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The lifestyle concept and health education with young people. Results from a WHO international survey.

This article draws upon data from a unique, 11-country study of young people's health behaviour, facilitated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Analyses of the data available on individual health behaviours cluster into two groups: (i) health enhancing behaviours; and (ii) health-compromising behaviours. The results were analysed to identify the strength and consistency of these lifestyles across countries. A relatively modest proportion of the variance of the original variables was explained by these two lifestyle factors, but a consistent pattern emerged between countries. This consistency indicates that the health-related lifestyles of young people may not vary greatly between the countries in the study, a finding which might be used as an encouragement for greater international cooperation in the development and use of health education materials for young people, which may be easily transferable between countries. The data also support a more integrated approach to health education based on the promotion of healthy lifestyles, rather than a focus on individual health behaviours.

Adolescent

Care planning as a strategy to manage variation in practice: from care plan to integrated person-based record.

This article begins with a summary of the trend toward a person-based health record, and the need to integrate data from a variety of sources to achieve this. A project is described that demonstrated problems with the structure of nursing care plans. These problems affected the ability to integrate care plan data into a clinical database capable of analysis to link control of process with clinical outcome. A second project is described that focused on the development of data sets holding higher-level descriptions suitable for the maintenance of a person-based record, but at a summarized level and with no clinical detail. Finally, a prototype care planning system is described that, while maintaining the data required by the Nursing Process, was more flexibly structured to support analysis and hierarchical levels of description.

Community Health Nursing

Evaluating the impact of modeling choices on the performance of integrated genetic and clinical models.

PURPOSE: The value of genetic information for improving the performance of clinical risk prediction models has yielded variable conclusions. Many methodological decisions have the potential to contribute to differential results. We performed multiple modeling experiments integrating clinical and demographic data from electronic health records with genetic data to understand which decisions may affect performance. METHODS: Clinical data in the form of structured diagnostic codes, medications, procedural codes, and demographics were extracted from 2 large independent health systems, and polygenic risk scores (PRS) were generated across all patients of European ancestry with genetic data in the corresponding biobanks. Crohn's disease was studied based on its substantial genetic component, established electronic health records-based definition, and sufficient prevalence for training and testing. We investigated the impact of choices regarding the PRS integration method, training sample, model complexity, and performance metrics. RESULTS: Overall, our results showed that including PRS resulted in higher performance, but this gain was only robust in situations with limited clinical information. We found consistent performance increases from more compute-intensive models, such as random forest, but the impact of other decisions varied by site. CONCLUSION: This work highlights the importance of considering methodological decision points in interpreting the impact of PRS on prediction performance in clinical models.

Humans

Financial risk, accountability and outcome management: using data to manage and measure clinical performance.

As health care reform and components of managed competition begin to infiltrate the health care system, health care providers will be facing significant challenges over the next several years in responding to priorities that mandate the delivery of appropriate, comprehensive, cost-efficient high quality care. Changes in financial risk, increasing accountability, performance documentation, and outcome measurements will hold providers more responsible for the input and output of services provided. In an effort to respond to these challenges, health care providers will have to rely on integrated data systems to identify opportunities for improvement in an effort to more effectively manage and measure the impact of health care delivery as patients move through the health care system.

Competitive Medical Plans

Evaluating the impact of modeling choices on the performance of integrated genetic and clinical models.

The value of genetic information for improving the performance of clinical risk prediction models has yielded variable conclusions. Many methodological decisions have the potential to contribute to differential results across studies. Here, we performed multiple modeling experiments integrating clinical and demographic data from electronic health records (EHR) and genetic data to understand which decision points may affect performance. Clinical data in the form of structured diagnostic codes, medications, procedural codes, and demographics were extracted from two large independent health systems and polygenic risk scores (PRS) were generated across all patients with genetic data in the corresponding biobanks. Crohn's disease was used as the model phenotype based on its substantial genetic component, established EHR-based definition, and sufficient prevalence for model training and testing. We investigated the impact of PRS integration method, as well as choices regarding training sample, model complexity, and performance metrics. Overall, our results show that including PRS resulted in higher performance by some metrics but the gain in performance was only robust when combined with demographic data alone. Improvements were inconsistent or negligible after including additional clinical information. The impact of genetic information on performance also varied by PRS integration method, with a small improvement in some cases from combining PRS with the output of a clinical model (late-fusion) compared to its inclusion an additional feature (early-fusion). The effects of other modeling decisions varied between institutions though performance increased with more compute-intensive models such as random forest. This work highlights the importance of considering methodological decision points in interpreting the impact on prediction performance when including PRS information in clinical models.

Preprint

The geographical distribution of diagnostic medical and dental X-ray services in South Africa

AIM: The aim of this study was threefold, viz.: (i) to evaluate the availability and accessiblity of medical and dental X-ray services in South Africa; (ii) to evaluate geographical information systems (GIS) as a tool for management of health care technologies; and (iii) to guide policy and develop a process to provide optimal utilisation of X-ray services in South Africa. METHODS: Information supplied by the Department of Health on licensed X-ray equipment was integrated with census data and processed with GIS. Four key areas were assessed, viz. distribution, accessibility, age and availability of X-ray services in South Africa. RESULTS: The analysis shows a vast inequity in the distribution of X-ray services on a provincial as well as a district level, although on the national level the distribution of X-ray services meets the World health Organisation criteria. CONCLUSION: GIS is a useful tool in evaluating and planning of essential health services/techniques. However, care must be taken in interpreting the data on a macro level, as this masks vast inequities on the district level. RECOMMENDATIONS: The indicators of coverage should be expanded, similar reports should be prepared for the nine provinces, and these data should be integrated into the clinic planning programme. Radiological services should be added to and managed as part of an essential district health care technology package.

Journal Article

Measuring health and economic status of older adults in developing countries.

Aging and health care are the emerging policy issues in the Third World. However, we currently do not have the data to address these issues because economic status and health have not been integrated into a single survey design. This article discusses the rationale for the principal features of an emerging new international survey design which includes integration of younger and older families; reliance on retrospective data; intensive measurement of economic status, health outcomes and utilization and intergenerational transfers; and the combination of a household and community survey.

Aged

Integrating heterogeneous pieces of evidence in systematic reviews.

Researchers preparing systematic reviews often encounter various types of evidence, which can generally be categorized as direct or indirect. The former directly relates an exposure, diagnostic strategy, or therapeutic intervention to the occurrence of a principal health outcome. Evidence is indirect if two or more bodies of evidence are required to relate the exposure, diagnostic strategy, or intervention to the principal health outcome. Heterogeneity of data sources complicates integration of both direct and indirect evidence. Participants in different studies may have a wide spectrum of baseline risk and sociodemographic and cultural characteristics. A variety of formulations and intensities of exposures, diagnostic strategies, and interventions, as well as diversity in the selection and definition of control groups, may be encountered. Outcome measures may be different, and similar outcomes may be measured or reported differently. Heterogeneity of study designs and of methodologic features and quality within a given design may be found. The effective integration of direct and indirect evidence requires development of explicit models that serve as analytic frameworks for linking the important pieces of evidence. A model can be viewed as a series of subquestions, with each important subquestion warranting a systematic review. Several subjective and quantitative methods can then be used to integrate the evidence. Tabular displays of major findings and strength of evidence for each subquestion can help reviewers, patients, and providers to integrate the differing research findings and draw reasonable conclusions. Various quantitative techniques, such as decision analysis and the confidence profile method, are also available. No single integration approach is clearly superior, none obviates uncertainty, and all underscore the role of careful judgment in integrating evidence.

Evidence-Based Medicine

The Biobank Rare Variant consortium powers the discovery of rare genetic associations through global collaboration.

Rare coding variants can have large effects on disease risk and provide direct routes from human genetics to disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets, but their discovery is constrained by sample size, particularly for low-prevalence diseases. Here we establish the Biobank Rare Variant Analysis (BRaVa) consortium, a global rare variant association resource that integrates sequencing and linked health-record data from ten biobanks and cohorts comprising over 1.2 million individuals across diverse ancestries. We performed gene-based meta-analyses of rare coding variation across 33 clinical endpoints and 11 quantitative traits. Aggregating evidence across biobanks and ancestries identified 514 gene-trait associations, including 31 not previously reported in prior studies or curated association resources following systematic literature review. Notably, 36.1% of gene-level associations were undetectable in any individual biobank, and 91 emerged only through cross-ancestry meta-analysis, demonstrating that federated integration enables discovery beyond the reach of single cohorts. Similar gains were observed at the variant level, where 25.0% of phenotype-locus associations were detectable only through meta-analysis. Effect size estimates were correlated across ancestries with concordant directions of effect, supporting the generalizability of rare variant associations. The identified signals implicate pathways involved in transcriptional and epigenetic regulation, metabolism, vascular and epithelial biology, and immune function, highlighting rare coding variation as an engine for biological discovery across medical record phenotypes. For example, damaging variation in ANKRD12 implicates inflammatory transcriptional dysregulation in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ultra-rare predicted loss-of-function variants in NAA15 link protein acetylation processes to type 2 diabetes risk. BRaVa establishes a scalable framework and freely available community resource for rare variant meta-analysis across global biobanks. Public release of gene- and variant-level association summary statistics provides a reference map of rare coding variant associations to support disease gene discovery, biological interpretation, and therapeutic target prioritization as sequencing-linked health-record resources continue to expand.

Journal Article

Reinventing vital statistics. The impact of changes in information technology, welfare policy, and health care.

Vital statistics offers a case study in the potential of new information technology and reengineering to achieve better public sector performance. New technology--notably the shift from a paper to an electronic process for recording vital events and transmitting the data to public agencies--is creating opportunities to produce more timely, accurate, and useful information. The furthest advanced innovation is the electronic birth certificate. At the same time, changes in welfare policy and health care--including efforts to establish paternity at the time of birth and to improve health care outcomes--are creating pressures for more policy-relevant data about vital events. In addition, the rise of integrated health plans and health information networks is radically altering the organizational context of vital statistics. On the basis of a State-by-State survey of vital statistics officials, the authors estimate that at the end of 1994, 58 percent of all births in the United States were being recorded on an electronic birth certificate and communicated to a public agency electronically. Nearly all respondents reported that the electronic birth certificate brought improvements in both timeliness and accuracy of data. Achieving the full promise of the new technology, however, will require more fundamental changes in institutions and policies and a reconceptualization of the birth certificate as part of a broader perinatal information system.

Birth Certificates

Analysis of OSHA inspection data with exposure monitoring and medical surveillance violations.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection data from the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) enforcement data base are presented for lead, ethylene oxide, and formaldehyde for fiscal years 1985, 1987, and 1989, and are discussed with emphasis on exposure monitoring or medical surveillance section violations. These data suggest that the exposure monitoring section of these standards is more commonly used to cite workplaces below these standards than is the medical surveillance section. Medical surveillance violations more commonly resulted in fines, but there were no differences in the magnitude of the fines for exposure monitoring or for medical surveillance violations. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Environmental Exposure

Communication standards: impact on nursing practice.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION. In order to meet the demands of processing large amounts of data, hospitals must look to innovative methods of information handling. One new method currently in use is the computerized patient record (CPR) (Dick & Steen, 1991). To successfully implement the CPR, many factors must be considered, including: (a) the fact that the database is dependent upon several different departments and resources for information; (b) the information needs of each department differs, making selection of a single information system that encompasses all users' needs difficult; and (c) operating systems may be incompatible, hampering the process of networking and exchanging, processing, and retrieving data in an integrated manner. Yet the integration of systems is central to the successful development of the CPR. 2. PURPOSE. Establishment of communication standards for health care promotes the effective integration of patient information across various computer systems (McDonald, 1990). To achieve this level of automation, standard organizations must unite in the development and implementation of communication standards for health care. This poster will explore: (a) data on communication standards; (b) the process of reaching standards; (c) established communication standards; and (d) the impact of communication standards on nursing practice. In addition, we will present a model for an integrated patient focused system of the future. Today, communication standards continue to evolve in health care. Many professional organizations share the goal of developing communication standards between clinical systems (McDonald, 1990). Standards to be explored in this poster include: the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), the Medical Data Interchange Standard (MEDIX), the Medical Information Bus (MIB), and Health Level (HL7). Evolving standards will define protocols and procedures for the effective exchange of easy integration of information systems. Once standards are established for health care, society will benefit from the ability to: (a) compare health care costs; (b) measure the effectiveness of treatment; and (c) provide clinicians with comprehensive patient information (Rishel, 1992). 3. IMPLICATIONS. There is very little in existing literature and research studies on the impact of communication standards on nursing practice. Nurse researchers willing to assume the challenge of conducting studies on the impact of communication standards on nursing practice will forge new territory. Implications for nursing from the development of communication standards include: (a) increased productivity, (b) definition of a clinical data set, (c) improved quality patient care, and (d) easier system implementations.

Humans

A regional integrated information system to assure maternal-child health services: a progress report.

Priorities for improving the health of our nation include rebuilding the public health infrastructure through increasing assessment, policy development, and assurance capacities in our communities. Capacity building necessitates formalizing and strengthening public health practice linkages to achieve Year 2000 objectives. Determining progress in achieving objectives requires development of public health infrastructure surveillance and data system capabilities. The Tracking Center of Tracking and Outreach Program for St. Louis (TOPS), through unique collaboration among academic and practice partners, laid the foundation for a Regional Integrated Information System (RIIS) by developing a centralized maternal-child health data base for prenatal and pediatric care providers. The RIIS model provides an example of a capacity building system designed to provide public health surveillance, assessment, planning, and evaluation capabilities. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): health information systems, prenatal care, immunization, maternal-child health care, public health surveillance.

Child

The racial integration of health facilities.

No published measures of racial integration in health facilities in the United States exist. This article reviews the problems with possible sources of data. It then derives estimates of the degree of integration in nursing homes and hospitals from the 1985 National Nursing Home and National Hospital Discharge surveys. Nursing homes were less racially integrated than hospitals. Health facilities in the South were more integrated than in any other region of the country. There was little difference in the degree of racial segregation of publicly financed patients and those whose care was financed from private sources. Data on nursing homes in Pennsylvania illustrate in more detail some of the consequences of such patterns of segregation. The article discusses some of the reasons for the lack of easy access to such information and makes recommendations for addressing it.

Black or African American

Pneumococcal population structure influences the effects of air pollution on invasive disease risk in South Africa.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is highly diverse, comprising over 100 serotypes and hundreds of genomic lineages amid widespread vaccination. While it can cause invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) which exhibits pronounced seasonal spikes, the interplay between pneumococcal diversity and environmental drivers remains unexplored. Here we analysed 59,017 IPD cases over 19 years from South Africa, incorporating 4,350 genome-sequenced isolates, using Bayesian spatiotemporal models to link environmental exposure and pneumococcal diversity. Cumulatively, across an 8-week period, moderate relative humidity (33-49%) and cold minimum temperatures (4-10 °C) increased IPD risk by 5% and 4%, respectively. Conversely, warm maximum temperatures (27-38 °C) were associated with up to a 10% increased risk within a week of exposure. There was a positive association between air pollution (PM2.5) and IPD, although it varied by age, disease presentation, and most notably serotype and lineage. Specifically, the lag time between PM2.5 exposure and disease onset varied by serotype, with only serotypes 4, 8 and 23F conferring an immediate IPD risk. High prevalence of GPSC21 lineage (serotype 19F) also modified the pollution response, shifting the lag structure to produce immediate risk of disease following high PM2.5 exposure. Our results demonstrate that pneumococcal population structure shapes air quality risk which in turn can shape the fitness landscape of microbial populations. Integration of these data may inform public health policy.

Journal Article

Beyond the clinic: a community-embedded, multidomain framework for early detection of glaucoma.

Glaucoma remains one of the leading causes of acquired irreversible blindness worldwide, with normal-tension glaucoma representing the dominant subtype in Japan and several East Asian populations. The insidious, asymptomatic progression of this condition, combined with the demonstrated inadequacy of intraocular pressure alone as a screening criterion, creates a critical gap between disease burden and case detection. Population-based epidemiological studies consistently reveal that the majority of individuals with glaucoma are undiagnosed. Two responses have been suggested: incorporation of retinal imaging into annual health checkups, which warrants formal prospective evaluation, and characterization of individuals at higher risk - integrating genomic risk, oxidative stress biomarkers, systemic lifestyle factors, and ocular blood flow dynamics - which may help identify those in whom damage is most likely to occur. The principal contribution of this Perspective is therefore the implementation model rather than the individual screening components. We introduce the Living Lab ('neighborhood health lab'), a community co-creation platform established under the Japan Science and Technology Agency COI-NEXT 'Vision to Connect' hub at Tohoku University, as a scalable model for operationalizing this framework. Embedded within commercial retail environments, the Living Lab integrates non-invasive screening, longitudinal health data collection, and evidence-based health product development-exemplified by the Ronbun Recipe® concept-within a stakeholder-aligned ecosystem encompassing citizens, researchers, industry, and municipal authorities. Conceived as a platform for well-being rather than as a disease-specific screening service, it engages individuals who are asymptomatic, undiagnosed, and outside existing screening pathways, and who would not otherwise be assessed at all.

Humans

Cocaine babies: the scourge of the '90s.

Six cases of cocaine-related deaths of infants have covered the spectrum of potentially devastating effects. They include an intrauterine death of a 35-week-old fetus following acute maternal cocaine abuse; anoxic encephalopathy at birth with 3 months' vegetative survival from a similar episode; traumatic compression asphyxia in a 4-month-old; infectious cardiomyopathy with heart failure in a twin at age 21 months following maternal cocaine abuse at birth; malnutrition and dehydration in a 7-week-old during continuing cocaine abuse by the parents; and a teenage sibling's cocaine lacing of a baby milk bottle ingested by his 6-week-old brother. All the cases had positive toxicological screening for cocaine or metabolites or both in the mother at delivery or in the infant at birth, or both. There were no instances of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, or "crib death"). Pathologic and toxicologic, as well as birth, developmental, and social data are presented. An integrated medical, public health, law enforcement, and educational policy to prevent or at least ameliorate these tragic cases, now approaching epidemic proportions, has yet to be developed. A careful obstetrical history and examination of the mother, indication on the birth certificate of maternal drug abuse, and notification of health authorities (by birth certificate checking, among other ways) may send an early warning message to providers for intercession. Active ingestion/injection and passive inhalation by older children and teenagers require more intensive monitoring and aggressive interaction by pediatricians, social workers, school authorities, and employers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced

Cost effectiveness and other assessments of adjuvant therapies for early breast cancer.

The 1992 metaanalysis of adjuvant therapies after surgery in early breast cancer summarizes the most extensively studied of all cancer treatments via randomized controlled trials. This study found overall benefits with use of adjuvant therapies, and their expanded use outside the clinical trial setting was assumed to be effective and implied to be cost effective. Thus, the primary remaining questions are which form of adjuvant therapy to use and how to identify which patients are unlikely to benefit. In British Columbia, the effectiveness of adjuvant therapy outside the clinical trial setting was reassuringly similar to the metaanalysis efficacy. Our decision analysis model of hypothetical cohorts of women with early breast cancer confirmed that the efficacy of adjuvant treatment is the primary determinate of its incremental cost effectiveness. Future cost-effectiveness and quality of life assessments should move from hypothetical cohorts assessed via models to prospective data collected within clinical trials or integrated health delivery system.

Breast Neoplasms