Health and Medical Administration Commons^™

Superbugs Versus Outsourced Cleaners: Employment Arrangements And The Spread Of Health Care-Associated Infections, Adam Seth Litwin, Ariel C. Avgar, Edmund R. Becker

Adam Seth Litwin

On any given day, about one in 25 hospital patients in the United States has a health care–associated infection (HAI) that the patient contracts as a direct result of his or her treatment. Fortunately, the spread of most HAIs can be halted through proper disinfection of surfaces and equipment. Consequently, cleaners—“environmental services” (EVS) in hospital parlance—must take on the important task of defending hospital patients (as well as staff and the broader community) from the spread of HAIs. Despite the importance of this task, hospitals frequently outsource this function, increasing the likelihood that these workers are under-rewarded, undertrained, and detached …

Reducing Readmission Rates In Acute Pancreatitis Through Patient Education And Risk Assessment, Jordan T. Vulcano

Aurora Internal Medicine Residents

Background: Early hospital readmissions are a direct burden on both our patients’ well-being and health care system as a whole. Acute pancreatitis is a top offender, with countless 30-day readmissions. Studies have showed a consistently higher than average 30-day readmission rates in acute pancreatitis, around 19%. This is significantly higher than the average all-cause readmission rate at Aurora Health Care hospitals. This quality improvement project aimed to reduce the rate of acute pancreatitis 30-day readmission rates at several Aurora hospitals through patient education and a readmission risk assessment tool.

Purpose: To clarify some of the risk factors associated with acute …

Assessment Of Obesity As A Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor In A Geriatric Rural Texas Community - A Six Month Follow-Up, Alberto Coustasse Md, Mba

Alberto Coustasse, DrPH, MD, MBA, MPH

Coustasse, Alberto, Assessment of Obesity as a Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor in a Geriatric Rural Texas Community – A Six Month Follow-up. Master of Public Health Track, Public Health Administration, December 1999, 22 pp., 9 tables, 9 illustrations, bibliography, 7 titles. The health fair approach was used as a method to establish individual and population health status baselines and to provide a mechanism to follow-up with an elderly population in a rural Texas community. A controlled trial sample of forty-four seniors was initially screened in a primary care clinic in August 1998. Patients were reevaluated at six months and results …

Implementation Of A Pharmacy-Based Adult Vaccine Benefit: Recommendations For A Commercial Health Plan Benefit, Jeffery A. Goad, Kelly J. Ko, Rolin L. Wade, Hsing-Ting Yu, Ross M. Miller, Bruce Sherman

Jeff Goad

BACKGROUND: Although vaccination rates in children exceed 90% in the United States, adults are vaccinated at far lower rates. In order to address this issue, additional community immunizers are needed, and pharmacists are in an ideal position to fill this void. OBJECTIVES: To explore issues and barriers related to implementation of a pharmacy-based adult vaccine benefit and develop recommendations supporting a pathway for benefit expansion. METHODS: A literature review on the current environment surrounding pharmacy-based adult vaccinations and structured interviews were conducted to inform an expert panel meeting using a modified Delphi process (pre/post survey). The goal was to develop …

Trends And Characteristics Associated With The Risk Of Re-Hospitalization In Patients Discharged From The Hospital After Acute Myocardial Infarction, Mayra Tisminetzky, Han-Yang Chen, Edgard A. Granillo, Joel M. Gore, Jorge L. Yarzebski, Darleen M. Lessard, Robert J. Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

BACKGROUND: Despite encouraging declines in short-term mortality in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), repeat hospitalizations among those discharged from the hospital after AMI remain a major clinical and public health concern. Few studies, however, have described the relatively contemporary magnitude, factors associated with, as well as decade long trends in repeat hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other causes in patients discharged from the hospital after AMI. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 6,018 residents of the Worcester (MA) metropolitan area who were hospitalized for AMI in 6 biennial periods between 1999 and 2009. Re-hospitalizations for any …

The Neighborhood Cancer Center, Gregory R. Harper Md, Phd, Debbie Salas-Lopez Md, Mph, Keith J. Weinhold Mha, Elliot J. Sussman Md, Mba

Debbie Salas-Lopez MD, MPH

No abstract provided.

Managing A Cardiac Emergency, C Midei, Terry Capuano

Terry A Capuano MBA, MSN, RN, FACHE, NE-BC

No abstract provided.

John Contracts Skin Disease At Spa, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Melanie Shapiro Esq

Donna M. Hughes