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Objectives To characterize the frequency and association of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms with outcomes in patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) admitted to the hospital. Methods Records were retrospectively collected from patients admitted to a tertiary care center in Washington, D.C., with confirmed COVID-19 from March 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. After adjusting for clinical demographics and comorbidities, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Results The most common presenting symptoms of COVID-19 in patients that were admitted to the hospital were cough (38.4%), shortness of breath (37.5%), and fever (34.3%), followed by GI symptoms in 25.9% of patients. The most common GI symptom was diarrhea (12.8%) followed by nausea or vomiting (10.5%), decreased appetite (9.3%), and abdominal pain (3.8%). Patients with diarrhea were more likely to die (odds ratio [OR] 2.750; p = 0.006; confidence interval [CI] 1.329–5.688), be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR 2.242; p = 0.019; CI 1.139–4.413), and be intubated (OR 3.155; p = 0.002; CI 1.535–6.487). Additional outcomes analyzed were need for vasopressors, presence of shock, and acute kidney injury. Patients with diarrhea were 2.738 (p = 0.007; CI 1.325–5.658), 2.467 (p = 0.013; CI 1.209–5.035), and 2.694 (p = 0.007; CI 1.305–5.561) times more likely to experience these outcomes, respectively. Conclusions Screening questions should be expanded to include common GI symptoms in patients with COVID-19. Health care providers should note whether their patient is presenting with diarrhea due to the potential implications on disease severity and outcomes.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Background: Until 2016, community health centers (CHCs) reported community health workers (CHWs) as part of their overall enabling services workforce, making analyses of CHW use over time infeasible in the annual Uniform Data System (UDS). Objective: The objective of this study was to examine changes in the CHW workforce among CHCs from 2016 to 2018 and factors associated with the use of CHWs. Research Design, Subjects, Measures: The two-part model estimated separate effects for the probability of using any CHW and extent of CHW full-time equivalents (FTEs) reported in those CHCs, using a total of 4102 CHC-year observations from 2016 to 2018. To estimate the extent to which increases in CHW workforce are attributable to real growth or rather are a consequence of a change in reporting category, we also conducted a difference-in-differences analysis to compare non-CHW enabling services FTEs between CHCs with and without CHWs before (2013–2015) and after (2016–2018) the reporting change in 2016. Results: The rate of CHCs that employed CHWs rose from 20.04% in 2016 to 28.34% in 2018, while average FTEs stayed relatively flat (3.32 FTEs). Patient visit volume (larger CHCs) and grant funding (less reliant on federal but more reliant on private funding) were significant factors associated with CHW use. However, we found that a substantial portion of this growth was attributable to a change in UDS reporting categories. Conclusion: While we do not address the reasons why CHCs have been slow to use CHWs, our results point to substantial financial barriers associated with CHCs’ expanding the use of CHWs.

Background: Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is recommended by national hypertension (HTN) guidelines as an evidence-based approach to improve HTN control. The use of wireless BP devices that transmit data to the electronic health record (EHR) makes HBPM eligible for remote patient monitoring (RPM) billing codes. Little is known about barriers and facilitators to HTN RPM program referral. Methods: We implemented a HTN RPM program at two adult primary care clinics in New York City. Patients were loaned a two-way tablet and wireless BP cuff and received virtual nursing support. We conducted 1:1 semi-structured interviews with primary care physicians (PCPs) from these clinics to elucidate attitudes about the program. Barriers and facilitators were categorized according to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), which includes 14 domains of behavior change helpful for guiding implementation. Interviews were conducted by video, audio-recorded, and professionally transcribed. Three study physicians (NL, IK, CO) independently coded transcripts using content analysis, coming to consensus for discrepancies. Results: We interviewed 13 PCPs (7 had referred patients, 6 had not), at which point saturation of ideas was reached. Most barriers and facilitators fell into the following TDF domains: knowledge, beliefs about consequences , environmental context and resources . PCPs knew the evidence supporting HBPM and were aware of the RPM program, but confusion about eligibility, ordering, and program features were barriers to referral. Most PCPs were confident in their ability to manage RPM data and felt the program increased patient engagement in care. However, some questioned whether it would improve the status quo and others worried it might increase anxiety in certain patients. Virtual nursing support and EHR integration were seen as program benefits. However, some were concerned about increased workload, interruptions, and insufficient support to manage data between visits. Reimbursement from billing was not a strong incentive to refer. Conclusion: Improving communication during implementation, developing workflows to minimize interruptions, and increasing support structures may be needed to promote uptake of HTN RPM programs in primary care.

Introduction: Elevated depressive symptoms in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients increases the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events and mortality. Experts posit that behavioral determinants like physical inactivity, patient activation/healthcare engagement, and depression treatment uptake may mediate this relationship. Social determinants like access to high-resourced/integrated clinical settings have also emerged, independent of patient-level demographics/factors. We sought to examine the impact of social determinants on trends in behavioral risk factors among CHD patients. Methods: As part of a trial of an electronic shared decision-making tool in depressed CHD patients (iHeart DepCare), we recruited English and Spanish-speaking patients with upcoming internal medicine and cardiology clinic appointments in 8 geographically and socioeconomically diverse clusters of clinics in NY from April 2019 to August 2021. Eligible participants were aged ≥21 years with an ICD10 code for CHD and a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 ≥10 but not under psychiatric care. Baseline questionnaires included the patient activation measure, international physical activity questionnaire, and self-reported preferred mental health treatment. We used descriptive statistics and logistic regression to examine pre-post changes in behavioral risk factors (2020-2021 vs. 2019) overall and by system-level resources (6 commercial insured/extensively resourced clinics [high] vs. 2 Medicaid only/limited resources [low]). Results: Of the 627 screened patients, 96 (15.3%) of CHD patients had elevated depressive symptoms; 22.4% in low-resourced vs. 6.2% high-resourced clinics (p Conclusion: Over the last 2 years, patient activation, a key predictor of cardiovascular risk, worsened among depressed CHD patients. While social/system-level factors (i.e., lack of quality care) may contribute to depression burden, once depressed, CHD patients demonstrate suboptimal preventative behaviors, like physical activity, engagement/activation, and depression treatment-seeking, regardless of system-level resources. Future research should elucidate reasons for waning interest in cardiac rehab and therapy in this high-risk population, and consider activation interventions that meet patients in their communities or homes.

Obstetric hemorrhage is one of the leading preventable causes of maternal mortality in the United States. Although hemorrhage risk-prediction models exist, there remains a gap in literature describing if these risk-prediction tools can identify composite maternal morbidity. We investigate how well an established obstetric hemorrhage risk-assessment tool predicts composite hemorrhage-associated morbidity. We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of a multicenter database including women admitted to Labor and Delivery from 2016 to 2018, at centers implementing the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses risk assessment tool on admission. A composite morbidity score incorporated factors including obstetric hemorrhage (estimated blood loss ≥ 1000 mL), blood transfusion, or ICU admission. Out of 56,903 women, 14,803 (26%) were categorized as low-risk, 26,163 (46%) as medium-risk and 15,937 (28%) as high-risk for obstetric hemorrhage. Composite morbidity occurred at a rate of 2.2%, 8.0% and 11.9% within these groups, respectively. Medium- and high-risk groups had an increased combined risk of composite morbidity (diagnostic OR 4.58; 4.09–5.13) compared to the low-risk group. This established hemorrhage risk-assessment tool predicts clinically-relevant composite morbidity. Future randomized trials in obstetric hemorrhage can incorporate these tools for screening patients at highest risk for composite morbidity.

BackgroundBreast cancer is the leading cause of female mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Early detection of breast cancer, either through screening or early diagnosis initiatives, led by community health workers (CHWs) has been proposed as a potential way to address the unjustly high mortality rates. We therefore document: (1) where and how CHWs are currently deployed in this role; (2) how CHWs are trained, including the content, duration and outcomes of training; and (3) the evidence on costs associated with deploying CHWs in breast cancer early detection.MethodsWe conducted a systematic scoping review and searched eight major databases, as well as the grey literature. We included original studies focusing on the role of CHWs to assist in breast cancer early detection in a country defined as a LMIC according to the World Bank.Findings16 eligible studies were identified. Several roles were identified for CHWs including awareness raising and community education (n=13); history taking (n=7); performing clinical breast examination (n=9); making onward referrals (n=7); and assisting in patient navigation and follow-up (n=4). Details surrounding training programmes were poorly reported and no studies provided a formal cost analysis.ConclusionsDespite the relative paucity of studies addressing the role of CHWs in breast cancer early detection, as well as the heterogeneity of existing studies, evidence suggests that CHWs can play a number of important roles in breast cancer early detection initiatives in LMICs. However, if they are to realise their full potential, they must be appropriately supported within the wider health system.

I removed my shoes and followed Esther* as we entered her house to meet her husband, Martin*. Esther is a community health worker (CHW) for the Ministry of Health in eastern rural Uganda. Earlier that day, I and the staff members from the non-governmental organization (NGO) I was working with accompanied Esther on her home visits. Esther periodically conducts these visits in her village to teach her community about a myriad of health topics, ranging from the importance of good sanitation practices to the use of mosquito nets. As I entered, I noticed Martin sitting up on a bed in the corner of the room. I waved to him, greeting him in Luganda and sat down, realizing that he did not acknowledge me as he was speaking across the room to his wife. He held a weak smile on his face, but it was apparent that it was partially an effort to mask some of his discomfort; his left leg was markedly more swollen than his right. After a few moments, I learned, with the help of a translator, how he could no longer see or walk, secondary to his chronic and uncontrolled hypertension.

With the need to design and evaluate Community Health Worker (CHW) programmes from a more human-centred perspective, researchers and programme managers are exploring the role of participatory visual methodologies (PVMs). This review identifies, maps, and assesses the quality of current literature that describes the use of PVMs with CHWs. It includes material from the grey literature and 10 major databases between 1978-2018. A Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Qualitative checklist was used to assess the overall quality of the included studies. 12 original studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies were located in North America (n = 9) or sub-Saharan Africa (n = 3), with photovoice (n = 6) and digital storytelling (n = 5) being the most commonly used forms of PVMs. The overall quality of the evidence described in these articles was high, but it was notable that seven studies did not fully report the ethical considerations of their work. The studies revealed that PVMs can help assist CHWs’ reflective practice and understanding of complex health issues, as well as identifying key issues in the community to potentially leverage social action.