The COVID States Project #70: MA Governor Charlie Baker's Approval

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s announcement last week that he would not seek re-election comes on the heels of a wave of retirements of moderate Republican politicians who have found themselves at odds with former President Donald Trump and his vision of the Republican Party. Governor Baker’s decision to not seek re-election is somewhat surprising, given the Republican has consistently garnered some of the highest gubernatorial approval ratings according to numerous polls (including our own). However Baker has struggled to garner support from members of his own party, with numerous polls finding higher approval among Democrats and Independents than among Republicans. Baker’s struggles with his own party were on full display when President Trump endorsed Baker’s primary challenger, Geoff Diehl, in October. Baker faced grim primary prospects according to a Public Policy Polling1 poll that found Baker trailing Diehl in a hypothetical matchup between the two candidates. Baker has already served two terms as leader of the Bay state, and a third consecutive term would have been unprecedented for a Massachusetts governor.The Covid States Project regularly asks people in all 50 states about their approval of their governor’s handling of the pandemic and, in our most recent survey, about approval of their governor’s overall job performance. In this report, we focus on the approval of Governor Charlie Baker’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic since April 2020, and Baker’s most recent general approval rating.

592 The growth of telehealth during SARS-CoV-2 time

Aims Improve the management of frail patients, particularly in times of pandemic, through an assistance based on a remote digitalized platform, which allows rapid interventions, able to reduce access to the emergency room, and decreased mortality from cardiovascular causes. Methods and results (i) Heart failure management—Enrollment in the digital platform. Use of devices: sphygmomanometer, scale, oximeter, single-track ECG. Daily analysis of the haemodynamic parameters on the platform. Communication by e-mail exchange and tele/videoconsultations, drug management, and therapeutic strategies. Possibility to perform echocardiogram at home. (ii) Remote monitoring management—Enrollment in the digital platform. Supply of transmitters for the management of thresholds, objectives, and alarms. Daily parametric check. (iii) Infarct network management—Integrated operating system for assistance between the in-hospital and out-of-hospital environment, in patients suffering from AMI. Execution, transmission, and reporting of the ecg-graphic trace on equipment provided with a remote transmission system. Allow to reduce the time of diagnosis and treatment. At our centers, over 1000 patients are followed on a digital platform, including those at risk of heart failure and device wearers. In addition, there is an annual trend of over 400 patients who are diagnosed electronically with AMI and relative percutaneous coronary treatment. The use of remote systems has allowed for some patients to early highlight threatening arrhythmias and/or device malfunctions, for others to prematurely intercept symptoms and signs of congestive heart failure. A clear improvement in prognosis and quality of life was therefore observed. Conclusions Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Western countries. Therefore, the close follow-up and identification of haemodynamic and clinical parameters on digitized platforms, allows to: reduce access to the emergency room, guarantee the best therapeutic strategies, improve the quality of life, and decrease the mortality rate. In conclusion, we found a high approval rating as the patient reports feeling better, feeling constantly followed, and a clear improvement in compliance and adherence to the therapy.

Evolving role of an oncology telehealth nurse at an NCI-designated cancer institute.

277 Background: Oncology telehealth (TH) services may improve access, mitigate care delays, and augment care in select settings. However, logistical and workflow barriers hinder the sustainable adoption of TH services by providers. We created a novel oncology TH nurse (OTN) position to address these barriers. Methods: An OTN was introduced into oncology provider groups (physician + advanced practice provider) in a staggered, opt-in fashion across the Duke Cancer Institute between 9/2020 and 12/2020. The OTN performed individualized interventions to decrease provider burden, improve TH workflows, and increase TH utilization. Specific interventions performed by the OTN were recorded. We monitored the primary outcome, TH utilization, as a proportion of all visits at baseline (month 0) and 3 months post-OTN intervention. Patient TH satisfaction surveys were reviewed at baseline and 3 months post-OTN intervention. Provider surveys were sent 3 months post-OTN intervention. Results: The OTN was implemented across 10 provider groups and 25 providers [gastrointestinal (GI) medical oncology (n = 10), thoracic medical oncology (n = 3), melanoma medical oncology (n = 3), adult bone marrow transplant (n = 2), lung cancer screening (n = 2), melanoma surgical oncology (n = 1), hematological malignancies (n = 1), head and neck medical oncology (n = 1), central nervous system radiation oncology (n = 1), and GI radiation oncology (n = 1)]. 25 providers utilized 1 or more OTN interventions: support for patients on the TH platform (n = 13), construction of TH clinic schedule templates (n = 6), creation of workflows to order and obtain outside imaging/labs (n = 5), provider TH education (n = 4), creation of Epic SmartPhrases (n = 4), and identifying patients appropriate for TH (n = 3). Baseline TH utilization was 15.6% of all visits, and 3-month post-OTN utilization was 23.8%. TH patient satisfaction data was available for 10 providers at baseline and 13 providers at 3 months post-OTN. Patients’ global approval rating of TH was 85.0% at baseline and 98.5% at month 3. 16/25 providers returned the post-intervention survey. Providers requested continued assistance from the OTN for supporting patients on the TH platform (43.5%), staff TH education (43.5%), provider TH education (25%), creation of SmartPhrases (25%), and creation of TH clinic templates (13%). Providers requested new additional OTN support to 1) order and retrieve imaging/laboratory tests for TH visits and 2) explore patients' willingness to undergo TH visits. Conclusions: OTN interventions were individualized to providers and evolved over time. While TH utilization was increased at 3 months post-OTN, it is possible that utilization was confounded by the dynamic COVID-19 pandemic and provider/patient preferences over time. Nevertheless, these results demonstrate feasibility of OTN implementation and provide support for this novel role in promoting TH services in oncology.

Perception Analysis of Silver Jubilee Grade-Separated Intersection in Kano Metropolis Using Context Sensitive Solutions

This study explores the users’ perception on operational performance of Silver Jubilee Grade Separated Intersection (SJGSI) in Kano Metropolis using Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS). The CSS seeks to provide a transportation facility that fits its setting, leading to the preservation and enhancement of scenic, aesthetic, environmental and community resources while maintaining safety, mobility and comfort. A structured questionnaire enquired the opinion of respondents, among others, on the optimal performance of SJGSI and its determinants. Three correlation analyses and two regression analyses were generated. The results showed that most of the correlating and regressing variables are weakly correlated by chance. The degree of familiarity correlated with number of motorists (users) has an R-value of 0.125; the optimal performance correlated with its cost worthiness has an R-value of 0.166. The general and Context Sensitive (CS) optimal performance model has an R-values of 0.415 and 0.374, respectively. Some of the weak correlations could be attributed to the facility not planned based on CSS approach. A CS facility could have received a higher optimal performance rating, approval rating and CS features’ rating with increased efficiency and effectiveness. Most respondents opined that a better facility would have been constructed if all relevant stakeholders were involved in the development processes.

Polish Deal is chance to repair coalition for election

Significance Although the Deal mostly comprises general and incoherent promises, it is the only serious plan for the near future in the public debate. This gives the ruling coalition a chance to bounce back after 2020, when its approval rating fell from 47% to 30%, and to plunge the opposition into a new crisis. Impacts Junior ZP coalition partners could find themselves at a disadvantage if senior partner PiS gains popularity and has less need of them. Among the parliamentary opposition, KO is especially vulnerable, losing ground to the Poland 2050 party. Tax changes will generate a new demand stimulus, but the new programme may have a negative impact on the propensity to invest.

If You Play in the Mud, You Get Dirty: The Appropriation of Amish Group Identity during a Negative Campaign

Using an original online experiment, we test whether the appropriation of Amish group identity influences voter behavior. We do not find that the appropriation of Amish group identity influences intended vote choice. However, there is evidence that associating the Amish with a candidate who was subjected to negative advertisements resulted in a reduction in approval rating for the Amish as a group. In addition, we find that the attitudes toward the Amish vary by respondent ideology and, consistent with the contact hypothesis, those individuals who interact regularly with the Amish reported more favorable ratings toward the Amish. The results raise important questions regarding the appropriation of a group's image in the course of a political campaign.

The COVID States Project #22: Executive approval update

Despite the headwinds confronting the country in facing COVID-19, approval of most governors’ and President Trump’s COVID-19 response did not change greatly between September and October in our survey. President Trump’s approval has ticked up a point to 35%, which is still problematically low approval for the most salient issue in the 2020 election by far (in 49 out of 50 states, Alaska being the one exception, COVID-19 is ranked as ”the most important problem”). More generally, after suffering a decline in the spring, the President’s approval rating has been flatline around his October rating of 35%. (For all approval ratings for the President and all of the governors, see the tables in the appendix.) To compare, governors, as a group, have seen a gradual decline in their approval ratings between late April and September; a 1 point increase from September (47%) to October (48%) marks the first time they have improved, or even held steady since our initial survey wave. Despite this, approval of governors is generally higher than that of the President. In 42 states, the governor has a higher approval level than the President, and in 2 states the levels are the same; in 6 states, the President has a higher approval level, but in no state does the approval of the President exceed that of the governor by more than the margin of error for the survey in that state.1 Per-state approval of the President roughly tracks partisanship of the state, and the only state where his approval is above 50% is Alabama. In most of the 10 swing states, the President hovers around 35%, from a low of 29% in New Hampshire to a high of 42% in Ohio. Alaska and Iowa stand out as states that he won handily in 2016, but now finds very low approval -- 34% and 32%, respectively. Other states he won in 2016 and now lingers at the national average or below are Michigan and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania --perhaps the most pivotal state in the 2020 election -- runs against the trend somewhat, showing approval ratings below the national level in April, and now several points above (at 38%).

How Polling Trends Influence Compensational Coalition-Voting

Compensational voting refers to when voters cast a vote for a more extreme party than they prefer, in order to push policies closer to an ideal point. This article develops the idea of compensational voting in regard to pre-electoral coalition signals and polling trends. The argument is that a significant share of voters consider the relative strength of the parties in their preferred pre-electoral coalition, and adjust their vote choice accordingly. This is elaborated by conducting a mixed logit model over eight Swedish general elections where parties were more or less clear about their intentions to collaborate with other parties. Combining unique data from parties’ election manifestos including negative and positive quotes about other parties with polling trends and voters’ approval rating of parties, the analysis lends support to the idea that this type of coalition-oriented compensational voting occurs.