Preparing nurse scientists for health services and policy research: Five-year outcomes of interprofessional postdoctoral training in the National Clinician Scholars Program.

BACKGROUND: The National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) is an interprofessional postdoctoral fellowship for physicians and nurses with a PhD. or DNP focused on health services research, policy, and leadership. PURPOSE: To evaluate 5-year outcomes of nurse postdoctoral scholars in the NCSP. METHODS: We describe the 5-year outcomes of nurse fellows and graduates from six NCSP sites (positions, number of peer-reviewed publications, citations, and h-index). CONCLUSION: There were 53 nurses in the sample (34 alumni, 19 fellows). Approximately half (47%, n = 16) of alumni had tenure-track faculty positions and had bibliometric performance indicators (such as h-indices) 2 to 4 times greater than those previously reported for assistant professors in nursing schools nationally. NCSP nurse scholars and alumni also had an impact on community partnerships, health equity, and health policy DISCUSSION: This study highlights the potential of interprofessional postdoctoral fellowships such as the NCSP to prepare nurse scientists for health care leadership roles.

Vaccine willingness: Findings from the COVID-19 effects on the mental and physical health of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders survey study (COMPASS).

Willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine is crucial to reduce the current strain on healthcare systems and increase herd immunity, but only 71% of the U.S. public said they would get the vaccine. It remains unclear whether Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), a population with existing inequalities in COVID-19 infection and mortality, are willing to get the vaccine, and the factors associated with vaccine willingness. Given this imperative, we used data from a national, cross-sectional, community-based survey called COVID-19 Effects on the Mental and Physical Health of AAPI Survey Study (COMPASS), an ongoing survey study that is available in English and Asian languages (i.e., Simplified or Traditional Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese) to examine vaccine willingness among AAPI. A total of 1,646 U.S. adult AAPI participants completed the survey. Self-reported vaccine willingness showed the proportion who were "unsure" or "probably/definitely no" to getting the COVID-19 vaccine was 25.4%. The odds for vaccine willingness were significantly lower for were Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (vs. Asian Americans), Korean Americans (vs. Chinese and Vietnamese Americans), women (vs. men), heterosexuals (vs. non-heterosexuals), those aged 30-39 and 50-59 (vs. aged < 30), and those who reported having any vaccine concerns (vs. no concerns). AAPIs' willingness to get COVID-19 vaccine varied by groups, which underscores the need for disaggregated AAPI data. A multi-pronged approach in culturally appropriate and tailored health communication and education with AAPI is critical to achieve the goal of health equity for AAPI as it pertains to COVID-19 mortality and morbidity.

Participation in Cardiac Rehabilitation Among Patients With Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is linked to reduced mortality and morbidity, including improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, psychosocial state, and quality of life in patients with heart failure (HF). However, little is known about CR utilization among patients with HF. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine (a) the proportion of patients with HF who participated in CR and (b) patient characteristics associated with participation. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with the use of national data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Veterans Health Administration. We used primary discharge ICD-9 codes to identify patients hospitalized for HF during 2007-2011 and identified CR participation with the use of current procedure terminology codes from claims data. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify patient characteristics associated with CR participation. RESULTS: There were 66,710 veterans and 243,208 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for HF and 1554 (2.3%) and 6280 (2.6%), respectively, who attended ≥1 sessions of outpatient CR. Among Medicare beneficiaries, men were more likely than women to participate in CR (3.7% vs 1.8%; P < .001), but there was no gender difference among veterans (2.3% vs 2.8%; P = .40). Characteristics associated with participation in CR in both groups included younger age, white race, and history of ischemic heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: Very few HF patients participated in CR, with lower rates among older non-white women with a history of depression or other chronic medical conditions. Because Medicare has recently introduced coverage for CR in patients with systolic HF, we must increase efforts to improve CR participation, especially among these vulnerable groups.