Health Screening Among a Rural, Hourly Workforce: North Carolina SERVIRE Project.

INTRODUCTION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of a novel, business-partnered, and worksite-based approach to healthcare access to facilitate chronic disease screening and diagnosis among rural hourly workers. The prevalence of undiagnosed and untreated diabetes and hypertension among screening participants was determined. METHODS: From February 2021 to June 2023, investigators partnered with 29 businesses to screen 1,114 workers. Health screenings included a demographic questionnaire, A1c testing for prediabetes (A1c of 5.7-6.4) and diabetes (A1c≥6.5), hypertension (Stage 1: systolic blood pressure of 130-139 mmHg; Stage 2: systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg), kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60; urine protein ≥1+), and questionnaire assessment of stroke (CHA2DS2-VASc) and sleep apnea (STOP-bang) risk. RESULTS: Of the 1,114 individuals screened (n=632, 56.7% male; n=497, 44.6% Black)), 388 (36%) screened positive for prediabetes or diabetes. Diabetes was previously undiagnosed in 273 (70.4%) of these participants. More than half of the participants (n=680, 62.4%) had an elevated blood pressure reading during the screening, and the majority of these participants (n=445, 65.4%) had not been previously diagnosed with hypertension. In addition, 241 (21.6%) participants were at an increased risk of stroke (CHA2DS2-VASc≥2), and 182 (23.7%) had a STOP-Bang score ≥4, indicating an increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea. CONCLUSIONS: By partnering with local businesses to deliver worksite-based health screenings, high rates of undiagnosed and uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension were identified among the rural, hourly workforce. This worksite-based approach to healthcare access could facilitate early detection of chronic disease, improve patient engagement in the healthcare system, and ultimately yield better long-term public health outcomes.

Disparities in Comorbidities in Lung Cancer: Findings From the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

BACKGROUND: In persons with lung cancer, sex and race are independent predictors of comorbidities and are associated survival. It is unclear how comorbidity profiles differ across sex and race. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine comorbidity differences between men and women and Blacks and Whites. METHODS: Data from the 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ2 test of independence, and multiple logistic regression. Variables included sociodemographics and comorbidities. RESULTS: Among individuals with lung cancer (N = 594), men were more likely to experience a heart attack (odds ratio [OR], 3.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62-7.96) and diabetes (OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 1.57-5.10) and less likely to experience depressive disorder (OR, 0.360; 95% CI, 0203-0.637). Black men (OR, 28.57; 95% CI, 9.22-88.55) and women (OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.02-6.05) were more likely to have a history of stroke. CONCLUSION: Findings show that there may be differences in patterns of comorbidities among individuals with lung cancer. As we continue to move toward individualized medicine in cancer care, future work in this area should examine social determinants of health and how they may influence the patterns of comorbidities. IMPLICATION FOR NURSES: Although nurses may be aware that certain groups have an increased risk for certain comorbid conditions, this study highlights what groups with lung cancer may be more likely to have certain comorbidities. Nurses can assess individuals for comorbidities and provide education on how to manage comorbidities during cancer treatment.

Perioperative Urinary TIMP-2*IGFBP7 and Acute Kidney Injury: A Systematic Review.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common post-operative outcome after major surgery. Many studies strive to improve the timeliness of identifying a surgical-associated AKI using novel renal biomarkers. However, there are limited studies focusing on the intraoperative phase of adult patient populations. The purpose of this review is to identify, evaluate, and summarize the current literature for use of the novel renal biomarkers urinary tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 * insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (uTIMP-2*IGFBP7) for early identification of AKI during the perioperative period for adult patients having major surgery. Databases searched include CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus, and PubMed. One additional article was found through reference review. The literature search followed the PRISMA guideline. Twelve articles were reviewed and synthesized regarding the ability of uTIMP-2*IGFBP7 to early identify AKI during the perioperative period. The majority of studies reviewed report high sensitivity of uTIMP-2*IGFBP7 to identify surgical-associated AKI (AUROC >0.8); however, there is no consensus regarding the ideal time point for measurement or the cut-off values.