Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Ppe Compliance And Knowledge Among Healthcare Staff, Beatrice Hagert, Nicole Krummel

Nursing DNP Projects

Abstract

Problem: One of the most important steps in infection prevention is the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect patients and staff from infectious agents; yet, research indicates that PPE compliance remains suboptimal in many healthcare institutions.

Purpose: To identify the effect of a multidisciplinary education campaign on PPE compliance and knowledge among healthcare workers (HCWs) on a rehabilitation unit of a large, midwestern teaching hospital.

Methods: This project utilized pre-intervention observational audits and a survey to determine baseline PPE compliance and knowledge on the piloted units. A post-intervention survey was sent to HCW to assess for a …

Opioid Dependency And Its Effects On Alcohol Consumption, Emily V. Flores

Psychology and Counseling Theses

Previous research has found dualistic effects on alcohol consumption with low doses of buprenorphine increasing alcohol and higher doses of buprenorphine reducing alcohol consumption in rats (Ciccocioppo et al., 2006). Other existing research on naloxone treatment and alcohol consumption in opioid use has demonstrated that alcohol consumption decreases after naloxone treatment in rats (Hyytia & Sinclair, 1993). Yet, no research has been conducted on either rats or humans on the effects of buprenorphine and naloxone medication combined. The effects of opioid maintenance therapy are controversial and the relationship between alcohol consumption and opioid dependency treatment is mainly based on literature …

Implementing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury (Hapi) Prevention Program, Marisa Raynaldo

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injury (HAPI) is a serious problem in patient care and has deleterious implications for the patient and the healthcare system. A 530-bed acute care hospital in the Rio Grande Valley identified a similar challenge and implemented a HAPI preventive program.

PICOT: This evidence-based practice (EBP) project was guided by the following PICOT question: In the Intensive Care Unit/Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU/MICU) patients aged 18 and older, does a pressure preventive bundle, compared to routine pressure injury care, reduce the incidence of pressure injury, within 21 days?

Evidence: The reviewed literature supported evidence of effective use …

A Policy Change To Reduce Hospital-Acquired Clostridium Difficile Infection Rates: A Quality Improvement Project, Nia Hidalgo

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: At a small community facility in Los Angeles County, there was a reporting rate of hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile cases that was higher than both state and national benchmarks.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In acute care patients aged 18-90, does not retesting for CDI for at least seven days compared to retesting in less than seven days reduce the incidence of false positive CDI tests during the first seven days of the hospital stay?

Evidence: The evidence demonstrates that if patients are tested initially for Clostridium difficile and then retested seven days after, the …

Leveraging Health Informatics And Parental Empowerment: Perspectives From Parents And Caregivers Of Medically Complex Children, Shazia Ashraf

Applied Research Projects

This research paper focuses on the barriers that parents and caregivers of special-needs children patients face with leveraging technology and informatics as they attempt to communicate with their child’s healthcare specialists regarding specialized and critical oversight and management of complex medical conditions and the need for empowerment for this population of parents and caregivers. The literature suggests that the age and socioeconomic status of the individual has a big impact on the use of electronic applications. A review of the literature showed that the special needs population has not been represented. This study surveys a range of parents and caregivers …

Medical Providers’ Knowledge, Beliefs And Attitudes In The Effectiveness Of The Centers Of Disease Control And Prevention 2016 Guideline For Prescribing Opioids For Chronic Pain, Maria Adamian

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Statement of Problem: Opioid epidemic in United States has been, in part, linked to prescribing practices of practitioners who treat chronic pain. The increase in morbidity and mortality associated with widespread prescription of opioid pain relievers (OPRs) has been the driving force in the reassessment of clinical prescribing guidelines. Given the enormity and urgency of the problem, in 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) introduced guidelines for prescribing opioids to chronic noncancer pain to primary care practitioners. The introduction of the clinical guidelines sparked much concerns from providers and activist groups. There is little known in the …

Remedying Healthcare Disparities Affecting The Black Community, Savonna Reed

San Marcos, Summer 2020

The purpose of this literature review is to determine how black communities are being impacted by racial/social determinants of cardiovascular health, and to investigate potential healthcare solutions to eliminate these disparities.

As physical therapists, we commonly treat patients following lumbar spinal fusion surgery. Post-op outcomes have been found to be impacted by racial disparities in decision making in whether care providers offer surgical care, differences in access to care due to socioeconomic barriers, and differences in attitudes towards surgical care among ethnic groups.

Review of current literature has revealed that more research should be done to establish ways of remedying …

A Multicenter Mixed-Effects Model For Inference And Prediction Of 72-H Return Visits To The Emergency Department For Adult Patients With Trauma-Related Diagnoses, Ehsan Yaghmaei, Louis Ehwerhemuepha, William Feaster, David Gibbs, Cyril Rakovski

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Emergency department (ED) return visits within 72 h may be a sign of poor quality of care and entail unnecessary use of healthcare resources. In this study, we compare the performance of two leading statistical and machine learning classification algorithms, and we use the best performing approach to identify novel risk factors of ED return visits.

Methods

We analyzed 3.2 million ED encounters with at least one diagnosis under “injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes” and “external causes of morbidity.” These encounters included patients 18 years or older from across 128 emergency room facilities in the …

Start Stop-Bang, Valerie D. Reeve

MSN Capstone Projects

Currently standard of care in the perioperative unit is not conducive when caring for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is highly prevalent and often undiagnosed. Screening patients with a STOP-Bang questionnaire is quick, effective, and cost efficient. OSA is linked to poor postoperative outcomes. Patients at high risk for OSA often encounter complications such as: additional airway management, respiratory complications, cardiovascular complications, and increased length of stay. Screening creates awareness and identification of patients at risk for postoperative complications.

Special Issue – July 2021 The Impact Of Inequity & Health Disparities On The Human Experience, Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal

Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is excited to announce the call for submissions for its July 2021 special issue on the impact of racial inequality, health disparities, and discrimination on the human experience. The world now finds itself in the grips of a global pandemic that is taking its toll on communities socially and economically, placing strain on healthcare workers and revealing the very systemic weaknesses and inherent biases that have been resting just beneath the surface of our society for years. The challenge of disparity and inequity is not unique to healthcare, but in the era of COVID-19, what many …

Micro-Volunteering At Scale Can Help Health Systems Respond To Emergencies, Such As The Covid-19 Pandemic, Neil Churchill Obe

Patient Experience Journal

One of the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic has been to support millions of clinically high-risk individuals who were advised to self-isolate for long periods to reduce the likelihood of infection. The NHS in England issued a mass call for volunteers in March 2020 to help support people who were shielding or vulnerable for other reasons during the lockdown. Three quarters of a million people came forward to aid the health at home experience for these vulnerable individuals by providing friendly telephone calls, help with shopping or collection of medicines or transport to essential hospital appointments. Hospitals also used …

Cards From The Community: Engagement Of The Local Community To Enhance Patient And Staff Experience During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brittany Branson

Patient Experience Journal

During the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov), strict visitation restrictions were implemented across the six hospital Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) in an effort to protect patients, visitors and staff. In addition, to the extent that it is possible, YNHHS staff have been encouraged to work remotely. While these measures achieve the goal of reducing the number of people within the hospitals and enable successful social distancing, they also may contribute to social isolation for both patients and staff. A program called “Cards from the Community” was developed to …

My Six-Word Story: Power To Reconnect And Connect, Alexie Puran

Patient Experience Journal

The COVID-19 global pandemic is a threat to the well-being of our healthcare professionals. Recent studies on the mental health effects of healthcare professionals from China and Italy have revealed higher levels of depression, anxiety and psychological distress. As a Pediatric Emergency Medicine physician working on the frontline and a H3 (Helping Healers Heal) Peer Champion, I sought to support my staff’s well-being and emotional resilience. My Six-Word Story, a simple and meaningful activity was designed to support the psycho-social well-being of those on the frontline providing care. This new project was implemented in the Pediatric Emergency Department at NYC …

Nursing Leadership During Covid-19: Enhancing Patient, Family And Workforce Experience, Anne Aquilia, Karen Grimley, Barbara Jacobs, Maryellen Kosturko, Jerry Mansfield, Charlotte Mathers, Peggie Parniawski, Laura Wood, Victoria Niederhauser

Patient Experience Journal

The global COVID-19 pandemic has challenged nurse leaders in ways that one could not imagine six months ago. Along with ongoing priorities of providing high quality, cost-effective and safe care, nurse leaders are also committed to creating environments that support excellence in patient and family experience. This article will provide exemplars of how nurse leaders used decisive decision-making, adapted to novel situations and issues, ensured reliable and safe delivery of care and engaged patients, families and their workforce to create excellent experiences of care during the pandemic. Throughout this crisis, nurse leaders have learned how to grapple with quick and …

Caring For Our Caregivers In Body, Mind And Spirit During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rick Evans, Philip J. Wilner, Kristen Spillane

Patient Experience Journal

New York City became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The surge of critically ill patients combined with widespread social distancing measures created extraordinary challenges for healthcare workers. Many frontline workers experienced significant physical, psychological, and emotional distress. They faced demanding patient care responsibilities while managing personal obligations and health concerns.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was imperative that NewYork-Presbyterian care for its workforce’s physical, psychological and emotional needs, not only because of our commitment to our colleagues as people, but also because of our obligation to continue to deliver high quality care and experience to the …

Leveraging The Agility Of The Care Experience Dyad Partnership Model During Covid-19, Vanessa Mona, Rana Awdish Md Fccp

Patient Experience Journal

The extraordinary nature of COVID-19 has presented, and will likely continue to present, unique challenges for care delivery systems; not only in respect to delivery of care to patients, but also in respect to the ways in which health systems care for, and facilitate safe working environments for their employees. It was identified early on that COVID-19 would challenge our Health System, Henry Ford, in its ability to provide an optimal experience of care for our patients. We realized that the feelings of isolation experienced by patients, anxieties experienced by their families and impacts to the well-being of our employees …

Johns Hopkins Medicine Responds To Covid-19: Adjusting Patient- Family- And Staff-Centered Care, Stacy L. C. Colimore, Lisa Allen, Zach Lawrence, Nicole Iarrobino, Sylvia Kavouriou, Adey Betre, Chevaunne Edwards, Amel Elshinawi, Lisa Filbert, Tameka Glenn, Jade Hewitt, Lisa Jibril, Brittney Lawrence, Ariel Mabry, Deborah Miller, Nicole Pritchett, Heather Webb

Patient Experience Journal

The extraordinary impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the health care industry included a major, nearly immediate paradigm shift in the visitation policy for Johns Hopkins Medicine. This large health system, comprising six hospitals, a home care group, community physician practices and satellite outpatient sites moved from essentially open visitation to no visitation, creating an entirely new set of needs for our staff, patients and their loved ones. We developed new ways of communicating and connecting staff members, staff and patients, staff and the patient’s loved ones, and patients and their loved ones. Our intent was to …

Family Connect: Keeping Families Informed During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brittany Branson, Anne K. Wilkinson, Jaya Sondhi, Irma Dadic, Devin M. Giguere, Rachel Ramsey, Regina Grinblat, Katherine A. Hochman

Patient Experience Journal

Family Connect programs to enhance communication with families and care partners who were unable to visit their inpatient loved ones during the COVID-19 crisis. While they differed in composition, the Family Connect programs at both institutions leveraged providers who had decreased clinical activity during the pandemic. The Family Connect team became integrated with the team. At both institutions, Family Connect teams perform virtual chart review, discuss patient status and care plan with the primary provider and communicate with the patient’s designated family member or care partner daily. Conversations are documented in the electronic medical record (EMR), which allows for metric …

Positive Patient Experience In Eye Care During Covid-19: A Case From Eye Hospital Sistina Oftalmologija, Vesna Cado

Patient Experience Journal

COVID-19 was a wake-up call, changing the world we know and our experiences in every possible way. Healthcare systems, as the most exposed and stressed in this situation, were called to urgently respond to the new reality. Physical distancing and stay-at-home directives have flattened the curve and decreased the risk of viral transmission but also decreased the clinical volume in eye care medical practice. Hospitals must work hard to find a balance in responding to the pandemic while providing quality care and positive patient experiences. Previous research on crises has been mostly focused on implementing crisis management strategies to handle …

Maintaining A Positive Patient Experience During Covid-19 In A Rehabilitation And Complex Care Setting, Sarah Benn Orava, Kim Cook, Amanda Brown

Patient Experience Journal

West Park Healthcare Centre located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada provides specialized rehabilitative and complex care after a life‐altering illness or injury such as lung disease, amputation, stroke and traumatic musculoskeletal injuries. This narrative showcases the strategies, processes and the lessons learned and subsequently utilized throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to engage patients and their family and peers.

Experience Framework

This article is associated with the Patient, Family & Community Engagement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework)

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Patients And Families Strengthen Covid-19 Communication Across Los Angeles County, Lindsey Galli, Libby Hoy

Patient Experience Journal

PFCCpartners supported Los Angeles County Department of Health Services to develop a Person Family Engaged Culture. When COVID-19 hit Los Angeles, system leaders understood the importance of keeping a pulse on what information people were looking for. With the continued support from PFCCpartners, a survey of community members was conducted to understand their questions during this unprecedented time. The survey highlighted barriers to accessing supplies, refilling prescriptions and using technology for virtual appointments. Utilizing the survey questions, a small group discussion was held to deepen understanding of the barriers and challenges faced during the pandemic. These two engagement activities ensured …

Out Of Sight, But Not Out Of Mind: Keeping Connections Alive During Covid-19, Katie Braun

Patient Experience Journal

The Veteran Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) completed over 750,000 outpatient appointments during fiscal year 2019. With changes occurring around COVID-19, VAPHS saw a significant decline in veterans on campus. VAPHS employees are strongly connected to the mission of serving our nation’s hero’s, while veterans find trust, support and comradery at the VA. The VAPHS Office of Veterans Experience (OVE) realized the impact that COVID-19 isolation may have on veterans quarantined at home and seized the opportunity to continue to build relationships, develop trust and keep connected through the VAPHS Birthday Club. Over 1,300 calls have been placed to provide …

A Comprehensive Call Center Supporting Safe, Efficient Operations During A Pandemic, Janice P. Finder, Ashlyn Proske, Judy Overton, Elizabeth Comcowich Garcia, Michael Frumovitz

Patient Experience Journal

Research has shown that a comprehensive call center can support a safe, efficient, and quality experience for patients and their families. When a patient receives a cancer diagnosis, the stakes are already high. Add a pandemic to an immunocompromised patient population and fear escalates. In order to accommodate the ever-changing information and ease patients’ anxieties surrounding their cancer diagnoses, it is necessary that an institution be available 24/7 to inform, help navigate systems, and manage symptoms because the emergency room, and many times the clinics, have too many inherent risks.

MD Anderson expanded the hours of operation for askMDAnderson, a …

Teleboard: The Move To A Virtual Family Advisory Board, Sheryl Chadwick, Deejo Miller, Kathryn Taff, Amanda Montalbano

Patient Experience Journal

Restrictions on in-person meetings were going to hamper the ability for the well-established Family Advisory Board (FAB) for our pediatric hospital to continue meeting unless a virtual meeting platform was introduced. The FAB was moved to a virtual platform for the April and May 2020 meetings. Attendance rates from family members and staff were measured and compared to the previous 14 in-person meetings. Contributions during the virtual meetings from each attendee type were recorded to analyze engagement during virtual meetings. There was no statistical difference in average attendance for virtual compared to in-person meetings, 75% versus 64.3% for family members …

How University Of Chicago Medicine Designed Virtual Rounding To Maintain Human Connections During Covid-19, Susan M. Murphy

Patient Experience Journal

This story is about how the Patient Experience and Engagement Program (PEEP) team at University of Chicago Medicine adapted our patient rounding program from in-person to virtual during the COVID-19 crisis. With creativity and ingenuity, our team shifted on a dime to ensure that patients received the kind of care and connection that allowed them to start the recovery process from what could otherwise be a traumatizing experience before they even leave the hospital. I will explain the steps we took to quickly transition our rounding program from in-person to virtual. But more than that, I want to convey the …

An Extensive Review Of Patient Satisfaction With Healthcare Services In Bangladesh, Abdul Kader Mohiuddin

Patient Experience Journal

Patient satisfaction is a useful measure for providing quality indicators in healthcare services. Assessing patients’ satisfaction is important since it often helps, in absence of healthcare service quality indicators, to determine the quality of health-care delivery and health system responsiveness. Higher levels of patient satisfaction indicate higher levels of patient empowerment, commitment to care and compliance to recommended management–all of which results in better health outcomes. Concern over the quality of healthcare services in Bangladesh has resulted in a loss of faith in healthcare providers, low utilization of public health facilities, and increased outflows of patients from Bangladesh to hospitals …

Patient Experience In A Pediatric Emergency Department During Covid-19, Beth L. Emerson Md, Erika Setzer

Patient Experience Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many dynamics in healthcare in the United States. This study explores an increase in patient experience (PE) scores in a pediatric emergency department. Visits were analyzed before and after March 8, 2020, corresponding with the first local case of COVID-19. Changes in the patient population and characteristics of survey responders were analyzed. Overall, the number of daily visits decreased (113 vs 36/day) and survey response rate decreased (3.7 vs 2.8%, p = 0.03), but PE scores increased (87.21 to 93.73, p = 0.002). Comparatively, an increase in patients with higher acuity levels by Emergency Severity …

A Covid-19 Patient’S Experience: Engagement In Disease Management, Interactions With Care Teams And Implications On Health Policies And Managerial Practices, Lihua Dishman, Vicki Schroeder

Patient Experience Journal

This narrative inquiry aimed to explore a COVID-19 patient’s lived experience from contracting the disease to recovery and understand the implications of this unique patient experience on health policies and managerial practices. The personal narrative approach was used to chronicle the patient’s weekly journey in disease management. Best practices emerged from her and her family members’ engagement in managing COVID-19, and interactions with her primary care provider and COVID-19 Response Team. Her COVID-19 patient experience also provided a basis for implications on public health and healthcare policies and managerial practices. Three key dimensions were perceived to have positively impacted the …

Focusing On Positivity During The Covid-19 Crisis: A New York Health System Strategy, Sven Gierlinger, Agnes Barden

Patient Experience Journal

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading positivity has become a core mission of Northwell Health, the largest integrated health system in New York. As a state and community health system, we are forever changed, but our need for compassion, humanism, and connection has never wavered. Creating innovative ways to bring humanity to the forefront, hope and optimism echo across the organization as initiatives, forums, and acts of gratitude have ensued.

Experience Framework

This article is associated with the Culture & Leadership lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (http://bit.ly/ExperienceFramework)

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Chronic Pain, Vulnerability And Human Spirit While Living Under The Umbrella Of Covid-19, Richard B. Hovey Dr., Delane Linkiewich Ms., Mary Brachaniec Ms.

Patient Experience Journal

The purpose of writing this article is to describe what added challenges people like us who are living with chronic pain are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore what this challenging time means to us and how it affects our lives, along with providing insight into our experiences. This is not a research study, but instead an article that shares perspectives from people with lived experience of chronic pain. Our narratives are presented to create an awareness of the plight for people already living with challenging health conditions and how the COVID-19 pandemic has added additional layers of vulnerability. …