Health Services Research Commons^™

Evidenced-Based Strategies To Increase Cervical Cancer Screening Rates, Tuong Cat Vo Bsn-Rn, Nada Salloukh Bsn-Rn, Tatiana Elena Swanson Bsn-Rn, Xiao Mie Cindy Zhu Bsn-Rn, Laura Taylor Reed Dnp, Aprn, Fnp-Bc

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose/Background

Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer affecting women worldwide (Staley et al., 2021). With cervical cancer being a preventable disease, an effective method of reducing healthcare costs and mortality is primary prevention, such as screenings. Financial burdens and barriers to accessing medical care may result due to the lack of proper cervical cancer screenings. Detecting cervical cancer includes screening women 21 to 65 years old with a Papanicolaou (PAP) test every three years. Women aged 30 to 65 years old can extend the screening of cervical cancer by having a Human Papillomavirus (HPV) test along with …

Development Of A Portable And Rapid Decalcification Device For Oral Hard Tissue Specimens, Upasana Das, Vijayalakshmi Bhat, Taniya Feroz, Sowmya Sv, Dominic Augustine

Annual Research Symposium

Decalcification is a routinely carried out procedure by oral pathologists, as the lesions involving the pulp can only be seen and identified through decalcified sections. The present methods involve usage of chemical agents, either with inorganic acids which dissolves the calcium to form soluble calcium salts or with chelating agents. Even though the chelating agents preserve the tissue morphology and show excellent microscopic picture, it has less diagnostic efficacy, as the time taken for it to decalcify the specimens is considerably high. It becomes important for us to develop a decalcification technique which will be faster and will maintain the …

Dentofacial Effects Of Radiotherapy On Pediatric Population With Retinoblastoma, Kristi Truong

Annual Research Symposium

This literature review investigates the dentofacial consequences of radiotherapy in young patients with retinoblastoma by referencing current research. In addition, the management and rehabilitation of the dentofacial abnormalities, highlighting orthodontic, surgical, and prosthetic approaches, is examined. By understanding the changes of dentofacial development due to retinoblastoma treatment, effective management techniques can be implemented to resolve significant issues, relating to dental and skeletal relationship and facial appearance.

Is There Room For Individual Patient-Specified Preferences In The Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Revolution?, Leif I. Solberg, Jeanette Y. Ziegenfuss, Rachael L. Rivard, Christine K. Norton, Robin R. Whitebird, Glyn Elwyn, Mark Swiontkowski

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: The study aim was to test the feasibility of collecting qualitative patient-preferred outcomes or goals and the degree of their attainment as an addition to a standardized process for collecting quantitative composite patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) from patients undergoing knee joint replacement..

Methods: Patients of a large Midwestern medical group scheduled to have total replacement of their knee joint have been asked to complete a PROMs survey preoperatively and at 3 and 12 months after surgery since 2014. In March 2020, an open-ended question about their most important preferred outcome was added to the existing questionnaire. The responses for …

Exploring The Experience Of Sexuality And Gender During The Healthcare Transition Of The Youth With Cerebral Palsy, Umma Salma

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Transition from the pediatric to adult health care system is an important phase of healthcare for youth with cerebral palsy (CP). Sexuality and gender are two very important components of health that are mostly ignored in the healthcare transition process. It is possible that health care providers only see a client’s disability, and therefore, key aspects of sexuality and gender diversity may be ignored, or deemed irrelevant as a result of their disability status. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to explore how gender and sexuality may influence the experience of health care transition for youth with cerebral …

Clinical And Environmental Factors Affecting The Survival Outcomes Among Stage 1a Tn0m0 First Primary Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Patients In The United States., Naiya Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Lung cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.). The most prevalent histological type of lung cancer is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), which has an overall five years survival of 5% if left untreated. Therefore, early treatment of NSCLC is vital to improve overall survival (OS) outcomes. Several factors affect survival outcomes, which can be categorized as modifiable or non-modifiable. The difference in timely receipt of guideline-concordant treatment affects the survival outcomes of patients with stage 1A NSCLC. This dissertation explored factors that affect treatment and survival outcomes among stage 1A NSCLC patients …

Abstracts From The 2023 Health Care Systems Research Network (Hcsrn) Annual Conference, Denver, Colorado

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) is comprised of 20 learning health systems with embedded population-based research units. The network’s annual conference serves as a forum for research teams from member institutions to disseminate project findings, explore scientific collaborations, and share insights about conducting research in real-world care delivery settings. Abstracts presented at HCSRN 2023 are published in this issue supplement of Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews, the journal of record for HCSRN’s annual conference proceedings.

Pandemic Response Officers: Integration Between Medical, Public Health, And Higher Education Systems To Expedite Prevention And Response., Anne C Jones, Genevive R Meredith, Donna Leong, Sabine Jamal, Rachel Buckwalter, John D Clarke, Marin Clarkberg, Allan Bishop, Frank Cantone, Claire Espey, Frank Kruppa, Mary George Opperman, Gary A Koretzky

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: Research and policy studies alike have enumerated population and community health benefits of system integration between medical, public health, and social entities. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the necessity of a well-trained and adequately staffed public health and medical workforce in order to process SARS-CoV-2 cases and prevent subsequent transmission. Higher education systems, in particular, represented defined populations of exposure and transmission. Opportunities existed for collaboration and task sharing between institutions of higher education and local public health departments to limit spread and impacts.

PROGRAM: This article describes the Pandemic Response Officer (PRO) program at Cornell University, …

Analysis Of Trustworthiness And Readability Of English And Spanish Hypo- And Hyperthyroid-Related Online Patient Education Information, Chitra Parikh, Adam M. Ostrovsky

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

This study aims to determine the readability and trustworthiness of English and Spanish hypo- and hyperthyroid-related online information. Google searches were conducted for four search terms: hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's Disease, hyperthyroidism, and Graves’ Disease. For each search term, the first 10 websites were analyzed with a total of 40 websites analyzed. Readability formulas were used to determine English and Spanish readability. Trustworthiness was determined using HONcode status, JAMA Benchmark Criteria, and NLM Trustworthy Score. Overall readability largely exceeded recommended grade levels. Only 1 website (2.5%) presented information below the eighth-grade reading level based on overall Readability Consensus score, while 31 websites …

Home Oxygen And Monitoring For Covid-19 Patients: A Multidisciplinary Team Approach, Mahta Salehi, Shehrose Chaudry, Rebecca B. Newman, Josette Hartnett, Suzanne J. Rose, Forugh Homayounrooz

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Introduction: During the initial COVID-19 pandemic peak, Stamford Hospital implemented a home oxygen program (HOP) to create a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary outpatient initiative without sacrificing a safe discharge. Primary care physicians monitored program participants, whose only indication for remaining admitted was an oxygen requirement. We retrospectively examined participant co-morbidities and outcomes, including death and readmission rates to evaluate HOP safety.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of program participants discharged between April 2020-Janurary 2021 was performed. Variables included demographics, oxygen requirement, days enrolled in the HOP, and major comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes (DM), hypertension (HTN), obesity, chronic kidney disease, malignancies …

Association Of Maternal Biomarkers With Gestational Weight Gain And Pre-Eclampsia, Matthew Green, Xinhua Chen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: There is convincing evidence that excessive gestational weight gain (GWG), based on the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 2009 guidelines, increases the risk of both maternal and neonatal complications.1-6 Although the association between excessive GWG and pre-eclampsia is well-established, the reason why this association exists remains unclear.

Methods: Previously collected data from a cohort of pregnant women in Camden, NJ between the years of 1998-2007 was used to examine the association between maternal serum biomarkers (C-peptide, IGF-1, Insulin and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR)) collected at entry (week 16) and 3rd trimester (week 28) and longitudinally assessed gestational …

Comorbidities, Behaviors, And Socioeconomic Factors And Mortality From Diseases Of The Heart In New Jersey, Matthew Guariglia, Stephen Poos, Ahmed Gawash, David Lo, Aayush Visaria

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Mortality from diseases of the heart claimed the lives of 186,074 New Jerseyans from 2010 to 2019. This study aims to establish correlations between each of health-related risk factors and death from heart disease in each of six New Jersey counties. Each of the counties ranked by age-adjusted mortality per 100,000 from diseases of the heart. The six counties were divided by the least (Hunterdon, Somerset, Bergen) and greatest (Cape May, Salem, and Cumberland) mortality rates from heart disease. Additionally, this data was broken down into three main categories that include comorbidities, socioeconomic status, and behavior patterns. Each main category …

Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Patients With Depression In Different Socioeconomic Status In Different Age Groups, Alexander Kowalski, Harsh Patel

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on depression and how different age groups and socioeconomic classes were affected. The PHQ-9 survey was used to assess depression levels amongst 64 individuals of different age groups and socioeconomic statuses. Results indicated that the higher socioeconomic class had less impact on depression symptoms compared to lower socioeconomic classes. Younger age groups and lower socioeconomic classes were found to have a bigger impact on depression symptoms. However, the study acknowledges that numerous factors, such as lifestyle factors, financial stability, and social support, need to be considered while interpreting the results. Overall, …

Breaking Down Barriers: Investigating Structural And Systemic Factors That Contribute To Covid-19 Disparities In African American Communities In New Jersey, Fazal Choudhary, Suraj Pothineni

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of millions of Americans; however, minority communities have been hit the hardest as infection rates continue to sky rocket and new variants arise. As of October 5, 2021, the CDC reports that African Americans make up a similar share of cases relative to the overall population, at about 12%, but have a significantly higher rate of deaths compared to the population, at approximately14%. African American communities are being disproportionately affected because of higher incidence of chronic diseases, inadequate access to health care, and poorer living and working conditions, which increases their vulnerability …

Effects Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder On Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Procedure: Insights From The National Inpatient Sample, Rafail Beshai, Keri Anacker, Keith Anacker, Tony Elias, Veyola Rezkalla, Maziyar Daneshvar, Howard Weinberg

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Introduction: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect children and adults and is characterized by deficits in attention, self-regulation, and executive functioning. Symptoms can seriously affect daily functioning and may present as hyperactivity, inattentive behaviors, or a combination of both. There are data to suggest patients with ADHD suffer from increased rates of cardiovascular disease, however not much is known specifically regarding the relationship between ADHD and undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. We sought to examine this relationship in greater detail by perusing the national inpatient sample database to describe in-hospital trends and outcomes among these …

The Effect Of Socioeconomic Status On Primary Care Access And Cancer Screening Rates, Seth Spicer, Liam Courtney, Alyssa Laguerta, Abdul Sanni-Adam, Bharathi Balaji

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: Low cancer screening rates among specific demographics are major health issues that lead to disparities in health outcomes. Early cancer detection is crucial for cure; however, it is not well known how age, race, gender, primary care access, and socio-economic status affect cancer screening rates. This review discusses the importance of cancer screening and the factors that affect screening rates.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how access to primary care affects cancer screening rates, with consideration to age, race, socioeconomic status, and primary care access in order to improve screening rates in underserved populations.

Methods: …

Exploring Risk Factors For Major Depressive Disorder For Female Patients Aged 18 Or Older Living In Ocean County, New Jersey, James Mack

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The incidence and prevalence of major depressive disorder has been increasing worldwide, in the United States of America, and on a local level. The population of Ocean County, New Jersey, a predominantly Caucasian, female, middle-aged population, may be at increased risk of developing major depressive disorder.

Purpose: To explore the social determinants of health and risk factors for major depressive disorder for female patients aged 18 or older living in Ocean County, New Jersey.

Methods: This literature review mainly used PubMed and Scopus for journal articles and utilized governmental databases for additional population data.

Results: Analyses conducted on social …

Cardiovascular Disease Prediction Modelling: A Machine Learning Approach, Usmaan Al-Shehab, Maduka Gunasinghe, Yousuf Elkhoga, Nimay Patel, Juliana Yang

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

The objective of this project is to utilize the UCI Heart Disease dataset to identify physiological biomarkers that are highly correlated with heart disease incidence. A predictive model can then be developed using these biomarkers to estimate the likelihood of someone having or developing a heart-related condition. This study compares the efficacy of predicting cardiovascular disease as an outcome using three machine learning algorithms: Support Vector Machine, Gaussian Naive Bayes, and logistic regression. Support Vector Machine works by creating hyperplanes between data points to conduct classification. Gaussian Naive Bayes works by using the conditional probabilities of events to classify the …

Growing Use Of Xylazine As An Adulterant In Opioids And Its Effects, Oluwapelumi Oluwo

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Xylazine, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a non-opioid tranquilizer used in veterinary medicine. Although this drug has not been approved for human use, it can be linked to an increase in opioid overdose deaths due to its role as an adulterant in drugs like fentanyl.

Xylazine was detected in drugs involved in 41% of all opioid-involved unintentional deaths and in 44% of all unintentional overdose deaths with fentanyl involved in the year of 2021 in Philadelphia.

Factors That Influence The Decision To Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19, Rhea Bhargava, Meghan H. Foos, Brandy M. Gotti, Alexandra L. Mulvenna, Taylor O. Smith, Danielle Cooley, Venkateswar Venkataman

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the launch of the vaccine, healthcare workers have been encouraging people to get vaccinated to prevent the spread of the virus. However, there is a significant number of people who are vaccine hesitant, or uncertain about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and its booster. Vaccine hesitancy represents a state of opportunity to make positive change; therefore, it is crucial for healthcare workers to identify those who are in this population. When factors contributing to the vaccine hesitancy, including gender, age, ethnicity, education level, and income were studied, it was found that women, those …

Patient And Provider Experience With Artificial Intelligence Screening Technology For Diabetic Retinopathy In A Rural Primary Care Setting, Brian M. Nolan, Emma R. Daybranch, Kerri Barton, Neil Korsen

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Introduction: The development of autonomous artificial intelligence for interpreting diabetic retinopathy (DR) images has allowed for point-of-care testing in the primary care setting. This study describes patient and provider experiences and perceptions of the artificial intelligence DR screening technology called EyeArt by EyeNuk during implementation of the tool at Western Maine Primary Care in Norway, Maine.

Methods: This non-randomized, single-center, prospective observational study surveyed 102 patients and 13 primary care providers on their experience of the new screening intervention.

Results: All surveyed providers agreed that the new screening tool would improve access and annual screening rates. Some providers also identified …

Accuracy Of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring In Vancomycin And The Pharmacist Role: A Retrospective Case-Series, Kateryna Parkhomenko

Senior Theses

Vancomycin is a mainstay of therapy for treating virulent and resistant infections, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, vancomycin requires therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for optimal dosing and treatment. This requires pharmacists to calculate a dosing regimen that correlates to appropriate goal vancomycin concentrations in the blood. Dosing vancomycin can be difficult, as it varies on a patient’s weight, renal function, age, etc. Doses may have to be adjusted in response to out-of-range concentrations, which requires further pharmacy calculations. Inaccurate dosing poses a risk to patient safety and places a resource and time burden on pharmacists. If vancomycin dosing methods …

Intellectual Disability Related To De Novo Germline Loss Of The Distal End Of The P-Arm Of Chromosome 17: A Case Report, Eden Pope, Matthew Huertas, Amar Paul, Braden Cunningham, Matthew Jennings, Ryan Perry, Stephanie Chavez, John A. Kriak, Kyle B. Bills, David W. Sant

Annual Research Symposium

Hypothesis/Purpose: In this report we present a case of a 20-year-old female with congenital intellectual disability, stunted growth, and hypothyroidism. Competitive genetic hybridization (CHG) revealed a loss of 17p13.3, and the deletion was not present in either parent. This deletion has not previously been characterized, but mutations on the p-arm of chromosome 17 are responsible for Miller-Dieker Syndrome and Isolated Lissencephaly Sequence, both of which share symptoms in common with the patient.

Methods: Peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used for karyotyping and competitive genetic hybridization (CHG). Bioinformatic analysis was carried out using the Genome Data Viewer (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/gdv).

Results: Karyotype was …

Vitamin C Contributes To Epigenetic Regulation Of Genes Related To Diabetic Retinopathy In Retinal Endothelial Cells, Elizabeth L. Turner, Jonathon Reynolds, Walker Kay, Marianne Becnel, Matthew Conway, Alexander Kim, John A. Kriak, Kyle B. Bills, David W. Sant

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Testing Extraction Of Dna From Lipid-Rich Tissues Using Various Reagents And Commercially Available Kits, Ryan V. Powers, Walker C. Kay, Jonathon C. Reynolds, Nathaniel E. Hill, Cole J. Farnsworth, Molly E. Henley, Alfred B. Amendolara, Noah D. Boekweg, John A. Kriak, Kyle B. Bills, David W. Sant

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Immunomodulating Effects Of Morphine Dependence And Withdrawal In A Rat Model, Mark Stoll

Annual Research Symposium

Would you like to know what happens to the immune system during opioid drug withdrawal?

A Systematic Review: Toxoplasma Gondii Infection And Drugs Of Abuse, Amani Sastry

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Hypoglycemia: A Mimic Of Global Ischemic Injury, Zachary Leavitt, Jay Babu, Sannah Vasaya, Robert Balsinger, Aroucha Vickers

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Understanding Quality Of Life In Patients With Acute Leukemia, A Global Survey, Zack Pemberton-Whiteley, Samantha Nier, Jan Geissler, Sophie Wintrich, Bregje Verhoeven, Rita O. Christensen, Sam Salek, Esther Natalie Oliva, Tatyana Ionova, Jennie Bradley

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: The Acute Leukemia Advocates Network (ALAN) sought to determine which factors are most associated with poor quality of life (QoL) in patients with acute leukemia and to determine key issues and unmet needs through administration of an online survey distributed worldwide via partner patient organizations.

Methods: ALAN developed a questionnaire informed by literature review and based extensively on the hematological malignancy-specific patient-reported outcomes (HM-PRO) measure to assess the impact of acute leukemia on QoL and its relationships with patients’ demographics, disease state, disease impact, and support from health care professionals. Univariate and multivariable statistical analysis was used to investigate …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Research From 2010 To 2020 Addressing User-Generated Online Comments Related To Health Issues And Recommendations For Future Research, Muhammad Ittefaq, Mauryne Abwao, Ioana A. Coman, Waqas Ejaz

School of Communication Studies - Faculty Scholarship

This systematic literature review was conducted to provide insights into how online readers’ comments have been studied in the context of health over a 10-year span. About 593 studies published between 2010 and 2020; of these, 34 met the research criteria for inclusion. Our findings reveal that 60% of the studies focused on the United States, and a qualitative method was used in 74.3% of these studies. About 23.5% of the studies explored vaccine-related issues. Our results reveal that among the selected studies, 76.5% and 20.6% had female and male first authors, respectively. Textual analysis of abstracts shows that the …