Medical Humanities Commons^™

Humor In Medicine: A Literature Review Of Humor’S Potential Therapeutic Value In Health Care, Weston Michael Grant

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Using humor and laughter within the health care field has the potential to be relevant to patients during treatment, to the patient-caregiver relationship, to the subjective well-being of health care providers, and to the environments’ (e.g., work settings) impact on group relationships (e.g., colleagues). A review of the literature examines how the psychological and physiological effects of laughter and humor within the human body impact health and well-being, how humor and laughter improve the patient-practitioner relationship, and if humor and laughter can potentially impact physician burnout. Several possible implications for these findings are discussed, such as professional medical comedians, improvements …

The Design Of An Instrument To Assess Clinical Laboratories Efficacy Post Implementation Of The Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, Harry Mcdonald Jr.

Dissertations

The healthcare system in the United States has undergone substantial changes in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). On March 23, 2010, the implementation of the new healthcare law brought universal healthcare access to all Americans, while attempting to increase quality and decrease medical costs. The new law promotes more of a quality-focused, outcome-based model rather than a pay-for-fee service model; thus, moving the paradigm from infrequent to preemptive healthcare. The PPACA postulates as the only way to achieve cost savings while increasing quality and access. Never before has there been such an extensive change to …

El Estudio Del Viejismo En La Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires Desde La Perspectiva De Los Adultos Mayores Con Diferentes Coberturas De Salud \ The Study Of Ageism In The Autonomous City Of Buenos Aires From The Perspective Of Older Adults With Different Health Coverage, Tara Tardino

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Argentina is a country with that has a growing population of older adults as the life expectancy continues to increase. Because the population of older people continues to grow, ageism is a topic of concern. Ageism, or discrimination against older people because of their age, can affect one’s mental health, one’s auto-perception of identity and abilities, one’s relationship with his or her doctor, and can contribute to maltreatment and abuse. In this present research I explored how older adults in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires perceive stereotypes of older people in society, how these stereotypes can lead to discrimination, …

Abuela, Anne Walsh

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Articles and Research

"How could I, the student admitting this patient on behalf of the attending physician, ever identify and address her medical issues if we couldn't effectively communicate? How could I help her understand the medications, consultations, tests, and procedures she'd receive, not to mention the grueling regimen of daily physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and swallowing therapy, counseling psychology, and social work sessions?"

Empathy, Casey Golomski

Anthropology

A short poem about suicidal ideation and alcoholism in the United States.

The Effects Of Patient Characteristics On Clinician’S Adherence To Preventive Practice Guidelines, Deshana A. Collett Ph.D,Pa-C, Kenneth M. Tyler Ph.D.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The existence of health disparities confirms that not all patients, regardless of differences in patient demographics, are provided quality healthcare (Agency of Health Care Research and Quality, 2003). Moreover, research suggests that health disparities may be present due to the inadequate delivery of medical services (S. Haist, J. Wilson, M. Lineberry, & C. Griffith, 2007; Van Ryn, Burgess, Malat, & Griffin, 2006). The differences in the delivery of care and services to ethnic minorities and those of low socioeconomic status warrant examining the role healthcare providers play in the causation of these health disparities (Smedley, Stith, & Nelson, …

Christians’ Cut: Popular Religion And The Global Health Campaign For Medical Male Circumcision In Swaziland, Casey Golomski, Sonene Nyawo

Anthropology

Swaziland faces one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world and is a site for the current global health campaign in sub-Saharan Africa to medically circumcise the majority of the male population. Given that Swaziland is also majority Christian, how does the most popular religion influence acceptance, rejection or understandings of medical male circumcision? This article considers interpretive differences by Christians across the Kingdom’s three ecumenical organisations, showing how a diverse group people singly glossed as ‘Christian’ in most public health acceptability studies critically rejected the procedure in unity, but not uniformly. Participants saw medical male circumcision’s promotion and …

An Ableist Society: What Does Disability Look Like?, Maricela Paramo

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

One out of every five adults in the United States has a disability. That is about 63.976 million people, yet, ableism is a common type of discrimination. This paper is an attempt to create awareness of ableism and its negative effects by providing testimonies and methods that will help people with disabilities live a life without prejudice.

The United States is nowhere close to being an ableist free society and it will remain this way until people stop using ableist language as an insult or to mock someone, until mocking the disabled is not a media entertainment, until public figures …

Assisted Suicide, Valerie Ontiveros

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Assisted suicide is when a physician helps a terminally ill patient die without pain. As of right now, it is illegal in most states. Organizations about this issue were organized in the late 1930's (Humphry). According to Pro-Con. Org, 79% of patients requested assisted suicide even before they came terminally ill –if it got to that point.

Many states have different laws on assisted suicide. In no doubt, these patients go through a tremendous amount of pain and no one but themselves should decide when enough is enough. Technological advances have allowed this generation to help aid a person when …

Predicting Patients' Trust In Physicians From Personality Variables, Ethnicity, And Gender, Zoreed A. Mukhtar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study examined variables related to the doctor-patient interaction that can predict college students’ trust in their physicians. Specifically, I examined if five personality variables, ethnicity, and gender were associated with attitudes toward physicians. A second aim of the study was to determine if there was a difference in the level of trust in physicians between pre-medical and non-pre-medical students. Surveys were administered to UCF students containing a series of questions compiled from the Interpersonal Physician Trust Scale, Interpersonal Trust Scale, Illness Attitude Scale, Big Five Inventory, Martin-Larsen Approval Motivation Scale-Short Form, Almost Perfect Scale-Revised and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale-Short …

In Bod We Trust, Elliot Montgomery Sklar

be Still

This paper discusses body image and social norms, media and implications on health for men as for women. The important issue of body image is rarely addressed toward men's health and wellness while it is widely recognized for women.

The 1939 Dickinson-Belskie Birth Series Sculptures: The Rise Of Modern Visions Of Pregnancy, The Roots Of Modern Pro-Life Imagery, And Dr. Dickinson’S Religious Case For Abortion, Rose Holz

Women's and Gender Studies Program: Faculty Publications

This multidisciplinary essay examines the hugely influential—yet surprisingly overlooked—Birth Series sculptures. Created in 1939 by Dr. Robert L. Dickinson (obstetrician-gynecologist and leader of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America) and sculptor Abram Belskie, they illustrate the process of human development from fertilization through delivery. First displayed at the 1939–1940 World’s Fair in New York City, they were reproduced in a variety of forms and sent out across the United States and overseas. Hardly a brief fad, their popularity persisted into the 1980s. This essay has four purposes. First, it tells the stories of Dickinson and Belskie to appreciate their contributions …

Propiedad Intelectual Y Acceso A Medicamentos: El Caso De Lopinavir/Ritonavir En Guatemala, Luis Pablo Méndez-Alburez, Alejandro Cerón

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Providers’ Perspectives On Inbound Medical Tourism In Central America And The Caribbean: Factors Driving And Inhibiting Sector Development And Their Health Equity Implications, Rory Johnston, Valorie A. Crooks, Alejandro Cerón, Ronald Labonté, Jeremy Snyder, Emanuel O. Núñez, Walter G. Flores

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

Background

Many governments and health care providers worldwide are enthusiastic to develop medical tourism as a service export. Despite the popularity of this policy uptake, there is relatively little known about the specific local factors prospectively motivating and informing development of this sector.

Objective

To identify common social, economic, and health system factors shaping the development of medical tourism in three Central American and Caribbean countries and their health equity implications.

Design

In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in Mexico, Guatemala, and Barbados with 150 health system stakeholders. Participants were recruited from private and public sectors working in various fields: trade …

Decreasing Cost Associated Medication Nonadherence, Shawn E. Raymond

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

An Abstract of the Scholarly Project by

Shawn E. Raymond

Medication cost is a major contributor for patient medication nonadherence. Take in the fact that a large population lives in poverty, many cannot afford to pay the retail prices associated with purchasing their medications. By incorporating wholesale medications into a charitable health clinic, the reduced cost of medications for treatment of both acute and chronic illnesses could be passed on to those in need thereby decreasing cost associated medication nonadherence. Nurse Practitioners in the state of Kansas are not afforded the privilege to purchase, repackage and distribute or resell wholesale …

“That’S Enough Patients For Everyone!”: Local Stakeholders’ Views On Attracting Patients Into Barbados And Guatemala’S Emerging Medical Tourism Sectors, Jeremy Snyder, Valorie A. Crooks, Rory Johnston, Alejandro Cerón, Ronald Labonte

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

Background

Medical tourism has attracted considerable interest within the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. Governments in the region tout the economic potential of treating foreign patients while several new private hospitals primarily target international patients. This analysis explores the perspectives of a range of medical tourism sector stakeholders in two LAC countries, Guatemala and Barbados, which are beginning to develop their medical tourism sectors. These perspectives provide insights into how beliefs about international patients are shaping the expanding regional interest in medical tourism.

Methods

Structured around the comparative case study methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 medical tourism …

Alleged Insanity: Frank Johnson Sr., Racial Injustice, And The Failure Of The Mental Health Care System In South Carolina, Jonathon P. Johnson

Senior Theses

This thesis is about Frank Johnson Sr. and the circumstances that led to his downfall as a farmer and father of six, to his tragic death in the isolation of a racially segregated mental institution 18 miles away from his home. Using his life and incarceration at the South Carolina State Park mental health facility, I argue that racial injustice contributed to his tragic death and the woefully inadequate treatment thousands of African Americans in South Carolina received during Jim Crow. Additionally, I argue that the tragic circumstances around my great grandfather’s institutionalization and death were part of an enduring …

The Importance Of Nature: An Investigation On How Geography Influences Well-Being, Christina Cobb

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The objective of this community service project (CSP) was to study how a community’s location, specifically within nature, influences their well-being. I hoped to see how the community’s location, within Chapada Diamantina national park, influences the many ways health is promoted, and how these ways are affected by their location within nature. This project was built upon a review of the literature, which found that there is a theoretical basis for the notion that contact with nature is beneficial, a term deemed Biophilia. There is a robust body of academic research that highlights the health benefits deriving from contact …

Pathways To Positive Change: A People's Perspective Of Healthcare In Humla, Wensday Meyers Berman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The villagers of Humla have suffered from unreliable health services and unjust indifference from the Nepali government for too long. Many global health initiatives and international NGOs have tried and failed to step in and make an improvement of health within these villages, because they are lacking an understanding of how these villages are run, what villagers prioritize, and how to continue providing reliable, supervised support. Because of the remoteness of the Humla area, it is difficult for allopathic medicine to be sufficiently provided here, and access to emergency medical resources are limited. Global health organizations such as WHO and …

From Interview To Transcript To Story: Elucidating The Construction Of Journalistic Narrative As Qualitative Research, Jørgen Jeppesen

The Qualitative Report

There is a call to narrative investigators to be more explicit about their ways of working methodologically, in particular concerning dialogic/performative analysis. The purpose of this study was to examine how journalistic storytelling used as qualitative health research transformed, assembled and sequenced interview into transcripts, scenes, digressions, and other language products. A published story from a socio-narratological study of living with the terminal disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis was selected. Distribution and sequence of modes of transcription, versions of dialogue, transformation of observation and memory to scenes, and conversion of the researcher’s reflection to digression, were identified and calculated. Spots in …

Empty Metal Jacket: The Biopolitical Economy Of War And Medicine, Sandra Lee Trappen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Empty Metal Jacket: The Biopolitical Economy of War and Medicine undertakes study of how global conflict and violence shape the entire range of social production, from commodities and culture to social goods and social theory. The research presented in this work draws from cutting-edge theories in body and science studies, in addition to theories of affect and biopolitics to address how war became a problem solving paradigm in medicine. Combat casualties are shown to serve as a material nexus for medical knowledge production. Although the focus here is on medicine and medical innovation in particular, these developments are connected to …

Full 3rd Edition

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

No abstract provided.

Visual Sexualities: Exploring An Integration Of Art And Sex Therapies, Jillien Kahn

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

This research explores the potential of integrating art and sex therapies. Three interviews were performed: two with certified art therapists one with a certified sex therapist, in order to understand how each of these professionals approaches issues of sexuality and creative expression within his or her practice. The resulting data was compared within and between each interviewee, resulting three overarching themes through which the challenges regarding this integration can be understood. It was found that there is great potential for an integration of the two therapies, provided clinicians have access to appropriate training, as well as a deeper understanding of …

Exploring Ranges, Tensions, And Potential Integrations: Editorial Notes For Jcat’S 3rd Edition, Einat Metzl

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

No abstract provided.

Abuse And Discrimination Towards Indigenous People In Public Health Care Facilities: Experiences From Rural Guatemala, Alejandro Cerón, Ana Lorena Ruano, Silvia Sánchez, Aiken S. Chew, Diego Díaz, Alison Hernández, Walter G. Flores

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

Background

Health inequalities disproportionally affect indigenous people in Guatemala. Previous studies have noted that the disadvantageous situation of indigenous people is the result of complex and structural elements such as social exclusion, racism and discrimination. These elements need to be addressed in order to tackle the social determinants of health. This research was part of a larger participatory collaboration between Centro de Estudios para la Equidad y Gobernanza en los Servicios de Salud (CEGSS) and community based organizations aiming to implement social accountability in rural indigenous municipalities of Guatemala. Discrimination while seeking health care services in public facilities was ranked …

Biopsychosocial Factors Of Resilience In The Medically Indigent Adult Population, Kaitlin E. Puckett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The medically indigent adult population continues to struggle with the effects of not having insurance coverage, despite the efforts of the Affordable Care Act to provide more affordable healthcare coverage to the population. Based on the United States Census Bureau’s reported population in 2015, an estimated 45 million Americans are without insurance. This study aims to identify and explore the impacts of the biopsychosocial factors of resilience that enable the population to face adversity, stress, and manage distress in the face of trauma (Masten, Best, & Garmezy, 1990; Rutter, 2006; Zimmerman, 2015). Four hypotheses follow a review of literature and …

Local Disease Concepts Relevant To The Design Of A Community-Based Surveillance Program For Influenza In Rural Guatemala, Alejandro Cerón, Maria Renee Ortiz, Danilo Álvarez, Guy H. Palmer, Celia Cordón-Rosales

Anthropology: Faculty Scholarship

Background

Early detection of emergent influenza strains is a global health priority. However, maintaining active surveillance is economically and logistically challenging. While community-based surveillance is an attractive alternative, design and operation of an effective epidemiological surveillance program requires community engagement that can be linked to public health reporting and response. We report the results of a study in rural Guatemalan communities aimed at identifying opportunities for and barriers to community engagement in disease surveillance.

Methods

Using an ethnographic approach followed by a descriptive cross-sectional survey, we documented local terms and ideas about animal illnesses, including the possibility of animal-human transmission. …

The Components Of Attentiveness In Oncology Care, Klaartje Klaver, Andries Baart

The Qualitative Report

This article presents the first findings of a qualitative empirical study of caregivers' attentiveness in hospital oncology care. It takes a care ethical perspective, in which attentiveness is considered an indispensable element of good care. The data are derived from participant observation at the oncology department of a general hospital in the Netherlands. The analysis shows a descriptive exploratory model of attentiveness, which comprises a coherent set of the clusters perception (A), object finding (B), and space for attentiveness (C). The methodological output of this article is an important one: the presented descriptive model of attentiveness promotes further research into …

One Year Later: The Politics And Stories Of Post-Earthquake Nepal, Boyer Andrew

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25^th, 2015. This was followed by a second major earthquake of magnitude 7.3 on May 12^th , 2015. These disasters took the lives of thousands of Nepali people, destroyed hundreds of thousands of structures, and displaced an estimated two million people. Immediately following the disaster, there was an outpouring of humanitarian aid from around the world. This lead to a conference where $4.1 billion USD of reconstruction funds were pledged to Nepal by international donors. Five months later, a new constitution passed into law and an informal blockade of …