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"Research Data Sharing: A Maturity Model for Organizational Capacity" can also serve as a tool to guide a gap analysis, helping organizations identify specific resource investments and interventions to increase their data sharing performance. Rule 1: Use a maturity model to understand organizational qualities that impact data sharing Organizations need to understand their baseline capabilities for data sharing, and a maturity model can facilitate this assessment. We consider an institution's organizational culture about data sharing to encompass how leaders and researchers generally interpret data sharing, how its reward systems express these attitudes, and how it treats decisions for engaging with new data sharing opportunities and best practices. [Extracted from the article]

Discusses publishing in the field of education technology. Topics include publishing as a tool for faculty evaluation; perceptions about publishing; academic versus nonacademic publications; quality versus quantity of scholarly work; refereed status; and journal rankings by academic prestige, general reading, and classroom use. (LRW)

Objectives Studies report racial/ethnic disparities in multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions) and their rate of accumulation over time as well as differences in physical activity. Our study aimed to investigate whether racial/ethnic differences in the accumulation of multimorbidity were mediated by physical activity among middle-aged and older adults. Method We assessed racial/ethnic differences in the accumulation of multimorbidity (of 9 conditions) over 12 years (2004–2016) in the Health and Retirement Study (N = 18,264, mean age = 64.4 years). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate latent growth curve models of changes in multimorbidity and investigate whether the relationship of race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White participants) to changes in the number of chronic conditions was mediated by physical activity after controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, household wealth, insurance coverage, smoking, alcohol, and body weight. Results There was a significant increase in multimorbidity over time. Initial levels and changes in multimorbidity over time varied significantly across individuals. Indirect effects of the relationship between race/ethnicity and changes in multimorbidity as mediated by physical activity were significant, consistent with the mediational hypothesis. Black respondents engaged in significantly lower levels of physical activity than White respondents after controlling for covariates, but there were no differences between Hispanic and White respondents once education was included. Discussion: These results provide important new information for understanding how modifiable lifestyle factors may help explain disparities in multimorbidity in mid-to-late life, suggesting greater need to intervene to reduce sedentary behavior and increase physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Among National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs, effective approaches for enterprise data warehouses for research (EDW4R) development, maintenance, and sustainability remain unclear. The goal of this qualitative study was to understand CTSA EDW4R operations within the broader contexts of academic medical centers and technology.Materials and Methods: We performed a directed content analysis of transcripts generated from semistructured interviews with informatics leaders from 20 CTSA hubs.Results: Respondents referred to services provided by health system, university, and medical school information technology (IT) organizations as "enterprise information technology (IT)." Seventy-five percent of respondents stated that the team providing EDW4R service at their hub was separate from enterprise IT; strong relationships between EDW4R teams and enterprise IT were critical for success. Managing challenges of EDW4R staffing was made easier by executive leadership support. Data governance appeared to be a work in progress, as most hubs reported complex and incomplete processes, especially for commercial data sharing. Although nearly all hubs (n = 16) described use of cloud computing for specific projects, only 2 hubs reported using a cloud-based EDW4R. Respondents described EDW4R cloud migration facilitators, barriers, and opportunities.Discussion: Descriptions of approaches to how EDW4R teams at CTSA hubs work with enterprise IT organizations, manage workforces, make decisions about data, and approach cloud computing provide insights for institutions seeking to leverage patient data for research.Conclusion: Identification of EDW4R best practices is challenging, and this study helps identify a breadth of viable options for CTSA hubs to consider when implementing EDW4R services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study to ascertain mortality rate and incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) by administration of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) to cancer patients to treat anemia is conducted. Results raised concerns over the safety of administration of ESAs which increased the risk of VTE and mortality among patients.

Background: Obesity and multimorbidity are more prevalent among U.S. racial/ethnic minority groups. Evaluating racial/ethnic disparities in disease accumulation according to body mass index (BMI) may guide interventions to reduce multimorbidity burden in vulnerable racial/ethnic groups.Method: We used data from the 1998-2016 Health and Retirement Study on 8 106 participants aged 51-55 at baseline. Disease burden and multimorbidity (≥2 co-occurring diseases) were assessed using 7 chronic diseases: arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, lung disease, and stroke. Four BMI categories were defined per convention: normal, overweight, obese class 1, and obese class 2/3. Generalized estimating equations models with inverse probability weights estimated the accumulation of chronic diseases.Results: Overweight and obesity were more prevalent in non-Hispanic Black (82.3%) and Hispanic (78.9%) than non-Hispanic White (70.9 %) participants at baseline. The baseline burden of disease was similar across BMI categories, but disease accumulation was faster in the obese class 2/3 and marginally in the obese class 1 categories compared with normal BMI. Black participants across BMI categories had a higher initial burden and faster accumulation of disease over time, while Hispanics had a lower initial burden and similar rate of accumulation, compared with Whites. Black participants, including those with normal BMI, reach the multimorbidity threshold 5-6 years earlier compared with White participants.Conclusions: Controlling weight and reducing obesity early in the lifecourse may slow the progression of multimorbidity in later life. Further investigations are needed to identify the factors responsible for the early and progressing nature of multimorbidity in Blacks of nonobese weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines barriers to identifying residents with dementia for embedded pragmatic trials. Topics discussed include contemporary efforts to create more equitable and ethical algorithms, possible interventions for people living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias (ADRD), and methods used for conducting the research at hand.