neonates. However, we provide circumstantial evidence for a similar extent of variability. Using the same vancomycin dosing regimens and confirming similarity in clinical characteristics, vancomycin trough concentrations measured by PETINIA (2011-2012,n=400) were 20% lower and the mean difference was 1.93 mg/L compared to COBAS (2012–2014,n=352) measurements. The impact of vancomycin immunoassays in neonatal matrix was hereby suggested, supporting a switch to more advanced techniques (LC-MS/MS).

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Recognition of stroke among community residents and the improvement after intensive health education: A cross-sectional study.

10.21203/rs.2.17601/v4 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xuemin Zhong ◽

Jian Wang ◽

Lanying He ◽

Ronghua Xu

Keyword(s):

Stroke Risk ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Recognition Rate ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Emergency Call ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Educational Activities ◽

Community Residents ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: The high morbidity, mortality, and disability rates associated with stroke cause heavy burden to the society. The level of understanding regarding stroke warning symptoms and first aid systems among community residents is generally low. This study aimed to investigate stroke-related knowledge in community residents of Jinjiang district of Chengdu and to raise public awareness regarding stroke through an intensive educational program.Methods: Nine communities in Jinjiang district were sampled, and a questionnaire about stroke-related knowledge was applied before and after stroke educational activities. We analyzed the impact of such activities on stroke recognition and management.Results: We collected 1685 valid questionnaires. The awareness about stroke risk before educational activities was 11.4%. The recognition of stroke warning signs among the community residents was 29.8-59.5%. Among these community residents, the recognition rate of major signs, such as limb weakness, language disorder, and imbalance was more than 50%. When faced with five stroke warning signs, the proportion of participants who chose to make an emergency call was 41.5%. Less than 10% of the participants chose to consult a doctor, take medicine, or wait. After strengthening the publicity and educational activities regarding stroke, there was a significant improvement in the identification of stroke risk factors and warning signs, and stroke management. The percentage of participants who chose to make an emergency call increased from 53.2% to 82.7% (p<0.001).Conclusions: The knowledge about stroke among community residents in Jinjiang District of Chengdu was low. Strengthening publicity and educational activities may raise awareness about prioritizing emergency calls after the onset of stroke signs.

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Recognition of stroke-related knowledge among community residents and the improvement after intensive health education: A cross-sectional study

10.21203/rs.2.17601/v5 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xuemin Zhong ◽

Jian Wang ◽

Lanying He ◽

Ronghua Xu

Keyword(s):

Stroke Risk ◽

Language Disorder ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Emergency Call ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Limb Weakness ◽

Educational Activities ◽

Community Residents ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: The high morbidity, mortality, and disability rates of stroke constitute a heavy burden to the society. The level of understanding about stroke warning symptoms and first aid systems among community residents was generally low. The aim of our work is to investigate stroke-related knowledge in community residents of Jinjiang district of Chengdu and to raise public awareness about stroke through an intensive educational program. Methods: Nine communities in Jinjiang district were sampled and a questionnaire about stroke-related knowledge was applied before and after stroke educational activities. We analyzed the impact of such activities in stroke recognition and management. Results: We collected 1685 valid questionnaires. The awareness about stroke risk before educational activities was 11.4%. The recognition of stroke warning signs among community residents was 29.8-59.5%. Among them, the recognition of major signs, such as limb weakness, language disorder, and imbalance was more than 50%. When faced with five stroke warning signs, the proportion of participants who chose to make an emergency call was 41.5%. Less than 10% of the participants chose to consult a doctor, take medicine, or wait. After strengthening publicity and educational activities regarding stroke, there was a significant improvement in the identification of stroke risk factors, warning signs, and stroke management. The percentage of participants who chose to make an emergency call increased from 53.2% to 82.7%. Conclusions: The knowledge about stroke among community residents in Jinjiang District of Chengdu was low. Strengthening publicity and educational activities may raise awareness about stroke prioritizing call emergency after the onset of stroke signs.

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Lessons from long-term predator control: a case study with the red fox

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr13196 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 222 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Roger Kirkwood ◽

Duncan R. Sutherland ◽

Stuart Murphy ◽

Peter Dann

Keyword(s):

Population Size ◽

Prey Species ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Control Period ◽

Control Technique ◽

Effective Control ◽

Predator Control ◽

Red Foxes ◽

The Impact

Context Predator-control aims to reduce an impact on prey species, but efficacy of long-term control is rarely assessed and the reductions achieved are rarely quantified. Aims We evaluated the changing efficacy of a 58-year-long campaign against red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) on Phillip Island, a 100-km2 inhabited island connected to the Australian mainland via a bridge. The campaign aimed to eliminate the impact of foxes on ground-nesting birds, particularly little penguins (Eudyptula minor). Methods We monitored the success rate of each fox-control technique employed, the level of effort invested if available, demographics of killed foxes, the numbers of penguins killed by foxes and penguin population size. Key results The campaign began as a bounty system that ran for 30 years and was ineffective. It transitioned into a coordinated, although localised, control program from 1980 to 2005 that invested considerable effort, but relied on subjective assessments of success. Early during the control period, baiting was abandoned for less effective methods that were thought to pose fewer risks, were more enjoyable and produced carcasses, a tangible result. Control was aided by a high level of public awareness, by restricted fox immigration, and by a clear, achievable and measurable target, namely, to prevent little penguin predation by foxes. Carcasses did prove valuable for research, revealing the genetic structure and shifts in fox demographics. The failure of the program was evident after scientific evaluation of fox population size and ongoing fox impacts. In 2006, the campaign evolved into an eradication attempt, adopting regular island-wide baiting, and since then, has achieved effective knock-down of foxes and negligible predation on penguins. Conclusions Effective predator control was achieved only after employing a dedicated team and implementing broad-scale baiting. Abandoning widespread baiting potentially delayed effective control for 25 years. Furthermore, both predator and prey populations should be monitored concurrently because the relationship between predator abundance and impact on prey species is not necessarily density dependent. Implications Critical to adopting the best management strategy is evaluating the efficacy of different methods independently of personal and public biases and having personnel dedicated solely to the task.

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Delirium and Associated Length of Stay and Costs in Critically Ill Patients

Critical Care Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2021/6612187 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Claudia Dziegielewski ◽

Charlenn Skead ◽

Toros Canturk ◽

Colleen Webber ◽

Shannon M. Fernando ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Length Of Stay ◽

Critically Ill ◽

Critically Ill Patients ◽

Hospital Costs ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact

Purpose. Delirium frequently affects critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of delirium on ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS) and perform a cost analysis. Materials and Methods. Prospective studies and randomized controlled trials of patients in the ICU with delirium published between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2020, were evaluated. Outcome variables including ICU and hospital LOS were obtained, and ICU and hospital costs were derived from the respective LOS. Results. Forty-one studies met inclusion criteria. The mean difference of ICU LOS between patients with and without delirium was significant at 4.77 days ( p < 0.001 ); for hospital LOS, this was significant at 6.67 days ( p < 0.001 ). Cost data were extractable for 27 studies in which both ICU and hospital LOS were available. The mean difference of ICU costs between patients with and without delirium was significant at $3,921 ( p < 0.001 ); for hospital costs, the mean difference was $5,936 ( p < 0.001 ). Conclusion. ICU and hospital LOS and associated costs were significantly higher for patients with delirium, compared to those without delirium. Further research is necessary to elucidate other determinants of increased costs and cost-reducing strategies for critically ill patients with delirium. This can provide insight into the required resources for the prevention of delirium, which may contribute to decreasing healthcare expenditure while optimizing the quality of care.

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The impact of nurse staffing levels and nurse’s education on patient mortality in medical and surgical wards: an observational multicentre study.

10.21203/rs.2.13088/v2 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Filip Haegdorens ◽

Peter Van Bogaert ◽

Koen De Meester ◽

Koen Monsieurs

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Control Period ◽

Nurse Staffing ◽

Control Group ◽

Unplanned Admission ◽

Unexpected Death ◽

Staffing Levels ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact

Abstract BACKGROUND Growing evidence indicates that improved nurse staffing in acute hospitals is associated with lower hospital mortality. Current research is limited to studies using hospital level data or without proper adjustment for confounders which makes the translation to practice difficult. METHOD In this observational study we analysed retrospectively the control group of a stepped wedge randomised controlled trial concerning 14 medical and 14 surgical wards in seven Belgian hospitals. All patients admitted to these wards during the control period were included in this study. Pregnant patients or children below 17 years of age were excluded. In all patients, we collected age, crude ward mortality, unexpected death, cardiac arrest with Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and unplanned admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). A composite mortality measure was constructed including unexpected death and death up to 72 hours after cardiac arrest with CPR or unplanned ICU admission. Every four months we obtained, from 30 consecutive patient admissions across all wards, the Charlson comorbidity index. The amount of nursing hours per patient days (NHPPD) were calculated every day for 15 days, once every four months. Data were aggregated to the ward level resulting in 68 estimates across wards and time. Linear mixed models were used since they are most appropriate in case of clustered and repeated measures data. RESULTS The unexpected death rate was 1.80 per 1000 patients. Up to 0.76 per 1000 patients died after CPR and 0.62 per 1000 patients died after unplanned admission to the ICU. The mean composite mortality was 3.18 per 1000 patients. The mean NHPPD and proportion of nurse Bachelor hours were respectively 2.48 and 0.59. We found a negative association between the nursing hours per patient day and the composite mortality rate adjusted for possible confounders (B= -2.771, p=0.002). The proportion of nurse Bachelor hours was negatively correlated with the composite mortality rate in the same analysis (B= -8.845, p=0.023). Using the regression equation, we calculated theoretically optimal NHPPDs. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the association between higher nurse staffing levels and lower patient mortality controlled for relevant confounders.

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IMPACT OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING ON ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOURAL OUTCOME OF INTERNET GAMING ADDICTION (IGA) AMONG ADOLESCENTS

IDC International Journal ◽

10.47211/idcij.2021.v08i03.009 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Ms. Rawindar Kaur kaur ◽

Dr. Ramandeep Kaur Dhillon dhillon

Keyword(s):

Motivational Interviewing ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Control Group ◽

Gaming Addiction ◽

Internet Gaming ◽

Internet Gaming Addiction ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean ◽

The Impact ◽

Experimental Group

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of motivational interviewing on attitude and behavioural outcome among adolescents regarding IGA at selected schools of Patiala city of Punjab. METHODS: This was an experimental research design with two group pre-test post-test control group design. The samples were recruited by opting probability sampling technique. The study samples were the adolescents with age group of 15 to 18 years old who have met the eligibility criteria. Total 300 adolescents were recruited based on power analysis. The research instruments were the Structured Attitude Rating Scale on I GA (SARS-IGA) and Structured Behavioural Outcome check list on IGA (SBOC-IGA). The collected data were organised logically and data was analysed by SPSS-22. RESULTS: The mean difference of experimental group was 18.89 while in control group it was 2.96. F ratio identified as 10.10 which reflected that among both the group, there is significant difference in terms of attitude of adolescents regarding internet gaming addiction. The mean difference of experimental group was 12.80 while in control group it was 4.27. F ratio identified as 10.40 which reflected that among both the group, there is significant difference in terms of behavioural outcome of adolescents regarding internet gaming addiction. The finding suggested that the provided motivational interviewing technique is effective to enhance attitude and behavioural outcome of IGA victims. CONCLUSION: findings of the study suggested that internet gaming disorder or dependency has reached to significant level and motivational interviewing is helping adolescents to improve their attitudes and enhanced their behaviour outcome regarding internet gaming disorders.

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