Crowdsourcing offers fast and cost-effective access to human labor for business projects as well as to research participants for scientific projects. Due to the loose links between crowdsourcing ...employers and workers, quality control is even more important than in the off-line realm. We developed and validated the web-delivered attention test attentiveWeb in two versions (1) to come up with advance filters to identify workers who produce low-quality results and (2) to gauge the attention of workers who pass the advance filter. We apply attentiveWeb in three parallel user studies: one in the crowdsource Microworkers (N = 539), another one in Figure Eight (N = 333), and a third one in the online panel WiSoPanel (N = 1,837). The user studies confirm that it is useful to apply advance filtering to screen out poor workers. We propose an easily computed filter based on objective user behavior involving attentiveWeb. With regard to attention, despite the more severe advance filtering with Microworkers, their attention was lowest, followed by workers from Figure Eight, and it was highest in WiSoPanel. The platform differences in attention were not entirely explained by known differences—demographic and others—among the users of the three platforms. The attention test attentiveWeb has high Cronbach’s α and split-half reliability. The first version of attentiveWeb predicted performance of the same crowdworkers in the second version of attentiveWeb 2 years later. We release attentiveWeb for assessing crowdworkers’ attention into the research community and the wider public domain. The attention test attentiveWeb is open-source and can be used for free.
Objectives
The present investigation aimed to evaluate the subjective perception of deformational cranial asymmetries by different observer groups and to compare these subjective perceptions with ...objective parameters.
Materials and methods
The 3D datasets of ten infants with different severities of deformational plagiocephaly (DP) were presented to 203 observers, who had been subdivided into five different groups (specialists, pediatricians, medical doctors (not pediatricians), parents of infants with DP, and laypersons). The observers rated their subjective perception of the infants’ cranial asymmetries using a 4-point Likert-type scale. The ratings from the observer groups were compared with one another using a multilevel modelling linear regression analysis and were correlated with four commonly used parameters to objectively quantify the cranial asymmetries.
Results
No significant differences were found between the ratings of the specialists and those of the parents of infants with DP, but both groups provided significantly more asymmetric ratings than did pediatricians, medical doctors, or laypersons. Moreover, the subjective perception of cranial asymmetries correlated significantly with commonly used parameters for objectively quantifying cranial asymmetries.
Conclusions
Our results demonstrate that different observer groups perceive the severity of cranial asymmetries differently. Pediatricians’ more moderate perception of cranial asymmetries may reduce the likelihood of parents to seek therapeutic interventions for their infants. Moreover, we identified some objective symmetry-related parameters that correlated strongly with the observers’ subjective perceptions.
Clinical relevance
Knowledge about these findings is important for clinicians when educating parents of infants with DP about the deformity.
Background: The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire is used in oncology to generate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) weights and corresponding health states. The purpose was to explore the relationship ...between demographic and clinical characteristics and HRQoL among advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients by linking clinical data of a German CRC registry to self-reported HRQoL measures from the EQ-5D-5L. Methods: The study sample included patients with advanced or metastatic CRC currently recruited in the German Tumor Registry Colorectal Cancer. The EQ-5D-5L was administered once to patients who were at the start or at later stages of palliative treatment. Data on comorbidities, disease-specific health states, symptoms, and treatment status were drawn from the registry. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to explore the impact of patient and disease characteristics on HRQoL. Results: In total, n = 433 questionnaires were included in the data analysis. Mean age of patients was 66.3 years and 61.2% were male. The mean EQ-5D-5L utility score was 0.82 and the mean EQ-5D-5L VAS score was 62.05. The regression analyses revealed that none of the demographic characteristics and few of the clinical characteristics, such as fatigue and pain, had a significant impact on the HRQoL. Conclusions: The study demonstrated a reduced HRQoL of patients with advanced or metastatic CRC when compared to the general population. The symptoms fatigue and pain negatively affected the HRQoL, whereas other characteristics such as age, gender, and comorbidities did not have a significant impact on HRQoL.
•PCV recommendations differ for mature (2 + 1) and premature (3 + 1) infants.•In cohort 2018, only 47 % of premature but 77 % of mature infants obtained full PCV.•49 % of premature and 15 % of mature ...infants did not receive a booster dose.•5 % (premature) and 9 % (mature) remained unvaccinated and PCV was often delayed.•Higher acceptance of the reduced PCV schedule for mature infants is not proven.
In August 2015, the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) changed the pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) schedule for mature infants from a 3+1 to a 2+1scheme. For premature infants, the 3+1schedule remained unchanged. Aim was to assess vaccination rates, completeness, and timeliness for PCV stratified by premature and mature infants before and after the recommendation change based on real-world data.
Retrospective claims data analyses were conducted using a comprehensive research database. The study population consisted of all mature and premature infants born in 2013, 2016, or 2018 with an individual follow-up of 24 months using ICD-10-GM codes P07.2 and P07.3 for premature infants. Hexavalent (HEXA) combination vaccination with a consistent 3+1recommendation for premature and mature infants was analyzed as a reference.
After follow-up of 24 months, rates of premature and mature infants receiving ≥1PCV and HEXA vaccination steadily increased since the change of STIKO’s recommendation. However, in 2018 (2016/2013), only 47 % (41 %/65 %) of premature but 74 % (72 %/68 %) of mature infants obtained the recommended 3+1 respectively 2+1 PCV doses. At the same age, a consistent increase in complete HEXA vaccination with 3+1 doses was observed over time in premature (2013/2016/2018: 66 %/68 %/70 %) and mature (2013/2016/2018: 69 %/72 %/73 %) infants. Timeliness of PCV and HEXA booster administration remained stable with ∼50 % of all premature and mature infants receiving the booster according to recommended timelines.
There is no proven evidence that the reduced PCV schedule for mature infants induced a higher acceptance of vaccination. The rate of unvaccinated infants remained at a considerable level and vaccinations were often delayed. Although the STIKO still recommends a 3+1 PCV schedule for premature infants in Germany, less than half of children showed a completed vaccination series. To protect these vulnerable groups, efforts are needed to increase adherence to the STIKO recommendation especially for premature infants.
We analyze the relationship between unemployment and the supply of online labor for microtasking. Using detailed U.S. data from a large microtasking platform between 2011 and 2015, we study the ...participation and the number of hours supplied by workers in the U.S. We found that more individuals registered on the platform and completed microtasks as the unemployment level in the commuting zone increased. This effect was strongest in regions with a high share of low-skilled workers. Our analyses of the intensive margin, wage elasticity, and temporal work patterns suggest that the increased participation was likely motivated by an effort to substitute income. Our findings suggest that microtasking platforms are an interesting online labor market for less educated workers. However, we also observed very low retention rates, indicative of a solely transient participation effect.
Objective
To investigate health care costs associated with biologic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in a German real‐world cohort of adult biologics‐naive patients with psoriatic ...arthritis (PsA).
Methods
Claims data from the Institute for Applied Health Research Berlin (InGef) research database for patients with a PsA diagnosis and bDMARD claims record (index date) between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2017, and no bDMARD prescriptions for 365 days before the index date were retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcomes were determination of health care resource utilization and associated annual health care costs for overall and individual bDMARDs in the 12‐month pre‐index and post‐index periods. These outcomes were compared between persistent and nonpersistent groups. Nonpersistence was defined as treatment gap or switch to a bDMARD other than the index therapy.
Results
Among 10,954 patients with a PsA diagnosis, 348 were eligible. Although mean ± SD post‐index costs were significantly higher in the persistent group than the nonpersistent group (€27,869 ± 8,001 versus €21,897 ± 10,600, P < 0 .001) due to higher bDMARD acquisition costs (€23,996 ± 4,818 versus €16,427 ± 9,033, P < 0.001), persistence reduced inpatient treatment costs (–€760), outpatient treatment costs (–€192), other drug costs (–€724), and sick leave costs (–€601).
Conclusion
Although initiation of bDMARDs increased the total health care costs irrespective of persistence status, partial cost offsets were observed in the persistent patient population.
•STIKO changed PCV recommendation (mature infants) from 3+1 to 2+1 scheme in 2015.•Almost 10% of children remained unvaccinated in 2013 and 2016.•The rate of the booster dose increased slightly ...(birth cohort 2013 vs 2016).•Nearly 25% of the infants born in 2016 did not receive a booster dose.•The PCV booster dose was administered on time in less than half of infants in 2016.
In August 2015, the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) changed the pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) schedule for mature infants from a 3+1 scheme to a 2+1 scheme. It was expected that a reduction of doses would be associated with a higher acceptance of the vaccination. Aim of this study was to assess vaccination rates and adherence for PCV after the change of recommendation based on real-world data.
A retrospective claims data analysis using the InGef Research Database was conducted. The study population consisted of all mature infants born in 2013 (last birth cohort completely under 3+1 recommendation) or 2016 (first birth cohort completely under 2+1 recommendation) with an individual follow-up of 24 months. Hexavalent combination vaccination (HEXA) with a consistent 3+1 recommendation was analyzed as reference.
After follow-up of 24 months, 90.9% (91.2%) of the 2016 (2013) cohort received at least one dose of PCV. At the same age, 67.7% of the 2013 cohort received a booster dose according to the 3+1 schedule and 75.6% of the 2016 cohort received a booster dose presumably either according to the 2+1 (71.7%) or 3+1 (3.9%) schedule. Of those receiving the booster dose, only 46.3% (2016) and 45.1% (2013) received the booster dose on time as recommended. The HEXA vaccination rate increased from 88.9% (2013) to 91.6% (2016) with a full series completion in 69.1% (2013) vs 72.9% (2016). The proportion of infants receiving the booster vaccination on time rose to 50.0% in 2016 (47.8% in 2013).
Although the rate for the PCV booster dose slightly increased, nearly a quarter of the infants born in 2016 did not receive a booster dose at all. Furthermore, vaccinations were still frequently delayed, and the rate of unvaccinated infants remained constant.
•In 2015, STIKO changed PCV recommendation for mature infants to a 2+1scheme.•For premature infants, the 3+1 scheme remained unchanged.•Comparing birth cohorts 2013 and 2016, less premature infants ...received full PCV.•Regarding birth cohort 2016, 60% of premature infants did not receive a PCV booster.•Almost 6% of premature infants remained unvaccinated.
In 2015, the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) changed the pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) schedule for mature infants from a 3+1scheme (2, 3, 4, and 11–14 months of age) to a 2+1scheme (2, 4, and 11–14 months of age). For premature infants, the 3+1scheme remained. The aim of this study was to assess vaccination rates, completeness, and timeliness for PCV in premature infants before and after the modified recommendation.
A retrospective claims data analysis using the “Institut für angewandte Gesundheitsforschung Berlin” Research Database was conducted. Premature infants born in 2013 and 2016 with an individual follow-up of 24 months were included. Hexavalent combination (HEXA) vaccination with a consistent 3+1recommendation for mature and premature infants was analyzed as reference vaccination.
After 24 months, the PCV rate for at least one dose remained stable in premature newborns of 2016 compared to 2013, while the HEXA vaccination rate increased slightly. However, a significant decrease of a completed PCV schedule (4 doses) in premature infants was noted, whereas the completeness of HEXA vaccination did not change. The timeliness of PCV in premature newborns increased for the first and the booster PCV, while the timeliness of HEXA immunization did not change from 2013 to 2016.
Although STIKO still recommends a 3+1PCV schedule for premature infants in Germany, premature infants were vaccinated according to the changed recommendations for mature born infants. A substantial share of premature infants remained unvaccinated, and their vaccinations were often delayed.
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