Pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities: A scoping review.

Background: Students with disabilities often experience numerous challenges in terms of finding employment. Given the important role of vocational rehabilitation counselors in supporting employment activities for these students, a need exists for identifying effective strategies that increase employment outcomes for this population.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to examine and describe successful research- based interventions on pre-employment transition services for students with disabilities that can be used by vocational rehabilitation counselors.

Recommendations for Mandatory Influenza Vaccinations for Health Care Personnel From AMDA's Infection Advisory Subcommittee.

Preventing influenza infections is a national health priority, particularly among geriatric and adults with frailty who reside in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) settings. Older adults account for more than 70% of deaths from influenza, a reflection of decreased vaccine effectiveness in that age group. Annually vaccinating health care personnel (HCP) working with these patients against influenza is critical to reducing influenza morbidity and mortality among patients.

Development and Testing of the CAHPS Cancer Care Survey.

Purpose: The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Cancer Care Survey is a systematic assessment of health care experiences of patients with cancer. It supports comparisons among all cancer treatment settings and modalities.

Methods: Formative research included 16 focus groups with patients receiving treatment and family members; advice from a panel of oncology and quality improvement experts; and interviews with stakeholders representing oncology associations, accredited cancer centers, and community oncology practices.

Template for an Antibiotic Stewardship Policy for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Settings.

In response to a rising concern for multidrug resistance and Clostridium difficile infections, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) will require all long-term care (LTC) facilities to establish an antibiotic stewardship program by November 2017. Thus far, limited evidence describes implementation of antibiotic stewardship in LTC facilities, mostly in academic- or hospital-affiliated settings. To support compliance with CMS requirements and aid facilities in establishing a stewardship program, the Infection Advisory Committee at AMDA-The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, has developed an antibiotic stewardship policy template tailored to the LTC setting.

Pneumococcal Vaccination Guidance for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Settings: Recommendations From AMDA's Infection Advisory Committee.

Efforts at preventing pneumococcal disease are a national health priority, particularly in older adults and especially in post-acute and long-term care settings The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all adults ≥65 years of age, as well as adults 18-64 years of age with specific risk factors, receive both the recently introduced polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccine against 13 pneumococcal serotypes as well as the polysaccharide vaccine against 23 pneumococcal serotypes. Nursing facility licensure regulations require facilities to assess the pneumococcal vaccination status of each resident, provide education regarding pneumococcal vaccination, and administer the appropriate pneumococcal vaccine when indicated. Sorting out the indications and timing for 13 pneumococcal serotypes and 23 pneumococcal serotypes administration is complex and presents a significant challenge to healthcare providers.

Impact of a decision-making aid for suspected urinary tract infections on antibiotic overuse in nursing homes.

Background: Antibiotics are highly utilized in nursing homes. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of a decision-making aid for urinary tract infection management on reducing antibiotic prescriptions for suspected bacteriuria in the urine without symptoms, known as asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in twelve nursing homes in Texas.

Method: A pre- and post-test with comparison group design was used.

Asymptomatic bacteriuria, antibiotic use, and suspected urinary tract infections in four nursing homes.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most commonly treated infection among nursing home residents. Even in the absence of specific (e.g.

Giving voice to the vulnerable: the development of a CAHPS nursing home survey measuring family members' experiences.

Background: To complement a nursing home resident survey, the team developed a survey asking family members about their experiences with nursing homes. Although a family member does not receive care directly from a nursing home, their experiences at the nursing home and with staff can contribute to understanding nursing home quality.

Objectives: To describe how the nursing home family member instrument was developed, refined, tested, and finalized.

Development of the Consumer Assessment of Pharmacy Services survey.

Objectives: To develop and test a tool for obtaining patient evaluations of the quality of pharmacy services provided in ambulatory settings.

Design: Descriptive, exploratory, nonexperimental study.

Setting: United States from June 1, 2006, through May 31, 2007.

The "choose with care system" - development of education materials to support informed Medicare health plan choices.

People aging into Medicare need to choose a health plan. Several challenges exist for consumers in choosing a Medicare health plan, including limited knowledge of Medicare, limited experience in using comparative health plan quality information, and limited experience and ability to pull together and use plan information from different sources like employers and the Medicare program. The Choose with Care System was developed to help consumers aging into Medicare make informed Medicare health plan choices.