Faith Community Nursing: Impacting Community-Based Care.

Faith community nurses (FCNs) are well positioned to serve individuals needing community-based healthcare within local healthcare systems, large church denominations, or through the support and resources of nonprofit faith community nursing organizations. This article briefly outlines development of the specialty of faith community nursing and proposes areas of research needed to grow the impact of this nursing specialty. Examples of FCNs working in and collaborating with healthcare systems, educational institutions, and congregations illustrate the value and diversity of FCN services for impacting community-based care.

Work-Related Risk Factors for Rotator Cuff Syndrome in a Prospective Study of Manufacturing and Healthcare Workers.

Objective: This prospective study assessed the risk of developing rotator cuff syndrome (RCS) with separate or specific combinations of biomechanical exposures measures, controlling for individual confounders.

Background: Compared with other musculoskeletal disorders, rates of work-related shoulder musculoskeletal disorders have been declining more slowly.

Method: We conducted up to 2 years of individual, annual assessments of covariates, exposures, and health outcomes for 393 U.

Measuring Preceptor Selection in Long-Term Care.

Orienting new nursing staff is costly for health care organizations. Identifying preceptor characteristics and structuring preceptor education to support those characteristics may improve the orientation process and decrease orientation cost. A descriptive, observational study identified preferred characteristics of potential preceptors (N = 39) in a long-term care/subacute facility.

Extending the Vision of Short-Term Medical Teams.

Short-term medical teams (STMTs), serving for a week or two, often do not partner with the local health care system. As a result, nationals receive poor care coordination and duplication of medical services (Green, Green, Scandlyn, & Kestler, 2009). This article offers a care model and collaboration alternatives to support coordinated care.

Biomechanical and psychosocial exposures are independent risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: assessment of confounding using causal diagrams.

Background: Between 2001 and 2010, six research groups conducted coordinated prospective studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence among US workers from various industries to estimate exposure-response relationships.

Objective: This analysis examined the presence and magnitude of confounding between biomechanical and workplace psychosocial factors and incidence of dominant-hand CTS.

Methods: 1605 participants, without CTS at enrolment, were followed for up to 3.

Implementation of Transition in Care and Relationship Based Care to Reduce Preventable Rehospitalizations.

Home healthcare agencies are accountable for preventing rehospitalization, yet many struggle to make progress with this metric. The purpose of this article is to share how our organization turned to two frameworks, Transitions in Care and Relationship-Based Care, to prevent unnecessary rehospitalizations. Appreciative inquiry, motivational interviewing, and action plans are used by our Transitional Care Nurses to engage and motivate patients to manage chronic diseases and achieve desirable health outcomes.

Associations between workplace factors and carpal tunnel syndrome: A multi-site cross sectional study.

Background: Few large epidemiologic studies have used rigorous case criteria, individual-level exposure measurements, and appropriate control for confounders to examine associations between workplace psychosocial and biomechanical factors and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods: Pooling data from five independent research studies, we assessed associations between prevalent CTS and personal, work psychosocial, and biomechanical factors while adjusting for confounders using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: Prevalent CTS was associated with personal factors of older age, obesity, female sex, medical conditions, previous distal upper extremity disorders, workplace measures of peak forceful hand activity, a composite measure of force and repetition (ACGIH Threshold Limit Value for Hand Activity Level), and hand vibration.

General population job exposure matrix applied to a pooled study of prevalent carpal tunnel syndrome.

A job exposure matrix may be useful for the study of biomechanical workplace risk factors when individual-level exposure data are unavailable. We used job title-based exposure data from a public data source to construct a job exposure matrix and test exposure-response relationships with prevalent carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Exposures of repetitive motion and force from the Occupational Information Network were assigned to 3,452 active workers from several industries, enrolled between 2001 and 2008 from 6 studies.

Personal and workplace factors and median nerve function in a pooled study of 2396 US workers.

Objective: Evaluate associations between personal and workplace factors and median nerve conduction latency at the wrist.

Methods: Baseline data on workplace psychosocial and physical exposures were pooled from four prospective studies of production and service workers (N = 2396). During the follow-up period, electrophysiologic measures of median nerve function were collected at regular intervals.

Developing a pooled job physical exposure data set from multiple independent studies: an example of a consortium study of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Background: Six research groups independently conducted prospective studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence in 54 US workplaces in 10 US States. Physical exposure variables were collected by all research groups at the individual worker level. Data from these research groups were pooled to increase the exposure spectrum and statistical power.

Biomechanical risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: a pooled study of 2474 workers.

Background: Between 2001 and 2010, five research groups conducted coordinated prospective studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence among US workers from various industries and collected detailed subject-level exposure information with follow-up of symptoms, electrophysiological measures and job changes.

Objective: This analysis examined the associations between workplace biomechanical factors and incidence of dominant-hand CTS, adjusting for personal risk factors.

Methods: 2474 participants, without CTS or possible polyneuropathy at enrolment, were followed up to 6.

Exposure-response relationships for the ACGIH threshold limit value for hand-activity level: results from a pooled data study of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objectives: This paper aimed to quantify exposure-response relationships between the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) threshold limit value (TLV) for hand-activity level (HAL) and incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

Methods: Manufacturing and service workers previously studied by six research institutions had their data combined and re-analyzed. CTS cases were defined by symptoms and abnormal nerve conduction.

Effects of varying case definition on carpal tunnel syndrome prevalence estimates in a pooled cohort.

Objective: To analyze differences in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) prevalence using a combination of electrodiagnostic studies (EDSs) and symptoms using EDS criteria varied across a range of cutpoints and compared with symptoms in both ≥1 and ≥2 median nerve-served digits.

Design: Pooled data from 5 prospective cohorts.

Setting: Hand-intensive industrial settings, including manufacturing, assembly, production, service, construction, and health care.

A prospective study of carpal tunnel syndrome: workplace and individual risk factors.

Objectives: To quantify the risk for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) from workplace physical factors, particularly hand activity level and forceful exertion, while taking into account individual factors including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and pre-existing medical conditions.

Methods: Three healthcare and manufacturing workplaces were selected for inclusion on the basis of range of exposure to hand activity level and forceful exertion represented by their jobs. Each study participant's job tasks were observed and evaluated onsite and videotaped for further analysis, including frequency and duration of exertion and postural deviation.

Pooling job physical exposure data from multiple independent studies in a consortium study of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Unlabelled: Pooling data from different epidemiological studies of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is necessary to improve statistical power and to more precisely quantify exposure-response relationships for MSDs. The pooling process is difficult and time-consuming, and small methodological differences could lead to different exposure-response relationships. A sub-committee of a six-study research consortium studying carpal tunnel syndrome: (i) visited each study site, (ii) documented methods used to collect physical exposure data and (iii) determined compatibility of exposure variables across studies.

Personal and workplace psychosocial risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: a pooled study cohort.

Background: Between 2001 and 2010, six research groups conducted coordinated multiyear, prospective studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence in US workers from various industries and collected detailed subject-level exposure information with follow-up symptom, physical examination, electrophysiological measures and job changes.

Objective: This analysis of the pooled cohort examined the incidence of dominant-hand CTS in relation to demographic characteristics and estimated associations with occupational psychosocial factors and years worked, adjusting for confounding by personal risk factors.

Methods: 3515 participants, without baseline CTS, were followed-up to 7 years.

Prevalence and incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in US working populations: pooled analysis of six prospective studies.

Objectives: Most studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence and prevalence among workers have been limited by small sample sizes or restricted to a small subset of jobs. We established a common CTS case definition and then pooled CTS prevalence and incidence data across six prospective studies of musculoskeletal outcomes to measure CTS frequency and allow better studies of etiology.

Methods: Six research groups collected prospective data at > 50 workplaces including symptoms characteristic of CTS and electrodiagnostic studies (EDS) of the median and ulnar nerves across the dominant wrist.

Workplace and individual risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Objectives: To quantify the relationship between workplace physical factors, particularly hand activity level (HAL) and forceful exertion and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), while taking into account individual factors. To compare quantitative exposure assessment measures with more practical ratings-based measures.

Methods: In a group of healthcare and manufacturing workers, each study participant's job tasks were evaluated for HAL, forceful exertion and other physical stressors and videotaped for further analysis, including frequency and duration of exertion and postural deviation.

A comparison of assessment methods of hand activity and force for use in calculating the ACGIH(R) hand activity level (HAL) TLV(R).

This article compares several methods that were used for determining hand activity level and force in a large prospective ergonomics study. The first goal of this analysis was to determine the degree of correlation between hand activity/ force ratings using different assessment methods. The second goal was to determine if the hand activity/force methods were functionally equivalent for the purpose of calculating the ACGIH(R) hand activity level (HAL) threshold limit value (TLV(R)).

Outcomes of patients with spinal cord injury before and after introduction of an interdisciplinary tracheostomy team.

Objectives: To assess outcomes in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and a tracheostomy tube (TT), before and after the introduction of a tracheostomy review and management service (TRAMS) for ward-based patients.

Design: Matched-pairs design with two cohorts, before and after the intervention.

Setting: 900-bed tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Victoria.

National occupational research agenda (NORA) future directions in occupational musculoskeletal disorder health research.

Musculoskeletal disorders are among the most costly health care problems facing society today. The scientific literature has indicated that psychosocial factors, individual factors, workplace physical requirements, and workplace organizational factors have been associated with risk. Since musculoskeletal risk is multi-dimensional, the magnitude of risk attributable to various factors can be of importance to scientists and policy makers in designing countermeasures to reduce injury incidence.

Breastfeeding support for adolescent mothers: similarities and differences in the approach of midwives and qualified breastfeeding supporters.

Background: The protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding are now major public health priorities. It is well established that skilled support, voluntary or professional, proactively offered to women who want to breastfeed, can increase the initiation and/or duration of breastfeeding. Low levels of breastfeeding uptake and continuation amongst adolescent mothers in industrialised countries suggest that this is a group that is in particular need of breastfeeding support.