Public Health Commons^™

Evidence-Based Hospitals, David R. Bardach

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

In 2011 the University of Kentucky opened the first two inpatient floors of its new hospital. With an estimated cost of over $872 million, the new facility represents a major investment in the future of healthcare in Kentucky. This facility is outfitted with many features that were not present in the old hospital, with the expectation that they would improve the quality and efficiency of patient care. After one year of occupancy, hospital administration questioned the effectiveness of some features. Through focus groups of key stakeholders, surveys of frontline staff, and direct observational data, this dissertation evaluates the effectiveness of …

Respectful Maternity Care Resource Package, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren, Timothy Abuya, Lucy Kanya, Alice Maranga, Christine Ochieng, Mary Wanjala, Beatrice Chelang'at, Anne Njeru, Annie Gituto, George Odhiambo, Faith Mbehero, Lucia Maina, Jeremiah Maina

Reproductive Health

The Respectful Maternity Care Resource Package is a set of manuals, tools, and resources to ensure high-quality, respectful maternal and newborn health services. The resources help program managers, health workers, and technical advisors set up workshops and trainings for facility-based providers and community health workers. The workshops provide practical, low-cost, and easily adaptable strategies to improve respectful care.

The Respectful Maternity Care Resource Package was developed by the Heshima project as part of the USAID Translating Research into Action (TRAction) project.

Training facility-based health providers

• Facilitator’s guide
• Orientation slide deck
• Participant’s guide

Training community health workers

• Facilitator’s guide
• Orientation slide …

A Tale Of Two Diseases: Mental Illness And Hiv/Aids, Lawrence O. Gostin

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

There have been dramatic advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Whereas HIV was once a dire diagnosis, today it is treatable, and individuals who receive early and consistent treatment can expect to live a normal lifespan. Why has the scientific community made the same strides with mental illness? When I was the Legal Director of the National Association of Mental Health in the United Kingdom in the 1980s, major mental illnesses were primarily treated with powerful antipsychotics, such as haloperidol, that carried the debilitating side effects of tardive dyskinesia—involuntary movements of the tongue, lips, face, trunk, and extremities. When I …

Unicondylar Knee Arthroplasty In The Inpatient Vs Outpatient Setting: Impact On Process Time, Quality Outcomes, And Patient Satisfaction, Ibrahim Zeini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The implications of rising healthcare expenditures are of great concern nationally and internationally. Performing procedures in the outpatient setting can be one solution to this crisis. However, there is a lack of research on systematic approaches for transitioning procedures to the outpatient setting. Unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA) presents an opportunity, as it is already in the early stages of transitioning to the outpatient setting. The key step in facilitating an effective transition to the outpatient setting is comparing outpatient UKAs with inpatient UKAs with a focus on process time, quality outcomes, and patient satisfaction. This study retrospectively compares 400 UKA …

Integration Of Rural Community Pharmacies Into A Rural Family Medicine Practice-Based Research Network: A Descriptive Analysis, Nicholas E. Hagemeier, Sarah Blevins, Kyle Hagen, Emily Sorah, Richa Shah, Kelly Ferris

ETSU Faculty Works

Purpose: Practice-based research networks (PBRN) seek to shorten the gap between research and application in primary patient care settings. Inclusion of community pharmacies in primary care PBRNs is relatively unexplored. Such a PBRN model could improve care coordination and community-based research, especially in rural and underserved areas. The objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate rural Appalachian community pharmacy key informants’ perceptions of PBRNs and practice-based research; 2) explore key informants’ perceptions of perceived applicability of practice-based research domains; and 3) explore pharmacy key informant interest in PBRN participation.

Methods: The sample consisted of community pharmacies within city limits …

‘‘We Can Wipe An Entire Culture’’: Fears And Promises Of Dna Biobanking Among Native Americans, Roberto Abadie, Kathleen Heaney

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper explores Native American perceptions on DNA biobanking. A qualitative study was conducted among self-declared Native Americans living off reservation in two Midwest cities. Findings demonstrate a paradox: Informants maintain strong hopes for the transformative power of gene-based research while voicing very particular social anxieties. Emerging genomic technologies elicit concerns over the potential for genetic stigmatization or discrimination based on race, preventing access to health insurance or employment. Frequently, social anxieties adopt the narrative form of conspiracy theories which portray powerful agents exploiting or abusing a disenfranchised population. We argue that while Native Americans do not have a monopoly …

Assessment Of Organizational Readiness: Parent Advisory Councils In A Children's Hospital Within A Hospital, Suzanne R. Springate

DNP Projects

Background: A children’s hospital within a hospital (CHWH) in the Midwest region of the United States established a strategic goal to become the preferred provider for children in the region. Outcomes in patient and family experience had fallen short of established organizational expectations. Recognizing that parent advisors are an essential component of patient and family centered care, the strategic plan called for integrating parents into formal, advisory roles.

Purpose: The purpose of this practice improvement project was to perform an assessment of organizational readiness to incorporate parents into formal advisory roles at this CHWH.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was …

La Paradoja Hispana Epidemiológica: Investigando Las Preconcepciones Y Generalizaciones, Maya H. Sandalow

CMC Senior Theses

En los Estados Unidos, los latinos suelen tener menos acceso a la educación, el trabajo, y el seguro médico en comparación con los blancos no-latinos, pero aun así el grupo parece superar ciertos obstáculos de la salud. Las estadísticas de la población latina muestran mayor longevidad y otras tasas favorables en comparación con los blancos no-latinos. Los expertos han titulado esta contradicción “La Paradoja Hispana Epidemiológica”.

Desafortunadamente, la investigación de la paradoja está llena de generalizaciones y presuposiciones erróneas sobre la población latina diversa. Esta tesis investiga los participantes que producen generalizaciones sobre la supuesta paradoja para mostrar que estas …

Evaluation Of An Assertive Continuing Care Program For Hispanic Adolescents, Eric Strunz, Joanna Jungerman, Juliet Kinyua, Paula M. Frew

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

PURPOSE: This study evaluated an Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) and Assertive Continuing Care (ACC) program targeting Hispanic adolescents at risk for substance abuse.

Is Conflict A Factor In A Population's Quality Of Life? A Comparative Study Of University Students In The Palestinian Territories And Jordan, Yara Asi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As nearly one third of the world's population lives in an area that is in some way touched by war, researchers have long been interested in the varied impacts of conflict on civilians. Many indicators, measuring both physical and mental constructs, have been assessed in war-torn populations from around the world, one of which is health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt) are one region in which copious research on health indicators has been undertaken in an effort to understand how long-term conflict manifests itself in noncombatant populations. However, existing studies focus primarily on indicators within the …

Overview Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status 2015, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The main purpose of the Overview is to provide a comprehensive summary of the most recent indicators of the health and current health status of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people. It has been prepared by Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet staff as part of our contribution to supporting those who work in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector. The Overview is a key element of the HealthInfoNet commitment to authentic and engaged knowledge development and exchange. The initial sections of this Overview provide information about the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, population, and various measures …

Investigation Of Low Back And Shoulder Demand During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: The Effect Of Different Compression-Ventilation Ratios, Richard Scott Dainty

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Background: The current American Heart Association (AHA) standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is performed with a compression-ventilation ratio of 30:2 (standard CPR), meaning 30 compressions are applied to the chest followed by the administration of two breaths to the victim. Some evidence has shown that performing continuous chest compressions rather than standard CPR with breaks in chest compressions for administering breaths, may increase survival rates after cardiac arrest. Cont-CPR has been shown to be very fatiguing in nature, with a significant drop in chest compression force within the first two minutes of CPR. The purpose of this study was to examine …

Ems Use By The Young Adult Population In The Region Of Waterloo, Karen J. Totzke

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Anecdotal evidence suggests that university students are accessing local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) more frequently, usually as a result of alcohol consumption. In doing so, they endanger their personal health and create challenges for EMS and local hospitals. This study examined EMS use by young adults (ages 16-24 years) to identify differences between university students and youth in the Region of Waterloo, and to determine predictors of transport to hospital. This cross-sectional study used retrospective data collected during a six-year period (2006-2011) from a large, mixed urban and rural municipal ambulance service located in southwestern Ontario. Data were extracted from …

Exploring The Process, Models, And Outcomes Of Hospital-Public Health Partnerships, Danielle M. Varda, Jessica H. Retrum, Carrie Chapman

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Health care reform has resulted in changes throughout the health system, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement that hospitals conduct community health needs assessments, taking into greater consideration the public health of their respective communities. This has led to growing strategies to develop partnerships between hospitals and public health (PH) as a way to meet these needs¹. Meantime, there is a need for data on Hospital-PH partnerships, due to the growing emphasis that these types of partnerships get implemented in practice. In this paper we analyze a secondary data set to explore how hospitals and public health …

A Case Study Of Cross-Jurisdiction Resource Sharing: The Merger Of Two Tuberculosis Clinics In East Tennessee., Anne Kershenbaum, Margaret A. Knight, Martha L. Buchanan, Janet Ridley, Paul C. Erwin

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Cross-jurisdiction resource sharing is considered a possible means to improve efficiency and effectiveness of public health service delivery. A merger of the Tuberculosis (TB) clinics of a rural and a metropolitan jurisdiction in East Tennessee provided an opportunity to study service provision changes in real time. A mixed methods approach was used, including quantitative data on latent TB treatment outcomes and qualitative data from staff interviews, as well as documentation of changes in staffing time in TB services. Results showed a mix of efficiency changes, indicating probable increased pressure on key service providers after the merger, in addition to expected …

Health Communication As A Public Health Training And Workforce Development Issue, Nancy L. Winterbauer, Ann P. Rafferty, Katherine A. Jones, Mary Tucker-Mclaughlin, Colleen Bridger

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Effective communication is one of the core competencies for public health professionals and is required for local health department (LHD) accreditation. Public health communication specialists play a critical role as conduits of health information, particularly with regard to managing relationships with media and the message that is ultimately represented by news outlets. However, capacity for engagement with traditional media in community health improvement at the local level has not been well-described. As part of a larger study examining the use and impact of the County Health Rankings in North Carolina, LHD media staffing and interaction with traditional media were examined …

What “Community Building” Activities Are Nonprofit Hospitals Reporting As Community Benefit?, Erik Bakken, David Kindig, Jo Ivey Boufford

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

In 2008, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revised and standardized the reporting policy for community benefit expenses for nonprofit hospitals. These expenses are required for tax exemption. At that time, the IRS designated some categories of activities as non-eligible as a community benefit, but still mandated their reporting on hospitals’ Form 990, the annual tax filing for nonprofit organizations. One such category was community building, which encompasses a broad range of nonmedical determinants of health and an important potential source of population health revenue. This is the first study to analyze community-building dollars at any level, examining New York State’s …

A Call For Better Care: The Impact Of Postnatal Contact Services On Women’S Parenting Confidence And Experiences Of Postpartum Care In Queensland, Australia, Yvette D. Miller, Aimée C C. Dane, Rachel Thompson

Dartmouth Scholarship

BackgroundUniversal postnatal contact services are provided in several Australian states, but their impact on women’s postnatal care experience has not been evaluated. Furthermore, there is lack of evidence or consensus about the optimal type and amount of postpartum care after hospital discharge for maternal outcomes. This study aimed to assess the impact of providing Universal Postnatal Contact Service (UPNCS) funding to public birthing facilities in Queensland, Australia on women’s postna

Consumer Assessment Of Healthcare Providers And Systems (Cahps) Surveys: Assessing Patient Experience, Lisa Sprague

National Health Policy Forum

This publication provides an overview of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) family of surveys, which are widely used by both public and private health plans and providers to assess the patient's experience of health care. Included is information on survey contents, how surveys are tailored to different users, and how the resulting information is collected, reported, and used to help consumers make choices and providers carry out quality improvement, as well as its role in pay-for-performance reimbursement.

Addressing Health Disparities In Refugees, Claire E. Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

I completed the required 300 hours of my fieldwork internship at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Oakland, CA. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a non-profit international organization that responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and aids displaced individuals in rebuilding their lives in new countries by providing support in health care, finance, education, infrastructure, and resettlement.

I worked as a Health Access/Intensive Case management Intern. As a Health Access Program Intern, it was my job to ensure that refugees coming to the United States had a place to seek medical care, advice, and preventative services. In order …

The Economics Of Implementing Population Health Strategies: Progress In Public Health Services & Systems Research, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Successful strategies to scale up and spread complex community-level interventions require an understanding of the resources required for implementation, how best to distribute them among supporting institutions, and how resource consumption and distribution varies across settings. This session reviews methods and early findings from the RWJF’s Public Health Delivery and Cost Studies (DACS) Initiative, which includes 12 inter-related studies examining the causes and consequences of variation in the costs of delivering complex community-level prevention strategies across more than 300 community settings in 12 states. Findings from these studies highlight the value of studying the economics of implementation, the measurement and …

Evaluating The Effectivesness Of Information Sources Regarding Hiv Among Gold Miners In Quảng Nam, Noah Landesberg

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Young migrant males in strenuous manual labor environments represent a high-­‐risk population for the transmission of HIV/AIDS. In Vietnam, gold miners are representative of this high-­‐risk population. Phước Sơn district, Quảng Nam province is home to much of Vietnam’s mining activity and has a comparatively high rate of HIV. Previous studies have been done on HIV/AIDS prevalence in Quảng Nam as well as related knowledge and practices. This analysis of a 2014 questionnaire examines the effects of varying information sources on HIV/AIDS knowledge. The sample of workers was mostly male and between 25 and 49 years old. Migrants made up …

Chhs December 2014 E-Newsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, Wku College Of Health & Human Services

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Hope Theory And Substance Abuse Treatment, Rhonda L. Alexander

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Rhonda L. Alexander in December of 2014.

La Cesárea Y El Parto Natural: Las Opiniones De Profesionales De La Salud En La Provincia De Buenos Aires / Cesarean Section And Natural Birth: The Opinions Of Health Provinces In The Province Of Buenos Aires, Jacqueline Chipkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Introduction: The ways in which women of society give birth have the power to influence maternal-infant health and shape the economy of the healthcare system. Today, the rates of cesarean sections are increasing throughout the world. In Argentina, on average, more than 35% of pregnant women received cesarean sections in 2008, with large differences observed in the rates between the public and private health sectors. The World Health Organization (WHO) has established that healthcare systems should only employ a cesarean section if labor cannot progress safely. According to this standard, the organization estimates that cesarean sections should only be utilized …

Factors That Affect Attachment Between The Employed Mother And The Child, Infancy To Two Years, Naureen Kassamali, Salma Amin Rattani

School of Nursing & Midwifery

To explore a mother's feeling of attachment and the affects her working status on the attachment relationship with her child, upon ethical clearance from the institutional ethics committee, in-depth interviews of nine participants were conducted. Mothers enrolled were those who resumed the employment within the first year of post-delivery and were having a child up to two years of age. Results revealed that maternal employment itself does not enhance or deteriorate attachment with the child. It is combinations of factors that revolve around it impact on their bond. Overall, maternal integration or the balance of the dual roles of employment …

Promoción De La Salud En La Ciudad De Buenos Aires: Un Estudio Sobre El Trabajo De Los Promotores De Salud Y Las Percepciones De Su Rol En La Comunidad. / Health Promotion In The City Of Buenos Aires: A Study Of The Work Of Community Health Workers And Perceptions Of Their Role In The Community, Elizabeth Sherwin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Contextual information: At the global level, inequities exist with respect to access and quality of healthcare. Primary Health Care is a strategy to respond to these inequities. It adopts an integral concept of health that includes no only illness but also the wellbeing of a person affected by many environmental factors. It is a strategy that aims to improve access to medical care and health information through health promotion and has the goal of giving the population more control over their health. Community health workers, people from the same neighborhood in which they work promoting health, are recognized on the …

Job Security In The Field Of Health Information, Davina Ikponmwosa

Applied Research Projects

The industry of Health Information Management (HIM) has remained a hidden career field for several years, affording employment for a plethora of non-traditional job opportunities. Established in 1928, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) has brought some awareness to the field, and over the years has become more aggressive in popularize the field of health information management (AHIMA Workforce, 2005).

Over the past eighty-five years the field of HIM has progressed tremendously, branching out into different sectors such as compliance, information technology and insurance; establishing more jobs under the field’s umbrella. Health information management has gained much of its …

What Does A Successful, Sustainable Telemedicine Program Look Like? An Inside View Of Six Telemedicine Programs In Maine, Edwina Ducker

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of this capstone is to better understand the successes and lessons learned in the development and implementation of successful programs to help guide future decision making when planning a new program. The study relies on semi-structured interviews with Telehealth forum members and staff from a select number of telemedicine programs for its primary data source. Initially, secondary data sources and members from the Maine Telehealth Forum were used to inform the development of the list of programs to be interviewed. The programs interviewed include; a behavioral health, two specialties, a home health, a primary care, and a hospital …

Effects Of Video Enhancement In A Stated-Choice Experiment On Medical Decision Making, Susanne Hoffmann, Joachim Winter, Francis G. Caro, Alison Gottlieb

Gerontology Institute Publications

Background. The internet can be useful in administering stated-choice experiments to understand medical decision making and refine the content of patient decision aids. In internet-based stated-choice experiments, video and audio files can be used to provide information to respondents. Quality of data may or may not be affected.

Objectives. In a methodological experiment concerned with administration of a stated-choice experiment on the internet concerned with knee-replacement surgery, we compared the data quality obtained with video-enhanced and conventional text formats.

Methods. Members of the RAND Corporation’s American Life Panel and 50 years of age or older (n=1616) were randomly assigned to …