A systematic literature review of Native American and Pacific Islanders’ perspectives on health data privacy in the United States

BackgroundPrivacy-related concerns can prevent equitable participation in health research by US Indigenous communities. However, studies focused on these communities'' views regarding health data privacy, including systematic reviews, are lacking.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature review analyzing empirical, US-based studies involving American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (NHPI) perspectives on health data privacy, which we define as the practice of maintaining the security and confidentiality of an individual’s personal health records and/or biological samples (including data derived from biological specimens, such as personal genetic information), as well as the secure and approved use of those data.ResultsTwenty-one studies involving 3234 AI/AN and NHPI participants were eligible for review. The results of this review suggest that concerns about the privacy of health data are both prevalent and complex in AI/AN and NHPI communities. Many respondents raised concerns about the potential for misuse of their health data, including discrimination or stigma, confidentiality breaches, and undesirable or unknown uses of biological specimens.ConclusionsParticipants cited a variety of individual and community-level concerns about the privacy of their health data, and indicated that these deter their willingness to participate in health research. Future investigations should explore in more depth which health data privacy concerns are most salient to specific AI/AN and NHPI communities, and identify the practices that will make the collection and use of health data more trustworthy and transparent for participants.     

Juvenile delinquency in American Indian youths: historical and cultural factors

This paper addresses health aspects of juvenile delinquency in American Indian youths. Comorbid conditions such as substance abuse and depression often complicate diagnosis and treatment. A survey of the literature and an examination of cultural, family, and school issues that influence the presentation and management of conduct problems in Native American youths are included. Cases are presented to emphasize the importance of cultural sensitivity in clinical assessment and intervention.     

The health of urban Aboriginal people: insufficient data to close the gap

The Australian Government has committed to reducing Indigenous disadvantage, including closing the life-expectancy gap within a generation, and to halving the gap in mortality rates for children under 5 years of age within a decade. Sixty per cent of the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is attributable to the health of Indigenous people living in non-remote areas of Australia. We conducted a brief review of recent Australian original research publications on the health of the 53% of Indigenous people who live in urban areas, and found that data are sparse; there were only 63 studies in the past 5 years (11% of all articles about Indigenous health during this period). Although Indigenous Australians living in remote areas experience greater health disparity, the government will not achieve its aims without paying due attention to the non-remote-living population. More research is required, and particularly research that actually tests the impact of policies and programs.     

Aboriginal health.

OBJECTIVE: To inform health care workers about the health status of Canada's native people. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search for articles published from Jan. 1, 1989, to Nov. 31, 1995, with the use of subject headings "Eskimos" and "Indians, North American," excluding specific subject headings related to genetics and history. Case reports were excluded. Material was also identified from a review of standard references and bibliographies and from consultation with experts. STUDY SELECTION: Review and research articles containing original data concerning epidemiologic aspects of native health. Studies of Canadian populations were preferred, but population-based studies of US native peoples were included if limited Canadian information was available. DATA EXTRACTION: Information about target population, methods and conclusions was extracted from each study. RESULTS: Mortality and morbidity rates are higher in the native population than in the general Canadian population. The infant mortality rates averaged for the years 1986 to 1990 were 13.8 per 1000 live births among Indian infants, 16.3 per 1000 among Inuit infants, and only 7.3 per 1000 among all Canadian infants. Age-standardized all-cause mortality rates among residents of reserves averaged for the years 1979 to 1983 were 561.0 per 100,000 population among men and 334.6 per 100,000 among women, compared with 340.2 per 100,000 among all Canadian men and 173.4 per 100,000 among all Canadian women. Compared with the general Canadian population, specific native populations have an increased risk of death from alcoholism, homicide, suicide and pneumonia. Of the aboriginal population of Canada 15 years of age and older, 31% have been informed that they have a chronic health problem. Diabetes mellitus affects 6% of aboriginal adults, compared with 2% of all Canadian adults. Social problems identified by aboriginal people as a concern in their community include substance abuse, suicide, unemployment and family violence. Subgroups of aboriginal people are at a greater-than-normal risk of infectious diseases, injuries, respiratory diseases, nutritional problems (including obesity) and substance abuse. Initial data suggest that, compared with the general population, some subgroups of the native population have a lower incidence of heart disease and certain types of cancer. However, knowledge about contributing factors to the health status of aboriginal people is limited, since the literature generally does not assess confounding factors such as poverty. CONCLUSIONS: Canadian aboriginal people die earlier than their fellow Canadians, on average, and sustain a disproportionate share of the burden of physical disease and mental illness. However, few studies have assessed poverty as a confounding factor. Future research priorities in native health are best determined by native people themselves.     

Thromboembolism and its management in pregnancy

OBJECTIVES: To formulate recommendations for the management of thromboembolism during pregnancy. DATA SOURCES: The English language published literature derived from Medline and covering the following aspects of thromboembolism in pregnancy was reviewed: epidemiology; pathogenesis; clinical features; investigations; the pharmacology of various anticoagulants; management and prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism; medicolegal aspects. STUDY SELECTION: Publications published between 1960 and 1990 were cited. These studies were selected because data appeared reliable and with appropriate conclusions. DATA SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUSIONS: Many questions are still not completely resolved, but the information gathered should provide firm guidelines to practitioners in the areas of diagnosis, the choice of anticoagulant drugs, methods of administration of the drugs, and measurement of therapeutic endpoints.     

American Indian--Alaska Native youth health.

OBJECTIVE--To assess risk behaviors, health problems, worries and concerns, and resiliency-promoting factors among American Indian-Alaska Native adolescents. DESIGN--Survey. SETTING--Nonurban schools from eight Indian Health Service areas. PARTICIPANTS--A total of 13,454 seventh- through 12th-grade American Indian-Alaska Native youths. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--revised version of the Adolescent Health Survey, a comprehensive, anonymous, self-report questionnaire with 162 items addressing 10 dimensions of health. RESULTS--Poor physical health was reported by 2% of the study sample and was significantly correlated with social risk factors of physical and/or sexual abuse, suicide attempts, substance abuse, poor school performance, and nutritional inadequacies. Injury risk behaviors included never wearing seatbelts (44%), drinking and driving (37.9% of driving 10th through 12th graders), and riding with a driver who had been drinking (21.8%). Physical and sexual abuse prevalence was 10% and 13%, respectively, with 23.9% of females reporting physical abuse and 21.6% of females reporting sexual abuse by the 12th grade. Almost 6% of the entire sample endorsed signs of severe emotional distress. Eleven percent of the teens surveyed knew someone who had killed himself or herself, and 17% had attempted suicide themselves. Sixty-five percent of males and 56.8% of females reported having had intercourse by the 12th grade. Weekly or more frequent alcohol use rose from 8.2% of seventh graders to 14.1% by the 12th grade; for males, the survey noted an increase in regular alcohol use of 3% to 5% a year to 27.3% by the 12th grade. For each variable measured, rates are much higher for American Indian adolescents than those for rural white Minnesota youth, except for age at first intercourse and alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS--American Indian-Alaska Native adolescents reported high rates of health-compromising behaviors and risk factors related to unintentional injury, substance use, poor self-assessed health status, emotional distress, and suicide. Interventions must be culturally sensitive, acknowledge the heterogeneity of Indian populations, be grounded in cultural traditions that promote health, and be developed with full participation of the involved communities.     

Why have we failed to reduce the frequency of cerebral palsy?

OBJECTIVE: To review the data on children with cerebral palsy in relation to quality of obstetric care. DATA SOURCES and STUDY SELECTION: In our Institute, a regular Medline print-out, certain key journals and Current Contents are perused to create an updated computerised file of publications on the epidemiological, aetiological and other aspects of cerebral palsy. For this study we reviewed data from the Western Australian Cerebral Palsy Register, more than 150 publications from which studies were chosen for sound methodology in countries with modern obstetric practices, and recent population data on cerebral palsy. DATA EXTRACTION and SYNTHESIS: Three major areas were studied to see: (i) if the prevalence of cerebral palsy has fallen with increasing use of obstetric and neonatal interventions aimed at reducing birth asphyxia; (ii) if there is any evidence that cerebral palsy is caused by birth asphyxia; and (iii) if there is any evidence that intrapartum fetal monitoring or caesarean section reduces the prevalence of cerebral palsy. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that: cerebral palsy proportions are not falling in spite of significant increases in obstetric and neonatal interventions aimed at reducing asphyxia; cerebral palsy proportions in low birthweight infants are rising in most developed countries, coincident with increases in the neonatal survival of low birthweight babies; few cases of cerebral palsy seem to be caused by birth asphyxia and those that are may not have been preventable by obstetric care; and parents will continue to sue if obstetricians keep promising perfection from obstetric care in the face of 2.0-2.5 cases of cerebral palsy per 1000 children born.     

Use of Native American imagery to sell tobacco

The tobacco plant has been used in Native American communities in sacred, traditional and cultural ways prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Early immigrants to North America were introduced to tobacco use by Native Americans and the plant was quickly turned into a commercial success in Europe. Native American images have been used for centuries to commercialize a product that once held only spiritual significance to American Indian tribes. This article provides a history of tobacco, from the sacred use by Native Americans, to the commercialism of tobacco in North America. Included is a review of early to current advertisements using Native American images.     

中国内地全科医学1993-2012年文献回顾分析

目的：了解中国内地全科医学论文发表情况,分析存在问题并探讨对策。方法分别利用中国期刊全文数据库（ CNKI）、万方数据库和PubMed对1993年1月1日至2012年12月31日发表的中国内地全科医学论文进行检索,通过文献管理分析软件NoteExpress2、Excel和SPSS 19.0对论文情况进行统计分析。结果1993-2012年中国内地发表全科医学中文文献16349篇,英文文献266篇,均呈现逐年上升趋势,2008-2012年中文文献发表数量急剧上升。16349篇中文文献在中文核心期刊上共发表5295篇（32.39％）,266篇英文文献在 SCI 收录期刊上发表的共257篇（96.62％）。中文文献中76.01％（12427/16349）的作者来自社区卫生服务机构,英文文献中61.65％（164/266）的作者来自于医学院校和科研机构。中文文献中居前2位的研究方法是评论和描述性研究,分别占37.59％（6145/16349）和37.12％（6069/16349）,随机对照试验研究占9.57％（1565/16349）;英文文献中描述性研究所占比例为52.63％（140/266）,随机对照试验研究占9.02％（24/266）;中文和英文文献中研究内容为临床研究的各有60.75％（9932/16349）和75.94％（202/266）。结论我国内地全科医学文献数量不断增加,但核心期刊发表数量少,研究方法相对简单,英文文献数量少,提示中国内地全科医学领域研究的质量需要提高。应借鉴其他国家的经验,尽快建立国家级或省级基层医疗研究专项和基层医疗研究网络。     

Evidence for the effectiveness of CME. A review of 50 randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE--To assess the impact of diverse continuing medical education (CME) interventions on physician performance and health care outcomes. DATA SOURCES--Using continuing medical education and related phrases, we performed regular searches of the indexed literature (MEDLINE, Social Science Index, the National Technical Information Service, and Educational Research Information Clearinghouse) from 1975 through 1991. In addition, for these years, we used manual searches, key informants, and requests to authors to locate other indexed articles and the nonindexed literature of adult and continuing professional education. STUDY SELECTION--From the resulting database we selected studies that met the following criteria: randomized controlled trials; educational programs, activities, or other interventions; studies that included 50% or more physicians; follow-up assessments of at least 75% of study subjects; and objective assessments of either physician performance or health care outcomes. DATA EXTRACTION--Studies were reviewed for data related to physician specialty and setting. Continuing medical education interventions were classified by their mode(s) of activity as being predisposing, enabling, or facilitating. Using the statistical tests supplied by the original investigators, physician performance outcomes and patient outcomes were classified as positive, negative, or inconclusive. DATA SYNTHESIS--We located 777 CME studies, of which 50 met all criteria. Thirty-two of these analyzed physician performance; seven evaluated patient outcomes; 11 examined both measures. The majority of the 43 studies of physician performance showed positive results in some important measures of resource utilization, counseling strategies, and preventive medicine. Of the 18 studies of health care outcomes, eight demonstrated positive changes in patients' health care outcomes. CONCLUSION--Broadly defined CME interventions using practice-enabling or reinforcing strategies consistently improve physician performance and, in some instances, health care outcomes.     

Wellness programs: a review of the evidence

OBJECTIVE: To review studies that have examined an association between wellness programs and improvements in quality of life and to assess the strength of the scientific evidence. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search was constructed with the following medical subject headings: "psychoneuroimmunology," "chronic disease" and "health promotion," "chronic disease" and "health behaviour," "relaxation techniques," "music therapy," "laughter," "anger," "mediation" and "behavioural medicine." Searches using the text words "wellness" and "wellness program" were also carried out. References from the primary articles identified in the search and contemporary writing on wellness were also considered. STUDY SELECTION: Selection was limited to randomized controlled trials or prospective studies published in English that involved human subjects and that took place between 1980 and 1996. All studies with an intervention aimed at promoting wellness and measuring outcomes were included, except studies of patients with cancer and HIV and studies of health promotion programs in the workplace. Of the 1082 references initially identified, 11 met the criteria for inclusion in the critical appraisal. DATA EXTRACTION: The following information was extracted from the 11 studies: characteristics of the study population, number of participants (and number followed to completion), length of follow-up, type of intervention, outcome measures and results. All 11 studies were assessed for the quality of their evidence. DATA SYNTHESIS: All studies reported some positive outcomes following the intervention in question, although many had limitations precluding applicability of the results to a wider population. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the suggested benefit associated with wellness programs, the evidence was inconclusive. Whether the composition of the target group or the type of intervention has a role in determining outcomes is unknown. Although trends suggest that wellness programs may be cost-effective, further research is needed for confirmation.     

Initiating and strengthening medical student research: time to take up the gauntlet.

Self-directed learning and evidence-based medicine are becoming increasingly important in medical education. Medical student research projects can enable students to learn research methodologies and critical analysis skills. Medical schools in developed countries have introduced research programmes for medical students. A few medical colleges in developing countries have initiated student research programmes. South Asia has a huge population and massive health problems and research may be helpful in finding solutions. Student research can contribute to the published output of institutions. Research projects can help students to develop critical analysis skills, teach them to write for peer-reviewed publications and can foster student-faculty interaction. In Nepal, opportunities and funding for research are limited. Principles of scientific research should be taught to students. A community research project should be made compulsory. Funding for research should be boosted and infrastructure strengthened. Faculty members actively involved in research can serve as powerful 'role models'. Marks should be allotted for research projects and students must be encouraged to publish their findings. Publications and projects should be considered during admission to postgraduate courses. Student research should be initiated, actively pursued and strengthened.     

Epilepsy in Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Far North Queensland

OBJECTIVE: To compare patterns of epilepsy in Indigenous and non-Indigenous people presenting to hospital. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional survey of individuals admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of epilepsy (1 January 2001 - 31 December 2004); presenting to the emergency department with a seizure (2004); or presenting to the epilepsy clinic (1 September 2002-31 March 2005). SETTING: Cairns Base Hospital, the major referral centre for Far North Queensland, including Cape York and the Torres Strait, with a population of 230 000 (13% Indigenous). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of Indigenous patients presenting for epilepsy; proportion of Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups affected by each of the main epilepsy syndromes. RESULTS: Of 359 patients attending the epilepsy clinic and 918 patients having electroencephalography (EEG), 11% and 13% were Indigenous, respectively (in proportion with the catchment population). However, 30% (146/486) of patients presenting to the emergency department with seizure, 31% (130/418) of inpatient admissions with epilepsy, and 44% (28/63) of patients admitted with status epilepticus were Indigenous. Indigenous patients were more likely to have an abnormal EEG result (P = 0.025), while non-Indigenous patients presenting to the clinic were more likely to be classified as non-epileptic (31% v 18%). In those with abnormal EEG, the frequency distribution of abnormalities was similar, and, in those with epilepsy, syndrome classification also showed similar frequencies. There was no significant difference in occurrence of epileptogenic abnormalities detected by imaging (13% non-Indigenous v 18% Indigenous) or in alcohol consumption (38% v 37%). CONCLUSIONS: Indigenous Australians have similar epilepsy syndromes to the non-Indigenous population, but they present with more serious disease. This discrepancy may relate to inequitable health care utilisation due to cultural issues or geographic isolation.     

Hotspot Analysis of Traditional Drugs in Diabetes Treatment Literature

Objective:To summarize current hotspots and predict the potential trends in traditional drugs of diabetes treatment for further research.Methods:Publications on the application of traditional drugs in diabetes treatment were searched from PubMed without language limits.Highly frequent MeSH terms were identified through Bibliographic Item Co-Occurrence Matrix Builder(BICOMB).Biclustering analysis results were visualized utilizing the gCLUTO software.Finally,a strategic diagram was generated.Results:Totally 2,386 relevant publications were obtained from PubMed on November 9th,2018,and 69 highly frequent MeSH terms were identified.Biclustering analysis revealed that these highly frequent MeSH terms were classified into 7 clusters.After calculating the density and centrality of each cluster,strategy diagram was presented.Cluster 0"Chinese medicine monomers such as antioxidant and hypoglycemic effects"was considered as the most potential research hotspot.Conclusions:In this study,we found 7 topics related to the application of traditional drugs in diabetes treatment.The molecular mechanisms of Chinese medicine monomers in diabetes could become a potential hotspot with high centricity and low density.     

Effectiveness of interventions to prevent delirium in hospitalized patients: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of interventions to prevent delirium in hospitalized patients. DATA SOURCES: Two databases, MEDLINE and CINAHL, were searched for relevant articles published from January 1966 to May 1995 and from January 1982 to May 1995 respectively. The bibliographies of identified articles were searched for additional references. STUDY SELECTION: Ten articles met the following three inclusion criteria: (a) original research article, (b) published in English or French and (c) controlled trial (nonrandomized or randomized) of an intervention to prevent delirium in hospitalized patients. The validity of the studies was independently assessed according to the criteria for intervention studies proposed by the Evidence-Based medicine Working Group. DATA EXTRACTION: Information about study design, patient population, sample size, diagnostic criteria, interventions and results was systematically abstracted from each report. Absolute risk reduction (ARR) for delirium was calculated for each study. DATA SYNTHESIS: Eight trials involved surgical patients and two involved elderly medical patients; most of the studies had serious methodological limitations. Among the surgical patients the ARRs ranged from -13% to 81% and were not related to the type or timing of the intervention, or to the personnel involved. Among the elderly medical patients the ARRs ranged from -3% to 3%. CONCLUSION: Interventions to prevent delirium among surgical patients may be modestly effective, but further trials are necessary.     

The impact of unemployment on health: a review of the evidence.

OBJECTIVE: To review the scientific evidence supporting an association between unemployment and adverse health outcomes and to assess the evidence on the basis of the epidemiologic criteria for causation. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE was searched for all relevant articles with the use of the MeSH terms "unemployment," "employment," "job loss," "economy" and a range of mortality and morbidity outcomes. A secondary search was conducted for references from the primary search articles, review articles or published commentaries. Data and definitions of unemployment were drawn from Statistics Canada publications. STUDY SELECTION: Selection focused on articles published in the 1980s and 1990s. English-language reports of aggregate-level research (involving an entire population), such as time-series analyses, and studies of individual subjects, such as cross-sectional, case-control or cohort studies, were reviewed. In total, the authors reviewed 46 articles that described original studies. DATA EXTRACTION: Information was sought on the association (if any) between unemployment and health outcomes such as mortality rates, specific causes of death, incidence of physical and mental disorders and the use of health care services. Information was extracted on the nature of the association (positive or negative), measures of association (relative risk, odds ratio or standardized mortality ratio), and the direction of causation (whether unemployment caused ill health or vice versa). DATA SYNTHESIS: Most aggregate-level studies reported a positive association between national unemployment rates and rates of overall mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular disease and suicide. However, the relation between unemployment rates and motor-vehicle fatality rates may be inverse. Large, census-based cohort studies showed higher rates of overall mortality, death due to cardiovascular disease and suicide among unemployed men and women than among either employed people or the general population. Workers laid off because of factory closure have reported more symptoms and illnesses than employed people; some of these reports have been validated objectively. Unemployed people may be more likely than employed people to visit physicians, take medications or be admitted to general hospitals. A possible association between unemployment and rates of admission to psychiatric hospitals is complicated by other institutional and environmental factors. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluated on an epidemiologic basis, the evidence suggests a strong, positive association between unemployment and many adverse health outcomes. Whether unemployment causes these adverse outcomes is less straightforward, however, because there are likely many mediating and confounding factors, which may be social, economic or clinical. Many authors have suggested mechanisms of causation, but further research is needed to test these hypotheses.     

Demographic characteristics of US medical school admission committees

CONTEXT: Although concerns continue to be raised about the diversity of the US physician workforce, there has never been a nationwide survey of both the sex and underrepresented minority (URM) composition of medical school admission committees. OBJECTIVE: To document US medical school admission committee membership in several demographic domains, including sex and URM (African American, Mexican American, mainland Puerto Rican, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Native Alaskan) status. DESIGN: Mailed survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Deans or directors of admission at 85 US medical schools that were members of the Association of American Medical Colleges (response rate, 70%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of 1999-2000 school-year committee members in demographic categories, such as sex, URM status, physician or medical student status; compensation status. RESULTS: The overall ratio of men to women on admission committees was 1.77 to 1. On average, 16% of committee members were from URM groups. Physicians with URM status comprised 8% of committee membership; 51% of committees had 1 or 0 URM physicians. Seventy-four percent of committees had at least 1 medical student; medical students comprised 15% of total membership. Ninety-one percent of committees operated on a volunteer basis. CONCLUSION: Although representation of women and persons with URM status on medical school admission committees has improved since 1972, URM membership, in particular, remains low. JAMA. 2000;284:1111-1113     

Interventions for the treatment and management of chronic fatigue syndrome: a systematic review

CONTEXT: A variety of interventions have been used in the treatment and management of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Currently, debate exists among health care professionals and patients about appropriate strategies for management. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of all interventions that have been evaluated for use in the treatment or management of CFS in adults or children. DATA SOURCES: Nineteen specialist databases were searched from inception to either January or July 2000 for published or unpublished studies in any language. The search was updated through October 2000 using PubMed. Other sources included scanning citations, Internet searching, contacting experts, and online requests for articles. STUDY SELECTION: Controlled trials (randomized or nonrandomized) that evaluated interventions in patients diagnosed as having CFS according to any criteria were included. Study inclusion was assessed independently by 2 reviewers. Of 350 studies initially identified, 44 met inclusion criteria, including 36 randomized controlled trials and 8 controlled trials. DATA EXTRACTION: Data extraction was conducted by 1 reviewer and checked by a second. Validity assessment was carried out by 2 reviewers with disagreements resolved by consensus. A qualitative synthesis was carried out and studies were grouped according to type of intervention and outcomes assessed. DATA SYNTHESIS: The number of participants included in each trial ranged from 12 to 326, with a total of 2801 participants included in the 44 trials combined. Across the studies, 38 different outcomes were evaluated using about 130 different scales or types of measurement. Studies were grouped into 6 different categories. In the behavioral category, graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy showed positive results and also scored highly on the validity assessment. In the immunological category, both immunoglobulin and hydrocortisone showed some limited effects but, overall, the evidence was inconclusive. There was insufficient evidence about effectiveness in the other 4 categories (pharmacological, supplements, complementary/alternative, and other interventions). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the interventions demonstrated mixed results in terms of effectiveness. All conclusions about effectiveness should be considered together with the methodological inadequacies of the studies. Interventions which have shown promising results include cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy. Further research into these and other treatments is required using standardized outcome measures.