Introduction Given the underrepresentation of female physicians in most specialties and the aim of holistic review in residency applications to improve the diversity of matriculating resident physicians in the United States (US) postgraduate medical training programs, we examined the association between holistic review and female resident representation among US postgraduate training programs. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of US postgraduate training programs to inquire about their use of holistic review for resident applications (independent variable). The primary outcome was the percentage of female residents in each program, which was obtained along with other program-level characteristics from the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database Access (FREIDA) catalog in April 2023. We limited the analysis to the 10 specialties with the most training spots in 2022, including anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery (general). We also examined the interactions between holistic review and specialty and the percentage of female faculty using model comparison and simple slopes analyses.  Results Of the 3,364 total programs surveyed from the 10 specialties, 222 (6.6%) responded. Responders and nonresponders had similar program-level characteristics, including program type (e.g., university, community), specialty, and reported minimum board examination scores. Of the 222 responders, 179 (80.6%) reported performing holistic review. The percentage of female residents was 49.0% (interquartile range 37.5 to 66.7) in the no holistic review group and 47.8% (35.4 to 65.0) in the holistic review group (median difference 0.9%, 95% confidence interval -6.7 to 8.3). Furthermore, there was no evidence of interaction between holistic review and either the specialty or the percentage of female faculty on the outcome of the percentage of female residents. Conclusions Holistic review of residency applications in this limited sample of US postgraduate training programs was not associated with the percentage of female residents. The role of holistic review in addressing the imbalance of male and female physicians in the healthcare workforce, particularly between specialties, remains unknown.

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bb) infection, the most frequent tick-transmitted disease, is distributed worldwide. This study aimed to describe the global seroprevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of Bb in human populations.
We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and other sources for relevant studies of all study designs through 30 December 2021 with the following keywords: \'Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato\' AND \'infection rate\'; and observational studies were included if the results of human Bb antibody seroprevalence surveys were reported, the laboratory serological detection method reported and be published in a peer-reviewed journal. We screened titles/abstracts and full texts of papers and appraised the risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration-endorsed Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Data were synthesised narratively, stratified by different types of outcomes. We also conducted random effects meta-analysis where we had a minimum of two studies with 95% CIs reported. The study protocol has been registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021261362).
Of 4196 studies, 137 were eligible for full-text screening, and 89 (158 287 individuals) were included in meta-analyses. The reported estimated global Bb seroprevalence was 14.5% (95% CI 12.8% to 16.3%), and the top three regions of Bb seroprevalence were Central Europe (20.7%, 95% CI 13.8% to 28.6%), Eastern Asia (15.9%, 95% CI 6.6% to 28.3%) and Western Europe (13.5%, 95% CI 9.5% to 18.0%). Meta-regression analysis showed that after eliminating confounding risk factors, the methods lacked western blotting (WB) confirmation and increased the risk of false-positive Bb antibody detection compared with the methods using WB confirmation (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.6 to 2.2). Other factors associated with Bb seropositivity include age ≥50 years (12.6%, 95% CI 8.0% to 18.1%), men (7.8%, 95% CI 4.6% to 11.9%), residence of rural area (8.4%, 95% CI 5.0% to 12.6%) and suffering tick bites (18.8%, 95% CI 10.1% to 29.4%).
The reported estimated global Bb seropositivity is relatively high, with the top three regions as Central Europe, Western Europe and Eastern Asia. Using the WB to confirm Bb serological results could significantly improve the accuracy. More studies are needed to improve the accuracy of global Lyme borreliosis burden estimates.
CRD42021261362.

Crisis resolution teams (CRTs) provide treatment at home to people experiencing mental health crises, as an alternative to hospital admission. Previous UK research, based on self-report surveys, suggests that a loosely specified model has resulted in wide variations in CRTs\' service delivery, organization and outcomes. A fidelity scale (developed through evidence review and stakeholder consensus) provided a means of objectively measuring adherence to a model of good practice for CRTs, via one-day fidelity reviews of UK crisis teams. Reviews included interviews with service users, carers, staff and managers, and examination of data, policies, protocols and anonymized case notes. Of the 75 teams reviewed, 49 (65%) were assessed as being moderate fidelity and the rest as low fidelity, with no team achieving high fidelity. The median score was 122 (range: 73-151; inter-quartile range: 111-132). Teams achieved higher scores on items about structure and organization, for example ease of referral, medication and safety systems, but scored poorly on items about the content of care and interventions. Despite a national mandate to implement the CRT model, there are wide variations in implementation in the UK and no teams in our sample achieved overall high fidelity. This suggests that a mandatory national policy is not in itself sufficient to achieve good quality implementation of a service model. The CRT Fidelity Scale provides a feasible and acceptable means to objectively assess model fidelity in CRTs. There is a need for development and testing of interventions to enhance model fidelity and facilitate improvements to these services.

The objective of this study was to identify relevant outcomes and measures to inform a systematic review (SR) on the comparative effectiveness of geriatrician-led care models.
In the modified Delphi to select outcomes for inclusion in the SR, knowledge users (KUs) from Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan rated outcome importance using a Likert scale. A survey was then completed by geriatricians to determine optimal measures for selected outcomes. Findings were analyzed using frequencies, means, and standard deviations (SDs).
Thirty-three KUs (patients, caregivers, policymakers and geriatricians) rated 27 outcomes in round 1 of the modified Delphi. Top-rated outcomes included function (mean 6.85 ± SD 0.36), cognition (6.47 ± SD 0.72), and quality of life (6.38 ± SD 0.91). Twenty-three KUs participated in round 2 and rated 24 outcomes. Top-rated outcomes in round 2 were function (6.87 ± SD 0.34), quality of life (6.45 ± SD 1.10), and cognition (6.43 ± SD 0.73). The survey was completed by 22 geriatricians and the highest ranked measures were Activities of Daily Living (function), Mini-Mental State Examination (cognition), and the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 (quality of life).
We identified the most relevant outcomes and measures for patients, caregivers, policymakers, and geriatricians, allowing us to tailor the SR to KU needs.

Findings from cross-sectional blindness prevalence surveys are at risk of several biases that cause the study estimate to differ from the \'true\' population prevalence. For example, response bias occurs when people who participate (\'responders\') differ from those who do not (\'non-responders\') in ways that affect prevalence estimates. This study aimed to assess the extent to which response bias is considered and occurs in blindness prevalence surveys in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science for cross-sectional blindness prevalence surveys undertaken in LMICs and published 2009-2017. From included studies, we recorded and descriptively analysed details regarding enumeration processes, response, and non-response, including the impact of non-response on results.
Most (95%) of the 92 included studies reported a response rate (median 91.7%, inter-quartile range 85.9-95.6%). Approximately half clearly described enumeration processes (49%), and reported at least one strategy to increase the response rate (53%); a quarter (23%) statistically compared responders and non-responders. When differential response was assessed, men were more likely to be non-responders than women. Two-thirds (65%) of the time a sociodemographic difference was found between responders and non-responders, a difference in blindness prevalence was also found. Only 13 studies (14%) commented on implications of non-response on prevalence estimates.
Response rates are commonly reported from blindness prevalence surveys, and tend to be high. High response rates reduce-but do not eliminate-the risk of response bias. Assessment and reporting of potential response bias in blindness prevalence surveys could be greatly improved.