Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Rural Hospital Closures And Perceived Access To Care: A Qualitative Descriptive Study In An Appalachian County Of Tennessee, Amanda M. Letheren

Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Tennessee has suffered more hospital closures per capita than anywhere else in the nation. The impact of hospital closures on access to care in rural and economically distressed Appalachian counties of Tennessee is of particular concern because these communities experience great health disparities. Hospital closures may exacerbate these disparities and create additional barriers when accessing care.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe community residents’ perceptions of health and access to care following a hospital closure in a rural and economically distressed Appalachian county of Tennessee.

Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive approach to present community …

The Lived Experiences Of Developmental Disability Caregivers And Service Providers In Ontario, Tetyana Ali

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Providing care for children with developmental disabilities (CwDD) is complex and is a life-long journey. Caregivers (CGs) of CwDD experience higher levels of stress, declining mental and physical health, feelings of isolation, diminished financial outcomes, and an overall lower quality of life. Additionally, they often face marginalization and numerous barriers when trying to access funding and supports. This study explored the experiences of CGs of CwDD in the context of Ontario and included the perspectives of CGs and service providers (SPs) to investigate the role the government played in CGs ability to provide adequate care.

Twenty participants were recruited through …

Improving Clinicians’ Access To Patient Education And Va Resource Information, Ella Bermudez

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Problem: In a western US Veterans Administration (VA) hospital system, patient education materials are provider-specific, not standardized, and not located in a central, readily available location.

Context: How does a patient education tool affect the clinicians' delivery of health education in increasing health literacy compared to written information alone in the US veteran population? An integrated literature review was performed using Cochrane, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), Scopus, CINAHL, and PubMed databases to address the PICOT question above and determine the impact of patient education tools on health literacy and patient engagement. The literature recommended improving patient education for better …

How Does Access To Healthcare Affect Life Expectancy?, Yara Mahmoud

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Access to health care is a pressing issue in the United States, whether it be the cost of care or not having enough of it. To emphasize the importance of this topic, this paper assesses the impact of access to health services on life expectancy. A comparison is made between the universal health systems in France and Spain and the mixed system in the United States. Even though the United States spends the most on health care in the world, its statistics fall below those of other developed countries. After addressing other risk factors, it was found that individuals under …

Associations Among Healthcare Utilization And Binge Drinking, Ethan Grey, Chad Phalon, Anna Greene, Patricia Harmeyer, Kalyn Rosenberg, Cristine Griffing, Tom Delaney

Master of Public Health Culminating Projects

Objective. To examine associations among routine healthcare services and binge drinking in Vermont adults.

Methods. We analyzed a cross-sectional sample of randomly selected 6516 adults who participated in the self-reported 2017 Vermont Behavioral Risk Surveillance System survey. We estimated odds ratios for responses indicative of binge drinking in association with length of time since last routine checkup using a bivariate logistic regression model.

Results. Participants who reported binge drinking were 31% (OR = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.56, 0.83) less likely to engage in a healthcare visit within the past year controlling for age, employment status, annual household …

Exploring Direct And Indirect Effects Of English Proficiency On Access, Utilization, And Health Status Among Californian Adults With Limited English Proficiency (Lep), Renee E. Pierre-Louis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background and Study Purpose: Findings from previous studies suggest that, in a health care delivery context, individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) are adversely impacted by lack of patient-provider language concordance. Yet, the concept of LEP has been mostly studied in the context of cultural competence and language has been generally considered a demographic or cultural characteristic. There is a growing body of research concerning LEP and health status; however, it is limited. This study sought to evaluate the effects of LEP on access, utilization, and self-rated health status (SRHS) among LEP respondents to a large health interview survey …

Primary Care-Related Emergency Department Use, Tiffany Wetz

Theses & Dissertations

Primary care-related emergency department use has become a focal point in the United States considering health reform and changes made to the delivery model and reimbursement mechanisms. Emergency departments serve as critical access points within the United States delivery system because important medical resources are made available for all members within the community. However, a gap in the literature exists due to a lack of consensus regarding factors that influence emergency department use for primary care-related health needs. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between demographic, social, economic, geographic, and need factors that influenced use of …