It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, July 27, 2024
H2
Green hydrogen from direct seawater electrolysis- experts warn against hype
DSE electrolyzers are not necessary - a simple desalination process is sufficient to prepare seawater for conventional electrolyzers. In a commentary in Joule, international experts compare the costs and benefits of the different approaches.
HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FÜR MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE
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COMPARISON OF THE ENERGY AND OVERALL COSTS OF SEAWATER PURIFICATION AND ELECTROLYSIS
At first glance, the plan sounds compelling: invent and develop future electrolysers capable of producing hydrogen directly from unpurified seawater. But a closer look reveals that such direct seawater electrolysers would require years of high-end research. And what is more: DSE electrolyzers are not even necessary - a simple desalination process is sufficient to prepare seawater for conventional electrolyzers. In a commentary in Joule, international experts compare the costs and benefits of the different approaches and come to a clear recommendation.
Fresh water is a limited resource; more than 96% of the world's water is found in the oceans. If seawater could be fed directly into a future electrolyser to produce green hydrogen using renewable energy from the wind or sun, it sounds like a very good solution. Hundreds of millions of dollars in research fundingare spend for this idea and, in 2023 alone, there have been more than 500 publications (this number is growing exponentially) on direct seawater electrolysis.
No need for new development
However, a techno-economic analysis shows that this argument collapses as soon as the costs and benefits are analysed in more detail. "There is no convincing reason to develop DSE technology because there are already efficient solutions for using seawater to produce hydrogen," says Dr Jan Niklas Hausmann, electrolysis researcher at HZB and lead author of the Joule commentary. International experts from various disciplines from renowned research institutions such as Yale University, universities in Canada, Germany and HZB contributed to the commentary.
Proven methods work
It is already possible to use seawater to produce hydrogen. Proven processes such as reverse osmosis can be used to purify seawater for "normal", commercially available electrolysers. From a thermodynamic point of view, the purification of seawater needs only 0.03% of the energy required for its electrolysis. This is also reflected in the current cost: purifying seawater to produce one kilogram of hydrogen costs less than two cents. However, one kilogram of hydrogen costs 13.85 euros at German filling stations.
Investing money wisely
The development of new types of electrolysers that can operate steadily in seawater would only save this cheap purification step. In contrast, the development of DSE electrolysers is extremely challenging and it is highly questionable whether they will ever be able to match the efficiency and long-term stability of today's electrolysers. Experts see major challenges here: Seawater contains a wide variety of organic and inorganic substances that can cause corrosion and fouling, affecting all parts of the electrolyser. DSE is currently being advertised as a real-world solution for hydrogen production - A promise that cannot be kept and could swallow up a lot of taxpayers' money, the researchers warn.
"We can compare this with the direct use of crude oil to run cars" explains Jan Niklas Hausmann: "It is possible to develop such cars, but they would just not be as efficient and long-lasting as ones running on purified petrol. This is despite the fact that the cost of purifying crude oil (via refinery) is up to 16% of the final price of the fuel, which is significantly higher than the relative cost of purifying seawater for electrolysis (<1%)."
Getting electrolysis research on track to contribute to decarbonisation
"Academic research does not necessarily have to lead to immediate solutions. However, if DSE is presented as a quick fix and is pushed or hyped to the detriment of other more promising approaches, it will tie up resources that will be lacking elsewhere for the development of key decarbonisation technologies," explains Dr Prashanth Menezes, an expert on catalysts at HZB.
"If we want to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, funding must be directed to developments that can quickly contribute to this," says Menezes.
Focusing on the development of direct seawater electrolysis misspends limited funding resources
CREDIT
N. Hausmann/HZB in Joule
Key points of the techno-economic analysis:
Commercially already available water purification such as reverse osmosis treats seawater to make it suitable for "normal" electrolysers. The relative costs of this are very low.
Direct seawater electrolysis poses major challenges for the electrolysers to be developed:
Biofouling processes
Corrosion
Short lifetime and smaller flexibility of electrolysers
Conclusion: The enormous sums of money required for the development of DSE would be better invested in the further optimisation of electrolysers that use highly purified water instead. This is because the water purification process hardly incurs any costs.
Note: Experts from various disciplines contributed to this commentary: Prof Elimelech and Prof Winter are experts in water purification technologies and authors of a recent report on the use of various impure water sources for hydrogen production, Prof Khan and Prof Kibria are experts in renewable energy storage technologies and their techno-economic analysis and authors of a recent report on the techno-economic aspects of DSE. Dr Sontheimer is an expert in energy technologies and the interaction between science, industry and policy stakeholders; Dr Hausmann and Dr Menezes are experts in materials science, catalysis and water splitting and have recently published a techno-economic analysis of DSE.
Commentary: Hyping Direct Seawater Electrolysis Hinders Electrolyzer Development
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
25-Jul-2024
NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations opens state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing hydrogen research, training and collaborations
Eight projects have been selected for potential funding, with the aim of realising a quantum leap in hydrogen innovation and commercialisation - Efforts are underway to strengthen the hydrogen talent pipeline
THE NUS CENTRE FOR HYDROGEN INNOVATIONS WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED BY DR TAN SEE LENG, MINISTER FOR MANPOWER AND SECOND MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY (MIDDLE). HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY PROFESSOR TAN ENG CHYE (THIRD FROM RIGHT), NUS PRESIDENT; MR RUSSELL THAM (THIRD FROM LEFT), HEAD, EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, TEMASEK; AND REPRESENTATIVES OF NUS AND TEMASEK.
Giving Singapore’s National Hydrogen Strategy a big push, the National University of Singapore (NUS) today officially launched its Centre for Hydrogen Innovations (CHI) with the inauguration of an advance research facility as the Centre’s flagship innovation hub. Spanning over 600 square metres and furnished with state-of-the-art research equipment, the new facility aims to boost hydrogen research and commercial application in Singapore.
The launch of CHI was officiated by Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, in the presence of distinguished guests from the hydrogen research and industry ecosystem in Singapore.
CHI was first established as a virtual Centre in July 2022 through an investment of S$25 million, comprising a S$15 million endowed gift from Temasek, and along with additional funding from NUS. The Centre takes a holistic approach to tackle technological and infrastructural challenges in enabling a hydrogen economy through harnessing a broad spectrum of expertise, including science and engineering, from various entities at NUS. At CHI, research activities are organised under four key areas: green hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, hydrogen carrier systems, and hydrogen utilisation.
Over the last two years, CHI has provided more than S$4.2 million in grants to support 17 innovative projects in hydrogen-related research. The Centre has also been very successful in securing external grants, including a grant of S$8 million awarded recently to CHI under the Low Carbon Energy Research programme to conduct research on ammonia combustion.
NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye said, “NUS strives to catalyse change and shape a more sustainable future in our core mission areas of education, research and innovation, and in operations and administration. The launch of the Centre for Hydrogen Innovations represents a bold, significant step that NUS is taking towards building a sustainable future. The Centre is taking off on a strong start, and I look forward to its contributions towards knowledge building, Singapore’s climate target of net zero emissions target by 2050, and the global fight against climate change.”
Mr Russell Tham, Head, Emerging Technologies, Temasek, said, “Tackling today’s complex sustainability challenges demands a comprehensive, whole-of-system approach, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. A blend of sustained STEM-based R&D; technology-savvy entrepreneurs and investors; global and cross-sector partnerships; and diverse public and private capital with the risk appetite and stamina, can cultivate a vibrant deep-tech innovation ecosystem. As a co-founder of Centre for Hydrogen Innovations with NUS, we are committed to leveraging our capabilities and networks to help advance low-carbon hydrogen technologies and strengthen their pathways for broader adoption.”
CHI’s new research facility will anchor the Centre’s cutting-edge research while boosting its efforts in education and industry collaboration. Some state-of-the-art equipment featured in the facility include a four-channel reactor for carbon dioxide hydrogenation; a catalyst synthesis robot that automates the process of creating catalysts required for hydrogen-related research; prototyping, testing and characterisation tools; as well as a dedicated section for scientific work involving ammonia, which requires special handling and storage precautions.
Pushing the boundaries of hydrogen research
To further strengthen the research infrastructure of Singapore’s future hydrogen economy, CHI has selected eight promising projects for potential funding, and these projects are in two broad areas: disruptive research to achieve a quantum leap in hydrogen technologies, and creation of market-oriented prototypes to pave the way for the commercialisation of innovative hydrogen technologies.
Please refer to the Annexe for some of these interesting projects.
Building a strong talent pool for a vibrant hydrogen economy
CHI intends to further expand the talent pool for hydrogen professionals in Singapore. The Centre plans to recruit about 10 polymathic scholars with interdisciplinary expertise and train 10 PhD students to enhance its research capabilities and strengthen CHI’s current team of 32 principal investigators and 4 PhD students. CHI will also be introducing courses in hydrogen technologies to prepare learners for the future hydrogen economy.
To promote greater public awareness of the benefits of hydrogen energy, CHI has recently organised the “Hydrogen Innovation Challenge”. In this competition, student teams created Instagram reels to express their visions for Singapore’s transition to hydrogen energy. These videos were open for public voting and reviewed by a judging panel comprising experts in the field, and the shortlisted teams were then challenged with a quiz. Three winning teams received prizes during today’s official opening event.
Partnering the industry to boost hydrogen transition
To promote the adoption of hydrogen technologies, CHI has been actively engaging industry partners to leverage complementary strengths in a bid to accelerate innovation, scale up technologies more efficiently, and address complex challenges associated with hydrogen production, distribution, and utilisation.
CHI has established close collaborations with 17 industry partners - ranging from global companies to small and medium-size enterprises. For example, CHI researchers are working with Siemens Energy to develop a novel gas turbine technology that can utilise partially cracked ammonia as feedstock. In another project, CHI researchers are working with Chevron to develop a direct “liquid hydrogen carrier” production process via electrocatalysis.
CHI aims to further enhance its engagement with industry, and ultimately driving the transition towards a more sustainable energy future.
Please visit hydrogen.nus.edu.sg for more information on CHI.
Professor Yan Ning (left), Director of NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations, giving guidance to a researcher for his research on carbon capture, utilisation, and storage.
Researchers at the NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations will develop novel catalysts and processes for the cracking of ammonia to generate hydrogen.
Developing automated production of novel catalysts using cutting-edge robotic synthesis
Researchers at the NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations will develop automated production of novel catalysts using cutting-edge robotic synthesis.
CREDIT
NUS Centre for Hydrogen Innovations
Thousands of birds and fish threatened by mining for clean energy transition
SOUTHERN GHANA IS A GLOBAL HOTSPOT OF EXTRACTION-INDUCED THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY. ARTISANAL SMALL-SCALE ALLUVIAL GOLD MINING LIKE THIS THREATENS IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL MERCURY POLLUTION.
New research has found that 4,642 species of vertebrate are threatened by mineral extraction around the world through mining and quarrying, and drilling for oil and gas.
Mining activity coincides with the world's most valuable biodiversity hotspots, which contain a hyper-diversity of species and unique habitats found nowhere else on Earth.
The biggest risk to species comes from mining for materials fundamental to our transition to clean energy, such as lithium and cobalt – both essential components of solar panels, wind turbines and electric cars.
Quarrying for limestone, which is required in huge amounts for cement as a construction material, is also putting many species at risk.
The threat to nature is not limited to the physical locations of the mines - species living at great distances away can also be impacted, for example by polluted watercourses, or deforestation for new access roads and infrastructure.
The researchers say governments and the mining industry should focus on reducing the pollution driven by mining as an ‘easy win’ to reduce the biodiversity loss associated with mineral extraction.
This is the most complete global assessment of the threat to biodiversity from mineral extraction ever undertaken.The results are published today in the journal Current Biology.
“We simply won’t be able to deliver the clean energy we need to reduce our climate impact without mining for the materials we need, and that creates a problem because we’re mining in locations that often have very high levels of biodiversity,” said Professor David Edwards in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute, senior author of the report.
He added: “So many species, particularly fish, are being put at risk through the pollution caused by mining. It would be an easy win to work on reducing this freshwater pollution so we can still get the products we need for the clean energy transition, but in a way that isn’t causing so much biodiversity loss.”
Across all vertebrate species, fish are at particularly high risk from mining (2,053 species), followed by reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. The level of threat seems to be linked to where a particular species lives and its lifestyle: species using freshwater habitats, and species with small ranges are particularly at risk.
“The need for limestone as a core component of construction activity also poses a real risk to wildlife. Lots of species are very restricted in where they live because they're specialised to live on limestone. A cement mine can literally take out an entire hillside - and with it these species’ homes,” said Ieuan Lamb in the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, first author of the report.
The Bent-Toed Gecko, for example, is threatened by limestone quarrying in Malaysia – it only exists on a single mountain range that planned mining activity will completely destroy.
To get their results, the researchers used International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) data to see which vertebrate species are threatened by mining. By mapping the locations of these species they could investigate the types of mining that are putting species at risk, and see where the risks are particularly high.
The researchers discovered that species categorised as ‘vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered’ are more threatened by mineral extraction than species of lesser concern.
Watercourses can be affected in many ways, and water pollution can affect hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of rivers and flood plains. Mining sand as a construction material, for example, alters patterns of water flow in rivers and wetlands, making birds like the Indian Skimmer more accessible to predators.
Mineral extraction threatens vertebrate species populations across the tropics, with hotspots in the Andes, coastal West and Central Africa, and South-East Asia – which coincide with high mine density. For example, artisanal small-scale alluvial gold mining in Ghana threatens important bird areas through environmental mercury pollution.
Global demand for metal minerals, fossil fuels and construction materials is growing dramatically, and the extraction industry is expanding rapidly to meet this demand. In 2022 the revenue of the industry as a whole was estimated at US $943 billion.
Biodiversity underpins the protection of the world’s carbon stocks, which help to mitigate climate change.
The study focused only on vertebrate species, but the researchers say mining is also likely to be a substantial risk to plants and invertebrates.
“There's no question that we are going to continue to mine - our entire societies are based on mined products. But there are environmental tensions embodied in our use of these products. Our report is a vital first step in avoiding biodiversity loss amidst the predicted drastic expansion of the mining industry,” said Edwards.
“Wildlife is more sensitive to mining in some regions of the world than in others, and our report can inform choices of where to prioritise getting our minerals to cause the least damage to biodiversity. Future policy should also focus on creating more circular economies - increasing recycling and reuse of materials, rather than just extracting more,” said Lamb.
threatens vertebrate species populations across the tropics. Even legal mines, like this one within the Jamari National Forest, can threaten hyper-biodiverse forests.
East Hanover, NJ – July 26, 2024 – Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) often face significant disruptions in their education due to extended hospitalizations. A recent study published online in Disability and Rehabilitation on July 1, 2024, by a multidisciplinary team of Kessler Foundation and Children Specialized Hospital researchers, highlights critical areas needing attention to ensure smoother school re-entries for CSHCN, ensuring they receive the necessary educational support post-hospitalization.
Foundation authors are Yu-Lun Chen, PhD, OTR/L; Stephanie Jimenez; Alexa Bartalotta; John O’Neill, PhD; and Amanda L. Botticello, PhD, MPH. Claire M. Marchetta, MPH, is from Children’s Specialized Hospital.
Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with parents (n = 12), former patients (n = 20), and rehabilitation professionals (n = 8). “Through a detailed analysis of recurring themes, we identified three essential points to help achieve the best outcomes. However, these steps were not always effectively implemented to achieve the desired results,” said lead author Dr. Chen, research scientist, Center for Outcomes and Assessment Research at the Foundation.
“Inpatient educational support such as instruction and schoolwork helped reduce the learning loss during hospitalization. However, these supports were sometimes complicated by lags in school approvals and challenges in coordination between systems,” said Dr. Chen.
“Transition planning involved establishing necessary services to support CSHCN’s educational and healthcare needs at school re-entry, though families reported limited information and guidance as key barriers,” she explained. Providing clear and accessible information to families about transition processes is particularly crucial for those dealing with newly acquired health conditions, though families highlighted the lack of information and guidance as significant barriers to effective transition planning.
“And finally, continued support after discharge was essential, with many participants recommending reassessment and adjustment of transition plans to account for evolving developmental and educational needs. However, these supports were sometimes hindered by delays in school approvals and coordination challenges between healthcare and educational systems,” concluded Dr. Chen.
The study stressed the urgent need to improve communication between clinicians and educators, provide comprehensive information for families, and ensure long-term follow-up on the changing educational needs of CSHCN post-rehabilitation.
Funding: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
About Kessler Foundation Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research. Our scientists seek to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes, including employment, for adults and children with neurological and developmental disabilities of the brain and spinal cord including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and autism. Kessler Foundation also leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
Experiences of patients, parents, and healthcare professionals in the process of transitioning from hospital to community after inpatient pediatric rehabilitation among children with special health care needs
New study highlights global disparities in activity limitations and assistive device use
MCMASTER UNIVERSITY
A new study of over 175,000 people in 25 countries revealed that individuals in low- and middle-income countries face greater challenges with daily activities and are less likely to use assistive devices compared to those in high-income countries. These findings raise concerns about the global burden of disability, particularly in low-income countries.
Despite decreases in death and cardiovascular disease rates and increases in life expectancy worldwide, people in low- and middle-income countries still experience significantly worse health outcomes than those in high-income countries. Less is known, however, about the global prevalence of disabilities and how they differ between countries. In the first prospective study of its kind in 25 countries, over 175,000 participants were surveyed about limitations in mobility, vision, and hearing. The study found that activity limitations are common worldwide, with the most frequent being difficulties in walking, bending, and seeing. A third of the participants reported at least one limitation, with these issues being particularly prevalent among older adults and women.
Activity limitations were more common in low and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries, including two-times higher walking impairment and five-times higher visual impairment.
“Current data on activity limitations and how they affect health around the world are limited,” said Raed Joundi, first author of the study and a scientist at the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), a joint research institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences. “Our research aimed to fill this gap by looking at the prevalence of basic activity limitations, the use of assistive devices, and health outcomes in 25 countries.”
The study is part of the ongoing Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, coordinated by PHRI and led by Salim Yusuf, senior scientist at PHRI. Published in The Lancet on July 25, 2024, the study collected data from participants aged 35 to 70 years old using standardized questionnaires and followed them for an average of 11 years and up to 20 years.
Activity limitations in daily life can be alleviated or rectified by using low-cost devices such as canes or glasses. However, the research showed that despite the much higher percentage of people with activity limitations in low and middle-income countries, the use of simple devices like canes or walkers, glasses, and hearing aids was less than half of that in high-income countries.
“Having access to assistive devices when needed, like glasses and walking aids, is essential for achieving a person’s potential despite having disabilities and improving quality of life,” stated Yusuf. “The limited access to assistive devices in low and middle-income countries represents an important opportunity for health policies and interventions.”
Movement limitations were linked to serious health problems. For example, difficulties with walking were associated with higher risks of death and other health issues, including cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and falls.
“The striking differences between high-income and low and middle-income countries in our study highlight the need for policies and programs to make sure people with disabilities have access to simple assistive devices and other resources needed to maintain their health” added Joundi.
“We also need to better understand the factors contributing to these activity limitations and develop public health strategies to prevent them from happening in the first place, so people can live longer, healthier, and happier.”
The PURE study is supported by several Canadian health agencies including Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Health, along with unrestricted grants from several pharmaceutical companies, the PHRI and the Hamilton Health Sciences Research Institute, with additional contributions from various national or local organizations in participating countries.
To arrange an interview with Raed Joundi, please contact him at raed.joundi@phri.ca.
For additional assistance, reach out to Adam Ward, media relations officer with McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, at warda17@mcmaster.ca.
Study Finds Big Disparities in Stroke Services Across the U.S. Low-income communities are up to 42% less likely to obtain stroke center certification.
Hospitals in poor communities are significantly less likely to obtain certification for stroke services, which makes them unable to provide urgent, lifesaving treatment, UC San Francisco researchers are reporting in a 14-year study of the nation’s hospitals.
By contrast, hospitals located in economically mixed or affluent communities were more likely to become stroke certified. Such specialized services are associated with better stroke care and patient outcomes. The findings demonstrate significant disparities across the United States in access to critical neurologic treatment, the researchers said.
“Some hospitals do not have the necessary resources to treat patients experiencing certain types of strokes,” said lead investigator Renee Y. Hsia, MD, a UCSF professor of emergency medicine and vice chair for Health Services Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine.
“Our findings can help inform the adoption of broad-based social and policy interventions at the local, state and federal levels to promote equal opportunity and access to important community resources.”
Socioeconomic disadvantage
Stroke center certification, which was introduced in 2004 to improve the quality and coordination of acute stroke care, is granted to acute care hospitals that demonstrate the ability to provide specialized stroke services.
Researchers looked at 5,055 acute, non-federal hospitals from 2009 to 2022. They found that 6% of hospitals were located in the most affluent communities, 11% in relatively advantaged communities, 39% in mixed, 36% in relatively disadvantaged and 7% in the most disadvantaged. Hospital ownership varied: 57% of hospitals were not-for-profit, 17% were for-profit and 22% were government-owned.
After adjusting for population size and hospital capacity, researchers found that hospitals near socioeconomically disadvantaged communities were 20 to 42% less likely to obtain stroke center certification compared with hospitals near communities of average socioeconomic status.
“Hospitals with stroke centers that serve patients with a high proportion of commercial insurance and Medicare tend to be revenue centers, meaning they bring in money for the hospitals,” said Hsia, who is also with the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. “Whereas stroke centers in areas with a 'poor' patient payer mix – those with uninsured or Medicaid-insured patients with low reimbursement rates – will operate with much lower or often negative profit margins for those services.
“Providing support for hospitals in disadvantaged communities to obtain stroke center certification may help reduce disparities in stroke care,” she said.
Authors: The other authors were Nandita Sarkar, PhD, of the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Mass.; and Yu-Chu Shen, PhD, of the Department of Defense Management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.
Funding: The project was supported by the Pilot Project Award from the NBER Center for Aging and Health Research, funded by the National Institute on Aging Grant (P30AG012810) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R01MD017482).
About UCSF: The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is exclusively focused on the health sciences and is dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. UCSF Health, which serves as UCSF's primary academic medical center, includes top-ranked specialty hospitals and other clinical programs, and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF School of Medicine also has a regional campus in Fresno. Learn more at ucsf.edu, or see our Fact Sheet.
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JOURNAL
JAMA Network Open
Posttraumatic stress disorder among adults in communities with mass violence incidents
JAMA Network Open
About The Study: In this survey study of 5,991 participants, presumptive posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was quite prevalent long after the mass violence incident (MVI) among adults in communities that have experienced an MVI, suggesting that MVIs have persistent and pervasive public health impacts on communities, particularly among those with prior exposure to physical or sexual assault and other potentially traumatic events. Focusing exclusively on direct exposure to MVIs is not sufficient. Incorporating these findings into screening should improve efforts to identify the individuals most in need of prevention or mental health service after MVIs.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Angela D. Moreland, Ph.D., email moreland@musc.edu.
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is an online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.
JOURNAL
JAMA Network Open
US state restrictions and excess COVID-19 pandemic deaths
JAMA Health Forum
About The Study: This cross-sectional study indicates that stringent COVID-19 restrictions, as a group, were associated with substantial decreases in pandemic mortality, with behavior changes plausibly serving as an important explanatory mechanism. These findings do not support the views that COVID-19 restrictions were ineffective. However, not all restrictions were equally effective; some, such as school closings, likely provided minimal benefit while imposing substantial cost.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Christopher J. Ruhm, Ph.D., email ruhm@virginia.edu.
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
About JAMA Health Forum: JAMA Health Forum is an international, peer-reviewed, online, open access journal that addresses health policy and strategies affecting medicine, health and health care. The journal publishes original research, evidence-based reports and opinion about national and global health policy; innovative approaches to health care delivery; and health care economics, access, quality, safety, equity and reform. Its distribution will be solely digital and all content will be freely available for anyone to read.
JOURNAL
JAMA Health Forum
Disclaimer: AAAS an
Medical and educational indebtedness among health care worker
JAMA Health Forum
About The Study: U.S. health care workers are more likely than other workers to carry medical and educational debt, collectively owing more than $150 billion. This study found that medical debt was more prevalent among women, home health and nursing home personnel, uninsured individuals, and those with recent hospitalization. Educational debts disproportionately burdened Black workers and younger workers and those with higher education.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kathryn E.W. Himmelstein, M.D., M.S.Ed., email khimmelstein@mgb.org.
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
About JAMA Health Forum: JAMA Health Forum is an international, peer-reviewed, online, open access journal that addresses health policy and strategies affecting medicine, health and health care. The journal publishes original research, evidence-based reports and opinion about national and global health policy; innovative approaches to health care delivery; and health care economics, access, quality, safety, equity and reform. Its distribution will be solely digital and all content will be freely available for anyone to read.
