Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1293502
35 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & MEASUREMENT As an anchor institution, Cleveland Clinic is committed to pro- moting better educational outcomes, job growth, safer housing and culturally inclusive healthcare that is free from implicit bias. We are actively partnering with community leaders to help strengthen community resources and mitigate the impact of social determinants of health. In the end, health equity is the goal. Note, that I said health equity, not healthcare access. Convenient access to care is only one factor. We cannot do this alone. But we alone can do our part. Several years ago, we established the Langston Hughes Community Center in the Fairfax neighborhood adjacent to our main campus. Fairfax is a textbook example of a disadvantaged community and has the health disparities to show for it. e Langston Hughes Center has been a touchstone in the community where people can get health screenings, participate in health challenges, learn about healthy food, participate in exercise classes and join shared medical appointments. Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System (Los Angeles): e UCLA Hospital System and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA support primary and specialty care, radiological and other services at Venice Family Clinic, a nonprofit community health center that provides integrat- ed care and wellness education to underserved populations at 12 locations across our region. About 150 UCLA medical residents and faculty provide more than 4,700 volunteer hours each year, and clinic staff are UCLA Health employees. In addition, the UCLA Hospital System will recruit a chief diversity officer to strengthen our focus on strategic initiatives. n Physician education program cuts pediatric antibiotic prescribing, study finds By Mackenzie Bean A n online physician education program may help reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescrip- tions in pediatric offices, a study published in Pediatrics found. The study involved 19 pediatric practices affiliated with Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem or the American Academy of Pediat- rics' practice-based research network. The physi- cians participated in an online program on antibiotic prescribing and communication best practices. They also received individual feedback on their prescrib- ing habits for 11 months. Researchers tracked antibiotic prescribing rates from 72,723 visits for acute respiratory tract infec- tions involving 29,762 patients between November 2015 and June 2018. The probability of pediatri- cians prescribing antibiotics for such infections fell 7 percent during the study period. Antibiotic prescrip- tions also fell for strep throat and sinusitis. Past research shows about one-third of antibiotic prescriptions for pediatric respiratory infections are inappropriate. The researchers said broad dissemination of this educational program may help reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions in outpatient settings. n Flu shot may reduce Alzheimer's risk, study finds By Mackenzie Bean F lu and pneumonia vaccinations may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life, according to research presented July 27 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. The first study found one flu shot was linked to a 17 percent decrease in Alzheimer's incidence. Researchers at the Uni- versity of Texas Health Science Center at Houston analyzed medical records for about 9,000 adults ages 60 or older with similar known risk factors for Alzheimer's, such as obesity or heart diseases, reported NPR. Even after controlling for such factors as education, income and overall health status, those who received regular flu shots had a 13 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's. "There is a protective effect," study author Albert Amran, a medical student at UT Health, told NPR. "How much is some- thing that needs to be quantified with a more intensive study." The second study assessed how both flu and pneumonia vac- cines relate to Alzheimer's risk. Researchers at Durham, N.C.- based Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill examined medical records for 5,146 patients 65 and older. People who received the pneumonia vaccine before age 75 were 25 percent to 30 percent less likely to develop Alzhei- mer's after adjusting for various factors, including genetic risk. Patients who also got a seasonal flu shot did not display an additional decline in Alzheimer's risk. n