Sexually Transmitted Infection Co-testing in a Large Urban Emergency Department.

Introduction: The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) increased in the United States between 2017-2021. There is limited data describing STI co-testing practices and the prevalence of STI co-infections in emergency departments (ED). In this study, we aimed to describe the prevalence of co-testing and co-infection of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, in a large, academic ED. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective cross-sectional study of ED patients tested for HIV, HCV, syphilis, gonorrhea or chlamydia between November 27, 2018-May 26, 2019. In 2018, the study institution implemented an ED-based infectious diseases screening program in which any patient being tested for gonorrhea/chlamydia was eligible for opt-out syphilis screening, and any patient 18-64 years who was having blood drawn for any clinical purpose was eligible for opt-out HIV and HCV screening. We analyzed data from all ED patients ≥13 years who had undergone STI testing. The outcomes of interest included prevalence of STI testing/co-testing and the prevalence of STI infection/co-infection. We describe data with simple descriptive statistics. Results: During the study period there were 30,767 ED encounters for patients ≥13 years (mean age: 43 ± 14 years, 52% female), and 7,866 (26%) were tested for at least one of HIV, HCV, syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia. We observed the following testing frequencies (and prevalence of infection): HCV, 7,539 (5.0%); HIV, 7,359 (0.9%); gonorrhea, 574 (6.1%); chlamydia, 574 (9.8%); and syphilis, 420 (10.5%). Infectious etiologies with universal testing protocols (HIV and HCV) made up the majority of STI testing. In patients with syphilis, co-infection with chlamydia (21%, 9/44) and HIV (9%, 4/44) was high. In patients with gonorrhea, co-infection with chlamydia (23%, 8/35) and syphilis (9%, 3/35) was high, and in patients with chlamydia, co-infection with syphilis (16%, 9/56) and gonorrhea (14%, 8/56) was high. Patients with HCV had low co-infection proportions (<2%). Conclusion: Prevalence of STI co-testing was low among patients with clinical suspicion for STIs; however, co-infection prevalence was high in several co-infection pairings. Future efforts are needed to improve STI co-testing rates among high-risk individuals.

Measuring the Effect of Off-Balancing Vectors on the Delivery of High-Quality CPR during Ambulance Transport: A Proof of Concept Study.

AIM: This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of quantifying the off-balancing vectors experienced during ambulance transport and comparing them to high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (HQ-CPR) metrics. METHODS: Ten participants completed a total of 20 evolutions of compression-only HQ-CPR in an ambulance driven in a manner that minimized or increased linear and angular off-balancing vectors. Linear and angular velocity, linear and angular acceleration, and linear jerk were recorded. HQ-CPR variables measured were compression fraction and proportion of compressions with depth >5 cm (depth%), rate 100-120 (rate%), full chest recoil (recoil%), and hand position (hand%). A composite score was calculated: [(depth% + rate% + recoil% + hand%)/4) * compression fraction]. Difficulty of HQ-CPR performance was measured with the Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) Scale. A series of mixed effects models were fitted regressing each HQ-CPR metric on each off-balancing vector. RESULTS: HQ-CPR data and vector quantity data were successfully recorded in all evolutions. Rate% was negatively associated with increasing linear velocity (slope = -3.82, standard error [SE] 1.12, p = 0.005), linear acceleration (slope = -5.52, SE 1.93, p = 0.013), linear jerk (slope = -17.60, SE 5.78, p = 0.007), angular velocity (slope = -75.74, SE 22.72, p = 0.004), and angular acceleration (slope = -152.53, SE 59.60, p = 0.022). Compression fraction was negatively associated with increasing linear velocity (slope = -1.35, SE 0.37, p = 0.004), linear acceleration (slope = -1.67, SE 0.48, p = 0.003), linear jerk (slope = -4.90, SE 1.86, p = 0.018), angular velocity (slope = -25.66, SE 6.49, p = 0.001), and angular acceleration (slope = -45.35, SE 18.91, p = 0.031). Recoil% was negatively associated with increasing linear velocity (slope = -5.80, SE 2.21, p = 0.023) and angular velocity (slope = -116.96, SE 44.24, p = 0.019)). Composite score was negatively associated with increasing linear velocity (slope = -4.49, SE 1.45, p = 0.009) and angular velocity (slope = -86.13, SE 31.24, p = 0.014) and approached a negative association with increasing magnitudes of linear acceleration (slope -5.54, SE 2.93, p = 0.075), linear jerk (slope = -17.43, SE 8.80, p = 0.064), and angular acceleration (slope = -170.43, SE 80.73, p = 0.051). Borg RPE scale was positively associated with all off-balancing vectors. Depth%, hand%, mean compression depth, and mean compression rate were not correlated with any off-balancing vector. CONCLUSION: Off-balancing vector data can be successfully quantified during ambulance transport and compared with HQ-CPR performance parameters. Increasing off-balancing vectors experienced during ambulance transport are associated with worse HQ-CPR metrics and increased perceived physical exertion. These data may help guide future drive styles, ambulance design, or use of mechanical CPR devices to improve HQ-CPR delivery during selected patient transport scenarios.

Experiences of low-income college students in selection of health insurance, access, and quality of care.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the experiences and perspectives of low-income University of California undergraduates related to their health insurance options, access to and quality of care. PARTICIPANTS: 14 undergraduate students across five UC campuses who identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged or low-income. METHODS: We conducted 4 focus groups organized by type of insurance coverage in April 2022. RESULTS: (1) the insurance selection process for low-income students is complicated by multiple, sometimes competing factors; (2) the lack of clear information confuses students' selection of insurance and health care options; and (3) students experiences challenges in access and quality of care, irrespective of insurance type. CONCLUSIONS: Ensuring access to high quality care, information and coverage is critical to the university mission to support a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, for a student body that reflects the needs of the population of California.

Assessment of a COVID-19 vaccination protocol for unhoused patients in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of implementing an emergency department (ED)-based Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination protocol in a population of unhoused patients. METHODS: On June 10, 2021, a best practice alert (BPA) was implemented that fired when an ED provider opened the charts of unhoused patients and prompted the provider to order COVID-19 vaccination for eligible patients. We downloaded electronic medical record data of patients who received a COVID-19 vaccine in the ED between June 10, 2021 and August 26, 2021. The outcomes of interest were the number of unhoused, and the total number of patients vaccinated for COVID-19 during the study period. Data were described with simple descriptive statistics. RESULTS: There were 25,871 patient encounters in 19,992 unique patients (mean 1.3 visits/patient) in the emergency department during the study period. There were 1,474 (6% of total ED population) visits in 1,085 unique patients who were unhoused (mean 1.4 visits/patient). The BPA fired in 1,046 unhoused patient encounters (71% of PEH encounters) and was accepted in 79 (8%). Forty-three unhoused patients were vaccinated as a result of the BPA (4% of BPA fires) and 18 unhoused patients were vaccinated without BPA prompting. An additional 76 domiciled patients were vaccinated in the ED. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing an ED-based COVID-19 vaccination program is feasible, however, only a small number of patients underwent COVID-19 vaccination. Further studies are needed to explore the utility of using the ED as a setting for COVID-19 vaccination.

Socioeconomic and geographic disparities in pediatric scoliosis surgery.

PURPOSE: To compare the population of pediatric patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis in California by gender, race, and ethnicity and identify any underlying differences in social determinants of health as measured by the child opportunity index (COI), social deprivation index (SDI), and insurance category among them. METHODS: This project extracted demographic reports including patient sex, race, zip code, insurance type, and associated diagnosis and procedure codes from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD). These data were combined with COI and SDI data, which further describe the socioeconomic environment of each patient. Census data were referenced to compare the population of patients receiving scoliosis procedures to the general population by race and ethnicity. Chi-square tests were performed for categorical data. Independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed for continuous data, with significance set at 0.05. RESULTS: Unfavorable SDI and COI scores were observed among males, Hispanics, and Black patients, and these patients were more likely to be covered by Medi-Cal. Length of stay was significantly higher among males and Medi-Cal recipients. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrate significant differences in social determinants of health as measured by race, ethnicity, gender, insurance type, COI, and SDI among patients ≤ 20 years undergoing surgery for idiopathic scoliosis in California. The noted differences in socioeconomic status (SES) and insurance are known and/or expected to have an impact on access to quality health care, exposing a need for future studies to determine whether COI and SDI influence patient-reported outcomes after scoliosis surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Complexity in partnerships: A qualitative examination of collaborative depression care in primary care clinics and community-based organisations in California, United States.

Partnering across health clinics and community organisations, while worthwhile for improving health and well-being, is challenging and time consuming. Even partnerships that have essential elements for success in place face inevitable challenges. To better understand how cross-organisational partnerships work in practice, this paper examines collaborations between six primary care clinics and community-based organisations in the United States that were part of an initiative to address late-life depression using an enhanced collaborative care model (Archstone Foundation Care Partners Project). As part of an evaluation of the Care Partners Project, 54 key informant interviews and 10 focus groups were conducted from 2015 to 2017. Additionally, more than 80 project-related documents were reviewed. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to code the transcripts and identify prominent themes in the data. Examining clinic and community organisation partnerships in practice highlighted their inherent complexity. The partnerships were fluid and constantly evolving, shaped by a multiplicity of perspectives and values, and vulnerable to unpredictability. Care Partners sites negotiated the complexity of their partnerships drawing upon three main strategies: adaptation (allowing for flexibility and rapid change); integration (providing opportunities for multi-level partnerships within and across organisations) and cultivation (fostering a commitment to the partnership and its value). These strategies provided opportunities for Care Partners collaborators to work with the inherent complexity of partnering. Intentionally acknowledging and embracing such complexity rather than trying to reduce or avoid it, may allow clinic and community collaborators to strengthen and sustain their partnerships.