Evaluation of a Large Language Model to Identify Confidential Content in Adolescent Encounter Notes.

This cross-sectional study assesses the ability of a language learning model to classify whether a progress note contains confidential information and to identify the specific confidential content in the note.

Provider Perspectives on Adolescent Confidentiality and the Electronic Health Record Postimplementation of the 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule.

PURPOSE: The 21st Century Cures Act Final Rule mandates increased transparency and accessibility of the Electronic Health Record (EHR). This mandate has exacerbated tensions in adolescent healthcare between transparency and confidentiality. This study evaluates clinicians' perspectives on how well the EHR maintains confidentiality for adolescents in the post-Cures Act era. METHODS: A web-based survey was distributed via the national listserv of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine in March-April 2022. English-speaking members practicing in the Unites States who used an EHR to document clinical visits with minors were eligible. The survey included questions about EHR training, features, and approach to information sharing with adolescent patients and proxies. RESULTS: Participants included 97 respondents from 32 states. Most participants were physicians (98%) and identified themselves as attending (89%). Several EHR vendors were represented, although the majority used Epic (76%). As has been seen in prior studies, there remains significant variability in approaches to patient portal access for adolescent patients and their adult proxies. Respondents report that training around adolescent-specific privacy issues remains infrequent and is perceived as inadequate. Adolescent providers, despite feeling confident in navigating the EHR generally, continue to report low rates of confidence in how well their EHR may protect adolescent privacy. DISCUSSION: Clinicians have persistent concerns about adolescent confidentiality postimplementation of the 21st Century Cures Act. Sharing sufficient information while protecting adolescent confidentiality might require standardization by EHR vendors to improve granularity of proxy information sharing. Healthcare institutions must also commit to training providers on management of adolescent confidentiality.

The Prevalence of Confidential Content in Adolescent Progress Notes Prior to the 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking Mandate.

BACKGROUND: The 21st Century Cures Act information blocking final rule mandated the immediate and electronic release of health care data in 2020. There is anecdotal concern that a significant amount of information is documented in notes that would breach adolescent confidentiality if released electronically to a guardian. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to quantify the prevalence of confidential information, based on California laws, within progress notes for adolescent patients that would be released electronically and assess differences in prevalence across patient demographics. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective chart review of outpatient progress notes written between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, at a large suburban academic pediatric network. Notes were labeled into one of three confidential domains by five expert reviewers trained on a rubric defining confidential information for adolescents derived from California state law. Participants included a random sampling of eligible patients aged 12 to 17 years old at the time of note creation. Secondary analysis included prevalence of confidentiality across age, gender, language spoken, and patient race. RESULTS: Of 1,200 manually reviewed notes, 255 notes (21.3%) (95% confidence interval: 19-24%) contained confidential information. There was a similar distribution among gender and age and a majority of English speaking (83.9%) and white or Caucasian patients (41.2%) in the cohort. Confidential information was more likely to be found in notes for females (p < 0.05) as well as for English-speaking patients (p < 0.05). Older patients had a higher probability of notes containing confidential information (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that there is a significant risk to breach adolescent confidentiality if historical progress notes are released electronically to proxies without further review or redaction. With increased sharing of health care data, there is a need to protect the privacy of the adolescents and prevent potential breaches of confidentiality.

A Natural Language Processing Model to Identify Confidential Content in Adolescent Clinical Notes.

BACKGROUND: The 21st Century Cures Act mandates the immediate, electronic release of health information to patients. However, in the case of adolescents, special consideration is required to ensure that confidentiality is maintained. The detection of confidential content in clinical notes may support operational efforts to preserve adolescent confidentiality while implementing information sharing. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine if a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm can identify confidential content in adolescent clinical progress notes. METHODS: A total of 1,200 outpatient adolescent progress notes written between 2016 and 2019 were manually annotated to identify confidential content. Labeled sentences from this corpus were featurized and used to train a two-part logistic regression model, which provides both sentence-level and note-level probability estimates that a given text contains confidential content. This model was prospectively validated on a set of 240 progress notes written in May 2022. It was subsequently deployed in a pilot intervention to augment an ongoing operational effort to identify confidential content in progress notes. Note-level probability estimates were used to triage notes for review and sentence-level probability estimates were used to highlight high-risk portions of those notes to aid the manual reviewer. RESULTS: The prevalence of notes containing confidential content was 21% (255/1,200) and 22% (53/240) in the train/test and validation cohorts, respectively. The ensemble logistic regression model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 90 and 88% in the test and validation cohorts, respectively. Its use in a pilot intervention identified outlier documentation practices and demonstrated efficiency gains over completely manual note review. CONCLUSION: An NLP algorithm can identify confidential content in progress notes with high accuracy. Its human-in-the-loop deployment in clinical operations augmented an ongoing operational effort to identify confidential content in adolescent progress notes. These findings suggest NLP may be used to support efforts to preserve adolescent confidentiality in the wake of the information blocking mandate.

Providing Online Portal Access to Families of Adolescents and Young Adults with Diminished Capacity at an Academic Children's Hospital: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: For caregivers of adolescents and young adults with severe cognitive deficits, or "diminished capacity," access to the medical record can be critical. However, this can be a challenge when utilizing the electronic health record (EHR) as information is often restricted in order to protect adolescent confidentiality. Having enhanced access for these proxies would be expected to improve engagement with the health system for the families of these medically complex adolescents and young adults. OBJECTIVES: To describe a process for granting full EHR access to proxies of adolescents with diminished capacity and young adults who are legally conserved while respecting regulations supporting adolescent confidentiality. METHODS: The first step in this initiative was to define the "diminished capacity" access class for both adolescents and young adults. Once defined, workflows utilizing best practice alerts were developed to support clinicians in providing the appropriate documentation. In addition, processes were developed to minimize the possibility of erroneously activating the diminished capacity access class for any given patient. To enhance activation, a support tool was developed to identify patients who might meet the criteria for diminished capacity proxy access. Finally, outreach and educations were developed for providers and clinics to make them aware of this initiative. RESULTS: Since activating this workflow, proxies of 138 adolescents and young adults have been granted the diminished capacity proxy access class. Approximately 54% are between 12 and 17 years with 46% 18 years and older. Proxies for both age groups have engaged with portal functionality at higher rates when compared to institutional rates of use by proxies of the general pediatric population. CONCLUSION: With this quality improvement initiative, we were able to enhance EHR access and engagement of families of some of the most complex adolescent and young adult patients without inadvertently compromising adolescent confidentiality.

Clinician confidence and practices for evaluating bone health in male and female adolescents and young adults with an eating disorder.

Extensive literature exists on bone health in females with an eating disorder, yet few have studied males. Our study assessed clinician confidence and current practices for assessing bone health in patients with an eating disorder. We also aimed to identify any differences in practice based on patient sex. Our 31-item survey, distributed to adolescent clinicians in the United States via the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) listserv, assessed clinician confidence and practices for assessing bone mineral density in both male and female adolescents with an eating disorder. Findings showed that clinicians (n = 104) were less confident in assessing bone mineral density in males compared to females (p < .001), yet there was no significant difference in rates of obtaining a DXA (p = .390). Although clinicians are less confident assessing bone health in males with an eating disorder than females, this does not appear to result in screening differences.

Female Athlete Triad Risk Factors Are More Strongly Associated With Trabecular-Rich Versus Cortical-Rich Bone Stress Injuries in Collegiate Athletes.

Background: Bone stress injuries (BSIs) are common in athletes. Risk factors for BSI may differ by skeletal anatomy and relative contribution of trabecular-rich and cortical-rich bone. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that Female Athlete Triad (Triad) risk factors would be more strongly associated with BSIs sustained at trabecular-rich versus cortical-rich skeletal sites. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: The study population comprised 321 female National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes participating in 16 sports from 2008 to 2014. Triad risk factors and a Triad cumulative risk score were assessed using responses to preparticipation examination and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to measure lumbar spine and whole-body bone mineral density (BMD). Sports-related BSIs were diagnosed by a physician and confirmed radiologically. Athletes were grouped into those sustaining a subsequent trabecular-rich BSI, a subsequent cortical-rich BSI, and those without a BSI. Data were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression adjusted for participation in cross-country running versus other sports. Results: A total of 19 participants sustained a cortical-rich BSI (6%) and 10 sustained a trabecular-rich BSI (3%) over the course of collegiate sports participation. The Triad cumulative risk score was significantly related to both trabecular-rich and cortical-rich BSI. However, lower BMD and weight were associated with significantly greater risk for trabecular-rich than cortical-rich BSIs. For every value lower than 1 SD, the odds ratios (95% CIs) for trabecular-rich versus cortical-rich BSI were 3.08 (1.25-7.56) for spine BMD; 2.38 (1.22-4.64) for whole-body BMD; and 5.26 (1.48-18.70) for weight. Taller height was a significantly better predictor of cortical-rich than trabecular-rich BSI. Conclusion: The Triad cumulative risk score was significantly associated with both trabecular-rich and cortical-rich BSI, but Triad-related risk factors appeared more strongly related to trabecular-rich BSI. In particular, low BMD and low weight were associated with significantly higher increases in the risk of trabecular-rich BSI than cortical-rich BSI. These findings suggest Triad risk factors are more common in athletes sustaining BSI in trabecular-rich than cortical-rich locations.

Implementation of an Inpatient Reproductive Health Screening Consult Service.

OBJECTIVES: Reproductive health is an important issue in the care of adolescents and young adults (AYA). Unfortunately, many AYAs, particularly those with chronic medical conditions, may not regularly access primary care to address these issues. This study evaluates the impact of an inpatient reproductive health consult service on reproductive health care. METHODS: A reproductive health-focused screening consult service was initiated in June 2017 at an academic teaching hospital. Patients aged 15 to 26 admitted to pediatric ward teams were eligible for screening. A retrospective chart review was conducted from December 2016 to June 2019 to determine the effect of the consult service on the primary outcome, documentation of a psychosocial assessment, and reproductive health concerns. RESULTS: Nine hundred twenty-nine encounters were analyzed (345 preintervention and 584 during intervention), representing 675 patients. The proportion of encounters with a documented psychosocial assessment increased from 14.8% to 41.3% during the intervention (P < .001); a reproductive health screening consult was responsible for 37.3% (109 of 292) of the documented assessments. There were high self-reported rates of sexual activity (38%), substance use (47%), and mood concerns (48%) among hospitalized AYA; all behaviors were documented at statistically significant increased frequencies (P < .001) during the intervention compared with preintervention. CONCLUSIONS: Initiation of an inpatient reproductive health screening consult service led to increased documentation of psychosocial assessments, including increased documentation of sexual health history and other risk factors. With improved screening of reproductive and psychosocial needs, targeted interventions can meet underrecognized needs among hospitalized AYA.

To meat or not to meat: disordered eating and vegetarian status in university students.

PURPOSE: This study sought to examine associations between meat-restricted diets and disordered eating cognitions and behaviors in a large sample of university students and assess the relationships between motivations for choosing a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet and eating patterns. METHODS: University students (n = 1585; 60%F, 40%M, mean age 20.9) completed an online survey; students were categorized into vegetarians, semi-vegetarians, and non-vegetarians. Vegetarians and semi-vegetarians were sub-categorized into groups: those who cited weight or health among their reasons for adopting the diet and those who reported other reasons (e.g., religion). Outcomes were Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) scores and rates of disordered eating behaviors. RESULTS: Vegetarians comprised 8.6% (32M, 104F) and semi-vegetarians comprised 3.2% (6M, 45F) of the sample; 25% of vegetarians (n = 34) and 65% of semi-vegetarians (n = 33) chose the diet for weight or health-related reasons. Semi-vegetarians scored the highest on measures of eating disorder cognitions and were the most likely to report engaging in disordered eating behaviors, with vegetarians at intermediate risk and non-vegetarians the least likely to report disordered cognitions or behaviors. Semi-vegetarians adopting the diet for reasons of weight or health were at especially high risk compared to other semi-vegetarians, while no associations were found between motivations for adopting a vegetarian diet and disordered eating patterns. CONCLUSION: Semi-vegetarians, especially those adopting the diet for reasons of weight or health, are more likely to exhibit disordered eating cognitions and behaviors compared to vegetarians and non-vegetarians. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, cohort study.

Clinician practices assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis suppression in adolescents with an eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Although extensive literature exists on hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis suppression in females with an eating disorder, there are few studies in males. Our study aimed to determine clinician practices for the assessment of HPG axis suppression and to identify differences in practice based on the sex of the patient. METHOD: Our 31-item survey queried clinicians about confidence level and practices for assessing HPG suppression in male compared to female patients. RESULTS: Findings showed that clinicians (n = 104) were less likely to evaluate HPG suppression in males compared to females, including assessment of sexual maturity rating (p < .050), screening of decreased libido compared to amenorrhea (p < .001) and lab assessment (luteinizing hormone and follicular-stimulating hormone: p < .001; estradiol/testosterone: p < .010; TSH: p < .050). Participants also felt less confident evaluating male patients (p < .001) and requested better screening tools for males (p < .001). DISCUSSION: Our data suggest that clinician practices differ based on patient sex and that clinicians request tools for HPG suppression assessment in males. This is the first study examining specific practices and comfort levels of clinicians when assessing HPG axis suppression. Findings suggest that more guidance on the management of male patients may be needed to standardize care and to prevent short and long-term sequela of malnutrition.

Ensuring Adolescent Patient Portal Confidentiality in the Age of the Cures Act Final Rule.

PURPOSE: Managing confidential adolescent health information in patient portals presents unique challenges. Adolescent patients and guardians electronically access medical records and communicate with providers via portals. In confidential matters like sexual health, ensuring confidentiality is crucial. A key aspect of confidential portals is ensuring that the account is registered to and utilized by the intended user. Inappropriately registered or guardian-accessed adolescent portal accounts may lead to confidentiality breaches. METHODS: We used a quality improvement framework to develop screening methodologies to flag guardian-accessible accounts. Accounts of patients aged 12-17 were flagged via manual review of account emails and natural language processing of portal messages. We implemented a reconciliation program to correct affected accounts' registered email. Clinics were notified about sign-up errors and educated on sign-up workflow. An electronic alert was created to check the adolescent's email prior to account activation. RESULTS: After initial screening, 2,307 of 3,701 (62%) adolescent accounts were flagged as registered with a guardian's email. Those accounts were notified to resolve their logins. After five notifications over 8 weeks, 266 of 2,307 accounts (12%) were corrected; the remaining 2,041 (88%) were deactivated. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that 62% of adolescent portal accounts were used/accessed by guardians has significant confidentiality implications. In the context of the Cures Act Final Rule and increased information sharing, our institution's experience with ensuring appropriate access to adolescent portal accounts is necessary, timely, and relevant. This study highlights ways to improve patient portal confidentiality and prompts institutions caring for adolescents to review their systems and processes.

Markers of Low-Iron Status Are Associated with Female Athlete Triad Risk Factors.

PURPOSE: The Female Athlete Triad (Triad) is common in female athletes. The Triad is caused by low-energy availability (EA), which is often difficult to measure and has been postulated to be associated with low-iron status. Here, we explore whether markers of low-iron status may be associated with indicators of low EA including Triad risk factors. METHODS: A total of 239 female National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletes completed preparticipation examinations that included Triad risk factors, medication/supplement use, diagnosis of anemia, and elected to complete dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan to measure bone mineral density. The association of markers of low iron (defined as self-report of iron supplementation and/or history of anemia) with each component of the Triad risk assessment score was assessed by stratifying low-iron status across different levels of Triad risk category. Differences across iron status groups were assessed using Fisher exact testing. RESULTS: Every component of the Triad risk assessment score excluding delayed menarche was associated with low-iron status. The proportion of women who reported low iron was 11.5% in the low-risk EA group compared with 50% in the moderate-risk and 66.7% in the high-risk EA groups (P = 0.02); respectively. These numbers were 11.6%, 25.0%, and 66.7% (P = 0.02) for body mass index; 9.7%, 16.7%, and 25.0% (P < 0.05) for oligomenorrhea; 10.3%, 45.5%, and 50.0% (P < 0.01) for bone mineral density; and 10.4%, 20.8%, and 30.8% (P = 0.03) for history of stress reaction or fracture. Lean/endurance athletes were more likely to have low-iron status than other athletes (15.5% vs 3.4%, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Markers for low-iron status were associated with Triad risk factors. Our study suggests that female athletes with a history of anemia or iron supplementation may require further screening for low EA.

Eating behavior and reasons for exercise among competitive collegiate male athletes.

PURPOSE: Research concerning eating disorders among adolescent and young adult male athletes is limited compared with female counterparts, but increasing evidence indicates that they may be at unique risk for unhealthy exercise and eating behavior. The current study aimed to characterize unhealthy exercise and eating behavior according to competitive athlete status, as well as per sport type. METHOD: Collegiate male athletes (N = 611), each affiliated with one of the 10 National College Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I schools in the United States, completed an online survey, reporting on eating and extreme weight control behaviors, and reasons for exercise. RESULTS: Competitive athletes endorsed increased driven exercise and exercising when sick. Baseball players, cyclists, and wrestlers emerged as the sports with the most players reporting elevated Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire scores in a clinical range, and basketball players reported the highest rates of binge eating. overall, baseball players, cyclists, rowers, and wrestlers appeared to demonstrate the greatest vulnerability for unhealthy eating and exercise behavior. CONCLUSION: Findings revealed differences between competitive and non-competitive male athletes. Among competitive athletes, results identified unique risk for unhealthy eating and exercise behavior across a variety of sport categories and support continued examination of these attitudes and behaviors in a nuanced manner. LEVEL II: Evidence obtained from well-designed controlled trials without randomization.

Associations between ergogenic supplement use and eating behaviors among university students.

Ergogenic supplements to improve athletic performance are commonly used among college athletes, but little is known about their association with eating disorder symptoms. The objective of this study was to examine associations between ergogenic supplement use and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among university students, and to compare differences by sex. Undergraduate students from 10 top-ranked National College Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I colleges completed an online survey on supplement use, athletic activities, and eating attitudes and behaviors. Among 1633 university students, males (38.9%) reported higher rates of current supplement use than females (15.2%) (p < .001). In linear regression models adjusting for athletic status and body mass index, current supplement use was associated with higher Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) Global, Shape Concern, and Restraint scores in both males and females. Supplement use was associated with driven/compelled exercise (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.33-2.99) in males and diuretic (OR 6.39, 95% CI 2.02-20.22) and diet pill use (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.79-5.27) in females. Results suggest ergogenic supplement use is common in undergraduates and associated with disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Clinicians should screen for disordered eating behaviors particularly in young adults who use ergogenic supplements.

Lower Trabecular Bone Score and Spine Bone Mineral Density Are Associated With Bone Stress Injuries and Triad Risk Factors in Collegiate Athletes.

INTRODUCTION: Determinants of bone health and injury are important to identify in athletes. Bone mineral density (BMD) is commonly measured in athletes with Female Athlete Triad (Triad) risk factors; the trabecular bone score (TBS) has been proposed to predict fracture risk independent of BMD. Evaluation of TBS and spine BMD in relation bone stress injury (BSI) risk has not been studied in female collegiate athletes. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that spine BMD and TBS would each independently predict BSI and that the combined measures would improve injury prediction in female collegiate athletes. We also hypothesized that each measure would be correlated with Triad risk factors. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Academic Institution. METHODS: Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine was used to calculate BMD and TBS values. Chart review was used to identify BSI that occurred after the DXA measurement and to obtain Triad risk factors. We used logistic regression to examine the ability of TBS and BMD alone or in combination to predict prospective BSI. RESULTS: Within 321 athletes, 29 (9.0%) sustained a BSI after DXA. BMD and TBS were highly correlated (Pearson correlation r = 0.62, P < .0001). Spine BMD and TBS had similar ability to predict BSI; the C-statistic and 95% confidence intervals were 0.69 (0.58 to 0.81) for spine BMD versus 0.68 (0.57 to 0.79) for TBS. No improvement in discrimination was observed with combined BMD + TBS (C-statistic 0.70, 0.59 to 0.81). Both TBS and BMD predicted trabecular-rich BSI (defined as pelvis, femoral neck, and calcaneus) better than cortical-rich BSI. Both measures had similar correlations with Triad risk factors. CONCLUSION: Lower BMD and TBS values are associated with elevated risk for BSI and similar correlation to Triad risk factors. TBS does not improve prediction of BSI. Collectively, our findings suggest that BMD may be a sufficient measure of skeletal integrity from DXA in female collegiate athletes.

Providers' Perspectives on Adolescent Confidentiality and the Electronic Health Record: A State of Transition.

PURPOSE: Electronic health records (EHRs) have led to more transparency and improvements in patient safety, yet electronic access to personal health information can pose significant threats to maintaining confidentiality for adolescents. To date, no studies have explored clinicians' perspectives on EHR functionality and institutional policies related to confidentiality and health information sharing for adolescents aged <18 years. METHODS: A Web-based survey was sent out via the national listserv of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All English-speaking members practicing in the U.S. were eligible to participate. The survey included questions about demographics, EHR functionality, information sharing, and attitudes about confidentiality within the EHR. RESULTS: Participants included 212 clinicians who consented to the survey and used an EHR to document clinical visits with minors. Most participants were physicians and nurse practitioners (96.5%), and 60.0% had been on their institution's EHR for >5 years. Positive findings included high levels of experience and comfort using the EHR and awareness of confidential features within their EHR. However, providers reported lack of training related to confidentiality within the EHR, low confidence in their EHR's ability to maintain confidentiality, and variation in approaches to portal access for adolescents and their adult proxies. CONCLUSIONS: Despite high comfort levels and robust EHR functionality at many institutions, significant concerns about adolescent confidentiality remain. Varying institutional approaches to protecting confidentiality underscores the need for a standardized and comprehensive framework to enable providers and institutions to take better care of adolescents in the age of EHRs.

Comparisons of bone density and body composition among adolescents with anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: To compare bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition among adolescents: (a) with atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) versus anorexia nervosa (AN) and (b) those with and without a prior history of overweight. METHOD: Electronic medical records of patients 9-20 years with AN or AAN who underwent dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 286 adolescents with AN or AAN were included. In linear regression models, AAN was associated with greater Z-scores in whole body bone mineral content (BMC, B = 0.88, p < 0.001), lumbar spine BMD (B = 0.79, p = 0.002), femoral neck BMD (B = 0.670, p = 0.009); fat mass index (B = 1.33, p = 0.003), and lean body mass index (LBMI, B = 1.10, p < 0.001) compared to AN, adjusting for age, sex, and duration of illness. A prior overweight history was associated with greater Z-scores in whole body BMC; lumbar spine BMD, total hip BMD, femoral neck BMD, and LBMI. DISCUSSION: Adolescents with AAN had higher BMD Z-scores than adolescents with AN; adolescents with a prior overweight history had greater BMD Z-scores than adolescents without a prior overweight history. These findings may inform clinical guidelines for the medical management of AAN.