Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Public Radon Messaging In Kentucky As Compared To Three Other States, Abigail Knapp

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Radon poses a large health risk to those exposed to it, as it is an invisible, odorless, carcinogenic gas. Kentucky has high ambient levels of radon, but public awareness remains low as tobacco has been publicized as the main cause of lung cancer. As Kentucky has the highest incidence of lung and bronchial cancers in the United States, we aimed to examine the state’s health department radon page to see if it has sufficient information to warn residents about radon and provide resources. We reviewed the current Kentucky public messaging, radon rates, testing rates, and legislation compared to Ohio, Washington, …

The Role Of The British Grassland Society In Technology Transfer, J. M. Crichton

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Since its formation in 1945, the British Grassland Society (BGS) has been active in disseminating information to the grassland and associated sectors of agriculture and has adapted to a change from production-based agriculture to its current output mix of private and public goods. The BGS has as its remit: (a) improved production and utilisation of grass and forage crops for the promotion of agriculture and the public benefit, and (b) the advancement of education and research in grass and forage crop production and utilisation, and the publication of results.

The Role Of The New Zealand Grassland Association In Technology Interaction And Policy Evolution, M. W. Calder

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The New Zealand Grassland Association (NZGA) aims for a two-way communication between grassland researchers and pastoral farmers on research findings and farming trends and opportunities. Annual conferences, special symposia, print and electronic publications as well as the web site are used to further these aims. Policy evolution is indirect, using the relationship with agribusiness sponsors and members to promote research objectives.

Effects Of Peer Training On The Use Of Aided Language Modeling And Aac User Communicative Acts, Shelby Smith Sheets

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two peers versus one peer on the rate of aided language modeling. The peers were trained and then implemented the communication strategy while playing a tabletop game with an AAC user with extensive support and complex communication needs (ESCCN). A multitreatment design was used to compare the effects of the rate of aided language models (ALM) provided by peers, the rate of communicative acts (CA) provided by the AAC user, and the fidelity of peer implementation of ALM when two peers versus one peer played a tabletop game with …

Use Of A Nurse-Led Daily Goals Checklist To Improve Multidisciplinary Rounds In The Icu, Marissa Riley

DNP Projects

Research has shown a multidisciplinary rounding approach can improve patient care outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). Due to the complexity and wide range of the healthcare team, many patient details and treatment goals may be overlooked during daily patient rounds without a daily goals checklist to help ensure collaboration and communication of the multidisciplinary team. A nurse led daily goals checklist could be useful for framing nurse-provider conversations to promote comprehensive communication and collaboration. The purpose of this project was to improve adherence to a nurse-led daily goals checklist to improve communication and collaboration between the nurses and …

Patients’ Attitudes Toward Deprescribing And Their Experiences Communicating With Clinicians And Pharmacists, Kaylee Marie Lukacena, James W. Keck, Patricia R. Freeman, Nancy Grant Harrington, Mark Huffmyer, Daniela C. Moga

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Purpose: Developing effective deprescribing interventions relies on understanding attitudes, beliefs, and communication challenges of those involved in the deprescribing decision-making process, including the patient, the primary care clinician, and the pharmacist. The objective of this study was to assess patients’ beliefs and attitudes and identify facilitators of and barriers to deprescribing.

Methods: As part of a larger study, we recruited patients ⩾18years of age taking ⩾3 chronic medications. Participants were recruited from retail pharmacies associated with the University of Kentucky HealthCare system. They completed an electronic survey that included demographic information, questions about communication with their primary care clinician and …

Huddle Implementation In The Perioperative Setting, Tina Thomas

DNP Projects

Background: Communication is essential for safe and effective patient care. In the perioperative setting, information sharing is critical to care coordination. Lack of communication between caregivers can lead to medical errors. Evidence shows that huddles lead to increased communication, satisfaction, and engagement between team members resulting in better patient outcomes. Huddles are short, less than 10-minute gatherings that focus on the daily schedule, identify potential obstacles, explain unique needs, and discuss preceding day issues.

Objectives: This project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of huddles on employee satisfaction, engagement, and communication of healthcare workers while also determining if huddles were …

Coaching And Training Paraprofessionals To Implement Communication Strategies In The Classroom With Students With Disabilities, Andrea Grace Antoniewicz

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effects of a training and coaching intervention on increasing paraprofessionals use of communication strategies to increase the participation between students with disabilities and paraprofessionals. Students with CCN struggle to interact with peers and communicate appropriately, and therefore need guided instruction by adults. To encourage interactions across contexts, paraprofessionals must first learn how to use communication strategies. This skill also was chosen to extend our knowledge on coaching paraprofessionals to use different communication strategies to promote communication with students with ESN and CCN.

Effect Of Communication And Time Spent With Children On The Parenting Difficulties Of Single Parents In Korea, Ki Jeong Park

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This research aims to analyze the effect of the time spent with children and the degree of communication with children on the difficulties of parenting children by single parents in Korea. As for the single parents' parenting difficulties, economic hardships have been widely discussed. However, not many studies examined other psychosocial factors between single parents and children, such as the problem of communication between parents and children and the lack of time spent with parents and children, despite their importance in parenting children. This study claims that the focus of public policies, governmental support, and non-profit organizations' roles to resolve …

The Effects Of Peer Training And Coaching On The Implementation Of Aided Language Modeling With An Aac User With Extensive Support And Complex Communication Needs, Sara Elizabeth Henderson

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of training peers at a middle school in aided language modeling. The peers were trained and then coached as they implemented the strategy during a social break time in the resource classroom when communicating with an AAC user with extensive support and complex communication needs (ESCCN). A multiple probe across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of the peer training and coaching program. The results showed that the implementation of a peer training and coaching program were effective in increasing the frequency of aided language modeling and the …

Cross-Cultural Communication In A Crisis: The Universality Of Visual Narrative In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michael D. Murray

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

A primary goal of twenty-first century legal works is to communicate the law effectively to diverse audiences. Many of the most needful and most vulnerable audiences for legal information have members who lack basic literacy skills and suffer linguistic and cultural confusion from verbal textual media—namely, the printed word. Yet for centuries, legal rules and government restrictions have been communicated nearly exclusively through the printed word. Recent scholarship in visual legal rhetoric, visual literacy studies, and visual cultural studies is informed by cognitive psychology and neuroscience that all points to a solution: visual communication of the law. Visual communication is …

Increasing Initiations Of Communication For Students With Moderate And Severe Disabilities Using A Prompt Hierarchy, Ryan Elizabeth Queenan

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to increase initiations of communication for high school students with moderate and severe disabilities using a prompt hierarchy in the context of environmental arrangements. A multiple probe across participants design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a prompt hierarchy with an environmental arrangement. The results showed that when using a prompt hierarchy in the context of an environmental arrangement were effective in increasing initiations of communication for high school students with moderate and severe disabilities.

Teaching Social Communicative Intents To Elementary Aged Students Through The Use Of Aided Language Modeling, Kaitlyn Yvette Kousins

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to extend the research of using aided language modeling as an intervention with elementary aged students with extensive support and complex communication needs. A multiple probe design across participants was used to determine if there is a functional between an aided language modeling intervention and improvements in contextually relevant initiations (i.e., requests and comments) between children with extensive support and complex communication needs. The results showed that using aided language modeling within play-based sessions was effective in teaching social communicative intents to students with extensive support and complete communication needs.

Rebuilding A Tropical Forages For The Future Network – A Call For Resuscitating Enthusiasm For A Commodity With Great Prospects And Innovation Potential, B. C. Pengelly, B. L. Maass

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

A series of Forages for the Future newsletters, outlining some of the latest tropical and subtropical forage (TSTF) research and development impacts and expertise, has been published since 2016. Amongst the research highlights were Brazilian scientists’ focus on grasses such as Urochloa, Megathyrsus maximus, Paspalum and Cenchrus purpureus, and on legumes, especially Arachis and Stylosanthes. Argentinian researchers are similarly targeting Acroceras macrum and Setaria sphacelata; while Indian and ILRI (East Africa) researchers are using plant breeding to overcome disease constraints in Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus and associated hybrids). Also demonstrated were successfully using genetic …

Stimulating Market Led Livestock Production Through Information Communication Technologies: Experiences From Pastoral Areas Of Eastern Africa, R. Kaitho, G. Kariuki, E. Kebebe, J. Gutta, J. Ndungu, M. Kingamkono, P. Dyke

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

No abstract provided.

Improvisation As A Teaching Tool For Improving Oral Communication Skills In Premedical And Pre-Biomedical Graduate Students, Marianne Phelps, Catrina White, Lin Xiang, Hollie I. Swanson

Theatre and Dance Faculty Publications

Objective:

To evaluate the relationship between training in theatre improvisation and empathy, communication, and other professional skills.

Methods:

Undergraduate and graduate students who were participants of a 10-week summer undergraduate research program engaged in theatre improvisation techniques during a 3-hour workshop. In Study #1, a de-identified, self-report questionnaire (known as the Empathy Quotient) was administered prior to and following the workshop. Paired sample 2-tailed t-tests were performed to evaluate pre- and post-test scores. To identify additional benefits of engaging in theatre improvisation techniques, Study #2 was performed. Here, a survey was administered to the participants following their completion of …

A Multiple Goals Perspective On Burnout Disclosure And Support Among Attending Physicians, Alison N. Buckley

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Burnout is a common experience among physicians and has been identified as a precursor to substance abuse and suicide ideation. When not addressed, burnout can have many negative personal, relational and professional consequences. Research about the burnout experience is limited due to the taboo nature of the topic. The present study used a multiple goals theoretical perspective to examine how physicians disclose burnout in order to access social support. Attending physicians from various specialties (N = 30) participated in one-on-one interviews and were asked to discuss their burnout experience, conversational goals during burnout disclosure, catalysts and barriers for disclosure, and …

Integrating Persuasive Messaging Strategies Into Higher Education Early Alert Interventions To Improve Student Academic Behaviors, Joseph Gayheart

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Higher Education is at a critical juncture as both public and private institutions seek to attract, retain, and graduate students. Institutions of higher education have traditionally developed communication and engagement strategies that become part of early warning/alert systems intended to increase student positive academic behaviors and improve student success. Persuasion can be a powerful tool in improving communication—especially when persuasive messages are deployed within the complex and ever-changing media landscape. Communication and persuasion scholars, for example, have applied persuasive messaging interventions in a variety of contexts but have yet to substantially apply these persuasive tactics in a higher education setting. …

Building Communication, Collaboration, And Self-Efficacy Among Elementary School Counselors Through Communities Of Practice, Garrett Rimey

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

There are few life-changing experiences like transitioning from elementary school to middles school. A new setting, new peers, new teachers, and new structures have been shown to elicit a myriad of emotions from students as they transition into middle school. A student’s academic record, accommodations, and other pertinent academic information follow a student into middle school; however, their social and emotional portfolio does not. Research has shown that students who are negatively impacted the most by transitioning into middle school also show their academics are negatively impacted, with title 1 students showing to be even more negatively impacted. However, school …

Translating Provider And Staff Engagement Results To Actionable Planning And Outcomes, Roberto Cardarelli, Madeline Slimack, Ginny Gottschalk, Michael Ruszkowski, Jessica Sass, Kristen Brown, Rachel Kikendall, John J. Allard, Kelly Burgess, Maggie Luoma, Wanda Gonsalves

Family and Community Medicine Faculty Publications

Staff and provider engagement leads to better quality and experience of care and less turnover and burnout. In this program, we describe an approach to better understand underlying factors that lead to low staff and provider engagement and address such factors by creating actionable plans that drive improved engagement measures. Focus groups were conducted with staff, advance practice providers, and faculty to better understand low scored areas in an annual third-party engagement survey. Focus group results were analyzed, and thematic action plans were then developed by a leadership team. These plans and the status of addressing the identified issues were …

A Qualitative Exploration To Understand Hospitalists’ Attitude Toward The Patient Experience Scoring System, Ankur Segon, Yogita Segon, Vivek Kumar, Hirotaka Kato

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Patient’s perception of their inpatient experience is measured by the Center for Medical Services’ (CMS) administered Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (HCAHPS) survey. There is scant existing literature on physicians’ perceptions toward the HCAHPS scoring system. Understanding hospitalist knowledge and attitude toward the HCAHPS survey can help guide efforts to impact HCAHPS survey scores by improving the patient’s perception of their hospital experience. The goal of this study is to explore hospitalists’ knowledge and perspective of the physician communication domain of the HCAHPS survey at an academic medical center. Seven hospitalists at an academic medical center were …

From Research To Practice Change–Achieving Adoption Through Regionally Packaged Technology And Farm Systems, Kate Sargeant, Scott Glyde

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The rate and extent of adoption of grazing systems technology is limited by the relevance of recommendations and the complexity of integrating new practices into farming systems. This paper describes how, through development of regional information packages, a national project is enhancing adoption of the outputs from research investment. Every farm has unique goals, soils, landscape, enterprise setup and existing practices. When making investment decisions, farmers consider the cost and potential impact of each option compared to other competing options, the fit into their existing management philosophy and other changes necessary to realise the potential benefit. Overlaying this, farmers consider …

Strategies For Mitigating Sexual Desire Discrepancy In Relationships, Laura M. Vowels, Kristen P. Mark

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

Sexual desire discrepancy, when one member of a couple experiences more or less sexual desire relative to their partner, is among the main reasons for couples to seek therapy. A great deal of prior research has examined the complexity of sexual desire and the role of sexual desire discrepancy in long-term relationships, but little research has specifically examined strategies used to mitigate sexual desire discrepancy when it arises. Thus, the purpose of the present mixed methods study was to identify the strategies that individuals in long-term relationships use during times of desire discrepancy and to address whether the use of …

Barn-Raising On The Digital Frontier: The L.A.U.N.C.H. Collaborative, Bradford W. Hesse, David Ahern, Michele Ellison, Eliah Aronoff-Spencer, Robin C. Vanderpool, Karen Onyeije, Michael C. Gibbons, Timothy W. Mullett, Ming-Yuan Chih, Victoria Attencio, Grant Patterson, Jessica Boten, Christopher Hartshorn, Ben Bartolome, Katie Gorscak, Melanie Mccomsey, Alexandra Hubenko, Bin Huang, Corey Baker, Don Norman

Journal of Appalachian Health

A meta-analysis of oncology papers from around the world revealed that cancer patients who lived more than 50 miles away from hospital centers routinely presented with more advanced stages of disease at diagnosis, exhibited lower adherence to prescribed treatments, presented with poorer diagnoses, and reported a lower quality of life than patients who lived nearer to care facilities. Connected health approaches—or the use of broadband and telecommunications technologies to evaluate, diagnose, and monitor patients beyond the clinic—are becoming an indispensable tool in medicine to overcome the obstacle of distance.

Introducing The L.A.U.N.C.H. Collaborative, F. Douglas Scutchfield Md, Kevin Patrick

Journal of Appalachian Health

The L.A.U.N.C.H. Collaborative: Linking & Amplifying User-Centered Networks through Connected Health: A Demonstration of Broadband-Enabled Connected Health and Community-Based Co-Design brings together a group of organizations that are eager to use Appalachian Kentucky as a site for the development of a project aimed at creating an environment that addresses two of the nation’s major concerns about cancer. First, individuals who live in rural and remote areas are more likely to die of cancer than those who live in urban or suburban settings. And second, geographic obstacles hinder their ability to access evidence-based strategies that can prevent cancer or treat it …

Communication Of Professional Readiness In Dietetics And Human Nutrition Undergraduates: A Pilot Study, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Emily M. Dewitt, Nathan L. Vanderford, Julie Plasencia

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Learning experiences within the dietetics and human nutrition undergraduate curricula develop knowledge and skills pertinent to student career goals. Core competency requirements are extensively assessed in these programs, yet the communication of transferable skills gained and student professional readiness are rarely examined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate undergraduate students' perceived professional readiness following six professional development workshops on transferable skills and career preparedness communicated through resumes and personal statements. In this pilot study, twelve upper-level dietetics and human nutrition students self-assessed their resumes and personal statements with rubrics and completed surveys before and after the intervention. Following …

Incorporating Environmental Arrangement Strategies Into Classroom Activities, Brandy M. Denton

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Individuals with extensive support needs, including those who have autism spectrum disorder and are classified as level 3 in the area of social communication, are more likely than same-age peers to display delays in age-appropriate social communication and engagement in activities. To address these issues, special education teachers, in collaboration with related-service providers, should create social communication and engagement objectives. Once objectives are identified, teachers can plan for and implement environmental arrangement (EA) strategies to promote these behaviors in a natural context. EA strategies are a long-standing approach to creating a communication-rich environment and can be used alone or paired …

Reducing Construction Costs Through Effective Field Communication And Administration, Gabriel B. Dadi, Roy E. Sturgill Jr., Steven Waddle, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Falling Road Fund receipts have placed added strain on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) already-underfunded highway program. Revenue declines have increased the urgency of improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the Cabinet’s operations. One method KYTC can use to realize greater cost savings is improving the administration of construction projects. Effective field communication and administration helps control construction costs, enhances quality, and minimizes delays and claims. One challenge the Cabinet will need to confront to more effectively administer projects, however, is the loss of institutional knowledge associated with staff attrition. The report documents KYTC current methods for project staffing, communication, …

Gay Men And Satisfaction With Health Care Interactions, Michael Huggins

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

The purpose of this research was to determine relationships among depression, anxiety, self-rated physical and mental health, self-advocacy, internalized homophobia, and quality of patient-provider communication to satisfaction with health care interactions. These were measured while controlling for select demographic variables: age; ethnicity; urban or rural domicile; relationship status; household income; highest educational attainment; health insurance; disclosure to health care provider as a gay man; reason for last healthcare visit; and, general health self-rating. The specific aims of this study were to: 1) identify general characteristics of gay men in this sample; 2) examine how levels of satisfaction with health care …

Assessing Students’ Writing And Public Speaking Self-Efficacy In A Composition And Communication Course, T. Kody Frey, Jessalyn I. Vallade

Information Science Faculty Publications

One avenue for assessing learning involves evaluating self-efficacy, as this psychological beliefis a strong predictor of academic achievement. As such, the purpose of this study was to evaluate writing self-efficacy and public speaking self-efficacy in a composition and communication course. This course is structured to develop both writing and public speaking competencies; the research sought to determine whether students believed they were leaving the course feeling more confident in their capabilities within each respective academic domain. Results (N= 380) from pre- and post-test data suggest that students’ reported writing and public speaking self-efficacy significantly increased over the semester. Additionally, students’ …