Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Weight Of A Word, Dennis J. Baumgardner

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Some words have more impact than others. In this From the Editor introduction to Volume 8, Issue 3, the editor-in-chief of Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews highlights one word from each article that most strongly resonates. Recognizing such pivotal wording can help one absorb the takeaway messages from these works.

Developing A Practical Application Of The Isometric Squat And Surface Electromyography, David Phillips, Angelic Rose Del Vecchio, Kevin Carroll, Evan L. Matthews

Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education Scholarship and Creative Works

Electromyography (EMG) is a research tool used in gait analysis, muscle coordination evaluation, clinical evaluation and sports techniques. Electromyography can provide an insight into neural adaptations, cross education effects, bilateral contraction deficiencies, and antagonist activity in exercise-related movements. While there are clear benefits to using EMG in exercise-related professions, accessibility, cost, and difficulty interpreting the data limit its use in strength and clinical settings. We propose a practical EMG assessment using the isometric squat to identify compensatory activation patterns and report early observations. Ten healthy participants were recruited. Participants performed a 2-min isometric handgrip protocol and an isometric squat protocol. …

Strategies For The Improvement Of Healthcare Through Simulation, Roger Lankheet

Dissertations

Title:Strategies for the improvement of healthcare through simulation

Background: Medical errors continue to plague the healthcare industry. The annual rates of morbidity are approximately 2.69 million (AHRQ, 2019), while mortality rates exceed 400,000 per annum (Makary & Daniel, 2016). There may be no panacea to combat these egregious rates. However, simulation of patient care events may better prepare healthcare professionals to prevent medical errors as it has been proven to be an effective learning strategy (Kirkham, 2018), enhancing skills while gaining experiential knowledge, without risk to actual patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a …

Supply, Demand, And Quality: A Three-Pronged Approach To Blood Product Management In Developing Countries, Kyle L. Gress, Karina Charipova, Ivan Urits, Omar Viswanath, Alan D. Kaye

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

While transfusion of blood and blood products is instinctively linked to the provision of emergent care, blood and blood products are also routinely used for the treatment of subacute and chronic conditions. Despite the efforts of the World Health Organization and others, developing countries are faced with a three-part problem when it comes to access to and delivery of transfusions: insufficient supply, excessive demand, and inadequate quality of available supply. Developing countries rely heavily on replacement and remunerated donors rather than voluntary nonremunerated donors due to concerns regarding donation- and transfusion-transmitted infection as well as local and cultural beliefs. While …

Surgical Patients’ Hospital Experience Scores: Neighborhood Context Conceptual Framework, Ashley Wendell Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac, Michelle A. Fortier, Pat Patton, Brad Giafaglione, Zeev N. Kain

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective:

Through geocoding the physical residential address included in the electronic medical record to the census tract level, we present a novel model for concomitant examination of individual patient-related and residential context-related factors that are associated with patient-reported experience scores.

Summary Background Data:

When assessing patient experience in the surgical setting, researchers need to examine the potential influence of neighborhood-level characteristics on patient experience-of-care ratings.

Methods:

We geocoded the residential address included in the electronic medical record (EMR) from a tertiary care facility to the census tract level of Orange County, CA. We then linked each individual record to the …

In Gratitude Of 2020 Jpcrr Peer Reviewers

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Peer review is an essential component to publishing high-quality scientific literature. Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews relies on volunteer reviewers to grade and improve submissions to the journal. Our editorial team gratefully acknowledges the experts credited in this supplement for their generous contributions in 2020.

Optimizing Wellness In Academic Emergency Medicine, Kristen E. Nordenholz, Al'ai Alvarez, Michelle D. Lall, Christine Stehman, Cindy C. Bitter, Emily L. Hirsh, Rita Manfredi, Rosanna D. Sikora, Dave W. Lu, Leon D. Sanchez, Matthew L. Wong, Steven Bird, Andra L. Blomkalns

Journal of Wellness

Introduction

Academic Emergency Physicians (EPs) face additional unique challenges in optimizing wellness compared to community EPs.

Objective

Our objective was to explore specific individual and systems challenges that academic EPs encounter that affect their wellbeing and professional fulfillment in emergency medicine (EM).

Methods

An expert group of academic EPs convened in 2019 at the annual meeting of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine to investigate the overall causes of burnout in healthcare providers, the effects of burnout on the healthcare system, specific causes of burnout in EM, and the distinct challenges facing academic emergency physicians.

Results

We outline specific causes …

Parent Responses To Pediatric Pain: The Differential Effects Of Ethnicity On Opioid Consumption, Candice D. Donaldson, Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle A. Fortier, Michael T. Phan, Daniel M. Tomaszewski, Sun Yang, Zeev N. Kain

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective

Within the context of the United States opioid epidemic, some parents often fear the use of opioids to help manage their children's postoperative pain. As a possible consequence, parents often do not dispense optimal analgesic medications to their children after surgery, putting their children at risk of suffering from postsurgical pain. The objective of this research was to assess ethnicity as a predictor of both pain and opioid consumption, and to examine how Hispanic/Latinx and Non-Hispanic White parents alter their child's opioid consumption in response to significant postsurgical pain.

Methods

Participants were 254 children undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy …

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 …

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 …

Strategies To Address Substance-Abusing And Substance-Impaired Healthcare Professionals, Anna Marie Smith, Douglas G. Campbell

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

This research explored strategies used by some healthcare leaders to address substance abusing and impaired healthcare professionals. The conceptual framework for this qualitative case study was the concept of due diligence. Data were collected from 40 managers and supervisors, 3 executives, and company documents, and analyzed to reveal elements of a comprehensive strategy. A effective comprehensive strategy consists of policies that address the causes, the short term and long term aspects, and both the ethical and legal aspects. Policies and procedures are equally applied, are easily accessible, are well communicated, are supported by training, provides positive encouragement. provides a path …

Costs Of Maternity Leave To Support Breastfeeding; Brazil, Ghana And Mexico, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Graciela M. Teruel, Diana Flores-Peregrina, Grace J. Carroll, Gabriela S. Buccini, Rafael Perez-Escamilla

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Objective To develop a method to assess the cost of extending the duration of maternity leave for formally-employed women at the national level and apply it in Brazil, Ghana and Mexico. Methods We adapted a World Bank costing method into a five-step method to estimate the costs of extending the length of maternity leave mandates. Our method used the unit cost of maternity leave based on working women’s weekly wages; the number of additional weeks of maternity leave to be analysed for a given year; and the weighted population of women of reproductive and legal working age in a given …

Health Information Management Careers: The Importance Of Skillset And Location On Salary, Danielle Sager

Applied Research Projects

Health information management is an engaging and dynamic occupational field that employs thousands of individuals throughout the United States across the spectrum of health care providing organizations. The ability to navigate these opportunities is influenced heavily by the location of available positions and the skillsets desired by employers. Through study of workforce development data and research in health information management one is able to determine the location and skillset of positions that will help distinguish oneself in a competitive marketplace that values not only education and experience, but the ability to lead in a field that is rapidly changing and …

Internet Of Things For Sustainable Human Health, Abdul Salam

Faculty Publications

The sustainable health IoT has the strong potential to bring tremendous improvements in human health and well-being through sensing, and monitoring of health impacts across the whole spectrum of climate change. The sustainable health IoT enables development of a systems approach in the area of human health and ecosystem. It allows integration of broader health sub-areas in a bigger archetype for improving sustainability in health in the realm of social, economic, and environmental sectors. This integration provides a powerful health IoT framework for sustainable health and community goals in the wake of changing climate. In this chapter, a detailed description …

Compounding Effects Of Reducing Nurse Burnout And How It Can Produce An Increase In Patient Safety And Satisfaction, Alexander Mua

Master's Projects and Capstones

The reduction of nurse burnout has shown to have an increase in patient satisfaction and quality of care. It also has shown a decrease in patient-related or sentinel events. Accordingly, with the reduction of nurse burnout, there has also been a reduction of compassion fatigue. This project has illuminated the benefits of acuity-based caseload at the micro-level, including the cost-effective nature of overtime pay, including HCHAPS benefit score. The method of obtaining, planning, and implementing was based on the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA), which required collaboration amongst multiple disciplines, groups, departments, and executives. The process and goals concluded to …

Preparing Healthcare Staff For Cardiac Arrest Codes In The Outpatient Clinical Setting: Code Drill Training Improves Patient Outcomes, Rowan Edwards, Rn

Master's Projects and Capstones

Preparing Healthcare Staff for Cardiac Arrest Codes in the Outpatient Clinical Setting: Code Drill Training Improves Patient Outcomes

The acuity of care provided in outpatient clinical settings across the United States continues to rise. It is estimated that more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital each year (AHA, 2019). For the purpose of this clinical nurse leader (CNL)-lead quality improvement project, the relevant focus is directed towards improving the knowledge, physical skills and perceptions of healthcare staff within an urgent care center (UCC) regarding the application of advanced rescue skills. It is important to note that the …

The Power Of Pharmacist-To-Pharmacist Handoffs During Transitions Of Care, Jessica Wooster, Laressa Bethishou

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"Hospital readmissions are often medication-related and potentially preventable. Pharmacists can play a vital role in improving medication outcomes during transitions of care (TOC). Although numerous TOC practice models have been described, it remains unclear what practices will promote optimal continuity of care."

The Relationship Between Human Trafficking And An Occupational Therapy Career, Lexie France

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

Occupational therapy crosses physical-mental health boundaries. It has been stated that occupational therapists have an innate duty to work with not only individuals, but society as a whole when individuals experience social and occupational injustices. An example of a social/occupational injustice that an individual may experience is human trafficking. Human trafficking not only affects the individual physically and emotionally, but it also has a pervasive impact on the individual’s ability to function as an occupational being. These experiences have the potential to affect the individual in varied contexts and environments, and over the lifespan. Due to an occupational therapist's proficiency …

Ecological Determinants Of Respiratory Health: Examining Associations Between Asthma Emergency Department Visits, Diesel Particulate Matter, And Public Parks And Open Space In Los Angeles, California, Jason A. Douglas, Reginald S. Archer, Serena E. Alexander

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Los Angeles County (LAC) low-income communities of color experience uneven asthma rates, evidenced by asthma emergency department visits (AEDV). This has partly been attributed to inequitable exposure to diesel particulate matter (DPM). Promisingly, public parks and open space (PPOS) contribute to DPM mitigation. However, low-income communities of color with limited access to PPOS may be deprived of associated public health benefits. Therefore, this novel study investigates the AEDV, DPM, PPOS nexus to address this public health dilemma and inform public policy in at-risk communities. Optimized Hotspot Analysis was used to examine geographic clustering of AEDVs, DPM, and PPOS at the …

Track 1.B Introduction: Re-Designing Health: Transforming Systems, Practices And Care, Aidan Rowe, Claudine Jaenichen, Gillian Harvey, Kate Sellen, Stephanie Vandenberg

Art Faculty Articles and Research

The Re-Designing Health: Transforming Systems, Practices and Care track explores the increasing role and possibility for a wide range of design practices and methods to contribute to health care products, provision, and systems.

There is growing recognition of the increasing complexity faced by healthcare systems; critical issues and challenges include ageing populations, chronic diseases, growing drug ineffectiveness, and lack of access to comprehensive services (to name only a few examples). Concurrently design thinking, methods and practices are increasingly recognized as means of addressing complex, multi-levelled and systemic problems.

The track session brought together design academics, researchers and practitioners that are …

Beyond Continuing Education: Continuing Professional Development And The Cth, Jeff Goad

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

"The CTH exam is taken by physicians, pharmacists and nurses. From country to country and profession to profession, there is a wide variety of travel clinic practice and the training of travel medicine providers. One-time assessments, such as the CTH exam, are important to establishing a standard level of knowledge, but ongoing education that focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary to provide the pre-travel clinic consultation should be a priority."

Uams Summer Health Literacy Study, Merritt Osment

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background: Health Literacy is a barrier to self-care; patients often lack the skills to understand complicated instructions that deal with medications, wound care, follow up schedules, and preventative care. Patients who undergo hip and knee replacements are often older adults, a population that normally struggles with various aspects of health literacy. Patient education materials are a common means of communicating with these individuals. However, if the patient does not understand the materials that they are given, they are more likely to experience negative side effects after their operation. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the health literacy …

An Opportunity For Pharmacists To Help Improve Coordination And Continuity Of Patient Health Care, Jon C. Schommer, Lawrence M. Brown, Ryan (Alyssa) Bortz, Alina Cernasev, Basma T. Gomaa, Keri D. Hager, Lisa Hillman, Olihe Okoro, Serguei V. S. Pakhomov, Paul L. Ranelli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Pharmacist workforce researchers are predicting a potential surplus of pharmacists in the United States that might result in pharmacists being available for engagement in new roles. The objective for this study was to describe consumer opinions regarding medication use, the health care system, and pharmacists to help identify new roles for pharmacists from the consumer perspective. Data were obtained from the 2015 and 2016 National Consumer Surveys on the Medication Experience and Pharmacist Roles. Out of the representative sample of 36,673 respondents living in the United States, 80% (29,426) submitted written comments at the end of the survey. Of these, …

Abstracts From The 24th Annual Health Care Systems Research Network Conference, April 11–13, 2018, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Founded in 1994, the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) is a consortium of 18 research centers that are housed in community-based health systems. The organization's annual conference serves as a venue for research teams to disseminate scientific findings, stimulate new collaborations, and share insights about conducting research in real-world care-delivery settings. Abstracts accepted for presentation at HCSRN 2018 are published within this supplement of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews.

A Comparison Of Quality Indicators Between Medicare Accountable Care Organizations And Health Maintenance Organizations Using Publicly Available Data, William W. Campbell Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore differences in quality between Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). Three outcomes measures reported by these plans use different methodologies but possess enough alignment to permit comparison: percent of diabetic patients with last HbA1c > 9.0%, colon cancer screening rate and ER visits per 1,000. These outcomes are the dependent variables (DV). A secondary purpose is to explore differences in quality based on the size of the beneficiary population served, using the same measures.

As the Medicare program faces threats to its solvency in coming decades, with 10,000 baby …

Examining Injury Data Reporting Practices Among Wildland Firefighters, Erin M. Boggs

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Wildland Firefighter (WLFF) Crews lack an injury surveillance program to collect information on non-traumatic and traumatic injuries. Tactical athletes including: police, military and structural firefighters all have a variety of collection systems in place for injury data collection. The lack of injury data prevents WLFF crews from identifying high-risk environments, implementing injury prevention programs, and improving the overall quality of care on the job. Over the last several decades the recent rise in wildfire occurrences and wildfire suppression costs creates a need for healthy and strong individuals in the field. The cost of firefighter salaries and medical care can be …

Improving Transitions In Care For People With Dementia: The Cared Tool, Yuwen Deng, Jamie Bisset, Silk Lim, Maryssa Edwards

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

Transitions in Care are challenging for people with dementia due to impairments in communication and disorientation from being in a foreign environment. Transitions in care have lead to incidents of unnecessary physical and chemical restraints of this vulnerable population. To investigate how to optimize care transitions, qualitative descriptive information was collected through three personal interviews to gain a broader understanding of mechanisms of care transitions in London, ON. After conducting interviews and literature review, the CARED Tool was developed. The CARED Tool promotes social inclusion of patients with dementia through recognizing that people with dementia have complex needs, thereby allowing …

Improving Service Delivery Through Provider Training: A Process Evaluation Of The Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System “Commitment To Serve” Workshop, Ismael Barrera

Master's Projects

As the customer-focused management strategies gradually advances into all of the VISNs [Veterans Integrated Service Networks], the Veterans Health Administration in Palo Alto, California implemented a customer service training program for employees to meet the diverse and complex needs of its customers. This research will analyze whether participants in this training, known as Commitment to SERVE, believe that it is achieving its goal. In other words, does the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) staff perceive the Commitment to SERVE workshop as a beneficial customer service training program?

Evaluating Patient Preferences For Different Incentive Programs To Optimize Pharmacist-Provided Patient Care Program Enrollment, Daniel M. Tomaszewski, Tim Cernohaus, Rajiv Vaidyanathan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND: Employers have increased efforts to engage employees in health and wellness programs. Providing employees with incentives to participate in these programs has been shown to improve overall enrollment and engagement. One program that has had challenges with enrollment and engagement is medication therapy management (MTM).

OBJECTIVES: To (a) determine how individuals evaluate different financial incentives to improve participation in an MTM program and (b) measure the effect of participant characteristics on incentive preference.

METHODS: This study was composed of a paper-based survey administered to participants after focus group sessions. Participants included MTMeligible beneficiaries from 2 employer groups and included …

Reducing Medication Errors In Pneumonia Patients During Transitions Of Care, Laressa Bethishou, Noah Fang, Lisa Shieh

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: At Stanford Health Care, as part of a hospital-wide initiative to reduce pneumonia readmission rates, an interdisciplinary collaborative effort was created between physicians and transitions of care (ToC) pharmacists to optimize discharge planning and medication management for pneumonia patients. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of the ToC pharmacist in identifying and reducing medication errors on discharge for pneumonia patients.

Methodology: Retrospective chart review was conducted on patients discharged with a pneumonia diagnosis between December 2015 to Feb 2016. Patients were stratified based on whether they received ToC pharmacist medication review vs. standard …