The social vulnerability metric (SVM) as a new tool for public health

Objective

To derive and validate a new ecological measure of the social determinants of health (SDoH), calculable at the zip code or county level.

Data Sources and Study Setting

The most recent releases of secondary, publicly available data were collected from national U.S. health agencies as well as state and city public health departments.

Study Design

The Social Vulnerability Metric (SVM) was constructed from U.S. zip-code level measures (2018) from survey data using multidimensional Item Response Theory and validated using outcomes including all-cause mortality (2016), COVID-19 vaccination (2021), and emergency department visits for asthma (2018). The SVM was also compared with the existing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to determine convergent validity and differential predictive validity.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

The data were collected directly from published files available to the public online from national U.S. health agencies as well as state and city public health departments.

Principal Findings

The correlation between SVM scores and national age-adjusted county all-cause mortality was r = 0.68. This correlation demonstrated the SVM's robust validity and outperformed the SVI with an almost four-fold increase in explained variance (46% vs. 12%). The SVM was also highly correlated (r ≥ 0.60) to zip-code level health outcomes for the state of California and city of Chicago.

Conclusions

The SVM offers a measurement tool improving upon the performance of existing SDoH composite measures and has broad applicability to public health that may help in directing future policies and interventions. The SVM provides a single measure of SDoH that better quantifies associations with health outcomes.     

2022年上海市医师协会全科医师分会年会主题报告（一）

本文内容来源于2022年7月22日由上海市医师协会、上海市医师协会全科医师分会主办的"第二届海上全科医师论坛"，主要包括《基层医疗在整合医疗中的作用》《创建全科医学科为国家临床重点专科》《上海市基层卫生发展趋势》《拥抱变化，更好更强》四部分。其中，《基层医疗在整合医疗中的作用》从整合程度、整合层面、整合方向3个维度阐释了"整合医疗"的概念与内涵，并就整合医疗在制度、管理、支付、服务模式、技术应用5个层面的实现路径做了详细介绍；在分析基层医疗和整合医疗共性特征的基础上，阐释基层医疗在上述5个层面对整合医疗的助推作用。《创建全科医学科为国家临床重点专科》从全科医学科在卫生保健改革、满足居民卫生服务需求中的重要作用出发，阐述了创建全科医学科为国家临床重点专科的必要性，认为创建临床重点专科需做到：提高全科医学科学术地位，推进全科医学人才建设，提升全科医学科区域协同能力，形成全方位全周期健康照护专科特色，加快全科医学科研创新发展。《上海市基层卫生发展趋势》肯定了基层卫生对城市健康发展的贡献，提出在"大健康"的背景下进一步的重点工作为推进健康老龄化和实现出生人口提升计划；上海基层卫生的发展趋势在于创新，而基层卫生高质量发展工作的创新需要由全科医生作为推动者和牵头者，创造出新的健康服务模式。《拥抱变化，更好更强》，认为当前社区卫生服务的"薄弱"之处，并非发展之初的硬件或人员配置不足，而是体现在全科学科建设方面。全科医学领域工作者应主动面对和接纳当前国家健康战略的变化、健康需求的变化、医学模式的变化、自身发展/管理的变化，开展主动健康，应对多病共存，加强全-专结合，关注需方角度的服务评价，以助力全科医学学科建设。     

Oxygen delivery-guided perfusion for the prevention of acute kidney injury: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesThe reduction of postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery using an oxygen delivery-guided perfusion strategy (oxygen delivery strategy) for cardiopulmonary bypass management compared with a fixed flow perfusion (conventional strategy) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a oxygen delivery strategy would reduce the incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.MethodsWe randomly enrolled 300 patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to a oxygen delivery strategy (maintaining a oxygen delivery index value >300 mL/min/m² through pump flow adjustments during cardiopulmonary bypass) or a conventional strategy (a target pump flow was determined on the basis of the body surface area). The primary end point was the development of acute kidney injury. Secondary end points were the red blood cell transfusion rate and number of red blood cell units, intubation time, postoperative length of stay in the intensive care unit and the hospital, predischarge estimated glomerular filtration rate, and hospital mortality.ResultsAcute kidney injury occurred in 20 patients (14.6%) receiving the oxygen delivery strategy and in 42 patients (30.4%) receiving the conventional strategy (relative risk, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.77; P = .002). The secondary end points were not significantly different between strategies. In a prespecified subgroup analysis of patients who had nadir hematocrit less than 23% or body surface area less than 1.40 m², the oxygen delivery strategy seemed to be superior to the conventional strategy and the existence of quantitative interactions was suggested.ConclusionsAn oxygen delivery strategy for cardiopulmonary bypass management was superior to a conventional strategy with respect to preventing the development of acute kidney injury.     

Post-cardiac arrest intensive care in Sweden: A survey of current clinical practice

Background

European guidelines recommend targeted temperature management (TTM) in post-cardiac arrest care. A large multicentre clinical trial, however, showed no difference in mortality and neurological outcome when comparing hypothermia to normothermia with early treatment of fever. The study results were valid given a strict protocol for the assessment of prognosis using defined neurological examinations. With the current range of recommended TTM temperatures, and applicable neurological examinations, procedures may differ between hospitals and the variation of clinical practice in Sweden is not known.

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate current practice in post-resuscitation care after cardiac arrest as to temperature targets and assessment of neurological prognosis in Swedish intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods

A structured survey was conducted by telephone or e-mail in all Levels 2 and 3 (= 53) Swedish ICUs during the spring of 2022 with a secondary survey in April 2023.

Results

Five units were not providing post-cardiac arrest care and were excluded. The response rate was 43/48 (90%) of the eligible units. Among the responding ICUs, normothermia (36–37.7°C) was applied in all centres (2023). There was a detailed routine for the assessment of neurological prognosis in 38/43 (88%) ICUs. Neurological assessment was applied 72–96 h after return of spontaneous circulation in 32/38 (84%) units. Electroencephalogram and computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging were the most common technical methods available.

Conclusion

Swedish ICUs use normothermia including early treatment of fever in post-resuscitation care after cardiac arrest and almost all apply a detailed routine for the assessment of neurological prognosis. However, available methods for prognostic evaluation varies between hospitals.     

Delivering end-of-life care for patients with cancer at home: Interviews exploring the views and experiences of general practitioners

Many patients with terminal cancer wish to die at home and general practitioners in the United Kingdom have a critical role in providing this care. However, it has been suggested general practitioners lack confidence in end-of-life care. It is important to explore with general practitioners their experience and perspectives including feelings of confidence delivering end-of-life care to people with cancer. The aim of this study was to explore general practitioners experiences of providing end-of-life care for people with cancer in the home setting and their perceptions of confidence in this role as well as understanding implications this has on policy design. A qualitative study design was employed using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Nineteen general practitioners from London were purposively sampled from eight general practices and a primary care university department in 2018–2019, supplemented with snowballing methods. Five main themes were constructed: (a) the subjective nature of defining palliative and end-of-life care; (b) importance of communication and managing expectations; (c) complexity in prescribing; (d) challenging nature of delivering end-of-life care; (e) the unclear role of primary care in palliative care. General practitioners viewed end-of-life care as challenging; specific difficulties surrounded communication and prescribing. These challenges coupled with a poorly defined role created a spread in perceived confidence. Experience and exposure were seen as enabling confidence. Specialist palliative care service expansion had important implications on deskilling of essential competencies and reducing confidence levels in general practitioners. This feeds into a complex cycle of causation, leading to further delegation of care.