Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Quality Improvement Project Improving The Management Of Diabetes In A Primary Care Setting Through Staff Education, Chibuzo Okereke

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Managing chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes, requires effective patient education. This quality improvement project aimed to improve staff knowledge and confidence in delivering diabetes education using the evidence-based teach-back method. Eight staff members (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical assistants, and a clinic manager) of a suburban primary care clinic in Houston, Texas, were involved in the project by participating in structured educational sessions. The Always Use Teach-Back Conviction and Confidence Scale (CCS) and a Diabetes Knowledge Test 2 (DKT2) were validated instruments to measure data pre- and post-intervention. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used, and the …

Enhancing Pre-Licensure Bsn Students' Clinical Knowledge And Confidence In Blood Transfusion Via Postpartum High-Fidelity Simulation, Tresia Rouse

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Blood transfusion administration is a complex nursing skill registered nurses require in bedside settings, regardless of experience level. Nursing students are expected to be practice-ready upon graduation. A significant concern in nursing academia is the insufficient exposure to administering blood products, which many pre-licensure nursing students lack in clinical and educational environments. This gap in nursing curricula can compromise students’ preparedness to perform this skill in real-world scenarios. The core purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement (QI) project was to enhance clinical knowledge and impact self-confidence regarding blood transfusion administration and management, specifically by implementing a …

Quality Improvement Project Evaluating The Impact Of Specialized Blood Pressure Measurement (Bpm) Training On Nursing Faculty's Knowledge And Self-Efficacy In Teaching Bpm, Heba Sadaka

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Accurate blood pressure measurement (BPM) is crucial for the proper diagnosis and management of hypertension. However, BPM errors are common and may lead to under- or overtreatment, negatively impacting patients. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to retrain nursing faculty on BPM practices based on the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) clinical guidelines. A quasi-experimental pre-/post-intervention design was used. The intervention consisted of an online specialized training video developed by the Idaho Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke Prevention Program. Nursing faculty’s BPM knowledge and self-efficacy were measured before and after the training using the …

Quality Improvement Project Enhancing Self-Efficacy In Managing Patient No-Shows: A Staff-Focused Intervention, Aaron Wabang

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

No-shows are widely reported in behavioral health venues. They hinder continuity of care, decrease clinic efficiency, and compromise patient care. The solution requires addressing patients’ behavior and internal facility processes. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to reduce no-show rates by providing staff with tools and enhancing their self-efficacy in managing appointments. The project was conducted in a rural East Texas behavioral clinic. Clinic staff reported challenges with patient reminders, scheduling, and follow-up issues that cause increased no-shows. The QI project aimed to empower staff by providing evidence-based scheduling strategies and decision support resources to enhance their confidence and attendance …

Successful Treatment Of Recalcitrant Eosinophilic Pustular Folliculitis With Dupilumab, Miguel Mansilla-Polo, Fernando Navarro-Blanco, Javier López-Davia, Rafael Botella-Estrada

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterised by the appearance of excoriated papules involving the face, neck, trunk, and root of limbs. It is a rare disease, and most treatments rely on reports of isolated cases or small case series. Numerous treatments have been employed throughout history, with variable effectiveness, including indomethacin, corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, dapsone, cyclosporine, tetracyclines, isotretinoin or narrowband ultraviolet B therapy. We report the successful treatment of a 77-year-old female patient who presented to a tertiary care hospital in Valencia, Spain, in 2024 with refractory EPF, which significantly affected her quality of life due …

Identifying And Exploring Successful Leadership Strategies To Improve Nurse Retention, Jennifer Triggs Rickerson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse turnover has become a critical concern in healthcare, as low retention rates lead to decreased patient care quality and increased operational costs. A critical issue for hospital stakeholders is that many nursing leaders lack strategies to improve nursing retention. Grounded in the leader-member exchange theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to identify and explore successful leadership strategies used by nurse managers in the Pacific South region of the United States to improve nurse retention. The study included interviews with six nurse managers who successfully implemented retention strategies. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and publicly available …

Bkk1/Bak7 And Tcp21 Form A Positive Feedback Loop To Facilitate Submergence Tolerance In Plants, Yiyi Guo, Yuanbin Zhang, Yuanyuan Li, Jie Liu, Yiyang Hu, Jiazhi Jiang, Qi Li, Yeke Chen, Weizhen Hu, Lixi Jiang, Ronghui Pan, Dezhi Wu, Jie Dong

Publications

Submergence poses a deleterious threat to plant development and the agricultural production of Brassica napus (B. napus), an important worldwide oil crop. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying submergence tolerance in B. napus remain elusive. Here, through a genome-wide association study, we identify a SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS RECEPTOR-LIKE KINASE, BKK1/BAK7, which is crucial for plant survival after submergence stress. Submergence rapidly activates the expression of BAK7 and induces the accumulation of its kinase domain in the nucleus. BAK7 interacts with and phosphorylates class I TEOSINTE BRANCHED1, CYCLOIDEA, PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR 1 and 2 (TCP) transcription factor TCP21, thereby stabilizing it and modulating …

Gender Differences In Regretted Consensual Sexual Experiences And Problematic Alcohol Use Among First-Year College Students, Shannon Shen, Soyoung Kwon, Sukho Lee

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Regretted sexual behaviors and alcohol use often occur in tandem for college students; however, few studies have examined their interrelationships or the variance across gender. This study tested gender differences in how regretting a consensual sexual experience is related to college students’ alcohol use. One hundred and forty first-year students (63% women, 69% Hispanic) surveyed in 2018 and 2019 reported their sexual behavior and alcohol use (following the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index [RAPI]). Twenty-one percent of men and 16% of women reported a regretted sexual encounter. Interaction effects from regression models revealed that men with sexual regret had a significantly …

Utility Of Cenegermin For The Management Of Neurotrophic Keratopathy After Penetrating Keratoplasty, Alexandra R. Zaloga, Ashley Khalili, Brandon D. Ayres, Brenton D. Finklea, Beeran B. Meghpara, Christopher J. Rapuano, Zeba A. Syed

Wills Eye Hospital Papers

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to report the outcomes of patients treated with cenegermin 0.002% for neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) following penetrating keratoplasty (PK).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective case series included patients evaluated at a tertiary care hospital who completed an 8-week course of cenegermin for NK within 12 months following PK. The primary outcome measure was NK stage, while secondary outcomes included complete epithelial healing, epithelial defect size, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at baseline and four time points during and following treatment. We also evaluated disease progression.

RESULTS: Fourteen eyes of 14 patients were included and demonstrated significant improvement …

Trends In The Incidence Of Ovarian Cancer Among Premenopausal And Postmenopausal Women In The United States, 2001 To 2021, Victor Adekanmbi, Abbey B Berenson, Batul Shakir, Christine D Hsu, Thao N Hoang, Itunu O Sokale, Tolulope T Sajobi, Fangjian Guo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Ovarian cancer remains the deadliest and leading cause of gynecological cancer-associated mortality in the US. The aim of this study was to characterize the trends in the incidence of ovarian cancer between premenopausal and postmenopausal women to inform future targeted interventions.

Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study analyzed data from the US Cancer Statistics (USCS) database, which covered the whole of the US population between 2001 and 2021. Joinpoint regression was used to compute the average annual percentage change (APC) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and age-standardized incidence rates per 1,000,000 population.

Results: The results showed that the IR of …

Staff Education Project On Genetic Testing In A Psychiatric Facility, Chinenye Vivian Akpuaka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The project was an educational DNP project that aimed to improve staff knowledge on genetic testing. The practice focused question was “Will an education module on best practices for genetic testing increase self-reported knowledge among health care professionals in a mental health clinic?” The purposes of genetic testing in psychiatry are to improve pharmacological therapy through better prescription of the right medications (Pinzón-Espinosa et al., 2022). The implementation of genetic testing at the project site is limited due to gaps in knowledge and attitudes as well as efficacy of this intervention. The leaders at the practicum site supported the potential …

Decreased Proliferation Of Hepg2 Liver Cancer Cells In Vitro And Exhibited Proteomic Changes In Vivo In Subjects With Metabolic Syndrome And Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Who Performed Four-Week Dawn-To-Dusk Dry Fasting, Ayse L Mindikoglu, Kristin Eckel-Mahan, Antone R Opekun, Mustafa M Alzubaidi, Zoe R Crochet, Prasun K Jalal, Sung Yun Jung

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Four-week dawn-to-dusk dry fasting (DDDF) was previously shown to have a potent anti-inflammatory effect and induce an anti-tumorigenic proteome in the serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in subjects without cancer. The study goal was to determine if serum obtained from these subjects without cancer who underwent 4-week DDDF has an anti-tumorigenic effect.

Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with serum collected from four individuals with metabolic syndrome and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and four healthy individuals who performed 4-week DDDF. The objective was to assess cell proliferation/viability in HepG2 cells treated with non-fasted and dry-fasted serum and …

Impact Of Military-Related Moves On Spousal Perinatal Depression Screening And Mental Health Services, Chambraia Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal depression, including perinatal depression (PND), poses significant public health risks to women, infants, and families. Although routine PND screening is recommended, limited research has examined screening and referrals among military spouses, an underserved population affected by frequent relocations and deployments. This study examined how permanent change of station (PCS) frequency affects PND screening and referrals to mental health services. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model and the CDC’s social ecological model of health, eight research questions explored associations between PCS frequency, PND screening, referrals, and the moderating roles of military branch and deployment status. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used …

Association Of Anthropometric Indices With Rs9939609 Fto Gene Polymorphism Among Overweight/Obese Women With Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study, Huma Naqeeb, Bismillah Sehar, Sami Siraj, Ali Madi Almajwal, Bibi Hajira, Moez Al Islam Faris, Sharifa Alblooshi, Ali Saad R. Alsubaie, Mahpara Safdar, Iftikhar Alam, Falak Zeb

All Works

Background/objectives: Fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene and anthropometric measurements might be associated with breast cancer (BC) risk. This study aimed to assess the interactions between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs9939609 of the FTO gene, anthropometric indices, and BC risk among pre- and post-menopause women with overweight/obesity in Pakistan. Methods: This retrospective case–control study conducted on a convenience sample of 200 women divided into two groups: a case group comprised of 100 women diagnosed with BC, and control group comprised of 100 (age and menopausal status matched healthy women). Physical activity was assessed using validated questionnaire. Data on body …

Differences In Arterial Events In Vascular Ehlers-Danlos, Loeys-Dietz, And Marfan Syndrome, Ernesto Calderon-Martinez, Walter V Velasco, Dongchuan Guo, Ellen H Hostetler, Zhang Xun, Sara Stephens, Sherene Shalhub, Julie De Backer, Maral Ouzounian, Scott A Lemaire, Olivier Milleron, Nadine Hanna, Pauline Arnaud, Maria Tchitchinadze, Siddharth K Prakash, Mark Lindsay, Julien Marcadier, Richmond Jeremy, Shaine A Morris, Anji T Yetman, Catherine Boileau, Alan C Braverman, Guillaume Jondeau, Dianna M Milewicz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Heritable thoracic aortic disease is due to altered genes that confer a highly penetrant risk for thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection, and a subset of these genes also cause aneurysms and dissections of peripheral arteries beyond the aorta. Arterial aneurysms, dissections, and ruptures are associated with pathogenic variants (PVs) in COL3A1, which is responsible for vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, but arterial events are rare in Marfan syndrome due to PVs in FBN1, and poorly characterized in Loeys-Dietz syndrome due to PVs in the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β pathway genes.

Objectives: This study sought to define the relative risk of arterial …

The Carsr Two-Component System Directly Controls Radd Expression As A Global Regulator That Senses Bacterial Coaggregation In Fusobacterium Nucleatum, Bibek G C, Chenggang Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Two-component systems (TCS) enable bacteria to sense and respond to environmental signals, facilitating rapid adaptation. Fusobacterium nucleatum, a key oral pathobiont, employs the CarSR TCS to modulate coaggregation with various gram-positive partners by regulating the expression of radD, encoding a surface adhesion protein, as revealed by RNA-Seq analysis. However, the direct regulation of the radD-containing operon (radABCD) by the response regulator CarR, the broader CarR regulon, and the signals sensed by this system remain unclear. In this study, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) identified approximately 161 CarR-enriched loci across the genome and …

Modeling Reemergence Of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination In The Us, Mathew V Kiang, Kate M Bubar, Yvonne Maldonado, Peter J Hotez, Nathan C Lo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Importance: Widespread childhood vaccination has eliminated many infectious diseases in the US. However, vaccination rates are declining, and there are ongoing policy debates to reduce the childhood vaccine schedule, which may risk reemergence of previously eliminated infectious diseases.

Objective: To estimate the number of cases and complications in the US under scenarios of declining childhood vaccination for measles, rubella, poliomyelitis, and diphtheria.

Design, setting, and participants: A simulation model was used to assess the importation and dynamic spread of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases across 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The model was parameterized with data on area-specific estimates …

Intratumoral Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Mirrored By Circulating Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Kyle G Mitchell, Younghee Lee, Nathaniel Deboever, Marcelo V Negrao, Hai T Tran, Edwin Parra, Lauren Byers, Alexandre Reuben, Lorenzo Federico, Chantale Bernatchez, Jing Wang, Mara B Antonoff, Ara A Vaporciyan, Stephen G Swisher, Tina Cascone, Ignacio I Wistuba, John V Heymach, Don L Gibbons, Jianjun Zhang, Daniel J Mcgrail, Boris Sepesi, Cara L Haymaker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tumor-initiated emergency granulopoiesis results in expansion of the circulating neutrophil compartment and neutrophil recruitment into the tumor microenvironment (TME), which may in turn promote tumor progression. Although an elevated circulating neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (cNLR) has repeatedly been demonstrated to be an adverse prognostic factor in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whether this neutrophil expansion in circulation reflects a similar relative neutrophil abundance in the TME remains unclear. We sought to characterize the relationships between cNLR and the intratumoral neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (tNLR), between tNLR and proteogenomic and immune features of NSCLC tumors, and between tNLR and prognosis.We analyzed tNLR (transcriptomic …

Do Female Patients Experience Worse Outcomes Than Male Patients After Inguinal Hernia Repair? An Analysis Of The Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative Database, Amrita Iyer, Sunjay Kumar, Martina Rama, Sourav Podder, Li-Ching Huang, Sami Tannouri, Talar Tatarian, Francesco Palazzo

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most common general surgery operations. Some evidence suggests that female patients are at greater risk of chronic postoperative pain and hernia recurrence. We investigated rates of chronic inguinal pain and recurrence after inguinal hernia repair in both male and female patients using the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative database.

METHODS: The Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative database was queried for patients undergoing elective, unilateral inguinal hernia repair who completed 30-day clinical follow-up and baseline and 1-year European Registry for Abdominal Wall Hernias Survey surveys. Both open and minimally invasive cases were included. …

Optimizing Costs In Plastic Surgery: A Systematic Review Of Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing Applications, Emily L. Isch, Gabrielle Kozlowski, D. Mitchell Self, Theodore E. Habarth-Morales, Sydney Somers, Ahilan Sivaganesan, David Kim, Heather A. Mcmahon, Andrew Newsman, Matthew Jenkins

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The rising complexity and cost of healthcare in plastic surgery, particularly in resource-intensive procedures like free flap and breast reconstruction, pose significant financial challenges. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) offers a method to accurately assess these costs by mapping each step of the care cycle based on time and resources consumed. Although TDABC has been utilized in high-cost fields such as neurosurgery and spine surgery, its application in plastic surgery remains underexplored. This systematic review evaluates the literature on TDABC use in plastic surgery to identify key cost drivers and propose strategies for cost-efficiency.

METHODS: A systematic review was conducted …

Improving Clinical Prediction Of Pulmonary Embolism In Pregnancy And Postpartum By Modifying Wells Score With A Population Specific Risk Factor: A Retrospective Study, Maryam Al Shukri, Albayan Al Masalami, Karolina Stachyra, Elias Houari, Vaidyanathan Gowri, Sumaya Al Amri, Waoud Al Saidi, Khadija D. B. Ishaq

Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal

Objective: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant cause of maternal mortality, necessitating accurate clinical prediction tools to optimise diagnosis and reduce unnecessary imaging. This study aimed to examine the Wells score’s (WS) predictive value for PE, the effect of incorporating sickle cell disease (SCD) on its predictive accuracy and to estimate prevalence of PE in pregnanct and postpartum women. Methods: This retrospective study included pregnant and postpartum women who underwent computed tomography-pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for suspected PE at two tertiary hospitals (Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and Royal Hospital in Muscat, Oman) from 2013 to 2019. The relationship between WS …

Cholesterol Metabolism Regulated By Camkk2-Creb Signaling Promotes Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Chenchu Lin, Thomas L Pulliam, Jenny J Han, Jiaqian Xu, Carlos Vera Recio, Sandi R Wilkenfeld, Yan Shi, Manoj Kushwaha, Sarah Bench, Eduardo Ruiz, Sanjanaa Senthilkumar, Jayasurya Dileep, Peter D A Shepherd, Nora M Navone, Albert R Klekers, Elizabeth M Whitley, Michael M Ittmann, Livia S Eberlin, Wenyi Wang, Daniel E Frigo

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains an incurable disease in need of improved treatments. CAMKK2 is an emerging therapeutic target whose oncogenic effects in prostate cancer have, to date, been largely attributed to its activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Here, we demonstrate that CAMKK2 promotes prostate cancer growth through an alternative downstream pathway involving CAMKI and CREB. Unbiased transcriptomics identify CREB-mediated transcription as a CAMKK2-regulated process, findings that we validate using diverse molecular, genetic, and pharmacological approaches in vitro and in vivo. CAMKK2 promotes CREB phosphorylation/activation through CAMKIα independently of AMPK, CAMKIV, or other CAMKI isoforms. Functionally, the CREB family …

Apolipoprotein M Attenuates Age-Related Macular Degeneration Phenotypes Via Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling And Lysosomal Lipid Catabolism, Tae Jun Lee, Andrea Santeford, Kristen M Pitts, Carla Valenzuela Ripoll, Ryo Terao, Zhen Guo, Mualla Ozcan, Dagmar Kratky, Christina Christoffersen, Ali Javaheri, Rajendra S Apte

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in people over 50. AMD and cardiovascular disease share risk factors including age, impaired lipid metabolism, and extracellular lipid deposition. Because of its importance in age-related diseases, we hypothesize that apolipoprotein M (ApoM), a lipocalin that binds sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), might restore lipid homeostasis and retinal function in AMD. In support, we find that human patients with AMD demonstrate significantly reduced ApoM compared to controls. In mice with impaired retinal cholesterol efflux, ApoM improves retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) function and lipotoxicity in an S1P- and S1P receptor 3-dependent manner. Ultrastructural evidence …

A Road Map For Uniform, Comprehensive Long-Term Follow-Up After Curative Therapy For Sickle Cell Disease, Shalini Shenoy, Julie Kanter, Adetola Kassim, Courtney Fitzhugh, Elizabeth Stenger, Monica Bhatia, Lydia Pecker, Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, Allison A King

2020-Current year OA Pubs

An increasing number of allogeneic transplant and autologous gene modification transplant therapies seek to eradicate sickle hemoglobin and the consequent hemolysis, vasculopathy, functional compromise, morbidity, and mortality. Because these modalities are used in parallel, it is important to be able to define the spectrum and stability of correction, long-term effects, and the pros and cons of each modality. A comparison between interventions that will be sought by providers and patients undergoing intervention requires uniform assessments that evaluate disease- and intervention-related effects for informed decision-making. This expert summary outlines a pathway to functional evaluations with timing recommendations, provides broad management guidelines, …

Metabolic Control Of Glycosylation Forms For Establishing Glycan-Dependent Protein Interaction Networks, Xingyu Liu, Li Yi, Zongtao Lin, Siyu Chen, Shunyang Wang, Ying Sheng, Carlito B Lebrilla, Benjamin A Garcia, Yixuan Xie

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are crucial for comprehending the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying diverse biological processes and disease progression. However, investigating PPIs involving membrane proteins is challenging due to the complexity and heterogeneity of glycosylation. To tackle this challenge, we developed an approach termed glycan-dependent affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry (GAP-MS), specifically designed to characterize changes in glycoprotein PPIs under varying glycosylation conditions. GAP-MS integrates metabolic control of glycan profiles in cultured cells using small molecules referred to as glycan modifiers with affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry analysis (AP-MS). Here, GAP-MS was applied to characterize and compare …

Thermochemical Conversion Of Oily Sludge, Composition, Hazards, And Treatment Strategies: An Overview, Mahmod A. Abdulqader

AUIQ Complementary Biological System

Oily sludge (OS) is considered one of the most complex by-products produced in the petroleum industry as an unwanted. This work aims to provide a comprehensive review focused on the dangers of stockpiled OS, its sources and contents, as well as its complex composition. This study also analyzes the global annual generation and stockpiling quantities of OS. Therefore, the thermochemical conversion, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) char produced via HTC called hydrochar, pyrolysis (PY) char produced via PY named pyro-char, and microwave (MW) processes, while the char produced MW labeled micro-char. In conclusion, this study will facilitate researchers and provide a clear …

The Relationship Between Prenatal Stressful Life Events And Breastfeeding Initiation Among Mississippi Mothers, Candon Garbo, Katie C. Hall, Disha Jhaveri, Jung Hye S. Lee, Deanna Howington, Mina Qobadi, Mary Wesley

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Background: Early initiation of breastfeeding increases the likelihood of exclusive breastfeeding, which can be linked to improving both the mother’s and infant’s health. However, breastfeeding rates in Mississippi continue to be one of the lowest in the United States, with infant mortality and morbidity rates at the highest. Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact SLEs may have on initiating breastfeeding, as research is limited. Methods: Analyzed data from 2016 to 2021 Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS) was used to determine a correlation between life stressor experiences during pregnancy and initiation of exclusive breastfeeding with a sample …

Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies Of Mississippi Initial Provider Engagement And Student Feedback Loop Project, Corban Jackson Mph, Jillian Harper-Peavy Lmsw, Imh-E, Starica Harper, Vernesia Wilson Phd, Mph

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Background Between 2017 and 2022, 83% of maternal deaths in Mississippi were preventable. Unfortunately, there is a persistent shortage of OB-GYNs in Mississippi, feeding the rise of maternal care deserts and the lapse in collaboration between providers and state maternal health organizations. Purpose Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies of Mississippi, a care management program for high-risk mothers and infants, has partnered with the Mississippi Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health initiative (AIM) to improve maternal health outcomes through building healthcare networks with existing providers. Methods 33 medical students from the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine and William Carey University …

A Retrospective Descriptive Study Of Maternal Morbidity Based On Mississippi Poison Control Center Data, Laura Lee S. Beneke, Zariad Saran, Mallory Pullman, Jenna Davis, David Vearrier

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Maternal morbidity and mortality remain significant public health concerns in the United States, but particularly in Mississippi, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. This study analyzes data from the Mississippi Poison Control Center (MPCC) from January 2020 through December 2024 to assess trends in exposures among pregnant women. A total of 168 cases were identified. Exposures were categorized as unintentional, intentional, adverse reactions, or unknown, with unintentional exposures (47.6%) being the most common, often due to medication misuse. Intentional exposures, often linked to suspected self harm (31.5% of cases), represented 39.9% of the total. …

More Than Words: How Communication Shapes Maternal Healthcare Experiences In Mississippi, Brittney Clayborn, Traci Hayes

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Effective communication between healthcare providers and pregnant individuals is a critical factor in shaping maternal healthcare experiences. This study explores the role of provider-patient communication in prenatal and postnatal care among a group of Mississippi mothers, highlighting how communication influences trust, decision-making, and overall satisfaction with care. Using qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews, this case study examines both positive and negative communication experiences, identifying key barriers such as dismissiveness, lack of transparency, and rushed interactions. Findings suggest that when providers engage in clear, compassionate, and culturally competent communication, patients feel more empowered and supported in their care. Conversely, poor …