Public Health Commons^™

Reaction To Safety Equipment Technology In The Workplace And Implications: A Study Of The Firefighter’S Hood, Brian W. Ward

The Qualitative Report

In the 1990s the firefighter’s hood became a standard article of safety equipment worn by municipal firefighters, eliciting a negative reaction among many of these firefighters. I used data from interviews with 42 firefighters to explain why this reaction occurred. Data analysis revealed that negative reactions ultimately stemmed from the hood’s disruption of autonomy, repudiation of the complex mental and physical skill needed to perform tasks required of firefighters, and hindrance in negotiating the life-threatening environment created by a fire. These findings indicate that when introducing new safety equipment technology to emergency response workers, their reaction to this equipment, and …

Acquisition Of Aquatic Motor Skills Through Children’S Motor Stories, Juan Antonio Moreno Murcia, Elisa Huescar Hernandez, Jose Antonio Richart Parra

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

An increasing interest in the renewal of traditional recreational content and the use of the aquatic environments as educational resources is supported by very few empirical, evidence-based studies that link the two. This quasi-experimental study analyzed the role of stories in influencing perceived motor competence and real motor skills in seventy-eight children ages between 4 and 5 years through the administration of two questionnaires on aquatic motor ability and aquatic motor competence. Differences were found in aquatic motor competence (p < .01) and aquatic motor ability (p < .05) for the experimental group, where higher means values were obtained after the intervention. We present this methodological proposal as a useful educational tool for early childhood stimulation with achievements that go beyond motor progress itself.

The Italian Agreement Between The Government And The Regional Authorities: National Guidelines For Aai And Institutional Context, Martina Simonato, Marta De Santis, Laura Contalbrigo, Daniele Benedetti, Elisabetta Finocchi Mahne, Vincenzo Ugo Santucci, Silvio Borrello, Luca Farina

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have developed considerably in the last half century, prompting various private and public realities dealing with AAI worldwide to work on and establish standards and best practice. However, AAI are still far from being regulated harmoniously. In this context, Italy offers a unique example at world level: here the spread of AAI has set in motion an ethical and legal reflection that led to the creation of the Italian National Reference Centre for AAI (NRC AAI) by ministerial decree in 2009 and the approval of National Guidelines for AAI in 2015. The Italian legislation on AAI is …

Quality And Access To Care For Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence In Women Veterans: Population Estimate Using Electronic Health Records, Meena Marie Kim-Dopp, Vanessa Gow-Lee, Linda Ferry, Sharon Jamie, Ralph Clark, Suma Singh

Loma Linda University Student Journal

Electronic Health Records are used to measure quality indicators for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but have not been tested for sensitivity and specificity. Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) used by the Veterans Health Affairs (VHA), has active CVD clinical reminders from Healthcare Effectiveness Data & Information Set (HEDIS) that are compared nationally. San Bernardino County, CA has a 7.8% prevalence of self-reported CVD in both genders. For HEDIS measures, there is only a 4 point CVD composite score gender difference for VHA nationally, but at the Loma Linda VHA there is an 18 point gender difference (2016). Women Veterans (WV) are …

Vietnamese American Women’S Beliefs And Perceptions On Cervical Cancer, Cervical Cancer Screening, And Cancer Prevention Vaccines: A Community-Based Participatory Study, Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, Kim Quy Vo Nguyen, Thai Hien Nguyen, Tuong Vy Le, Anthony My Truong, Keara Rodela, Rachael Allan

Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal

Cervical cancer remains commonly diagnosed in Vietnamese American women. Despite efforts to increase cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese American women, participation rates are persistently lower than the national goal. The objective of this study is to explore beliefs of Vietnamese American women about cervical cancer, cervical cancer screening, and cancer prevention vaccines. A qualitative descriptive investigation captured group perceptions about meaning and beliefs of cervical cancer, screening, and cancer prevention vaccines, and participants’ stories using a community-based participatory research approach.

Forty Vietnamese American women were recruited from the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area into four focus groups. Using a process of …

Journal Conversations: Building The Research Self-Efficacy Of An Aboriginal Early Career Academic, Michelle L. Dickson

The Qualitative Report

This paper shows how I used my research journal mainly as a reflective tool throughout the process of applying for and completing a PhD. Embarking on a PhD can be daunting for anyone and I was challenged by my lack of academic self-efficacy. In the absence of a formal academic mentor my research journal became my confidante, a tool that helped me make progress at times when barriers to research seemed insurmountable. It helped me decrease the cognitive dissonance I was experiencing about issues of subjectivity/objectivity and the positioning of my self in the research. This paper shares research journal …

Surgical Plume And Its Implications: A Review Of The Risk And Barriers To A Safe Work Place, Eunice Tan, Kylie P. Russell

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

Every year thousands of health care professionals worldwide are exposed to surgical smoke. There is evidence that this smoke consists of toxic gases, pathogens and particulate matter that is a hazard for patients and the perioperative team. Past research indicates that perioperative staff inconsistently comply with smoke evacuation recommendations. The aim of this study was to identify, review and discuss the issues related to surgical plume and its implications for patients and perioperative staff. The findings of this review relate to: surgical smoke content, its risks to the health of the perioperative staff, preventative measures, infection control measures, compliance with …

A Review Of Suspected Intraoperative Antiseptic Burns: A Quality Improvement Review, Monica Stankiewicz, Michele Wyland

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

No abstract provided.

Double Trouble: Commingled Effects Of Fast Food And Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption And The Intervening Role Of Physical Activity On Childhood Obesity, Christopher Berry, Scot Burton, Elizabeth Howlett

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Children are exposed to a great deal of food and beverage promotion. This is particularly concerning given that the prevalence of childhood obesity, a critical public health challenge, may be partially due to the increased consumption of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages. However, there are lingering questions about the complex relationships between fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity levels, and childhood obesity. To address these complex relationships, this research examines the interaction of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, along with the frequency of physical activity, in leading to the likelihood of a child being overweight or obese. …

Patient Experience In The Behavioral Health Setting: Key Best Practices Throughout An Organizational Journey, Mark L. D'Agostino, Tena Vizner, Daniel Wald, Linda Espinosa, Rick Evans

Patient Experience Journal

NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Division, a clinical affiliate of Weill Cornell Medicine, is a 260-bed hospital providing inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care for children, adolescents, adults and older adults. From 2004-2010 the hospital’s patient experience scores on the Press Ganey® Inpatient Psychiatry Survey improved from the 14th to 53rd percentile nationally. We primarily attribute this to joining the Planetree® Affilliate Network. Planetree is a mission based not-for-profit organization that partners with healthcare organizations around the world and across the care continuum to represent the patient voice and advance how professional caregivers engage with patients and families. In 2011, hourly rounding was redesigned …

“We Were Learning Together And It Felt Good That Way.” A Case Study Of A Participatory Group Music Program For Cancer Patients, Laurie Sadowski

Patient Experience Journal

Though there are similarities to music therapy, the field of community music in healthcare, while in its infancy, is steadily growing. This case study explored how semi-formal, active music-making can play a role in illness and recovery and provide patients with a sense of voice, connection, and community, and the efficacy of community music programming in a hospital. Six participants began and three participants completed a 6-week music class learning the ukulele. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used as a method for data analysis from semi-structured pre-questionnaires, transcribed classes, transcribed post-interviews, and weekly questionnaires from both the participants and the …

Using Appreciative Inquiry As A Framework To Enhance The Patient Experience, Kerry Moorer Mba, Schawan Kunupakaphun, Elilzabeth Delgado, Matthew Moody, Christina Wolf Msn, Rn, Cnl, Karen Moore Rn, Ms, Fache, Pracha Eamranond Md, Mph

Patient Experience Journal

The following case depicts the journey of a non-profit hospital in an under-served community and its attempts to turn around suffering patient experience. The Hospital turned to the theories of Appreciative Inquiry and the power of a strengths-based approach to create a framework to support the patient experience initiatives. Hospital leadership led the formation of a Patient Experience Team to implement ten initiatives in order increase the top box score in the domain of willingness to recommend the hospital, as that was selected as a global measure of success for the overall improvement project.

Patient Experiences In Intensive Care Units: A Systematic Review, Serpil Topçu, Şule Ecevit Alpar, Bilgi Gülseven, Ayda Kebapçı

Patient Experience Journal

The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the data gathered from studies conducted to determine patient experiences in intensive care and levels of the recollection of the intensive care period that were published between December, 1998 – April, 2013. The systematic review was carried out screening of the related publications. The findings of the systematic review were studied under the following two titles: “remembering the intensive care period” and “recalled experiences” of patients. Studying 15 papers which were found suitable to the inclusion criteria of the review indicated that majority of the patients had recollection of the intensive …

Patient Experience Of Taking Adjuvant Endocrine Therapy For Breast Cancer: A Tough Pill To Swallow, Kuang-Yi Wen, Rita Smith, Aruna Padmanabhan, Lori Goldstein

Patient Experience Journal

Adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) has substantially improved the mortality rate among breast cancer survivors. Despite the proven efficacy, the non-adherence rate to therapy is still high. This study is aimed to examine women’s challenges related to AET adherence and management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Caucasian and six African American breast cancer survivors who were prescribed for AET. The transcripts of audio-taped interviews were qualitatively analyzed. Key themes were: 1) positive beliefs in AET, 2) uncertainty about long-term adherence, 3) experiences with side effects, 4) forgetting and remembering, 5) other concerns and information needs, 6) potential intervention format, and …

Exploratory Pilot Testing Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Person Engagement Index Instrument Among Older, Community-Dwelling Adults, Ellen Swartwout, Taya Irizarry, Annette Devito Dabbs, Scott Barnett

Patient Experience Journal

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Person Engagement Index with community dwelling older adults and determine the factors that impact this population’s capacity to engage in healthcare. This non-experimental pilot evaluation of the psychometrics of the Person Engagement Index was performed in a convenience sample of 100 community-dwelling older adults. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using dimension reduction to determine the underlying structure of a person’s capacity to engage in healthcare. Results indicated good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha=.882 for the overall scale. Exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation was conducted resulting …

Operationalizing Person-Centered Care Practices In Long-Term Care: Recommendations From A “Resident For A Day” Experience, Jennifer L. Johs-Artisensi

Patient Experience Journal

As the senior population continues to age, long-term care is positioned for growth and care recipients are demanding more person-centered care. While long-term care leaders may understand and believe in the value of person-centered care, sometimes operationalizing practices to ensure its delivery can be challenging. Using an ethnographic approach, over three years, 159 long-term care administrator-in-training practicum students each lived as a resident for 24 hours in a nursing home. Following the experience, using the Picker Institute’s framework, each participant identified and justified an Always Experience® – an optimal experience they believed should routinely occur for every long-term care resident. …

The Impact Of Provider Service Networks In Florida Medicaid Managed Care On Enrollees’ Satisfaction, Sinyoung Park, Jeffrey S. Harman, Allyson G. Hall

Patient Experience Journal

Two counties in Florida were selected as pilots in 2006 for the Medicaid Demonstration Program. In reform counties, Medicaid enrollees were required to pick a managed care plan; either a Health Maintenance Organization or a Provider Service Network (PSN). PSNs are a form of managed care that provides health care services directly through a provider or network of organizations to a defined population without an intermediary. There are two types of PSNs: Physician-based PSNs and Healthcare system-based PSNs. The objective of this study is to find the differences in enrollees’ satisfaction between two different types of PSNs. To assess the …

Maintaining Public Health Insurance Benefits: How Primary Care Clinics Help Keep Low-Income Patients Insured, Rose L. Harding, Jennifer D. Hall, Jennifer Devoe, Heather Angier, Rachel Gold, Christine Nelson, Sonja Likumahuwa-Ackman, John Heintzman, Aleksandra Sumic, Deborah J. Cohen

Patient Experience Journal

Low-income families struggle to obtain and maintain public health insurance. We identified strategies used by Community Health Centers (CHCs) to assist patients with insurance applications, and assessed patients’ receptivity to these efforts. Observational cross-case comparative study with four CHCs in Oregon. We observed insurance assistance processes, and interviewed 26 clinic staff and 18 patients/family members. Qualitative data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Patients’ understanding of eligibility status, reapplication schedules, and how to apply, were major barriers to insurance enrollment. Clinic staff addressed these barriers by reminding patients when applications were due, assisting with applications as needed, and tracking …

Patient Safety: Just Ask. Patients As Reporters Of Real-Time Safety Data; A Pilot Project To Improve Patient Safety In Secondary Care, Thomas A. Cairns Dr, Iain Mccallum Mr

Patient Experience Journal

The Berwick review into patient safety recommended ‘involving patients in the healthcare organisation and seeking out the patient voice as an essential asset to monitor safety.’ (1) However routine data collection from patients in our institution is retrospective and doesn't focus on safety. Our objective was to create a patient-centred mechanism to monitor patient-perceived safety concerns and provide immediate resolution of highlighted issues. A pragmatic 6-question questionnaire was developed containing 4 scored and 2 free text questions. This questionnaire was piloted and adjusted before being administered to all inpatients meeting the inclusion criteria in our institution on one day. Safety …

Patient And Provider Experiences With Relationship, Information, And Management Continuity, Jeanette Jackson, Gail Mackean, Tim Cooke, Markus Lahtinen

Patient Experience Journal

From 2003 to 2014, the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) monitored patient experiences with healthcare services through a biennial Satisfaction and Experience with Healthcare Services (SEHCS) survey. The findings consistently showed a direct link between coordination of care, an aspect of continuity of care, and healthcare outcomes. Specifically, it showed that better coordination is linked to positive outcomes; the reverse is also true. Given the critical role continuity of care plays in the healthcare system, the HQCA conducted in-depth interviews, interactive feedback sessions and focus groups with patients and providers to explore factors that influence both seamless and fragmented …

Healthcare Providers Versus Patients' Understanding Of Health Beliefs And Values, Betty M. Kennedy, Matloob Rehman, William D. Johnson, Michelle B. Magee, Robert Leonard, Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Patient Experience Journal

This study examined how well healthcare providers perceive and understand their patients’ health beliefs and values compared to patients’ actual beliefs, and to determine if communication relationships maybe improved as a result of healthcare providers’ understanding of their patients’ illness from their perspective. A total of 61 participants (7 healthcare providers and 54 patients) were enrolled in the study. Healthcare providers and patients individually completed survey instruments and each participated in a structured focus group. Healthcare provider and patient differences revealed that patients perceived greater meaning of their illness (p = 0.038), and a greater preference for partnership (p = …

Turning A Blind Eye: How Lack Of Communication With Er Nurses Nearly Cost A Patient Permanent Vision Loss, Kenneth Royal, April Kedrowicz

Patient Experience Journal

This narrative presents a case in which a patient was treated for conjunctivitis, but a breakdown in several layers of communication (between the hospital and the patient, and between hospital personnel) resulted in multiple medical errors that nearly costs the patient permanent vision loss. This real-life case underscores how simple communication errors may lead to life-altering consequences. Recommendations for improving communication to ensure similar errors do not happen to others are provided.

Rebalancing The Patient Experience: 20 Years Of A Pendulum Swing, Tiffany Christensen

Patient Experience Journal

This essay looks back at two decades of the patient experience movement. The evolution of patient experience includes moving from a belief system in which patients and families are solely the recipients of care to a model in which patients and families are co-designing treatment plans, systems and policies. This evolution has taken time and continues to evolve to this day. As the pendulum swings, we see that we have made great progress and, simultaneously, found ourselves with all new challenges to overcome.

Accelerating Patient Experience Performance: Collaboration And Engagement As Drivers For Success, Sidney Klajner

Patient Experience Journal

The efforts at Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil have been focused on principles of excellence for many years as realized in engagement in and commitment to some of the leading global healthcare practices over the last decade. In reinforcing a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement, the patient experience efforts at Einstein have evolved from an operating structure for patient experience efforts to a truly integrated program for action in address all elements in the organization impacting and ultimately driving patient experience outcomes. By grounded efforts in core evidence-based practice, while engaging the hearts and minds of …

The Patchwork Perspective: A New View For Patient Experience, Jason A. Wolf Phd

Patient Experience Journal

As Patient Experience Journal has continued to contribute to the expanding patient experience conversation, we too recognize this has been a significant year of progress for the patient experience movement. This progress has emerged in a number of ways in research, practice and programs that reveal a comprehensive and integrated approach is now more than ever a central consideration in a commitment to experience. This idea of interwoven efforts, begins to frame an image – a patchwork of clear, critical and comprehensive pieces that while operating distinctly each have value, yet when bringing them together have an exponential opportunity to …

The Path To Health Equity Through Multidisciplinary Collaboration, Cynthia Haq

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The author, a guest editor for this special issue of the Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews dedicated to health disparities and inequities, comments on recent studies demonstrating poorer health outcomes among various patient populations in the United States despite its having higher spending per capita than any other nation. Noting that health inequities are defined as avoidable differences, the author encourages health professionals to work to narrow these gaps.

Push For Progress Inspired Improved Outcomes, Jacob L. Bidwell

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

The author and issue editor describes the changing faces of health care as well as movements undertaken by U.S. health systems over the last two decades to improve the treatment and documented outcomes of minority or impoverished patients and to understand the impact of cultural differences on patient care. While much progress has been made, achieving health equity will require the continued efforts of many working toward this goal.

Conference Proceedings: Aurora Scientific Day 2017

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

This supplement includes select abstracts presented at the 43rd Annual Aurora Scientific Day research symposium on May 24, 2017. Aurora Scientific Day hosts a forum for original research conducted by faculty, fellows, residents, and other allied health professionals affiliated with Aurora Health Care, an integrated health system headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Improved Service Efficiency Improves Racial Disparity In Diabetic Care, Abel Irena, Kushal Patel, David Thompson, Gregory Schleis, Abiy Gesese, Richard Battiola

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Racial disparities in diabetes care have been documented. Disparities also have been shown to affect service quality and outcome of diabetic care. Analysis of our internal medicine residency clinic diabetic care management performance across REAL-G (race, ethnicity, age, preferred language and/or gender) showed race-based disparity on two outcome measures: 1) measurement of glycohemoglobin (A1C) at least twice a year; and 2) target blood pressure of < 140/90.

Purpose: Develop interventions to decrease racial disparities in diabetes care among patients managed by an internal medicine residency clinic, as part of the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Center’s National Initiative V project.

Methods: …

Six-Year Experience Of Influenza Vaccination As A Condition Of Employment For A Large Regional Health Care System, John R. Brill, Mark Hermanoff, Angela Tonozzi, Mary Jo Capodice, Jennifer Farrar, Zarina Dawoodbhai

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: Influenza remains a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in the United States. Health care workers (HCW) can be both victims and vectors of influenza. Influenza vaccination of HCW is protective for both caregivers and patients, but voluntary programs generally fail to achieve rates recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite a complex, multifaceted influenza program initiated in 1996 that included significant education and promotion as well as free on-site vaccination, annual Aurora Health Care caregiver immunization rates remained in the mid-70s until adoption of a “condition of employment” strategy in 2011.

Purpose: Discuss the annual …