Patients' Use of Mobile Health for Self-management of Knee Osteoarthritis: Results of a 6-Week Pilot Study.

Background: In a previous study, a prototype mobile health (mHealth) app was co-designed with patients, family physicians, and researchers to enhance self-management and optimize conservative management for patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the overall usability, quality, and effectiveness of the mHealth app prototype for aiding knee OA self-management from the perspectives of patients with OA and health care providers (HCPs).

Methods: Using methods triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data, we conducted a pilot evaluation of an mHealth app prototype that was codeveloped with patients and HCPs.

Exploring patient centredness, communication and shared decision-making under a new model of care: Community rehabilitation in canada.

Patient-centred care and patient engagement in healthcare and health research are widely mandated by funders, health systems and institutions. Increasingly, shared decision-making (SDM) is recognised as promoting patient-centred care. We explore this relationship by studying SDM in the context of integrating novel patient-centred policies in community rehabilitation.

Co-Design in the Development of a Mobile Health App for the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis by Patients and Physicians: Qualitative Study.

Background: Despite a doubling of osteoarthritis-targeted mobile health (mHealth) apps and high user interest and demand for health apps, their impact on patients, patient outcomes, and providers has not met expectations. Most health and medical apps fail to retain users longer than 90 days, and their potential for facilitating disease management, data sharing, and patient-provider communication is untapped. An important, recurrent criticism of app technology development is low user integration design.

Models of Arthritis Care: A Systems-level Evaluation of Acceptability as a Dimension of Quality of Care.

Objective: To describe a systems-level baseline evaluation of central intake (CI) and triage systems in arthritis care within Alberta, Canada. The specific objectives were to (1) describe a process for systems evaluation for the provision of arthritis care; (2) report the findings of the evaluation for different clinical sites that provide arthritis care; and (3) identify opportunities for improving appropriate and timely access based on the findings of the evaluation.

Methods: The study used a convergent mixed methods design.

Co-design of a patient experience survey for arthritis central intake: an example of meaningful patient engagement in healthcare design.

Background: To describe the process of patient engagement to co-design a patient experience survey for people with arthritis referred to central intake.

Methods: We used a participatory design to engage with patients to co-design a patient experience survey that comprised three connected phases: 1) Identifying the needs of patients with arthritis, 2) Developing a set of key performance indicators, and 3) Determining the survey items for the patient experience survey.

Results: Patient recommendations for high quality healthcare care means support to manage arthritis, to live a meaningful life by providing the right knowledge, professional support, and professional relationship.

Qualitative study to elicit patients' and primary care physicians' perspectives on the use of a self-management mobile health application for knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To elicit perspectives of family physicians and patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) on KOA, its treatment/management and the use of a mobile health application (app) to help patients self-manage their KOA.

Design: A qualitative study using Cognitive Task Analysis for physician interviews and peer-to-peer semistructured interviews for patients according to the Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) method.

Setting: Primary care practices and patient researchers at an academic centre in Southern Alberta.

The voice of patients in system redesign: A case study of redesigning a centralized system for intake of referrals from primary care to rheumatologists for patients with suspected rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: The published literature demands examples of health-care systems designed with the active engagement of patients to explore the application of this complex phenomenon in practice.

Methods: This case study explored how the voice of patients was incorporated into the process of redesigning an element of the health-care system, a centralized system for intake of referrals from primary care to rheumatologists for patients with suspected rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-centralized intake. The phenomenon of patient engagement using "patient and community engagement researchers" (PaCERs) in research and the process of redesigning centralized intake were selected as the case.

Patient perspectives on engagement in decision-making in early management of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome: a qualitative study.

Background: Surveys of patients suggest many want to be actively involved in treatment decisions for acute coronary syndromes. However, patient experiences of their engagement and participation in early phase decision-making have not been well described.

Methods: We performed a patient led qualitative study to explore patient experiences with decision-making processes when admitted to hospital with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Support for Living a Meaningful Life with Osteoarthritis: A Patient-to-Patient Research Study.

Objective: This study addresses the perspectives of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) about the gap between available support and their needs, with a focus on patient experience and what is important to them. It was a key component of a research initiative to co-develop an evidence-based model for central referral from primary to specialty care for arthritis patients.

Methods: Patients with OA and trained in engagement methods used adapted qualitative methods to co-design and conduct the study.

Increasing frequency of feline cytauxzoonosis cases diagnosed in western Kentucky from 2001 to 2011.

Feline cytauxzoonosis is a rapidly progressing and usually fatal disease in domestic cats caused by the tick-borne pathogen, Cytauxzoon felis. The primary reservoir host for this protozoan parasite is the bobcat (Lynx rufus). In this retrospective study, we have examined the positive cases of feline cytauxzoonosis identified at Murray State University's Breathitt Veterinary Center, a regional diagnostic facility located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, between January 2001 and December 2011.

"RN means real nurse": perceptions of being a "real" nurse in a post-LPN-BN bridging program.

Purpose: Explore the perceptions of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in a post-LPN-BN bridging program related to the label "real nurse."

Conclusions: The labels that LPNs are given significantly impact them. As LPNs progress through the post-LPN-BN program, they take on new and more empowering labels.

Integrating quality improvement into continuing medical education activities within a community hospital system.

The integration of the Mercy Health System's quality improvement (QI) and continuing medical educational (CME) activities is described. With the implementation of computerized medical data, the opportunities for QI-focused CME are growing. The authors reviewed their regularly scheduled series and special CME programs to assess their impact on quality care processes.

Becoming Socialized into a New Professional Role: LPN to BN Student Nurses' Experiences with Legitimation.

This paper presents findings from a qualitative descriptive study that explored the professional socialization experiences of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) who attended an online university to earn a Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BN), a prerequisite to writing the Canadian Registered Nurse (RN) qualifying exam. The project was framed from a constructivist worldview and Haas and Shaffir's theory of legitimation. Participants were 27 nurses in a Post-LPN to BN program who came from across Canada to complete required practicums.

Educating Physicians-in-Training About Resource Utilization and Their Own Outcomes of Care in the Inpatient Setting.

Background: Despite significant policy concerns about the role of inpatient resource utilization on rising medical costs, little information is provided to residents regarding their practice patterns and the effect on resource use. Improved knowledge about their practice patterns and costs might reduce resource utilization and better prepare physicians for today's health care market.

Methods: We surveyed residents in the internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Norwegian nurses' thoughts and feelings regarding the ethics of palliative sedation.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore whether or not nurses viewed deep palliative sedation as an ethical problem; and, if so, why they felt it posed a problem for them. An exploratory descriptive design with quantitative and qualitative sections was used. A questionnaire, consisting of open- and closed-ended questions, was answered by a sample of 73 nurses employed in three settings in Norway.

Psychological responses to terminal illness and eventual death in Koreans with cancer.

This qualitative study describes the psychological responses of Korean participants with terminal cancer (stages III-IV) from time of diagnosis to death. Eighteen participants, ages 48 to 73, were interviewed at various phases of dying. Using analytic induction, three categories (nonacceptance, resignation, submission), characteristic patterns of responses over the course of illness and typical responses within categories were generated.

Level of RN educational preparation: its impact on collaboration and the relationship between collaboration and professional identity.

This study had a dual purpose: to determine (1) whether level of education (diploma/baccalaureate, master's/doctoral) affects nurses' perceptions of their interprofessional collaboration, and (2) whether there is a relationship between collaboration and professional identity. A stratified random sample of nurses completed a mailed survey assessing 4 dimensions of collaboration (mutual safeguarding of concerns, power/control, clarity of patient-care goals, and practice spheres) and professional identity. Higher level of education was found to impact positively on the first 3 dimensions.