Can Answers to the Health Workforce Crisis Be Found in Equity-Informed Digital Health?

In this paper, we describe current pressures on health human resources (HHRs) in the Canadian context and related factors that impact equity-deserving communities/populations. We explore issues of HHR challenges in rural, remote and urban underserved contexts and explore the associated benefits and challenges of incorporating digital health (DH). We present examples and evidence of integrating hybrid models of care as a means of supporting HHRs via DH in the publicly funded health system.

An economic analysis of a contingency model utilising vaccination for the control of equine influenza in a non-endemic country.

Background: Equine influenza (EI) is an infectious respiratory disease of horses that has never been reported in New Zealand (NZ). However, the 2007 EI outbreak in Australia, previously EI free, spurred the NZ government and stakeholders into evaluating alternative EI control strategies in order to economically justify any future decision to eradicate or manage EI. To build on the policy debate, this paper presents an epinomic (epidemiologic and economic) modelling approach to evaluate alternative control strategies.

Geographical mapping of advanced practice registered nurses in Louisiana: Leveraging the power of data display.

Background And Purpose: Identifying the locations of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in the state is challenging without data readily available, which can adversely affect stakeholder initiatives. The purpose of this project was to develop an online interactive map reflecting distribution of APRNs licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing (LSBN), heightening APRN visibility and improving usability of data for policy, education, practice, and research initiatives.

Methods: A descriptive design with development of a graphical interactive map showing all Louisiana parishes with integrated distribution summaries of APRNs was made.

Effectiveness of pay-for-performance for chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis: a systematic review protocol.

The objective of this review is to assess the evidence on the effectiveness of implementation of a pay-for-performance program on clinical outcomes in the adult chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient receiving hemodialysis.The review question is: What is the effectiveness of implementation of a pay-for-performance program on clinical outcomes in the adult CKD patient receiving hemodialysis, as compared to the period immediately before implementation of the program?More specifically, the objectives are to identify.

Preferred Methods of Learning for Nursing Students in an On-Line Degree Program.

Investigators have demonstrated that on-line courses result in effective learning outcomes, but limited information has been published related to preferred teaching strategies. Delivery of on-line courses requires various teaching methods to facilitate interaction between students, content, and technology. The purposes of this study were to understand student teaching/learning preferences in on-line courses to include (a) differences in preferred teaching/learning methods for on-line nursing students across generations and (b) which teaching strategies students found to be most engaging and effective.

Cardiovascular Disease and Health Care System Impact on Functionality and Productivity in Argentina: A Secondary Analysis.

Objectives: To examine the impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events on patient functionality and productivity on the basis of patient use of public or social/private institution health care.

Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of data drawn from records of Argentinian patients, 3 to 15 months posthospitalization after a CVD event, who had originally participated in a multicountry, cross-sectional study assessing the microeconomic impact of a CVD event. Respondents were stratified according to their use of health care institution (public or social/private).

Student Engagement in Online Nursing Courses.

The purposes of this study were to determine the level of engagement of registered nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) nursing students enrolled in online nursing degree programs and to understand whether there are generational differences in level of student engagement. Significant differences were noted for engagement level between generations of students, but no significant difference was noted in the engagement level of students from RN to BSN, MSN, or DNP programs.

Understanding scoping reviews: Definition, purpose, and process.

Background/purpose: Scoping review design represents a methodology that allows assessment of emerging evidence, as well as a first step in research development. Despite its increasing use, to date no article reflecting use of scoping review methodology has been submitted for review at JAANP. The purpose of this article is to provide detailed information on scoping reviews, including definition, related processes, and uses, and discuss the relationship to nurse practitioner (NP) practice, policy, education, and research.

The essential SOAP note in an EHR age.

This article reviews the traditional Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan (SOAP) note documentation format. The information in the SOAP note is useful to both providers and students for history taking and physical exam, and highlights the importance of including critical documentation details with or without an electronic health record.

Qualitative evaluation of a text messaging intervention to support patients with active tuberculosis: implementation considerations.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health problem and mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been identified as a modality to improve TB outcomes. TextTB, an interactive text-based intervention to promote adherence with TB medication, was pilot-tested in Argentina with results supporting the implementation of trials at a larger scale.

Objective: The objective of this research was to understand issues encountered during pilot-testing in order to inform future implementation in a larger-scale trial.

Listening to Those at the Frontline: Patient and Healthcare Personnel Perspectives on Tuberculosis Treatment Barriers and Facilitators in High TB Burden Regions of Argentina.

Purpose. In Argentina, tuberculosis (TB) control measures have not achieved key treatment targets. The purpose of this study was to identify modes of treatment delivery and explore patient and healthcare personnel perceptions of barriers and facilitators to treatment success.

TextTB: A Mixed Method Pilot Study Evaluating Acceptance, Feasibility, and Exploring Initial Efficacy of a Text Messaging Intervention to Support TB Treatment Adherence.

Objective. To assess a text messaging intervention to promote tuberculosis (TB) treatment adherence. Methods.

MHEALTH INTERVENTION DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS.

Background: Mobile Health (mHealth) based interventions have been increasingly used to improve a broad range of health outcomes. However, few researchers have reported on the process or the application of theory to guide the development of mHealth based interventions, or specifically for tuberculosis (TB) treatment management.

Aims: To describe the steps, process, and considerations in developing a text messaging-based intervention to promote treatment adherence and provide support to patients with active TB.

Research methods for graduate students: a practical framework to guide teachers and learners.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to present the Arrow Framework for Research Design, an organizing framework that facilitates teaching and learning of research methods, providing logical organization of interrelationships between concepts, content, and context of research methods, and practice application. The Arrow Framework was designed for teaching and learning research methods to facilitate progression of knowledge acquisition through synthesis.

Data Sources: The framework was developed over several years and used successfully to teach masters, DNP, and PhD nursing students across five universities.

Effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Objective: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a programme developed to prevent depression relapse, but has been applied for other disorders. Our objective was to systematically review and meta-analyse the evidence on the effectiveness and safety of MBCT for the treatment of mental disorders.

Methods: Searches were completed in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, PsychINFO, and PsycEXTRA in March 2011 using a search strategy with the terms 'mindfulness-based cognitive therapy', 'mindfulness', and 'randomised controlled trials' without time restrictions.

Customization of electronic medical record templates to improve end-user satisfaction.

Since 2004, increasing importance has been placed on the adoption of electronic medical records by healthcare providers for documentation of patient care. Recent federal regulations have shifted the focus from adoption alone to meaningful use of an electronic medical record system. As proposed by the Technology Acceptance Model, the behavioral intention to use technology is determined by the person's attitude toward usage.

Neuropsychology and cognitive health in healthy older adults: a brief overview for psychiatric nurses.

This article contains a brief synopsis on nonpathological aspects of the neuropsychology of aging and cognitive health. In nonpathological aging, normal subtle decline occurs in a number of cognitive domains such as executive functioning, speed of processing, memory, language, and psychomotor ability; however, some domains of cognitive functioning appear to increase with age, such as vocabulary and crystallized intelligence. In the neuropsychology and the cognitive aging literatures, several hypotheses for such age-related declines are proposed, including the diminished speed-of-processing hypothesis, the common cause hypothesis, and the frontal aging hypothesis.

Battling the uncompensated care spiral: outcomes from a single institution assisting uninsured hospitalized patients to obtain health insurance.

Purpose Of Study: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of financial counseling services in assisting uninsured patients receive financial assistance and medical insurance.

Primary Practice Setting: A single, nonprofit 400+-bed, inner-city, acute care facility in the Mountain West.

Methodology And Sample: A retrospective, medical record review design was used.

It's a small, small world: data collection strategies for research with children and adolescents.

This article describes methodological processes focusing on developmentally appropriate, creative data collection strategies for use with children and adolescents, illustrated from data-based research. The research reported includes adolescents' understanding of physical activity and engagement in designing a computerized questionnaire, adolescent decision making and consent to psychiatric treatment, social skills focus groups for children with behavioral disorders, and development of a longitudinal intervention study to improve the physiological-functional-psychosocial status of children with cystic fibrosis from three qualitative studies of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Use of developmentally appropriate strategies is critical for successful research, contributing to our understanding of the world of children and adolescents.

Using ruby on rails to develop a web interface: a research-based exemplar with a computerized physical activity reporter.

The world is becoming increasingly web-based. Health care institutions are utilizing the web for personal health records, surveillance, communication, and education; health care researchers are finding value in using the web for research subject recruitment, data collection, and follow-up. Programming languages, such as Java, require knowledge and experience usually found only in software engineers and consultants.