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Open Access Publications from the University of California

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This series is automatically populated with publications deposited by UCSF Library researchers in accordance with the University of California’s open access policies. For more information see Open Access Policy Deposits and the UC Publication Management System.

Peer-reviewed publications in orthopaedic surgery from lower income countries: A comparative analysis

(2024)

Introduction

Musculoskeletal (MSK) disease is a substantial global burden, especially in lower income countries. However, limited research has been published on MSK health by scholars from these countries. We aimed to study the distribution of authorships, including trends in peer-reviewed orthopaedic publications based on each author's affiliated institution's country income status.

Methods

Based on a bibliometric search, 119 orthopaedic-related journals were identified using the Journal Citation Reports database. Details of all scientific articles published in these journals between 2012 and 2021 were used to study trends and association between each of the author's affiliated institution's country income status, using the World Bank Classification.

Results

Of the 133,718 unique articles, 87.6% had at least one author affiliation from a high-income country (HIC), 7.0% from an upper-middle income country (UMIC), 5.2% from a lower-middle income country (LMIC), and 0.2% from a low-income country (LIC). Overall, these articles were cited 1,825,365 times, with 92.5% of citations from HIC-affiliated authors and < 0.1% from LIC-affiliated authors. Over the 10-year study period, HIC-affiliated articles demonstrated the largest increase in the number of publications (9107-14,619), compared to UMIC-affiliated (495-1214), LMIC-affiliated (406-874), and LIC-affiliated articles (4-28).

Conclusions

There are large and persistent disparities in orthopaedic research publications based on the country income status of the author's affiliated institution, especially in the higher impact orthopaedic journals. Efforts should be made to increase opportunities for scholars from LICs and LMICs to publish their research in high-impact orthopaedic journals.

From Python to Raspberry Pi: Celebrating Pi Day with data science

(2023)

The University of California-San Francisco (UCSF) Library is a graduate-only health science university with four professional schools (medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and dentistry), a graduate division, and an academic medical center. For several years UCSF has been the number one public recipient of NIH funding, reflecting the school’s dedication to biomedical research. Around 2015, the UCSF Library began investigating new ways to serve the university’s research population. Seeing a need for more computational and entrepreneurship training the library piloted two new programs: the Data Science Initiative (DSI) and the Makers Lab.

Automated indexing using NLM's Medical Text Indexer (MTI) compared to human indexing in Medline: a pilot study

(2023)

Objective

In 2002, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) introduced semi-automated indexing of Medline using the Medical Text Indexer (MTI). In 2021, NLM announced that it would fully automate its indexing in Medline with an improved MTI by mid-2022. This pilot study examines indexing using a sample of records in Medline from 2000, and how an early, public version of MTI's outputs compares to records created by human indexers.

Methods

This pilot study examines twenty Medline records from 2000, a year before the MTI was introduced as a MeSH term recommender. We identified twenty higher- and lower-impact biomedical journals based on Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and examined the indexing of papers by feeding their PubMed records into the Interactive MTI tool.

Results

In the sample, we found key differences between automated and human-indexed Medline records: MTI assigned more terms and used them more accurately for citations in the higher JIF group, and MTI tended to rank the Male check tag more highly than the Female check tag and to omit Aged check tags. Sometimes MTI chose more specific terms than human indexers but was inconsistent in applying specificity principles.

Conclusion

NLM's transition to fully automated indexing of the biomedical literature could introduce or perpetuate inconsistencies and biases in Medline. Librarians and searchers should assess changes to index terms, and their impact on PubMed's mapping features for a range of topics. Future research should evaluate automated indexing as it pertains to finding clinical information effectively, and in performing systematic searches.

Cover page of Associations between self-reported obstetric complications and experience of care: a secondary analysis of survey data from Ghana, Kenya, and India.

Associations between self-reported obstetric complications and experience of care: a secondary analysis of survey data from Ghana, Kenya, and India.

(2023)

Background

Although several indicators have been proposed to measure women's experience of care in health facilities during the intrapartum period, it is unknown if these indicators perform differently in the context of obstetric emergencies. We examined the relationship between experience of care indicators from the Person-Centered Maternity Care (PCMC) scale and obstetric complications.

Methods

We used data from four cross-sectional surveys conducted in Kenya (rural: N = 873; urban: N = 531), Ghana (N = 531), and India (N = 2018) between August 2016 and October 2017. The pooled sample included 3953 women aged 15-49 years who gave birth within 9 weeks prior to the survey. Experience of care was measured using the PCMC scale. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were conducted to examine the associations between the composite and 31 individual PCMC indicators with (1) obstetric complications; (2) severity of complications; and (3) delivery by cesarean section (c-section).

Results

16% (632) of women in the pooled sample reported obstetric complications; and 4% (132) reported having given birth via c-Sect. (10.5% among those with complications). The average standardized PCMC scores (range 0-100) were 63.5 (SD = 14.1) for the full scale, 43.2 (SD = 20.6) for communication and autonomy, 67.8 (SD = 14.1) for supportive care, and 80.1 (SD = 18.2) for dignity and respect sub-scales. Women with complications had higher communication and autonomy scores (45.6 [SD = 20.2]) on average compared to those without complications (42.7 [SD = 20.6]) (p < 0.001), but lower supportive care scores, and about the same scores for dignity and respect and for the overall PCMC. 18 out of 31 experience of care indicators showed statistically significant differences by complications, but the magnitudes of the differences were generally small, and the direction of the associations were inconsistent. In general, women who delivered by c-section reported better experiences.

Conclusions

There is insufficient evidence based on our analysis to suggest that women with obstetric complications report consistently better or worse experiences of care than women without. Women with complications appear to experience better care on some indicators and worse care on others. More studies are needed to understand the relationship between obstetric complications and women's experience of care and to explore why women who deliver by c-section may report better experience of care.

Cover page of Navigation programs relevant for African American men with prostate cancer: a scoping review protocol

Navigation programs relevant for African American men with prostate cancer: a scoping review protocol

(2022)

Background

The excess incidence and mortality due to prostate cancer that impacts African American men constitutes the largest of all cancer disparities. Patient navigation is a patient-centered healthcare system intervention to eliminate barriers to timely, high-quality care across the cancer continuum and improves health outcomes among vulnerable patients. However, little is known regarding the extent to which navigation programs include cultural humility to address prostate cancer disparities among African American men. We present a scoping review protocol of an in-depth examination of navigation programs in prostate cancer care-including navigation activities/procedures, training, and management-with a special focus on cultural context and humility for African American men to achieve health equity.

Methods

We will conduct comprehensive searches of the literature in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL Complete, using keywords and index terms (Mesh and Emtree) within the three main themes: prostate cancer, patient navigation, and African American men. We will also conduct a search of the gray literature, hand-searching, and reviewing references of included papers and conference abstracts. In a two-phase approach, two authors will independently screen titles and abstracts, and full-text based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. All study designs will be included that present detailed data about the elements of navigation programs, including intervention content, navigator training, and/or management. Data will be extracted from included studies, and review findings will be synthesized and summarized.

Discussion

A scoping review focused on cultural humility in patient navigation within the context of eliminating disparities in PCa care among African American men does not yet exist. This review will synthesize existing evidence of patient navigation programs for African American prostate cancer patients and the inclusion of cultural humility. Results will inform the development and implementation of future programs to meet the unique needs of vulnerable prostate cancer patients in safety net settings.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021221412.

Shy, Not Anti-Social: How to Include and Represent Shy Children in the Library

(2022)

Shyness in children is a phenomenon often overlooked as a trait that every child will “grow out of” or stigmatized as an emotional or behavioral anomaly, by caregivers as well as teachers. Yet, academic research on supporting shy children in the context of library youth services is scarce.Unlike social anxiety or introversion, shyness is a lay term that is more difficult to pinpoint, yet inherently meaningful. Asendorpf defines the term broadly as, “various forms of modest, reserved, wary, inhibited, anxious, or withdrawn behaviors in social situations.” While this may serve as a functioning umbrella for a variety of behaviors, not all children who identify as being shy exemplify all of these behaviors.

Three-dimensional morphologic changes in the temporomandibular joint in asymptomatic patients who undergo orthodontic treatment: A systematic review

(2022)

Objective

This systematic review aimed to summarize the morphologic changes in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in patients who underwent orthodontic treatment and were assessed by 3-dimensional (3D) imaging techniques (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging, cone beam computed tomography, and multidetector computed tomography).

Study design

The authors searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases to identify original articles from 2014 to 2021 containing keywords for morphologic changes in the TMJ, orthodontic treatment, and three-dimensional imaging methods. Prospective and retrospective studies, including observational, cross-sectional, randomized, and nonrandomized clinical trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies, were reviewed. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The risk of bias was assessed in studies selected for the full-text review.

Results

The search strategy yielded 294 publications. After an initial screening and the application of exclusion criteria, 13 studies were selected for the final review.

Conclusion

Differences were found in condylar positioning, typically in an anterior position; condylar morphology, primarily with increased diameter or head height; and articular disk position within the anterior-posterior plane post-treatment. Changes in the glenoid fossa were not consistent between the studies. The overall risk of bias among studies was moderate. The influence of orthodontic treatment on morphologic changes in the TMJ remains unclear.

Cover page of Leadership development programs for healthcare professionals in low-and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

Leadership development programs for healthcare professionals in low-and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

(2022)

Background

Leadership development programs are integral to the future success of public health and healthcare organisations. Despite low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) bearing a greater burden of unmet medical needs, fewer professional development opportunities exist in these settings. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of available leadership development programs for healthcare professionals in LMICs.

Methods

This study conforms to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis-P systematic review and traditional meta-analyses guidelines. Articles were identified through five academic databases: Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, ERIC, and Business Source Complete. Eligibility criteria included original research published in peer-reviewed journals on non-clinical, leadership development programs offered to healthcare professionals in LMICs worldwide.

Results

Forty-one peer-reviewed articles met inclusion criteria, of which physicians, nurses, and public health professionals were the most common types of providers to attend leadership development programs; no programs exclusively targeted surgeons. The greatest proportion of programs were short-term interventions (ranging from 1 day to 12 weeks). Communication, organizational structure and leadership, and personal development were identified as the three most common leadership themes in the review. Regionally, leadership programs were reported most commonly in Africa, specifically in Anglophone countries. Other regions worldwide, including Latin America and the Caribbean, were underrepresented in the review.

Conclusions

The findings from this review identify gaps in leadership development programs for certain groups of healthcare professionals from certain geographical regions, supporting the need for further provision of and participation in these opportunities in LMICs.

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