A Unified Approach to Health Data Exchange: A Report From the US DHHS.

Importance: Health information technology, such as electronic health records (EHRs), has been widely adopted, yet accessing and exchanging data in the fragmented US health care system remains challenging. To unlock the potential of EHR data to improve patient health, public health, and health care, it is essential to streamline the exchange of health data. As leaders across the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), we describe how DHHS has implemented fundamental building blocks to achieve this vision.

When a partner dies: lesbian widows.

Death of a life partner and the subsequent bereavement are profound experiences for an individual. By far, the majority of bereavement research reported is focused on heterosexual couples, primarily married and often in the later years of life. The purpose of this study was to describe the bereavement experiences of lesbians whose life partners have died.

Culturally interpreting environment as determinant and experience of health.

In minority communities, experiences of the environment and health disparities are frequently related. An important component of nursing practice in communities is to address these issues in cultural context to improve overall community health experiences. This present ethnographic study was conducted in an urban barrio community in which residents have responded to health threats posed by local environmental hazards with sustained community-focused health and development strategies.

"The people know what they want": an empowerment process of sustainable, ecological community health.

Community-focused nurses routinely confront issues of environmental hazards in the context of the community. Limits to disciplinary knowledge about health, environment, and community constrain practice for many who are interested in ways to promote community health across a spectrum of diverse needs and contexts, including the context of the environment. The purpose of the reported critical ethnography was to explore the relationships among health, environment, and culture from the cultural context of one community.