COVID-19 Vaccination Rates and Vaccine Hesitancy Among Spanish-Speaking Free Clinic Patients.

We sought to assess COVID-19 vaccination rates, as well as attitudes and beliefs towards the vaccine, of patients in a Spanish-speaking student-run free clinic in Columbus, Ohio. A cross-sectional study was performed. Surveys were distributed to all individuals over 18 years who presented to La Clínica Latina between July, 2022 and September, 2022. A convenience sample was used: patients in the waiting room and their accompanying family members or friends were invited to participate. Subjects were excluded if under the age of 18 or over the age of 75, or if non-Spanish speaking. Of the 158 individuals who agreed to participate in our study, 146 responded to the question regarding vaccination status, revealing 90.4% of respondents had received a COVID-19 vaccination. Most respondents learned about the vaccine from social media (26.4%) or television (22.7%). The majority of participants sought answers to questions surrounding the vaccine by asking their doctor (49.1%). The most common reason among unvaccinated participants for not undergoing vaccination was fear of an adverse reaction to the vaccine (n = 11). We found that a large proportion (90.4%) of individuals seeking care at a Spanish-speaking free clinic were vaccinated against COVID-19. Our study also provides perspective on the means of health knowledge acquisition and behaviors in this predominantly Latinx patient population in central Ohio. We can utilize our results to optimize and tailor clinic services and initiatives for COVID-19 boosters to meet the needs of this community.

Trust but Verify: Misrepresentation of Publication Records Among Child Neurology Residency Applicants.

INTRODUCTION: Numerous authors have reported that misrepresentation of publication records among residency applicants is not uncommon. We sought to determine the percentage of child neurology residency applicants who falsify information about publications in the documents submitted to the Electronic Residency Application Service. METHODS: The records of applicants to our residency program between 2014 and 2020 (898 individuals) were analyzed. Publications were verified by searching online databases and with a research librarian's assistance. Searches were conducted using all available information-author name, article title, and journal name-alone or in combination. Articles in inaccessible publications were disregarded. Misrepresentation was recorded when one the following was identified: listing a nonexistent article, promoting the applicant's name on the authors' list, misattributing authorship, and listing a publication as "in-press" yet never published. RESULTS: From the 7 residency match cycles reviewed, 514 applicants reported having had authored at least 1 publication. Of those, 47 (9.14%) listed 75 unquestionably misrepresented publications. In 33 instances, the paper did not exist, with some applicants going as far as submitting a nonexistent PubMed Identifier; in 21 instances, the author's name was promoted on the authors' list; in 15 instances, the applicant was not an author; and in 6 instances, the author reported the publication as "in-press," but the work has never been published. CONCLUSION: As happens in other specialties, child neurology residency applicants sometimes submit fraudulent information about their publications. Program directors need to be aware of this possibility and carefully review the information provided by applicants.