New studies about various aspects of the COVID pandemic are released daily and the sheer volume makes it impossible to keep up. These studies vary in their designs and methodological rigor and therefore in their level of research validity. In this webinar, HQI’s epidemiologist will provide a historical perspective of the COVID epidemic in California and review the findings, point out strengths, and critique the methodologies used in several recent COVID studies based on California data. The following CDC studies are currently potential candidates for review during the webinar, though the actual studies reviewed will differ if particularly interesting ones are published in the interim:
- Waning 2-Dose and 3-Dose Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19–Associated Emergency Department and Urgent Care Encounters and Hospitalizations Among Adults During Periods of Delta and Omicron Variant Predominance — VISION Network, 10 States, August 2021–January 2022. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). February 18, 2022 / 71(7);255–263.
- Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy Against COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization in Infants Aged <6 Months — 17 States, July 2021–January 2022. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). February 18, 2022 / 71(7);264–270.
- Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes Among Adults Hospitalized with Laboratory-Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Periods of B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Predominance — One Hospital, California, July 15–September 23, 2021, and December 21, 2021–January 27, 2022. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). February 11, 2022 / 71(6);217–223.
- SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Hospitalization Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years, by Vaccination Status, Before and During SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Predominance — Los Angeles County, California, November 7, 2021–January 8, 2022. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). February 4, 2022 / 71(5);177–181.
- COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations by COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Previous COVID-19 Diagnosis — California and New York, May–November 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). January 28, 2022 / 71(4);125–131.
At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to
- Understand the major findings from recent COVID studies in California
- Identify methodological flaws and strengths in recent COVID studies in California
- Be able to weigh the evidence and appropriately interpret recent COVID studies in California
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Scott Masten joined HQI in 2016 to help develop the Hospital Quality Improvement Platform (HQIP) data warehouse and advance our data processing, analysis, and reporting capabilities, as well as provide statistical consulting, program evaluation, and education for member hospitals. He has a multidisciplinary background in injury epidemiology (PhD, UNC Chapel Hill) and experimental psychology (MA, CSU Sacramento) and is skilled in a large array of statistical techniques including ARIMA time series analysis, logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards survival analysis, generalized linear regression modeling, factor analysis, ANOVA/MANOVA covariate models, non-parametric techniques, stratified epidemiological analysis, meta-analysis, power analysis, comparisons of complex samples, and psychometric reliability and validity.