Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Physician-Led Patient Experience Improvement Efforts: The Connect Program, An Emerging Innovation, Harris P. Baden Md, Jennifer E. Scott Mha

Patient Experience Journal

In 2009, the leadership of the Children’s University Medical Group (CUMG) embarked on an effort to answer the question, “What would it take to promote and foster a culture of service amongst the medical staff?” The challenge was to engage the physician group in leading patient and family experience improvements within Seattle Children’s. In this article, an innovative, physician-designed and led approach to improving the patient experience is described. The effort focuses on encouraging local, grass roots strategies rooted in readily available and validated best practices. In support of that effort, novel tools that were developed and deployed …

Improving The Patient Experience Through Provider Communication Skills Building, Denise M. Kennedy Mba, John P. Fasolino Md, David J. Gullen Md

Patient Experience Journal

The doctor’s interpersonal skills are arguably the most important to clinical outcome and patient experience. A peer-facilitated, communication skills-building course for physicians has been provided twice annually since its inception in 2004. The course was designed to increase personal awareness, as well as to help physicians develop new communication and interpersonal skills. Satisfaction data from 3,561 patient surveys on 80 providers who attended the course between 2006 and 2010 were analyzed one year before and one year after course participation. After completing the course, the proportion of “excellent” ratings of provider service (the highest rating on a 5-point scale) increased …

Transforming The Patient Experience: Bringing To Life A Patient- And Family-Centred Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Model Of Care At Kingston General Hospital, Anndale Mctavish Ma, Cynthia Phillips Rrt, Med

Patient Experience Journal

The Kingston General Hospital strategic plan includes transforming the patient experience and bringing to life new models of interprofessional care and education. The implementation of the Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Model has been the foundation of this transformational change. Areas identified for improvement included communication, discharge planning, and purposeful engagement of patients and families in the care process. Through a system-wide approach to change, it was expected that the organization would be better prepared to deliver safer, higher quality care and enriched experiences for patients, families and practitioners. From March to October 2009, 54 representatives from various disciplines and services gathered …

Patients And Families As Partners In Safety, Quality, And Experiences Of Care, Amy Jones, Kathy Dutton

Patient Experience Journal

This case examines the highlights of Vidant Health’s journey to a more intentional focus on patient experience. Organizational inconsistencies lead to a focused long term plan putting a culture of patient centeredness at the core of Vidant’s efforts. The results show a clear and measured improvement in safety, quality and experience overall.

A Daughter’S Frustration With The Dearth Of Patient- And Family-Centered Care, Cindy Brach

Patient Experience Journal

Patient involvement in decision-making is an increasingly recognized ethical imperative, one that requires attention to health literacy. Health care that is truly patient- and family-centered, however, is the exception rather than the rule. This first person account of a hospitalization describes the lack of patient and family inclusion in decision-making, failure to use plain language and other health literacy strategies, and disregard for patient and family preferences. The author concludes that if the health care system is going to shift from paternalistic to patient- and family-centered, providers must be trained how to communicate and partner with patients and families. Even …

“Working The System”: The Experience Of Being A Primary Care Patient, Michelle La Nelson Phd, Mark G. Torchia Phd, Jennifer B. Mactavish Phd, Ruby E. Grymonpre Pharmd

Patient Experience Journal

Health care providers and system administrators are in the midst of a paradigm shift; moving from paternalism toward an egalitarian approach. For patient centred care to occur, health care providers must prioritize patient needs; provide information regarding treatments while taking patient preferences and expectations into account. While there is literature regarding patient centredness, there is less information from the patient perspective about the experience of being a patient and the influence on behaviour. Using phenomenological research methods and the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework, this study addressed the questions, a) what is the essence of being a …

Evaluation And Measurement Of Patient Experience, Sherri L. Lavela Phd, Mph, Mba, Andrew S. Gallan Phd

Patient Experience Journal

Despite the increasing presence of a variety of measures of patient health care experiences in research and policy, there remains a lack of consensus regarding measurement. The objectives of this paper were to: (1) explore and describe what is known about measures and measurement of patient experience and (2) describe evaluation approaches/methods used to assess patient experience.

Patient-experience does not simply reflect clinical outcomes or adherence–driven outcomes; rather it seeks to represent a unique encompassing dimension that is challenging to measure. Several challenges exist when measuring patient experience, in part, because it is a complex, ambiguous concept that lacks a …

How Does Patient Experience Fit Into The Overall Healthcare Picture?, Karen Luxford Bsc(Hons), Phd, Faim, Faaqhc, Sue Sutton Rn, Phd, Fhimss

Patient Experience Journal

Understanding the experience of patients provides insight into health care as well as being a crucial first step towards partnering with patients to drive improvement. Increasingly, health care organizations gain feedback from patients about their experience through surveys. Patients are also turning to other avenues, including the internet, to document their experiences.

Although long recognised as a domain of quality, evidence of the link between patient experience and clinical outcomes has emerged more recently. Organizations that succeed in improving patient experience have adopted a strategic approach to patient focus that incorporates both patient feedback and consumer engagement.

Adopting a patient …

Defining Patient Experience, Jason A. Wolf Phd, Cpxp, Victoria Niederhauser Drph, Rn, Dianne Marshburn Phd, Rn, Ne-Bc, Sherri L. Lavela Phd, Mph, Mba

Patient Experience Journal

In recent years, perceptions of performance and quality of healthcare organizations have begun to move beyond examining the provision of excellent clinical care, alone, and to consider and embrace the patient experience as an important indicator. There is a need to determine the extent to which clear and formal definitions exist, have common overarching themes, and/or have unique, but important constructs that should be considered more widely. In this article, we provide a 14-year synthesis of existing literature and other sources (2000-2014) that have been used to define patient experience. A total of 18 sources (articles or organizational websites) were …

Concern For The Patient’S Experience Comes Of Age, Irwin Press Phd

Patient Experience Journal

In this special guest editorial for the inaugural issue of Patient Experience Journal. Dr. Press reflects on how the focus on patient experience has evolved. He starts with a reflection, "A journal devoted exclusively to the patient’s experience? A patient satisfaction survey mandated by CMS for all hospitals and a portion of reimbursement dependent upon the scores? An Institute and an “Association” addressing Patient Experience? A new hospital administrative position labeled “Chief Experience Officer”? Some 30 years ago no one would have predicted any of these."

Dr. Press helps us explore and review how the patient experience movement has …

Expanding The Dialogue On Patient Experience, Jason A. Wolf Phd

Patient Experience Journal

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to the inaugural issue of Patient Experience Journal (PXJ). This publication in so many ways epitomizes all that is right and good about the patient experience movement itself. That being: no one individual or organization owns this conversation or can claim to have every answer, but rather it is a true effort of a community of voices from research to practice, from caregivers to patients and family members, across the care continuum and into the reaches of resources provided and concepts yet unknown.

This journal is a product of and …

Cultural Competency In The Medical Workplace: A Look At Outpatient Clinic Nurses At A Children's Hospital In New England, Evelyn S. Callahan

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper analyzes the current state of progress toward cultural competency in the medical workplace, specifically in the hospital setting. It compares the current writing on the topic to research done at a large New England children’s hospital. The nurses are all individuals who work in an out patient setting so they often see the same patients regularly for longer periods of time. This differs from the in-patient or floor nurses who only spend limited time with a constantly changing population of patients. The research involved one-on-one interviews and a focus group with nurses at the hospital. The focus group …

Medication Adherence And Intervention To Create Success In Hypertensive African Americans In A Rural Setting, Laneita Davis

DNP Projects

Hypertension is a chronic disease that has been a major problem in the African American community for decades. Although numerous research studies have examined interventions to combat this disease, there has been very little research published that focused on African Americans with hypertension in a rural setting. Rural residents experience many difficulties in accessing healthcare services. This difficult access is a disadvantage that results in higher morbidity and mortality rates compared to those of their urban counterparts. Being from a small town in Mississippi, I have witnessed first hand the many barriers that are encountered. Individuals who live in a …

Openness, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, And Family Health And Aging Concerns Interact In The Prediction Of Health-Related Internet Searches In A Representative U.S. Sample, Tim Bogg, Phuong T. Vo

Psychology Faculty Research Publications

Recent estimates suggest 60 % of the U.S. adult population uses the Internet to find health-related information. The goal of the present study was to model health-related Internet searches as a function of an interdependent system of personality adaptation in the context of recent health and aging-related concerns. Assessments of background factors, Big Five personality traits, past-month health and aging-related concerns, and the frequency of past-month health-related Internet searches (via Google, Yahoo, AOL, Bing, or some other search engine) were obtained from a representative U.S. sample (N = 1,015). Controlling for background factors, regression analyses showed more frequent health-related …

Editorial Comment: Changing The Rules In Vaccine Coverage For Vulnerable Populations, Nancy L. Winterbauer

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Increasing life expectancy through decreasing vaccine preventable deaths is a hallmark of modern public health in the United States (1). Two federal vaccine programs help insure coverage for vulnerable populations. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program provides vaccines to eligible children[1] at no cost, removing financial barriers to vaccinations. Close to half of US children and 30 percent of adolescents are vaccinated through the VFC program yearly (2). The federal Section 317 Immunization Grant Program (Section 317) complements VFC by supporting the national immunization infrastructure, primarily immunization workforce, delivery systems, and emergency response, as well as by providing vaccines …

The Effects Of The Changes In Section 317 Rules For Administration Of Federally Purchased Vaccines, Margaret A. Knight, Anne D. Kershenbaum, Martha Buchanan, Janet Ridley, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Section 317 of the Public Health Services Act is a federal program that provides funds for the purchase of vaccines. These annual Congressional allocations fluctuate from year to year as Congress responds to changes in national needs for immunizations. The Affordable Care Act requires first dollar coverage of immunizations and other preventive care, allowing a reduction in federal funding for vaccine purchase and a reallocation of funds to other uses such as infrastructure development. In fiscal year 2013, Section 317 rules redefined the population eligible for immunization with Section 317 purchased vaccines. In Tennessee, the response was a policy change …

Editorial Comment: A Method For Identifying Positive Deviant Local Health Departments In Maternal And Child Health, Sharla A. Smith, Michael A. Preston, Marylou Wallace

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Improving the well-being of mothers, infants, and children is a vital public health initiative in the United States. Local health departments are designated agents for addressing maternal and child health outcomes. Klaiman and colleagues used a positive deviant (PD) framework in identifying the modifiable activities and approaches for LHDs that contribute to better MCH outcomes.

A Method For Identifying Positive Deviant Local Health Departments In Maternal And Child Health, Tamar A. Klaiman, Athena Pantazis, Betty Bekemeier

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Local health departments (LHDs) are under increasing pressure to improve performance with limited resources. While research has found that financial resources may be associated with better health outcomes, there are some LHDs that maintain exceptional performance, even with limited budgets. Our interest was identifying LHDs that positively deviate in MCH outcomes compared to their peers while taking into account local context including geography and finances. We found that our method for identifying positive deviants was effective, and that LHD expenditures may not be linked to MCH outcomes. The next step in our work is to conduct in-depth analysis with positive …

Editorial Comment: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis For Prioritization Of Limited Public Health Resources - Tuberculosis Interventions In Texas, Kaja M. Abbas

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Public health departments have limited evidence to understand and analyze the costs and benefits of different health programs, including tuberculosis control and prevention programs. The study by Miller et. al addresses this challenge to estimate costs and benefits of tuberculosis prevention programs in Texas and identify cost-effective diagnostic and treatment combinations, thereby improving the evidence-based decision making power of the public health departments.

Playing To Our Strengths: An Academic/Health Department Collaboration To Facilitate Public Protections Against Tuberculosis, Thaddeus L. Miller, Erin K. Carlson, Nuha A. Lackan

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Background:

Economic modeling and analysis can facilitate evidence-based policy and practice. Such analyses may exceed the technical capacity and mission of public health agencies, yet may be critical to sustain health protections such as tuberculosis (TB) control. The net effect of TB prevention is incompletely understood, hampering objective value judgments of national TB elimination policies. This may promote inefficiencies and threaten individual and public health protections.

We describe how a HRSA-funded Texas Public Health Training Center (TPHTC) coordinated specialized analytical skills with the needs of a state public health department to create a user-friendly tool to inform planning and resource …

Editorial Comment: Differences In Definitions Of Ebph And Evidence: Implications For Communication With Practitioners, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Through interviews of 12 members of an expert panel – importantly, involving both practitioners and researchers/academicians – Aronson and colleagues sought to understand how evidence-based public health (EBPH) is defined, what counts as “evidence”, and what EBPH actually looks like when operationalized in a local health department. What Aronson and colleagues have shown us is how critical it is that in both creating and implementing EBPH, especially in practice-based research, practitioner and researcher/academician develop a shared understanding of EBPH before the dance begins, especially for practice-based research.

Differences In Definitions Of Ebph And Evidence: Implications For Communication With Practitioners., Robert E. Aronson, Kay Lovelace, Mark Smith, Gulzar H. Shah

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

In this study, we interviewed twelve members of an expert panel to elicit their views on Evidence-based Public Health (EBPH), including how they define EBPH, what constitutes “evidence”, and what LHDs do that can be described as EBPH. Telephone interviews lasting 60 minutes were recorded and transcribed for basic content analysis. Experts differed in their definitions of EBPH and their views of what constitutes evidence. Definitions of EBPH ranged from the adoption and implementation of rigorously tested interventions to the application of evidence to decision making for population health improvement. Views on what constitutes evidence also varied, from strict “evidence …

A Cross-Cultural Study Exploring Structural Factors Of Men's Sheds, Kaitlyn Mcgrail

Honors Theses

The Men’s Shed program was developed in Australia in 2006 with the explicit goal of establishing a place for men to socially interact and to help maintain their health and well-being. The Men’s Shed program has grown tremendously and has continued their growth in many other countries. There is limited research conducted about the organizational and structural features of the Men’s Shed program. There has been no research to date conducted cross-culturally on the program. The aim of this study is to conduct a descriptive, cross-cultural study on Men’s Shed organizations and the characteristics of the Men’s Shed participants. By …

Health Reform Implementation: Update And Implications For Kentucky, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This talk reviews the progress of health reform implementation in Kentucky with a focus on opportunities for aligning systems for medical care, public health, and social support delivery to improve population health.

The Santa Clara, 2014-04-24, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Original Song-Writing To Help Families Cope With Hospice Care, Kelsey Mcquillan

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

No abstract provided.

Unifying Systems For Population Health: Infrastructure, Incentives & Evidence For Collective Action, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

This presentation, part of the SBM Presidential Symposium on Aligning Family, Clinical, and Community Systems, reviews the collective action problems that are commonly encountered in implementing multi-sector population health improvement strategies, and examines research on ways of using public health strategies and infrastructure to overcome these problems.

A Periodized, 52-Week Training Program For A Women’S Ice Hockey Team, Katie Schwab

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

The job of a strength and conditioning professional is to improve athletic performance. A periodized training program can enhance athletic performance while minimizing the risk of injuries. Designing training programs to maximize performance for ice hockey players can be difficult because ice hockey is one of the most physically demanding sports. All of the components of fitness are important in hockey: muscle endurance, strength, and power, and high oxidative and glycolytic capacities. The purpose of this project was to examine the muscular and cardiovascular demands of a women’s ice hockey team and design a 52-week, periodized training program to facilitate …

Bryant University Research And Engagement Day Program

Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day)

No abstract provided.

Art And Aphasia: A Literary Review And Exhibition, Jessica Parrish

Honors Theses

My honors thesis explores aphasia, my primary topic of interest, through procedures spanning both of my degrees. Communication makes interaction possible for exchanging ideas, feelings, concepts, and events. Aphasia, an acquired disorder, impacts language areas that are responsible for expression, comprehension, literacy, and symbolic understanding. Aphasia interrupts the mental process responsible for converting thought to language. Literature involving both traditional speech and art therapy is discussed. Once the aphasia disorder type is assessed, a speech language pathologist designs a therapy plan. Art, which has been used in therapy and research for rehabilitation, shares a connection with language and symbolic thought. …