ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team (IMPACT), a non-profit coalition of health professionals, used social media to improve COVID-19 vaccine access by 1) identifying vaccine access disparities for HCWs not affiliated with a large hospital systems and then creating vaccine clearinghouses/social media campaigns 2) identifying reasons for vaccine hesitancy and addressing them via infographics 3) connecting volunteers with local neighborhood/mobile events serving at-risk communities in the Chicagoland area. In January 2021, many large health systems were vaccinating employed HCWs (COVID-19 vaccine rollout Tier 1a). However, many HCWs not affiliated with large systems were unable to access the vaccine. Many of Chicago's hardest-hit communities were receiving vaccines at much lower rates than neighborhoods less burdened by COVID-19. METHODS: We created online clearinghouses with links to vaccine event sign-ups/waitlists and partnered directly with a local primary care organization to link HCWs to vaccines on Facebook. We partnered with health systems, community organizations, pharmacies and professional organizations to organize, promote, and staff community-based vaccine clinics/mobile vaccine units to a. To address vaccine hesitancy, we collected data on common myths using Facebook groups. We created 5 “debunking” infographics in both English and Spanish using climate science principles and also held 4 Facebook Live Q&As with Chicago-based Bump Club and Beyond. RESULTS: The HCW-specific vaccine information clearinghouse went live 1/4/2021 and had 7,829 views during the first 6 months. The general public vaccine clearinghousewent live on 1/25/2021 and had 21,279 views during the first 6 months. Facebook posts disseminating the HCW vaccination events reached >1650 HCWs within 7 days, and open/public Facebook group posts reached > 3.2K in 7 days. In the first 7 days of the campaign, >1800 HCWs were vaccinated. We registered >1700 volunteers to help staff 316 vaccination events in the Chicago-land area. Our COVID-19Myth Debunkers were shared over 200 times for >80K impressions. Our four vaccine-focused Facebook lives reached over 1000 people per session. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals can strategically leverage social media to identify public health challenges (vaccine hesitancy/vaccine access disparities) and address these challenges in real-time by disseminating tailored, high-quality information (ie. debunking infographics, Facebook Live Q&As, vaccine clearinghouses) and connecting community members and partner organizations with resources (ie. vaccination resources and volunteers).
ABSTRACT
Research Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, novel infrastructure is needed to 1) assess disparities in care delivery 2) address these needs through rapid dissemination of rapidly-evolving, evidenced-based information 3) connecting people to resources and 4) advocating for policy change. Study Design: An interdisciplinary coalition of health care professionals on social media created the organization IMPACT. IMPACT (www.impact4hc.com) leverages social media and novel non-profit/for-profit partnerships to 1) identify and amplify public health needs and disparities in care delivery 2) address needs and gaps by rapidly disseminating evidence-based information, 3) connecting groups to resources, and 4) advocating for science-based policy. IMPACT and Oak Street Health (OSH) [a value based primary care system for low income seniors and medicare enrollees] identified a critical gap in Phase 1a vaccinations in Illinois: limited access to COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers not affiliated with health systems. IMPACT worked with OSH to 1) identify the gap 2) leverage the partnership to vaccinate 3) amplify the messaging to disseminate resources for vaccine sign ups and 4) approach city leadership for policy change. Population Studied: A case study of healthcare workers in Illinois awaiting vaccination in 01/2021. Principal Findings: Disparities in vaccination needs were rapidly identified through multiple sources (twitter, Chicago facebook groups for healthcare workers, emails and messages to IMPACT) for health care workers (HCWs1a) not affiliated with health systems. An IMPACT clearinghouse for vaccine information (registration, interest surveys) was created procuring information rapidly through social media and professional networks. Given high levels of interest (1342 views/10 days, avg 127/daily), IMPACT-OSH partnered to highlight need (twitter, facebook, policy statement), while OSH created a vaccination clinic with web-based vaccine registration for non-system affiliated HCWs. Targeted posts on facebook (2 closed HCW groups [2.2 K members/each], 1 closed general group [15.1 K]) were used to disseminate clearinghouse and OSH vaccine clinic information. Facebook posts alone reached 1650 HCWs, general member group posts reached >3.2 K in 7 days. In the first 7 days of the campaign, 5800 HCWs signed up for the OSH vaccine clinic, with >1800 vaccinated. In the first 48 hours of the social media campaign (over weekend) approx. 2000 HCWs signed up. Of a subgroup of OSH vaccinated HCWs (N = 1500), 50% reported receiving information through social media or web-based link. In response to these concerns, the local health departments encouraged all health care entities to vaccinate non-system affiliated HCWs, and the work was highlighted in the mayor's weekly press conference. Conclusions: By leveraging novel methods of communication and dissemination (social media, partnerships), IMPACT and Oak Street Health were able to assess and address the gap in care delivery of vaccinations to HCWs in a rapid time frame. Implications for Policy or Practice: Novel partnerships and utilization of social media made it possible to identify and then rapidly address a critical gap in HCW vaccination in the short term while laying groundwork for longer-term policy solutions. These findings have future implications for further vaccine rollout.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Sleep is critical to children's health and recovery, but pediatric inpatient sleep is often disrupted by nonessential overnight interruptions. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated social distancing policies which minimized contact with low-risk patients. These policies have the potential to decrease overnight disruptions and improve sleep for hospitalized patients. Methods: This cohort study compared sleep disruptions for pediatric inpatients admitted prior to (Sep 2018 - Feb 2020) and during (Apr 2020 - Aug 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic at a single site, urban academic medical center. Objective disruptions were measured as room entries detected by hand hygiene sensors for occupied rooms pre-pandemic (n-average=56) and during the pandemic (n-average=48) for 69 and 154 nights, respectively. Subjective reports of overnight disruptions, sleep quantity, and caregiver mood were measured by surveys adopted from validated tools: the Karolinska Sleep Log, Potential Hospital Sleep Disruptions and Noises Questionnaire, and Visual Analog Mood Scale. Caregivers of a convenience sample of pediatric general medicine inpatients completed surveys. Caregivers pre-pandemic were surveyed in person, and during the pandemic, surveys were conducted over the phone. Results: 293 pre-pandemic (age-patients=4.1±4.4 years) and 154 pandemic (age-patients=8.7±5.6 years) surveys were collected from caregivers. The majority (71% pre-pandemic and 52% pandemic) of the study population identified as Black/African American. Nighttime room entries initially decreased 36% (95% CI: 30%, 42%, p<0.001), then returned towards pre-pandemic levels as the COVID-19 hospital caseload decreased. Despite this, caregivers reported more disrupted patient sleep (p<0.001) due to tests (21% vs. 38%) as well as stress (30% vs. 49%), anxiety (23% vs. 41%), and pain (23% vs. 48%). Caregivers also reported children slept 61 minutes less (95% CI: 12 min, 110 min, p<0.001) and had more awakenings. Caregivers self-reported feeling more sad and weary, less calm, and worse overall (p<0.001 for all). Conclusion: Despite fewer objective room entries, caregivers reported increased sleep disruptions and an hour less nighttime sleep with more awakenings during the pandemic for pediatric patients. Caregivers also self-reported worse mood. This highlights the importance of addressing subjective perceptions and experiences of hospitalized children and their caregivers during hospitalization.