Health Services Research Commons^™

Peer-Taught Virtual Research Workshops For Surgical Residents: Protocol For A Novel And Sustainable Solution To Improving Surgical Research In Pakistan, Russell S. Martins, Ronika Devi Ukrani, Mohummad Hassan Raza Raja, Maria Khan, Haissan Iftikhar, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Saulat Fatimi

Medical College Documents

Objective: To generate a protocol describing the methodology for a study assessing the effectiveness of a comprehensive series of peer-taught online research workshops for surgical residents across Pakistan in terms of improving research-related knowledge and skills, and long-term research involvement and output.
Methods: The quasi-experimental study will consist of a series of six online research workshops conducted over Zoom for surgical residents across Pakistan. An online sign-up form will be circulated on social media to current surgical residents throughout Pakistan. Curricular content covered in the workshops will be developed in collaboration with experienced research faculty at the Departments of Surgery …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Secondary Syringe Exchange (Sse) Among People Who Inject Drugs (Pwid) In Rural Kentucky, Jordan R. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Aim: To describe the prevalence of secondary syringe exchange (SSE) in a sample of syringe service program (SSP) clients in rural Appalachian Kentucky and to identify the correlates of SSE.

Methods: Participants (n=338) completed interviewer-administered questionnaires. Only those who reported having ever exchanged syringes at a SSP (n=140) were included in analysis. SSE was measured through self-report of obtaining syringes for someone else at a SSP in the past 6 months. Prevalence and correlates of SSE were examined using bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression.

Results: Overall, 30% of participants reported SSE. Participants in the second [aOR= 3.83; 95% CI: …

Perceptions And Health Effects Of Electronic Cigarettes Among College Students, Safia Centner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are devices that allow users to inhale an aerosol, which contains chemical additives. E-cigarettes are becoming common for nicotine delivery in addition to traditional cigarettes. The goal of this study was to determine how college students perceive e-cigarettes, how often college students use e-cigarettes, and how they view e-cigarettes compared to tobacco cigarettes. This was accomplished through sending a survey built on Qualtrics to UCF students via Knights Email. This survey included questions about demographics, perceptions, and usage of e-cigarettes. The collected data was downloaded into SPSS and analyzed to compare data among different groups. The …

A Mixed Methods Study On Food Insecurity Screening And Patient-Centered Care: Perspectives Of Patients And Healthcare Providers On Practices And Barriers To Effective Screening In Outpatient Medical Settings, Christina Bernhardt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between elements of patient-centered care and patient/provider comfort with conversing about food insecurity and related social determinants of health. A mixed methods study was conducted. Patients and healthcare providers were surveyed on their experiences with patient-centered care and comfort discussing food insecurity and related social concerns. Telephone interviews were conducted to gain a richer understanding of the concepts under investigation. In the survey and telephone interviews, both samples were also asked about changes in communication during COVID-19 times. Quantitative findings show that patient involvement in care and cultural sensitivity …

Health Literacy, Knowledge, Attitudes, And Opioid Use Behavior Among College Students, Khristen Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Opioid-related deaths have increased rapidly over the last couple of decades due to the overprescribing of prescription opioids and the availability of illicit drugs from family members, friends, or street dealers. To address this crisis, this research will attempt to identify how health literacy levels affect knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Hence, this study is informed by the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB) Model. The KAB model is used to determine the influence of knowledge and attitudes on behaviors, which includes prescription drugs, illicit drugs, and fentanyl. This dissertation aims to explore the relationships between health literacy, knowledge, attitude, and behavior for opioids (prescription …

Medical Knowledge As A Recalcitrant Epistemological System: An Application Of Standpoint Epistemology In The Analysis Of Marginalization Within U.S Healthcare, Abby Deshazo

CMC Senior Theses

Research on healthcare disparities outside the field of epistemology tend to miss the true origins of oppressions imposed on marginalized individuals by the U.S healthcare system. This happens because of the false belief that these oppressions are reducible to social or political oppressions. By employing the perspective of a standpoint epistemologist, we can better identify the origins of these oppressions and subsequently consider more appropriate solutions. The standpoint epistemologist’s perspective (1) provides an intuitive case for the role individuals’ schemas play in the evaluation of what healthcare professionals know; (2) situates medical knowledge within epistemology, leading us to …

The Impact Of The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program On Healthy Days, Health Inequity, And Hospital Community Benefit Spending, Samhita Kadiyala

Scripps Senior Theses

The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program (HVBP) is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program implemented in 2012 to reward acute-care hospitals with incentive payments for the quality of care provided to Medicare patients in inpatient settings. Under this policy, payment adjustments are made based on a variety of factors including clinical quality, patient experience, and cost reductions. This paper uses state-level variation in the implementation of HVBP to ascertain whether the policy led to improvements in Healthy Days (a CDC-designed composite measure of individuals’ self-reported number of physically and mentally “healthy” days per month), health disparities, and community …

Cost-Effectiveness Of Alternative Hiv Testing Strategies Among Hard-To-Reach Populations In East And Southern Africa., Deo Mujwara, Deo Mujwara

Graduate Research Posters

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A Survey Instrument To Assess Racial And Cultural Inclusiveness: A Case Study Of Staff, Jolene Rios

All Master's Theses

Background:

The hierarchy of the medical system and its lack of racial and cultural inclusiveness has created systematically inequitable healthcare with direct outcomes to health disparities. Inequitable non-inclusive healthcare perpetuated and negatively impacted health disparities among minorities and has been a major preventable public health problem. Research studies have established a correlation between racism and various adverse health outcomes, including higher mortality, lower rates of cancer screening, elevated blood pressure, higher C-reactive protein levels, substance use, and mental health conditions (Shavers et al, 2012). Measuring exposure to racism has been essential to establishing racism’s influence on equitable, inclusive healthcare and …

Housing Is Healthcare Measuring The Cross-Sector Impact Of A Major Housing Initiative In Portland, Oregon, Keri B Vartanian, Aisha K Gilmore, Kyle Jones

View All

No abstract provided.

Healthier Oregon Qualitative Study, Core (Center For Outcomes Research & Education)

Reports

No abstract provided.

Association Of Incident Cancer To Low-Value Care And Healthcare Cost Burden Among Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries, Chibuzo Iloabuchi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the United States (US), 25% of healthcare spending is considered wasteful because it is spent reimbursing low-value care. Low-value care is the utilization of healthcare services, medical tests, and procedures that have unclear or no clinical benefit to patients but still exposes them to risk. World-wide, low-value care imposes a significant economic burden on patients, payers, governments, and society. Cancer care among older adults > 65 years is one of the biggest drivers of healthcare expenditure in the US and accounts for nearly 40% of all spending, and low-value care among cancer patients is prevalent and contributes to the financial …

Perceptions Of Integrated Mental And Behavioral Health In Pediatric Specialty Care Settings: A Mixed-Methods Study, Desireé Nicole Williford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pediatric patients are at an increased risk of experiencing mental and behavioral health concerns, which have direct associations with HRQOL, physiological health, and likelihood that youth will engage in health promoting behavior. Researchers and practitioners have increased their awareness of these concerns and identified strategies for improving the mental and behavioral health of these youth, specifically via implementing organizational efforts (i.e., task forces) and guidelines around integrating psychosocial screening and other services into routine practice. Despite this, there are several identified barriers to families receiving mental/behavioral health care in these settings. These barriers exist at all levels, including at the …

A Global Perspective Of Advanced Practice Nursing Research: A Review Of Systematic Reviews, Colette Henderson, Abby Kra-Friedman, Li-Anne Audet, Isabelle Savard, Lori A. Spies, Heather Mcgrath, Wentao Zhou, Kathy Wheeler, Elissa Ladd, Deborah C. Gray, Mra Jabbour, Renée Atallah, Melanie Rogers, Kelley Kilpatrick

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Quantification Of Bacterial Shedding From The Respiratory Tract Of Health Care Workers Wearing Paprs And Other Types Of Air-Purifying Respirators On Sterile Conditions In A Simulated Operating Rooms (Ors), Segun Olanrewaju Ajewole

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The role of powered air- purifying respirators (PAPRs) in healthcare settings during infectious diseases outbreaks and highly contagious pathogens (e.g., SARS, HINI, Ebola, COVID etc.) has attracted much interest based on the level of respiratory protection they provide and their many positive user features. A common practice among healthcare workers to minimize airborne contaminant exposure has been to use surgical masks or N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Surgical masks have been shown to offer minimal respiratory protection and while N95 FFRs offer better respiratory protection, they are not comfortable to use for a prolonged period. With current PAPR designs, exhaled …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Examine Racial Disparities In Adherence To Surveillance Mammography Among Breast Cancer Survivors, Megan C. Edmonds

Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: Annual surveillance mammography is a critical part of routine cancer care for breast cancer (BC) survivors; reducing mortality by 39%. However, disparities exist with regard to adherence to surveillance mammograms among BC survivors; Black women are 44% less likely to adhere than their White counterparts. Despite the existence of this racial disparity for over a decade, little is known about factors that explain reasons for Black BC survivors’ non-adherence. This is because most studies have not evaluated the role of healthcare delivery or psychosocial factors. Guided by the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, the purpose of this mixed methods …

The Role Of Insurance Coverage In Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment Referral, Utilization, And Outcomes, Huyen Pham

Theses and Dissertations

Opioid-related overdoses increased dramatically in recent years. Medicaid plays a predominant role in paying for opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment. However, there is a critical gap in understanding the role of Medicaid coverage in referrals to treatment, treatment utilization, and treatment retention. The three studies used observational and quasi-experimental (i.e., natural experiment) designs leveraging state and year variation in Medicaid expansion to characterize the role of Medicaid coverage in OUD treatment. We found that individuals with OUD with Medicaid insurance were more likely to use outpatient treatment, whereas those who were uninsured were more likely to use self-help groups only. …

Policies Addressing Barriers To Low-Income Women And Children’S Health Care Utilization In The United States And Kenya: The Role Of Physician Payments And Cash Transfer Programs, Muloongo Simuzingili

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined two policies to improve low-income women and children’s healthcare utilization: physician payments and cash transfer programs. Higher physician payments increase the supply of healthcare services while cash transfers increase individuals’ demand for healthcare services. Cash transfer programs can improve health outcomes, yet the extent to which they are a cost-effective strategy is largely understudied. Therefore, this dissertation examines three overarching research questions:

1. Are Medicaid physician fees associated with access to substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment among low-income women of reproductive age?
2. Do economic preferences moderate cash transfer program effects on children’s health care utilization? Evidence from a …

Health Outcomes And Utilization Associated With Renal Diseases In Patients With Cancer In The United States, Mitisha Dedhia

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Adverse events and impairments associated with cancer and its treatments causes worse outcomes. Increased incidence of renal diseases among cancer patients is of particular concern. Objective: To determine the risk factors for renal disease in cancer patients and compare healthcare costs, utilization and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of cancer patients with a renal disease and cancer patients without renal diseases. Methods: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey files from 2009 – 2018 for cancer patients was used for this study. Multiple logistic regression, generalized linear model, Poisson regression and multiple linear regression for analyses after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and …

The Association Of Demographic Characteristics And Social Vulnerability With Covid-19 Outcomes, Gloria D. Boone

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Association of Demographic Characteristics and Social Vulnerability With COVID-19 Outcomes

by

Gloria Boone

(Under the Direction of Gulzar Shah)

ABSTRACT

This research explored 102 Illinois counties' COVID-19 data to determine whether demographic characteristics and social vulnerability are associated with increased vulnerability to COVID-19 infections and deaths. COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting vulnerable groups and has been deadlier for African American and Hispanic people. The findings of this research will contribute to the knowledge base regarding social vulnerability and assist public health officials in targeting resources and designing interventions. This study used a retrospective cross-sectional design to assess demographic characteristics of …