Digital Commons Network^™

Patient Advisors: How To Implement A Process For Involvement At All Levels Of Governance In A Healthcare Organization, Marie-Pascale Pomey, Edith Morin, Catherine Neault, Veronique Biron, Lise Houle, Louise Lavigueur, Guy Bouvette, Nicole St-Pierre, Martin Beaumont

Patient Experience Journal

Patient involvement at the operational (clinical care and services), tactical (management), and strategic (board of directors and executive management) levels of establishments is increasingly sought after. To address this specific challenge, a Canadian healthcare organization, the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec, has developed an integrated strategy based on three principles: (1) shared leadership between a patient and a manager to build the strategy; (2) a clear process for recruiting, training, and coaching patient advisors (PA) so that they can participate in decision-making at the various levels of governance of the establishment; and (3) …

Staff Responses When Parents Hit Children In A Hospital Setting., Sarah A. Font, Elizabeth T. Gershoff, Catherine A. Taylor, Amy Terreros, Monica Nielsen-Parker, Lisa Spector, Rebecca H. Foster, Ann Budzak Garza, Denyse Olson-Dorff

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: Physical punishment of children is a prevalent practice that is condemned by most medical professionals given its link with increased risk of child physical abuse and other adverse child outcomes. This study examined the prevalence of parent-to-child hitting in medical settings and the intervention behaviors of staff who witness it.

METHOD: Staff at a children's medical center and a general medical center completed a voluntary, anonymous survey. We used descriptive statistics to examine differences in the experiences of physicians, nurses, and other medical staff. We used logistic regression to predict intervention behaviors among staff who witnessed parent-to-child hitting.

RESULTS: …

The Interpretive Approach As A Means Of Understanding The Misunderstood, Doreen Molloy, Joyce Hendricks, Anne Williams

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

People’s experiences of health and illness are important areas of health research and practice. The interpretive process, and more significantly the biographical approach (Denzin, 1989), is an approach in which there is a focus on personal epiphanies which shape and reflect the stories people tell of their experiences. Dolby-Stahl (1985) contends stories of personal experience sit within the genre of folklore and that the reading of such stories must take into account the social, cultural, and historical contexts which influence and give meaning to experience.

Perceived Body Image, Eating Behavior, And Sedentary Activities And Body Mass Index Categories In Kuwaiti Female Adolescents, Lemia H. Shaban, Joan A. Vaccaro, Shiryn D. Sukhram, Fatma G. Huffman

Publications and Research

Background. The State of Kuwait has a growing obesity epidemic in both genders and all age groups; however, obesity rates in the young seem to be rising. Methods.We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 169 Kuwaiti female adolescents attending both private and public schools spanning the six governorates in the State of Kuwait in order to explore female adolescents’ self-image, body dissatisfaction, type of school (private versus public), TV viewing, and computer games and their relationship to body mass index.

Results. Approximately half the students classified as obese perceived their body image to lie in the normal range. Females in the …

Chemical Reactions: Marijuana, Opioids, And Our Families, Denise A. Hines Ph.D, Staci Gruber Ph.D, John F. Kelly Ph.D, Kathleen M. Palm Reed, Hilary Smith Connery M.D., Ph.D.

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Chemical Reactions: Marijuana, Opioids, and Our Families is the seventh Massachusetts Family Impact Seminar. This seminar was designed to emphasize a family perspective in policymaking on issues related to the legalization of marijuana and managing the opioid abuse crisis in the Commonwealth. In general, Family Impact Seminars analyze the consequences an issue, policy, or program may have for families.

Academic Medicine Responds To The Opioid Crisis, John Prescott

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Opioid dependence has devastated communities across the nation particularly in rural states and academic medicine has responded in a variety of ways. Through its tripartite mission of education, research, and clinical care, creative solutions are being implanted. Medical schools and teaching hospitals are partnering with public health and law enforcement agencies, as well as local healthcare providers to address the clinical, social, and rehabilitative challenges. Academic medicine continues to adapt to the needs of the nation and teach, train, and prepare the next generation of physicians to be at their best when things are at their worst.

The Time For Multidisciplinary Research Is Now, Jerome A. Gilbert

Marshall Journal of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Women’S Experiences With Prenatal Care: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring The Influence Of The Social Determinants Of Health, Karen A. D'Angelo, Janelle K. Bryan, Brenda Kurz

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background & Purpose: Racial and ethnic disparities pervade birth outcomes in the United States and the state of Connecticut. While Connecticut’s infant mortality rate is less than the national average, rates for the state’s Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino communities exceed it. This study explored how prenatal care in Connecticut may be enhanced to address these disparities.

Methods: In spring 2013, seven focus groups and two semi-structured interviews were conducted (n=47). Participants also self-administered brief surveys. Recruited by local service providers, participants were 18 or older, pregnant and/or in the first year post-partum at the time. Most self-identified as …

Defining And Targeting Health Disparities In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Roy A. Pleasants, Isaretta L. Riley, David M. Mannino

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to grow in part due to better outcomes in other major diseases and in part because a substantial portion of the worldwide population continues to be exposed to inhalant toxins. However, a disproportionate burden of COPD occurs in people of low socioeconomic status (SES) due to differences in health behaviors, sociopolitical factors, and social and structural environmental exposures. Tobacco use, occupations with exposure to inhalant toxins, and indoor biomass fuel (BF) exposure are more common in low SES populations. Not only does SES affect the risk of developing COPD and …

Peer Victimization And Depressive Symptoms Among Rural-To-Urban Migrant Children In China: The Protective Role Of Resilience, Zhi Ye, Lihua Chen, Sayward Harrison, Haiying Guo, Xiaoming Li, Danhua Lin

Faculty Publications

Peer victimization can have a profound effect on children’s wellbeing and is a known risk factor for depression in childhood. Migrant children experience peer victimization at higher rates than non-migrant peers; however, limited research has examined psychological factors that may serve to reduce depression risk for this group. In particular, no studies have yet investigated whether resilience, including personal characteristics, and a strong social support network, may moderate the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms for migrant children. This study utilized a latent interaction model to examine the effect of resilience on the relationship between peer victimization and depressive …

Sexual Risk-Taking Among At-Risk Alcohol And Drug Users Presenting To Emergency Departments, Rebecca Howell, Aaron Johnson

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Alcohol use is linked to increased sexual risk-taking, including unprotected sexual contacts, and illegal drug use is associated with an increased likelihood of sexual risk-taking and at-risk alcohol use. Risky sexual behavior is co-morbid with anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. The purpose this study was to identify factors associated with sexual risk-taking among adult, at-risk alcohol or drug users presenting to emergency departments (EDs).

Methods: Data were derived from self-report surveys conducted with a random sample of ED patients screening positive for at-risk alcohol or drug use. As part of an alcohol and drug assessment completed by a health …

Hiv/Aids Prevention: Educating Future Generations, Carmella Williams

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover if implementing more educational interventions on HIV/AIDS would lead to lower incidents of HIV/AIDS among youth. A quantitative research design was used to determine the level of knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of high school students in regard to HIV/AIDS. The targeted population were youth ages 14-18 years old, which are generally high school students who are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Participants in this study were students from Human Resources Development Institute’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program at Harper High School in Chicago, Illinois. The researcher administered questionnaires to the students at Harper …

Association Between Intimate Partner Violence And Mentally Unhealthy Days In Women In The U.S., Danielle Broadnax, Reinetta Thompson Waldrop, Mechelle D. Claridy, Elaine Archie Booker, Ernest Alema-Mensah

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: In the United States (U.S.), intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health concern, mainly affecting the health and well-being of women. The objective of this study was to identify the IPV and socio-demographic factors associated with mentally unhealthy days among women in the U.S. of ages ≥18 years.

Methods: Data for this study were obtained from the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Multivariable analyses were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for factors associated with IPV and 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month. Analyses were conducted using …

Implementing An Mhealth System For Substance Use Disorders In Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Study Of Clinicians’ Initial Expectations And First Year Experiences, Marie-Louise Mares, David H. Gustafson, Joseph E. Glass, Andrew Quanbeck, Helene Mcdowell, Fiona Mctavish, Amy K. Atwood, Lisa A. Marsch, Chanetelle Thomas, Dhavan Shah, Randall Brown, Andrew Isham, Mary Jane Nealon, Victoria Ward

Publications and Research

Background: Millions of Americans need but don’t receive treatment for substance use, and evidence suggests that addiction-focused interventions on smart phones could support their recovery. There is little research on implementation of addiction-related interventions in primary care, particularly in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) that provide primary care to underserved populations. We used mixed methods to examine three FQHCs’ implementation of Seva, a smart-phone app that offers patients online support/discussion, health-tracking, and tools for coping with cravings, and offers clinicians information about patients’ health tracking and relapses. We examined (a) clinicians’ initial perspectives about implementing Seva, and (b) the first …

Decreasing Patient Cost And Travel Time Through Pediatric Rheumatology Telemedicine Visits., Elizabeth A. Kessler, Ashley K. Sherman, Mara L. Becker

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: There is a critical shortage of pediatric rheumatologists in the US. Substantial travel to clinics can impose time and monetary burdens on families. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost of in-person pediatric rheumatology visits for families and determine if telemedicine clinics resulted in time and cost savings. Factors associated with interest in telemedicine were also explored.

METHODS: Surveys were offered to parents and guardians of patients in Pediatric Rheumatology follow-up clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, the primary site of in-person care, and at a telemedicine outreach site 160 miles away, in Joplin, Missouri. Survey questions …

A Framework To Address Challenges In Communicating The Developmental Origins Of Health And Disease, Liana Winett, Lawrence Wallack, Dawn M. Richardson, Janne Boone-Heinonen, Lynne C. Messer

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Findings from the field of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) suggest that some of the most pressing public health problems facing communities today may begin much earlier than previously understood. In particular, this body of work provides evidence that social, physical, chemical, environmental, and behavioral influences in early life play a significant role in establishing vulnerabilities for chronic disease later in life. Further, because this work points to the importance of adverse environmental exposures that cluster in population groups, it suggests that existing opportunities to intervene at a population level may need to refocus their efforts “upstream” to …

An Examination Of African Americans' Utilization Of Health Care, Brittany Powell

Dissertations

The study examined the relationship between perceptions of discrimination, social support, quality of health care received, and utilization of health care services among African Americans. Data was analyzed from 99 African American respondents that completed either an online or paper questionnaire. The responses demonstrated significant relationships existed between discrimination and quality of health care as well as social support and utilization of health care. Results concluded that the more discrimination one perceives, the lower quality of health care they are to expect, and therefore they are less likely to utilize services. However, the data also reflected that even in the …

Dementia In Prison: An Argument For Training Correctional Officers, Rachele Vogel

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Dementia is a significant public health problem that is occurring behind bars. However, the number of inmates suffering from this disease is unknown (Feczko, 2014). Current research has exposed a serious gap in correctional health care for older adults, and correctional institutions are being encouraged to make changes to better address the needs of this population (Fellner, 2012; OIG, 2016; Williams, Stern, Mellow, Safer, & Greifinger, 2012b). The purpose of this paper is to bring awareness to the aging problem behind bars and respond to the identified need for additional training for custodial staff (correctional, parole, and probation officers). Training …

State Space Analysis Of Dominant Structures In Dynamic Social Systems, Jeremy B. Sato

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Many systems involving human relationships are modeled as dynamic systems, as diverse as urban population growth, diffusion of innovations, spread of viruses, and supply chain management. A fundamental assumption is that these systems contain variables which accumulate and deplete over time (people, innovation adoptions, infections, and orders), and whose dynamics are determined by societal rules and human decision making processes. These assumptions allow the system to be formally expressed by ordinary differential equations which are often nonlinear and contain multiple state variables and feedback loops. Analytical methods have been developed to identify the dominant feedback loops which primarily influence the …

Mater: Innovative Programs For Maternal Addiction Education Treatment And Research, Meghan Gannon Phd Msph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Ptsd Symptom Severities, Interpersonal Traumas, And Benzodiazepines Are Associated With Substance-Related Problems In Trauma Patients, Jeffrey Guina, Ramzi W. Nahhas, Adam J. Goldberg, Seth Farnsworth

Population and Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Trauma is commonly associated with substance-related problems, yet associations between specific substances and specific posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSSs) are understudied. We hypothesized that substance-related problems are associated with PTSS severities, interpersonal traumas, and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey methodology in a consecutive sample of adult outpatients with trauma histories (n = 472), we used logistic regression to examine substance-related problems in general (primary, confirmatory analysis), as well as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug problems specifically (secondary, exploratory analyses) in relation to demographics, trauma type, PTSSs, and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Results: After adjusting for multiple testing, several factors …

Risks And Health Consequences Of Forgoing, Delaying, Or Having Trouble Accessing Needed Health Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Angelitta M. Spells

Open Access Dissertations

Medicare provides health care coverage for approximately 93% of non-institutionalized older adults. Compared to uninsured adults, Medicare beneficiaries have greater access to needed healthcare including preventative care. However, disparities in accessing needed health care still exist among Medicare beneficiaries. Prior research has described barriers to accessing needed health care among older Medicare beneficiaries, such as transportation and health system characteristics, but little is known about prevalence, risks, or health consequences of older Medicare beneficiaries delaying, forgoing, or having trouble accessing needed health care. The three studies included in this dissertation followed a nationally representative sample of older Medicare beneficiaries to …

Inspiring Health Worker Motivation With Supportive Supervision: A Survey Of Lady Health Supervisor Motivating Factors In Rural Pakistan, Fauziah Rabbani, Leah Shipton, Wafa Aftab, Kashif Sangrasi, Shagufta Perveen, Aysha Zahidie

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Community health worker motivation is an important consideration for improving performance and addressing maternal, newborn, and child health in low and middle-income countries. Therefore, identifying health system interventions that address motivating factors in resource-strained settings is essential. This study is part of a larger implementation research project called Nigraan, which is intervening on supportive supervision in the Lady Health Worker Programme to improve community case management of pneumonia and diarrhea in rural Pakistan. This study explored the motivation of Lady Health Supervisors, a cadre of community health workers, with particular attention to their views on supportive supervision.

METHODS:

Twenty-nine …

When Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Extending The Reach Of Qualitative Data Collecting, Justine M. Mcgovern

Publications and Research

Through the lens of a study exploring dementia care partnering, the purpose of this methods article is to focus on the role of artifacts and embodied data in data collection. In addition, it illustrates how to use a range of data collecting methods. The article identifies benefits of additional data collecting methods to research and care. These include the need to expand data collecting methods beyond spoken word, integrate a range of data collecting approaches into research courses across disciplines, increase support of qualitative research, and advocate for greater inclusivity in research. Data collecting approaches can also have implications for …

Access And Barriers To Services For Dependent And Non-Dependent Commercially Sexually Exploited Children In Florida, Brianna O'Steen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

“Human trafficking” has become part of the everyday lexicon in the United States and globally over the last fifteen years. The issue has made its way into political platforms, scholarly work, church congregations, and international aid agendas. Florida is currently recognized as third in the nation for number of cases of human trafficking. This thesis employs ethnographic interviews and observations to understand one portion of Florida’s human trafficking problem referred to as domestic minor sex trafficking. This type of trafficking affects mostly teenage girls from marginalized populations, such as those that have experienced the child welfare system, homelessness, and impoverished …

Self-Care And Mobility Disability At Mid-Life In Lucky Few, Early-, And Late-Baby Boom Birth-Cohorts, Carlos Siordia

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Disability is related in definite ways with makers of social stratum, as it can be influenced by and has the potential to contribute to the production and reproduction of social stratification. Intersectional markers of social stratification processes are ignored determinants of health. The Class, Race, Sex (CRS) hypothesis presented here argues that a low-education, racial-minority, and female disadvantage will compound to affect the prevalence and risks of disability. The evidence presented validates the CRS hypothesis by showing that disability prevalence and risk clusters first by class, race, and then sex. The cross-sectional study of community-dwelling adults in the Unites States, …

Addressing Health Disparities Among Homeless In Alachua County Through Community-Based Participatory Research., Meron Hirpa, Omar Iqbal, Haider Ali, Sama I. Ilyas, Nabeel Iqbal, Jeena A. Kar, Tiffany Splatt, Brendan Shortley, Nancy Hardt

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction. In states such as Florida that did not expand Medicaid, a large number of economically disadvantaged individuals do not qualify for subsidies to buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ². This leaves the health needs of Florida’s homeless population largely unaddressed. Nearly 48.1% of Alachua County’s homeless population has disabling conditions ¹⁶. This confirms a pressing need to understand the homeless population's healthcare needs, knowledge, and barriers in accessing healthcare. Methods. We used a Community-Based Participatory Research model in conducting health fairs and needs assessment surveys, incentivizing participation, and providing education about existing resources. …

Violence Against Pregnant Women With Disabilities, Ari K. Mwachofi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background

Each year, violence is perpetrated against 1.5 million US women, of whom 324,000 are pregnant. Violence in pregnancy has adverse effects on maternal and infant health. Although there are 4.7 million childbearing age women with disabilities, and their pregnancy rates are growing, there is very little information about violence against pregnant women with disabilities.

Objectives

The study questions are: Are there differences in pre- and in-pregnancy violence experiences of women with and without disabilities? Is disability a significant predictor of pre- and in-pregnancy violence against women?

Methods

The study uses data from the 2009 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System …

Book Review: Madness In Civilization: A Cultural History Of Insanity From The Bible To Freud, From The Madhouse To Modern Medicine, Edward Cohen

Faculty Publications

A review of: Scull, Andrew. (2015). Madness in civilization: A cultural history of insanity from the Bible to Freud, from the madhouse to modern medicine. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 448 pp. $39.50 (Hardback), ISBN 978-0-691-16615-5.

Community Preparedness: Expanding Existing Partnerships With Academia To Build Resilience Through Experiential Learning, Nina Cleveland, Mark Palen

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background: Sustainability and mitigation in preparedness after grant money is gone has suddenly become a hot topic in the public health emergency preparedness world. By the same token, funding provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for individual preparedness initiatives has not had the desired mitigation impacts. The question becomes, are there alternative approaches that reach more individuals to build a culture of preparedness in communities? One solution involves the leveraging of academic and regional public health partnerships with their Medical Reserve Corps Units (MRC), to train college students in individual preparedness. The purpose of this study is to …