Automated patient linking for electronic health record and child welfare databases

Abstract

There are 427,000 children in protective custody in the United States. A lack of integration between the child welfare data system and electronic health record systems complicates the communication of critical health history details to caregivers. We created and evaluated automated 10 custom algorithms linking these data. Deterministic matching was performed using combinations of first and last name, date of birth, and gender. If unmatched, a nondeterministic algorithm allowed for punctuation differences and letter transpositions. Of the children linked deterministically, 91.3% were linked. Of the ones undergoing nondeterministic matching, 71.3% were linked. Sharing integrated data is the first step in systematically improving health outcomes for children in protective custody. This approach represents an automatable and scalable solution that could help merge data from two disparate sources.     

The representation of future generations in newspaper coverage of climate change: A study of the UK press

Climate change will rob future generations—today's children and those yet to be born—of the stable climate that previous generations have enjoyed. The article explores how future generations are represented in climate change coverage in the UK national press. We examine the ‘popular’ (Mail, Mirror) and ‘quality’ (Guardian, Telegraph) press from 2010 to March 2019. We found that little attention was given to future generations; young people rarely spoke and, along with those yet to be born, were represented in ways that obscured the temporal and social inequalities that are built into climate change.     

Friend or foe? Examining the relationship between news portals and newspaper sites in Taiwan

Newspapers worldwide often serve as content providers for news portals, but portals outperform most newspaper sites in audience share. Whether this is a zero-sum game or a win-win scenario deserves scholarly attention, because the phenomenon constitutes a unique case of intra-media competition. Based on empirical data collected through a large-scale survey, this study systematically examines the delicate relationship among and between news portals and newspaper sites in Taiwan. The results document non-competitive relationships among most news sites, with the exception of Yahoo! News. Such counter-intuitive findings carry theoretical and strategic implications for the study and practice of online journalism.     

An assessment of the validity and reliability of the SOGS-RA

The present is a validation study seeking to determine the degree of confidence that can be placed on inferences about problem gambling among adolescents in the Atlantic provinces, based on their South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA) scores. The major source of data was a 1998 survey of 13,549 students in junior and high school of the public school systems of the 4 Atlantic provinces of Canada. The SOGS-RA was found to have adequate stability and internal consistency reliability. Statistically significant gender differences were demonstrated relative to endorsement and construct validity. Regarding the latter, this study shows that the existing cut-point of the SOGS-RA score for problem gambling identifies as problem gamblers, markedly different proportions of male than female daily gamblers. Regarding construct validity in relation to the Atlantic Alcohol and Drug Risk Continua, this study suggests that while statistically highly significant, the association between problem gambling and substance-related problems may be of low clinical significance. Regarding criterion validity, there is an urgent need to perform the types of enquiry that will allow clarification about how adolescent problem gambling is conceptualized, by adults versus adolescents, by males versus females, and from a clinical versus a public or population health perspective.     

Concept mapping internal validity: A case of misconceived mapping?

Since the early 1990s, the concept mapping technique developed by William M. K. Trochim has been widely used by evaluators for program development and evaluation and proven to be an invaluable tool for evaluators and program planners. The technique combines qualitative and statistical analysis and is designed to help identify and prioritize the components, dimensions, and particularities of a given reality. The aim of this paper is to propose an alternative way of conducting the statistical analysis to make the technique even more useful and the results easier to interpret. We posit that some methodological choices made at the inception stage of the technique were ill informed, producing maps of participants’ points-of-view that were not optimal representations of their reality. Such a depiction resulted from the statistical analysis process by which multidimensional scaling (MDS) is being applied on the similarity matrix, followed by a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) on the Euclidian distances between statements as plotted on the resulting two-dimensional MDS map. As an alternative, we suggest that HCA should be performed first and MDS second, rather than the reverse. To support this proposal, we present three levels of argument: 1) a logical argument backed up by expert opinions on this issue; 2) statistical evidence of the superiority of our proposed approach and 3) the results of a social validation experiment.     

The shaping of electronic service delivery

This paper considers the current literature on electronic service delivery in the light of the findings of a qualitative research project examining the implementation of online services in British social housing. The paper adds to existing evidence that the nature of electronic service delivery is heavily influenced by the agencies that introduce it and by the context in which it occurs. The shape of electronic service delivery in social housing was found to be heavily influenced by the high complexity of transactions between social landlords and tenants, and by the ethos of some social landlords. The research also suggested there was a broad consensus between social landlords and tenants with regard to the practical limits of online services. However, the development of this form of electronic service delivery was occurring in a situation in which influence was unevenly divided between the various parties involved.     

Exploring Nonbinary Gender Identities: A Qualitative Content Analysis

This study presents a qualitative exploration of nonbinary gender identities from a counseling framework. We studied 14 participants in an open-ended, online format, all of whom self-identified with nonbinary gender identities. Our analysis explored five primary themes: (a) identity development, (b) heterogenous identities, (c) the identity-expression divide, (d) invisibility and stressors, and (e) resilience and support. Participants’ experiences in counseling and practical implications for counselors working with nonbinary clients are also discussed, including cautions against assumption making, increased need for training and education about nonbinary clients, and nonbinary clients’ perceptions of counselor openness.     

Insider research,validity issues,and the OHS professional: one person’s journey

Validity in the context of qualitative research may take on many different definitions depending on the philosophical perspective. When a researcher conducts research within their place of employment, this will also influence the approach and interpretation. Insider research has been under scrutiny for the very fact that the insider is an actor within the setting. This paper explores my journey, conducting insider research and working as an occupational health and safety practitioner, by presenting an example of the methods used, including reflectivity and reflexivity, to address validity issues which may arise prior, during and post data collection.     

Who speaks and how? Studies of voicing in the China Daily following a decade of change

This study used critical discourse analysis (CDA) to identify and unpick some of the ideas, beliefs, and attitudes encoded in newspaper texts without being explicitly stated. It uses a quantitative-qualitative approach to content analysis to compare articles published in the Chinese government-owned, English-language newspaper the China Daily in 1998 (n = 50) and 2010 (n = 50). The analysis focused on two things: the people considered by China Daily journalists to be important/interesting enough to be quoted and (through an analysis of Halliday's verbal processes) how these people's words are presented. The aim was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach advocated and to see whether such an approach can help answer how much the media in China has changed in response to changing times.     

The measure of the masculinity–femininity construct today: Some reflections on the case of the Bem Sex Role Inventory / La medida del constructo masculinidad–feminidad en la actualidad: algunas reflexiones sobre el caso del Bem Sex Role Inventory

The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) is a questionnaire widely used for the measurement of the masculinity–femininity construct as well as for other uses. The objective of this study is to analyze its suitability as a scale of measurement of the gender variable.The full, 60-item version of this instrument was administered twice to a sample of 99 college students, the first to determine the sex typing of the male and female participants and the second to determine the extent to which they consider the BSRI items as characteristic of men and women.The results obtained show that, regardless of gender and sex typing, most people considered that only some of the items of the BSRI describe men or women characteristically, while the rest could apply equally to both. These results suggest the need to seek alternative instruments to measure the gender variable more adequately and precisely.     

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Survey Work–Home Interaction – NijmeGen,the SWING (SWING-J)

ABSTRACT

This study sought to validate the Japanese version of the Survey Work–Home Interaction – NijmeGen, the SWING, which assesses multi-dimensional work–family interaction by differentiating between the direction and quality of influence. We translated the SWING into the Japanese language, the SWING-J. A back-translation procedure confirmed that the translation was appropriate. A total of 2701 dual-earner parents with preschool children (1193 men and 1508 women) were surveyed. The complete questionnaire included the SWING-J, job and family domain variables, and well-being indicators. The reliability and factorial and convergent validity of the used measures were examined. As the results, four dimensions (i.e. work-to-family negative spillover, family-to-work negative spillover, work-to-family positive spillover and family-to-work positive spillover) were determined by an exploratory factor analysis. A series of confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the hypothesized four-factor model provided a reasonably good fit to the data. Convergent validity was generally supported by the expected correlations of work–family spillovers with the possible predictors and consequences. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the four subscales of the SWING-J were satisfactory (0.75–0.86). The present study confirmed that the Japanese version of the SWING is an adequate tool to measure positive and negative spillover between working life and family life among Japanese workers.     

Discourse of segregation and inclusion: a discourse analysis of a Russian newspaper for teachers

In Russia, children with disabilities have limited access to inclusive education. This article presents the findings of a discourse analysis of 32 newspaper articles focused on the education of children with disabilities, all of which appeared in a Russian newspaper for teachers. We identified two discursive patterns about the education of children with disabilities: preserving a special approach and removing barriers. These patterns highlighted the tensions that exist between the long-standing medical approach to special education and the emergent, inclusive initiatives. Our findings emphasize the need to create space for the perspectives of people with disabilities to be heard, while also serving to shape the future direction of the educational systems within Russia.     

Reliability and validity of a new psychometric inventory of childrearing difficulties for evaluating child abuse risk in Japan

Abstract

Child abuse can occur in any family and requires early preventive measures. Here, a new psychometric inventory was developed for detecting child abuse risk based on parental psychological characteristics reported via a self-administered questionnaire by Japanese parents of children below elementary school age (n?=?370). Reliability and validity were tested using factor analysis and examined for correlations with related criteria and Cronbach’s α coefficients. Inventory factors were “Abandonment anxiety” (9 items; α?=?.899), “Anxiety due to lack of confidence” (13 items; α?=?.868), “Suspicion” (5 items; α?=?.832), and “Perfectionism” (7 items; α?=?.793). This inventory will provide a basis for assessing risk of childrearing difficulties and thus child abuse risk for specialists working with Japanese parents.     

Short-term and long-term effects of a public relations campaign on semantic networks of newspaper content: Priming or framing?

This naturalistic pre-test/post-test field experiment studied a university public relations campaign, the “Great Cities Initiative,” for evidence of priming or framing effects on newspaper reporters and editors. The phrase “great cities” in the Chicago Tribune increased 433% during the 16-month post-test, but only 26% of stories identified the campaign source. Several measures of semantic network diversity increased, also supporting priming over framing effects.     

An empirical real-world study of losses disguised as wins in electronic gaming machines

Losses disguised as wins (LDWs) appear to reinforce gambling persistence. However, little research has examined this phenomenon with real gamblers in natural gambling settings. We aimed to examine the relationship between within-session outcome size and subsequent gambling persistence. Account-based gambling data of individuals playing LDW games over a randomly selected day (2,035,339 bets made by 8636 individuals) was examined. We used a logistic mixed effects model to examine the relationship between the outcome of the previous bet (loss, LDW and real wins) and the odds of continuing betting in a game session. The odds of continuing betting in a game session were positively associated with the outcome of the previous bet. Compared to LDWs, losses lowered the odds of continuing a game session. In contrast, real wins implied greater odds of continuing a game session compared to LDWs. It is concluded that LDWs increase the likelihood of continuing betting compared to losses, but decrease the likelihood of continuing to gamble compared to real wins. As LDWs increase the number of bets made within a gambling session, and hence within-session gambling persistence, LDWs may potentially play an etiological role in the development of gambling problems over time.     

An empirical analysis of the use of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index in assessing the distribution of electronic gaming machines and its socio-economic implications

Sargent and Holmes (2014) proposed the use of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index in assessing the effects of the distribution of electronic gaming machines (EGMs) on expenditure and tax outcomes for local areas. This paper reports empirical analysis on the use of the Herfindahl Hirschman Index (HHI) in this application. Comparative testing of HHI and population-based measures, such as EGM density, was conducted using EGM data from the New South Wales State Government (Australia) for the period 1995 to 2005. The analysis also compares the use of the commonly used Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage, with the Index of Education and Occupation. The socio-economic elements comprising the latter index are acknowledged as being relevant to the assessment of gambling impacts. The results indicate that the use of a concentration measure such as the HHI may augment the use of existing measures in policy development and localized decision-making on distribution of gambling facilities.     

Systematically collected information at encounters with HIV-positive students: A review of 10 years of electronic medical records

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine clinical and epidemiological information collected by Student Health Center (SHC) providers on HIV-positive students, and benchmark this information against Infectious Disease Society of America guidelines. Participants: Students who utilized the SHC and had an ICD-9 code indicating positive HIV status between 2005 and 2015 (3?=?7). Methods: In June 2016, we accessed the free-form provider notes of the SHC’s electronic medical records to identify specific, recorded epidemiological and clinical information. Results: Seven unique students sought care at the SHC during the study period. Current sexual risk taking and other known behavioral risk factors were absent from all records, along with CD4 count and viral load. ART status was only available for one patient, and he was not on ART. The information collected failed to meet IDSA benchmarks. Conclusion: Clinically- and epidemiologically-relevant information is not systematically collected from HIV-positive students at SHCs.     

Exploring the stability of communication network metrics in a dynamic nursing context

Network stability is of increasing interest to researchers as they try to understand the dynamic processes by which social networks form and evolve. Because hospital patient care units (PCUs) need flexibility to adapt to environmental changes (Vardaman et al., 2012), their networks are unlikely to be uniformly stable and will evolve over time. This study aimed to identify a metric (or set of metrics) sufficiently stable to apply to PCU staff information sharing and advice seeking communication networks over time. Using Coefficient of Variation, we assessed both Across Time Stability (ATS) and Global Stability over four data collection times (Baseline and 1, 4, and 7 months later). When metrics were stable using both methods, we considered them “super stable.” Nine metrics met that criterion (Node Set Size, Average Distance, Clustering Coefficient, Density, Weighted Density, Diffusion, Total Degree Centrality, Betweenness Centrality, and Eigenvector Centrality). Unstable metrics included Hierarchy, Fragmentation, Isolate Count, and Clique Count. We also examined the effect of staff members’ confidence in the information obtained from other staff members. When confidence was high, the “super stable” metrics remained “super stable,” but when low, none of the “super stable” metrics persisted as “super stable.” Our results suggest that nursing units represent what Barker (1968) termed dynamic behavior settings in which, as is typical, multiple nursing staff must constantly adjust to various circumstances, primarily through communication (e.g., discussing patient care or requesting advice on providing patient care), to preserve the functional integrity (i.e., ability to meet patient care goals) of the units, thus producing the observed stability over time of nine network metrics. The observed metric stability provides support for using network analysis to study communication patterns in dynamic behavior settings such as PCUs.     

The Continuum of Disclosure: Exploring Factors Predicting Tentative Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations During Forensic Interviews and the Implications for Practice,Policy, and Future Research

When a child sexual abuse investigation ensues, many children do not disclose readily to professionals. Defining disclosure beyond the disclosure versus nondisclosure dichotomy is essential, yet little research exists on factors associated with a continuum of disclosure, including active and tentative disclosure. Through the coding of 196 forensic interviews using content analysis and subsequent regression analysis, findings suggest that children of color, children abused by adults, unintentional initial disclosure, and those lacking family support were more likely to tentatively disclose in this study. Implications include a need to understand tentative disclosure as part of a normal continuum of disclosure within court proceedings and investigations of abuse allegations.