Background: Preventive care is a crucial but underutilized component of optimal population health management. Of eligible patients, 69.0% have received pneumococcal vaccine, 24.1% zoster vaccine, and 30.0% hepatitis B vaccine. Cancer screening rates are similarly low, with 12.5% screened for lung cancer and 71.6% for colorectal cancer. Gaps in preventive care are even larger in [...]

Background: The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) has been one of the most commonly used and validated prognostication tools. In addition to being a valuable resource for health services researchers, the CCI is being used in clinical practice by hospitals to identify patients at risk for poor outcomes. The use of the CCI in older adults [...]

Background: With the advent of COVID-19 vaccinations, disparities in vaccination rates across various demographic groups especially in vulnerable population such as HIV positive patients have become an area of concern. Understanding these disparities and their underlying factors can provide essential insights for designing targeted interventions and optimizing vaccine distribution strategies. This study sought to investigate [...]

Case Presentation: A previously healthy 57-year-old man with a history of chronic sinusitis who received the Ad26.COV2.S vaccination 13 days ago without incident presented to the ED with left lower extremity swelling and pain, left medial thigh ecchymosis, transient episodes of right hand paresthesia and weakness, severe headache with transient blurry vision, and progressively worsening [...]

Background: COVID-19 vaccines have greatly decreased both rate of morbidity and mortality of the COVID-19 infection, but studies have reported myocarditis in patients after vaccination especially with mRNA vaccines. The purpose of this study is to identify if there is a significant correlation between COVID-19 vaccines and myocarditis. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of [...]

Background: Researchers across the globe have continued their effort in identifying important risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection. Patient demographics including age, race, gender, and certain chronic medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure have been identified as the important risk factors for severity. To simply the risk stratification process, the CHA2DS2-VASc [...]

Background: Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most common severe acute complication of diabetes, and has shown to be worsened by COVID-191. Several studies have found an association between COVID-19 and worsened outcomes from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).2 Vaccination against COVID-19 has led to substantial declines in the frequency, severity, and mortality from acute infection, but little [...]

Background: Each year, 14 million Americans are diagnosed with HPV and 33,700 Americans are diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV. The HPV vaccination can prevent 92% of these cancers. In 2018 only 42.74% of adolescents in Wisconsin ages 13-18 had completed the HPV series and only 56.47% had received the first dose. Hospitalization represents [...]

Background: Adult patient populations are not effectively vaccinated in United States, which contributes to increased rates of hospitalization, cost of medical care and disease complications. Though physicians’ understanding of vaccination measures should be comprehensive, many studies have indicated that adult patients are not receiving their vaccinations as they should. One study during a pertussis outbreak [...]

Background: It has been reported that vaccination rates with pneumococcal vaccine are low in elderly persons in Japan. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether introduction of a vaccination status checkbox in electronic medical records increased the vaccination rates. Methods: Subjects were inpatients and outpatients in the Department of General Medicine at [...]