Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Deaf 101: How To Navigate Clinical Interactions With Deaf Sign Language Users, Melissa L. Anderson, Timothy Riker

Melissa L. Anderson

This webinar provides some basic guidelines for interacting with culturally Deaf clients, including how to work with American Sign Language interpreters and Certified Deaf interpreters, how to respect Deaf culture and Deaf social norms, and how to adapt common treatment approaches to be more Deaf-friendly.

Self-Injurious Behaviors In Prisons: A Nationwide Survey Of Correctional Mental Health Directors, Kenneth L. Appelbaum, Judith A. Savageau, Robert L. Trestman, Jeffrey L. Metzner

Judith A. Savageau

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) by inmates has serious health, safety, operational, security and fiscal consequences. Serious incidents require a freeze in normal facility operations. Injuries that need outside medical attention create additional security risks, including potential escape attempts. The interruption of normal operations, diversion of staff, cost of outside care, and drain on medical and mental health resources all have significant fiscal consequences. This session will present the results and implications of a survey of the Mental Health Directors in all 51 state and federal prison systems on the extent of SIB by inmates, including incidence and prevalence, adverse consequences, and …

Evaluation Of The Massachusetts Peer Specialist Training And Certification Program (Phase Two), Linda M. Cabral, Kathy Muhr, Laura A. Sefton, Judith A. Savageau

Judith A. Savageau

Most public mental health systems are shifting to a recovery-oriented system of care; however, offering recovery-oriented and peer support services to various cultural and linguistic groups is challenging. This study sought to better understand how persons with mental health conditions from two cultural groups – Latinos and Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) - access recovery-based services. Interviews with national key informants were conducted prior to data collection to better formulate instruments. Cultural brokers, identified as leaders in their communities who also have mental health conditions, were hired to aid in recruitment and data collection. Interviews and focus groups were …

Benzodiazepine Use Among Adults Residing In The Urban Settlements Of Karachi, Pakistan: A Cross Sectional Study., Saleem P. Iqbal, Syed Ahmer, Salima Farooq, Yasmin Parpio, Ambreen Tharani, Rashid A. M Khan, Mohammad Zaman

Ambreen Tharani

Background: There are hardly any studies carried out in Pakistan on the usage of benzodiazepines at the level of community. This research was aimed to determine the frequency of benzodiazepine use, along with its associations with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics among community dwelling adults, residing in two urban settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: We performed a cross sectional study from August 2008 to December 2009, in 2 areas of Karachi, namely Garden and Sultanabad. We followed the systematic sampling strategy to randomly select the households, with an adult of either sex and of age 18 years or more. Data collection …

A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Pharmaceutical Industry-Funded Events For Health Professionals In Australia, Alice Fabbri, Quinn Grundy, Barbara Mintzes, Swestika Swandari, Ray Moynihan, Emily Walkom, Lisa A Bero

Ray Moynihan

OBJECTIVES:

To analyse patterns and characteristics of pharmaceutical industry sponsorship of events for Australian health professionals and to understand the implications of recent changes in transparency provisions that no longer require reporting of payments for food and beverages.

DESIGN:

Cross-sectional analysis.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING:

301 publicly available company transparency reports downloaded from the website of Medicines Australia, the pharmaceutical industry trade association, covering the period from October 2011 to September 2015.

RESULTS:

Forty-two companies sponsored 116 845 events for health professionals, on average 608 per week with 30 attendees per event. Events typically included a broad range of health professionals: …

Words Do Matter: A Systematic Review On How Different Terminology For The Same Condition Influences Management Preferences, Brooke Nickel, Alexandra Barratt, Tessa Copp, Ray Moynihan, Kirsten Mccaffery

Ray Moynihan

OBJECTIVES: Changing terminology for low-risk, screen-detected conditions has now been recommended by several expert groups in order to prevent overdiagnosis and reduce the associated harms of overtreatment. However, the effect of terminology on patients' preferences for management is not well understood. This review aims to synthesise existing studies on terminology and its impact on management decision making. DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Studies were included that compared two or more terminologies to describe the same condition and measured the effect on treatment or management preferences and/or choices. Studies were identified via database searches from inception to April 2017, and from reference …

Bias In The Eyes Of Resident Physicians, Abel H. Irena, Kern A. Reid, Richard Battiola, Anthony Cáceres

Aurora Internal Medicine Faculty

Background: The utilization of patient characteristics can allow health care providers to arrive at diagnosis or decide on treatment options; however, the subjective nature of patient characterization can negatively affect patient care. A 2003 Institute of Medicine report, called Unequal Treatment, recognized that bias or stereotyping may affect provider-patient communication or the care offered. Purpose: To investigate residents’ recognition of bias in an inpatient care setting. Methods: In order to explore the topic of bias among providers, we elected to indirectly assess its recognition among providers by asking their opinion in an anonymous manner about their fellow residents. This, we …

The Relationship Between Quality Improvement And Health Information Technology Use In Local Health Departments, Kendra Johnson, Kim K. Nguyen, Shimin Zheng, Robin P. Pendley

Shimin Zheng

This research examined if there is a relationship between engagement in quality improvement (QI) and health information technology (HIT) for local health departments (LHDs) controlling for workforce, finance, population, and governance structure. This was a cross-sectional study that analyzed data obtained from the Core questions and Module 1 in the NACCHO 2010 Profile of LHDs. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Findings suggest that LHD engagement in QI has a relationship with utilization of HIT including electronic health records, practice management systems, and electronic syndromic surveillance systems. This study provides baseline information about the HIT use …

Physician Role In Physical Activity For African-American Males Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy For Prostate Cancer, Faustine Williams, Kellie R. Imm, Graham A. Colditz, Ashley J. Housten, Lin Yang, Keon L. Gilbert, Bettina F. Drake

Faustine Williams

Purpose Physical activity is recognized as a complementary therapy to improve physical and physiological functions among prostate cancer survivors. Little is known about communication between health providers and African-American prostate cancer patients, a high risk population, regarding the health benefits of regular physical activity on their prognosis and recovery. This study explores African-American prostate cancer survivors’ experiences with physical activity prescription from their physicians. Methods Three focus group interviews were conducted with 12 African-American prostate cancer survivors in May 2014 in St. Louis, MO. Participants’ ages ranged from 49 to 79 years, had completed radical prostatectomy, and their time out …

Addressing Racial Disparities In Breast Cancer Treatment Delays: An Application Of Group Model Building (Gmb), Faustine Williams, Nancy Zoellner, Maisha Flannel, L. Noel, J. Habif, P. Hovmand, Sarah Gehlert

Faustine Williams

No abstract provided.

Geographical Location And Stage Of Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Faustine Williams, Aimee S. James, Stephen Jeanetta

Faustine Williams

Objective: To examine systematically the literature on the effect of geographical location variation on breast cancer stage at diagnosis, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

Methods. Eight electronic databases were searched using combination of key words. Of the 312 articles retrieved from the search, 36 studies from 12 countries were considered eligible for inclusion.

Results. This review identified 17 (47%) of 36 studies in which breast cancer patients residing in geographically remote/rural areas had more late-stage diagnosis than urban women. Ten (28%) studies reported higher proportions of women diagnosed with breast cancer resided in urban than rural counties. Nine …

Identifying Disparities In Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates In Milwaukee-Based Academic And Nonacademic Clinics, Jasmine Wiley, Jonathan J. Blaza, Will Lehmann, Deborah Simpson, Jeffrey A. Stearns, Shelby L. Pischke, Tracy L. Greiten

Will Lehmann, MD

Background: The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim focuses on improving the patient’s experience of care, improving population health and reducing the per capita cost of health care. Health care systems and providers continuously seek to improve quality of care through understanding what percentage of their patients are achieving quality-of-care standards for various indicators, including immunizations, tobacco cessation, asthma and cancer screening. As health care moves toward reimbursing for value-based care, deepening our understanding of patient population characteristics within each of these conditions is vital to continuous quality improvement.

Purpose: To determine if there are race/ethnicity/age/preferred language (REAL) disparities in …

The Academic And Health Policy Conference On Correctional Health: Evaluation Of Its Academic And Scientific Impact, Judith A. Savageau, Warren J. Ferguson, Laura A. Sefton

Judith A. Savageau

Background: There is limited research and research dissemination on the care of detained persons, often due to barriers to conducting research in correctional settings. Additionally, while concerns exist about the quality of care delivered to inmates, only a small number of academic health science centers provide health care services behind bars. To strengthen the field of academic criminal justice health (ACJH), the Academic and Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health (AHPCCH) was launched in 2007. Objective: To assess the merits of the conference as a stimulus to advance the field of ACJH.

Methods: Two hundred ninety-one individuals were identified who …

The Alzheimer’S Association Dementia Care Coordination Program: A Process Evaluation, Executive Summary, Nina Silverstein, Frank Porell, Pamela Nadash

Nina Silverstein

The Massachusetts/New Hampshire (MA/NH) Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association has long sought ways to systematically increase the number of families who utilize its services and support. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, there are 142,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that less than 30% of those individuals and their caregivers take advantage of its programs (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). The MA/NH Chapter recognized that one major barrier to accessing services is a model that relies on families taking the initiative to seek out assistance.

In …

Clinical Topic Review 2013 - Behavioral Health Screening Among Masshealth Children And Adolescents, Judith A. Savageau, Georgianna Willis, Kathy Muhr, David M. Keller, Gideon Aweh, Elizabeth O'Connell

Judith A. Savageau

Results from the 2013 evaluation suggest that the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative had a large impact on formal behavioral health screening and treatment utilization among children and adolescents enrolled in MassHealth.

Clinical Topic Review: Behavioral Health Screening For Children With Well Visits, Judith A. Savageau, Linda M. Cabral, Jack Gettens, Elizabeth O'Connell, Lana Miller, Susan Maguire

Judith A. Savageau

The first Clinical Topic Review was conducted in order to better understand how behavioral health screenings were occurring for children and adolescents during well visits prior to the implementation of a requirement that primary care providers perform behavioral health screening using a standardized behavioral health screening tool during every well child visit.

Recruitment And Retention Of Community Health Center Primary Care Physicians Post Ma Health Care Reform: 2008 Vs. 2013 Physician Surveys, Judith A. Savageau, Linda J. Cragin, Warren J. Ferguson, Laura A. Sefton, Joan Pernice

Judith A. Savageau

OBJECTIVES: In 2008 and 2013, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers surveyed community health center (CHC) primary care physicians (PCPs) to identify factors related to preparedness, recruitment and retention. The survey was repeated to determine the impact of Massachusetts health care reform.

METHODS: An online survey was sent to 677 PCPs at 46 CHCs. New questions addressed patient-centered redesign, language competencies, and interprofessional care.

ESULTS: With 48% responding, PCPs were significantly more prepared in 2013 to practice in a CHC. Intent to continue practicing in a CHC was related to age, length …