Assessing Social Determinants of Health in a Prenatal and Perinatal Cultural Intervention for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) refer to cultural traditions and values to guide resilient and strength-based practices to address maternal and infant health disparities. METHODS: A case study of a culturally-based educational intervention on AIAN maternal and child health. RESULTS: Cultural teachings have successfully been applied in AIAN behavioral interventions using talking circles and cradleboards, but maternal and child health interventions are not well-represented in peer-reviewed literature. Zero publications included interventions centered around cradleboards and safe sleep. DISCUSSION: There is a need for rigorous published research on culturally based interventions and effectiveness on health outcomes for mothers and babies. CONCLUSIONS: This paper discusses how a cradleboard educational intervention incorporates national guidelines to address maternal and infant health while mediating social determinants of health.

Heat related illness among workers in Washington State: A descriptive study using workers' compensation claims, 2006-2017.

BACKGROUND: Heat related illness (HRI) places a significant burden on the health and safety of working populations and its impacts will likely increase with climate change. The aim of this study was to characterize the demographic and occupational characteristics of Washington workers who suffered from HRI from 2006 to 2017 using workers' compensation claims data. METHODS: We used Washington workers' compensation data linked to weather station data to identify cases of work-related HRI. We utilized Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes, International Classification of Diseases 9/10 codes, and medical review to identify accepted and rejected Washington State (WA) workers' compensation claims for HRI from 2006 to 2017. We estimated rates of HRI by industry and evaluated patterns by ambient temperature. RESULTS: We detected 918 confirmed Washington workers' compensation HRI claims from 2006 to 2017, 654 were accepted and 264 were rejected. Public Administration had the highest third quarter rate (131.3 per 100 000 full time employees [FTE]), followed by Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting (102.6 per 100 000 FTE). The median maximum daytime temperature was below the Washington heat rule threshold for 45% of the accepted HRI claims. Latinos were estimated to be overrepresented in HRI cases. CONCLUSION: The WA heat rule threshold may not be adequately protecting workers and racial disparities are present in occupational HRI. Employers should take additional precautions to prevent HRI depending on the intensity of heat exposure. States without heat rules and with large industry sectors disproportionately affected by HRI should consider regulations to protect outdoor workers in the face of more frequent and extreme heat waves.

The Impact of Oral Health Training for Primary Care Clinicians: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite recent improvements in access to health care, many Americans still lack access to dental care. There has been a national focus on interprofessional education and team-based care to work toward the integration of services including dental care into primary care. The purpose of this systematic review is to understand the impact of implementing oral health curricula in primary care training on measurable changes in primary care practice. METHODS: Researchers utilized a two-step process, first a scoping review and then using the PRISMA systematic review method to develop inclusion and exclusion criteria around audience, curricula, and outcomes to identify practice change due to oral health education curricula delivered in primary care clinician training. Researchers assessed titles, abstracts, and full texts and abstracted data for the review. RESULTS: Researchers reviewed 2,749 articles and found 12 meeting the systematic review criteria. The reported outcomes and evaluations differed for each of the 12 studies identified. Over 40% utilized self-reporting. Seven of the included studies tracked outcomes by checklists embedded in electronic health records changes to well-child visit forms, or chart audits, one of which also tracked billing reimbursements. CONCLUSIONS: Oral health curricula for primary care clinicians are too heterogeneous to determine the effects on practice behavior. Future research should focus on developing a clear evaluation framework for measuring practice level changes in primary care settings as a result of implementing an oral health curriculum.