CIC 2022: The ACTIVATE Digital Health Pilot Program for Diabetes and Hypertension in an Underserved and Rural Community.

BACKGROUND: Community health centers and patients in rural and agricultural communities struggle to address diabetes and hypertension in the face of health disparities and technology barriers. The stark reality of these digital health disparities were highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the ACTIVATE project was to co-design a platform for remote patient monitoring and program for chronic illness management that would address these disparities and offer a solution that fit the needs and context of the community. METHODS: ACTIVATE was a digital health intervention implemented in three phases-community codesign, feasibility assessment, and a pilot phase. Pre- and post-intervention outcomes included regularly-collected hemoglobin A1c (A1c) for participants with diabetes and blood pressure for those with hypertension. RESULTS: Participants were adult patients with uncontrolled diabetes and/or hypertension (n=50). Most were White and Hispanic or Latino (84%) with Spanish as a primary language (69%), and the mean age was 55. There was substantial adoption and use of the technology: over 10,000 glucose and blood pressure measures were transmitted using connected remote monitoring devices over a six-month period. Participants with diabetes achieved a mean reduction in A1c of 3.28 percentage points (SD 2.81) at three months, and 4.19 (SD 2.69) at six months. The vast majority of patients achieved an A1c in the target range for control (7.0 %to 8.0%). Participants with hypertension achieved reductions in systolic blood pressure of 14.81 mmHG (SD 21.40) at three months and 13.55 (SD 23.31) at six months, with smaller reductions in diastolic blood pressure. The majority of participants also reached target blood pressure (less than 130/80). CONCLUSIONS: The ACTIVATE pilot demonstrated that a co-designed solution for remote patient monitoring and chronic illness management delivered by community health centers can overcome digital divide barriers and show positive health outcomes for rural and agricultural residents.

Predictions, Pivots, and a Pandemic: a Review of 2020's Top Translational Bioinformatics Publications.

OBJECTIVES: Provide an overview of the emerging themes and notable papers which were published in 2020 in the field of Bioinformatics and Translational Informatics (BTI) for the International Medical Informatics Association Yearbook. METHODS: A team of 16 individuals scanned the literature from the past year. Using a scoring rubric, papers were evaluated on their novelty, importance, and objective quality. 1,224 Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms extracted from these papers were used to identify themes and research focuses. The authors then used the scoring results to select notable papers and trends presented in this manuscript. RESULTS: The search phase identified 263 potential papers and central themes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), machine learning, and bioinformatics were examined in greater detail. CONCLUSIONS: When addressing a once in a centruy pandemic, scientists worldwide answered the call, with informaticians playing a critical role. Productivity and innovations reached new heights in both TBI and science, but significant research gaps remain.

Current Approaches and Trends in Graduate Public Health Informatics Education in the United States: Four Case Studies from the Field.

Background:Public Health Informatics (PHI) has taken on new importance in recent years as health and well-being face a number of challenges, including environmental disasters, emerging infectious diseases, such as Zika, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, the growing impact of the Influenza virus, the opioid epidemic, and social determinants of health. Understanding the relationship between climate change and the health of populations adds further complexity to global health issues. Objectives: To describe four examples of curricula that exist in U.S. based graduate-level public and population health informatics training programs. Methods: Biomedical informatics educators are challenged to provide learners with relevant, interesting, and meaningful educational experiences in working with and learning from the many data sources that comprise the domain of PHI. Programs at four institutions were reviewed to examine common teaching practices that stimulate learners to explore the field of public health informatics. Results: Four case studies represent a range of pedagogical approaches to meeting the requirements of three established accreditation/certification agencies relevant to PHI education. Despite their differences, each program achieved the established learning objectives along with a substantive record of student learning achievements. Conclusion: The overarching goal of empowering learners to serve an active and dynamic role in enhancing preventive measures, informing policy, improving personal health behaviors, and clarifying issues such as quality, cost of care, and the social determinants of health, are essential components of PHI education and training, and must receive additional consideration now and in the future by educators, policy makers, administrators, and government officials.