Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Association Of Hospital Practices To Breastfeeding Behaviors In South Carolina: Analysis Of 2013-2015 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (Prams) Data, Larisa Donnette Bruner

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether hospital practices are associated with breastfeeding initiation and breastfeeding duration for ≥10 weeks.

Methods: We analyzed the 2013-2015 South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data. The population of interest was mothers who delivered a single live birth in the hospital. The infant was alive and living with the mother at the time of the survey. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to examine breastfeeding initiation and duration among all women who delivered in a hospital and those who stated that they initiated breastfeeding while in the …

Socioeconomic Determinants Of Broadband Non-Adoption Among Consumer Households In South Carolina, Usa, Lori Dickes, Elizabeth L. Crouch, Thomas Walker

Faculty Publications

he policy environment around broadband technology in the United States is shifting again and there are concerns about the impact these proposed changes will have on the future of rural bro- adband deployment and access. Similar to the Obama administration’s discussion of net neutrality, reclas- sifying high-speed internet is again receiving growing media and policy attention at the federal and state level in the United States. Globally, it is argued that affordable high-speed internet access is imperative to rural and regional economic development success. The global digital divide and challenges of non-adoption impact both developing and developed nations. While many …

Introduction Of Innovative Medical Practices In Mayo Clinic: Effect Of The Interventions On Patient Outcomes, Duaa I. Aljabri

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Assessment of health technologies in medical practice is an ongoing process to provide clinicians and policymakers with information on the value of those applications. This dissertation aims to add to the existing body of literature and fill the gaps in prior studies by assessing two health technologies in Mayo Clinic Florida (MCF). The first paper provides an assessment of patient portal adoption and activity during hospitalization among cancer patients, and determines whether a portal application is associated with selected indices of patient safety, utilization and satisfaction. The second paper provides an assessment of a new approach in pain …

Residential Mobility And Enrollment Churn In A Medicaid Population, John E. Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Previous investigations show high rates of enrollment discontinuity, or churn, among Medicaid participants. Discontinuity of coverage can limit appropriate use of health care, increase emergency department utilization and in-patient hospitalization, negatively affect self-reported health, increase health care spending, and compound Medicaid administrative costs. Efforts to more fully understand and ultimately reduce enrollment churn thus are vital to Medicaid agencies and beneficiaries. Residential moves are life transitions, often marking other significant life events (e.g., changes in employment or family structure) that can alter eligibility for Medicaid benefits. Few studies have examined residential moves among Medicaid members, or considered residential mobility as …

How Do Health System Employees With Established Musculoskeletal Complaints Decide On Their Treatment Pathway? A Qualitative Approach, Noor Alshareef

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Non-pharmacologic treatment such as physical therapy (PT) are advocated for musculoskeletal pain for decreasing opioid use. Early access to PT has been shown to decrease costs and improve outcomes through direct access via self-referral. Although self-referral to PT is permitted in the majority of U.S states, health insurance coverage has been identified as a barrier preventing some patients with musculoskeletal complaints from using it. There are few studies examining patient factors related to early access to physical therapy via self-referral. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors outside of insurance that influence the choice to access …

Association Of Insurance And Provider Type With Patients’ Perceived Cost And Ease Of Access To Healthcare Services Among Medicare Beneficiaries Diagnosed With Diabetes, Metria Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with diabetes are likely to have health complications or episodes associated with diabetes, resulting in higher health care utilization and costs. Andersen’s Health Care Utilization Behavior Model (HCBM) includes predisposing, enabling, and need factors, but it excludes perception. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) shows that perception influences health service use. This study was performed using a real-world model integrating Andersen’s HCBM and Ajzen’s TPB to determine whether there was an association between insurance type (Medicare Part D versus non-Part D) and perceived ease of access or cost among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. The second objective was …