Assessment and Management Tools for Advancing Disease.

As the population of the United States has aged, the number of home care patients with multiple chronic diseases has also increased. A review of the literature suggested that layering palliative care principles on traditional home healthcare could improve outcomes for patients with advancing disease. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to educate home care staff on the use of assessment and management tools to identify symptoms and provide symptom control, prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, and reduce healthcare costs in patients with advancing disease.

Dual home screening and tailored environmental feedback to reduce radon and secondhand smoke: an exploratory study.

Combined exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and radon increases lung cancer risk 10-fold. The authors assessed the feasibility and impact of a brief home screening and environmental feedback intervention to reduce radon and SHS (Freedom from Radon and Smoking in the Home [FRESH]) and measured perceived risk of lung cancer and synergistic risk perception (SHS x radon). Participants (N = 50) received home radon and SHS kits and completed baseline surveys.

Residential radon testing intentions, perceived radon severity, and tobacco use.

Kentucky homeowners requesting radon test kits through the Kentucky Radon Program and randomly selected homeowners (N = 129) completed a survey assessing factors related to their radon testing intentions and perceived severity of radon exposure, including social influence, perceived susceptibility, synergistic risk perception, and tobacco use. Perceived severity, social influence, and current smoking were the strongest predictors of radon testing intentions. Those with higher perceived severity were nearly eight times more likely to plan to test.