Factors Affecting Compliance With Myringotomy Tube Follow-up Care

Objective: Myringotomy and tube insertion is a commonly practiced procedure within pediatric otolaryngology. Though relatively safe, follow-up appointments are critical in preventing further complications and monitoring for improvement. This study sought to evaluate the factors associated with compliance of post-myringotomy follow-up visits in an urban safety-net tertiary care setting. Methods: This study is a retrospective chart review conducted in outpatient otolaryngology clinic at an urban, safety-net, tertiary-care, academic medical center. All patients from ages 0 to 18 who received myringotomy and tube placement between February 3, 2012, to May 30, 2018 at the aforementioned clinic were included. Results: A total of 806 patients had myringotomy tubes placed during this period; 190 patients were excluded due to no visits being scheduled within 1 and 6 month visit windows post-operatively, leaving 616 patients included for analysis. Of 616 patients, 574 patients were seen for the 1-month visit, (42 patients did not have follow-up visits within the 1-month window), and 356 patients were examined for the 6-month visit (260 patients did not schedule follow-up visits within the 6-month window). For the 1-month follow-up visits post-procedure, only race/ethnicity type “Other” was associated with lower no-show rates (OR = 0.330, 95% CI: 0.093-0.968). With the 6-month follow-up visits, having private insurance (OR = 0.446, 95% CI: 0.229-0.867) and not having a 1-month visit scheduled (OR = 0.404, 95% CI: 0.174-0.937) predicted lower no-show rates. Conclusion: No meaningful factors studied were significantly associated with compliance of short-term, 1-month visits post-myringotomy. Compliance of longer-term, 6-month post-operative visits was associated with insurance type and previous visit status.

A Periodic Assessment System for Urban Safety and Security Considering Multiple Hazards Based on WebGIS

With the frequent occurrence of various disasters and accidents, realizing the periodic assessment and visualization of urban safety and security considering multiple hazards is of great significance for safe urban development. In this paper, a periodic assessment system is developed for urban safety and security considering multiple hazards, based on WebGIS. This system consists of an assessment module, a visualization module, and an assistant module that integrates the assessment model to process the assessment data quickly and realizes the visualization of a thematic map and data statistics for rationalizing assessment results. The assessment of a typical urban area was carried out to prove that the created system can effectively conduct periodic assessments and support single-hazard and multi-hazard analysis and auxiliary decision-making. This system can be applied to the grid management and periodic assessment of urban areas at different levels, with high expansibility and application value. It can also help to promote the sustainable construction of a safe and smart city.

Congratulations! The Seventh JDR Award

We announce that the Seventh JDR Award was won by Prof. Suminao Murakami, Laboratory of Urban Safety Planning. We congratulate the winner and sincerely wish for future success.