Quality of Pharmacist-Managed Anticoagulation Therapy in Long-Term Ambulatory Settings: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To perform a systematic review to evaluate the quality of warfarin anticoagulation control in outpatient pharmacist-managed anticoagulation services (PMAS) compared with routine medical care (RMC).

Data Sources: MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EMBASE, IPA, CINAHL, and Cochrane CENTRAL, from inception to May 2017. Search terms employed: ("pharmacist-managed" OR "pharmacist-provided" OR "pharmacist-led" OR "pharmacist-directed") AND ("anticoagulation services" OR "anticoagulation clinic" OR "anticoagulation management" OR "anticoagulant care") AND ("quality of care" OR "outcomes" OR "bleeding" OR "thromboembolism" OR "mortality" OR "hospitalization" OR "length of stay" OR "emergency department visit" OR "cost" OR "patient satisfaction").

Risk of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events in COPD Patients Treated With Long-Acting β-Agonist Combined With a Long-Acting Muscarinic or Inhaled Corticosteroid.

Background: The recent approval of several fixed-dose combination long-acting β-agonist (LABA) and long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) products has increased the use of dual bronchodilators in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Understanding the comparative safety of this combination is important for informing treatment decisions.

Objective: To compare the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular (CCV) events associated with LABA/LAMA compared with a combination of LABA and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS).

Patient-Reported Barriers to the Prekidney Transplant Evaluation in an At-Risk Population in the United States.

Background: Despite our knowledge of barriers to the early stages of the transplant process, we have limited insight into patient-reported barriers to the prekidney transplant medical evaluation in populations largely at-risk for evaluation failure.

Methods: One-hundred consecutive adults were enrolled at an urban, Midwestern transplant center. Demographic, clinical, and quality of life data were collected prior to patients visit with a transplant surgeon/nephrologist (evaluation begins).

A Case Report of Parvovirus B19 Infection in a Renal Allograft.

Parvovirus B19 infection is undiagnosed in recipients undergoing solid organ transplantation. It is usually responsible for unexplained acute and chronic red blood cell aplasia that does not respond to erythropoietin therapy. Cases of parvovirus B19 infection associated with pancytopenia, solid organ dysfunction, and allograft rejection have been described in the literature.

Occupational Safety and Health in the Temporary Services Industry: A Model for a Community-University Partnership.

Workers in the temporary staffing industry face hazardous working conditions and have a high risk of occupational injury. This project brought together local workers' centers and university investigators to build a corps of Occupational Health Promoters (OHPs) and to test a survey tool and recruitment methods to identify hazards and raise awareness among workers employed by temporary staffing companies. OHPs interviewed ninety-eight workers employed by thirty-three temporary agencies and forty-nine client companies, working mainly in shipping and packing, manufacturing, and warehousing sectors.

Cluster Analysis in Nursing Research: An Introduction, Historical Perspective, and Future Directions.

The use of cluster analysis in the nursing literature is limited to the creation of classifications of homogeneous groups and the discovery of new relationships. As such, it is important to provide clarity regarding its use and potential. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to distance-based, partitioning-based, and model-based cluster analysis methods commonly utilized in the nursing literature, provide a brief historical overview on the use of cluster analysis in nursing literature, and provide suggestions for future research.

Factors Affecting Korean Neonatal Infant Pain Care: Translation and Validation of Three Instruments.

This study aimed to translate three English-language instruments-Pain Knowledge and Use (PKU), Collaboration and Satisfaction About Care Decisions (CSACD), and Environmental Complexity Scale (ECS)-into Korean and evaluate the equivalence of the instrument versions. Three Korean translators and two senior reviewers translated the instruments' 56 items using a committee approach. Eight Korean experts evaluated the cultural relevance of the translated instruments using a content validity index (CVI), and 12 Korean neonatal nurses were interviewed to assess their understanding of items.

Celebrating 40 Years of the Midwest Nursing Research Society.

The Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) recently held its 40th annual conference and celebrated four decades of nursing research in the Midwest. MNRS continues to be one of the largest nursing research societies in the United States. Over the years, a vast majority of programmatic initiatives included education and tangible support for novice and experienced nurse researchers.

Utopian Hopes or Dystopian Fears? Exploring the Motivational Underpinnings of Moralized Political Engagement.

People are more likely to become politically engaged (e.g., vote, engage in activism) when issues are associated with strong moral convictions.

Predicting the Effects of Sexual Assault Research Participation: Reactions, Perceived Insight, and Help-Seeking.

This study examined effects of participating in survey research for women sexual assault survivors with other trauma histories to understand the role of study participation on perceived insight and long-term help-seeking behaviors. A diverse sample of 1,863 women from a large Midwestern city participated in a 3-year study on women's experiences with sexual assault. Regression analyses were conducted to (a) examine predictors of immediate positive and negative reactions to survey participation and (b) assess the impact of the survey on perceived insight and women's long-term help-seeking behavior.

Implementing the PAIN RelieveIt Randomized Controlled Trial in Hospice Care: Mechanisms for Success and Meeting PCORI Methodology Standards.

This purpose of this article is to describe how we adhere to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's (PCORI) methodology standards relevant to the design and implementation of our PCORI-funded study, the PAIN RelieveIt Trial. We present details of the PAIN RelieveIt Trial organized by the PCORI methodology standards and components that are relevant to our study. The PAIN RelieveIt Trial adheres to four PCORI standards and 21 subsumed components.

Hospital Nurses' Work Environment Characteristics and Patient Safety Outcomes: A Literature Review.

This integrative literature review assesses the relationship between hospital nurses' work environment characteristics and patient safety outcomes and recommends directions for future research based on examination of the literature. Using an electronic search of five databases, 18 studies published in English between 1999 and 2016 were identified for review. All but one study used a cross-sectional design, and only four used a conceptual/theoretical framework to guide the research.

Evaluation of Specialty Drug Price Trends Using Data from Retrospective Pharmacy Sales Transactions.

Background: The past 25 years have seen a substantial increase in the effect of specialty drugs on patient care. These agents were initially not considered financially viable because they often served a comparatively small market of patients. However, the extended monopoly afforded to manufacturers of these drugs by the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 has made treatment of rare diseases, which specialty drugs often target, a more viable option.

Predicting Sexual Assault Revictimization in a Longitudinal Sample of Women Survivors: Variation by Type of Assault.

This study used a large community sample of women sexual assault survivors to prospectively assess 17 theorized predictors across four types of sexual assault revictimization: unwanted contact, coercion, substance-involved assault (SIA), and force. Results indicated that predictors varied across types of revictimization: Unwanted contact and coercion appeared more common in social contexts more hostile toward survivors, whereas forcible assaults and SIAs occurred in circumstances where survivors were vulnerable to being targeted by perpetrators. Overall, the strongest predictors were social environments hostile to survivors, race, childhood sexual abuse, decreased refusal assertiveness, and having more sexual partners.

Nurses' Pain Management for Hospitalized Elderly Patients With Postoperative Pain.

Using the theory of planned behavior, the study aim was to determine the relationships among nurses' beliefs, attitudes, perceived norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and behavior regarding pain management for hospitalized elderly patients with postoperative pain. A cross-sectional design was used with a convenience sample of 140 nurses working in adult surgical units at three hospitals. Based on path analyses, nurses' behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, respectively, had direct effects on their attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control regarding pain management.

Longitudinal Associations Between Observed and Perceived Neighborhood Food Availability and Body Mass Index in a Multiethnic Urban Sample.

Introduction: Blacks, Hispanics, and women of lower socioeconomic status tend to have a higher risk of obesity. Numerous studies over the past decade examined the role of the neighborhood food environment in body weight. However, few were longitudinal.

Evaluating Technical Efficiency of Nursing Care Using Data Envelopment Analysis and Multilevel Modeling.

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is an advantageous non-parametric technique for evaluating relative efficiency of performance. This article describes use of DEA to estimate technical efficiency of nursing care and demonstrates the benefits of using multilevel modeling to identify characteristics of efficient facilities in the second stage of analysis. Data were drawn from LTCFocUS.

Examining the Role of Substance Abuse in Elder Mistreatment: Results From Mistreatment Investigations.

Substance abuse has long been identified as a risk factor for elder mistreatment, yet research on the topic remains sparse. This study tested hypotheses whether perpetrator and victim substance use problems were associated with financial exploitation, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect versus no abuse. Cross-sectional data were collected on 948 cases with yes/no substantiation decisions where 357 cases had no abuse in elder mistreatment investigations.

Systematic review of symptom clusters in cardiovascular disease.

Background: Although individual symptoms and symptom trajectories for various cardiovascular conditions have been reported, there is limited research identifying the symptom clusters that may provide a better understanding of patients' experiences with heart disease.

Aims: To summarize the state of the science in symptom cluster research for patients with acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery, and heart failure through systematic review and to provide direction for the translation of symptom cluster research into the clinical setting.

Methods: Databases were searched for articles from January 2000 through to May 2015 using MESH terms "symptoms, symptom clusters, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), myocardial infarction (MI), coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS), cluster analyses, and latent classes.

Translating Strong for Life Into the Community Care Program: Lessons Learned.

We used a randomized controlled trial to test the implementation of Strong for Life (SFL), a resistance exercise intervention, using 32 home care aides (HCAs) as exercise leaders with their 42 homebound older adult clients enrolled in the Community Care Program, a Medicaid 1915(c) waiver program. Mixed-methods were used to analyze outcomes of program satisfaction rates, training session evaluations, program fidelity, and job descriptive index scores. Results indicate that it is feasible for HCAs to implement SFL safely with clients.

Questionnaire Adapting: Little Changes Mean a Lot.

Questionnaire development involves rigorous testing to ensure reliability and validity. Due to time and cost constraints of developing new questionnaires, researchers often adapt existing questionnaires to better fit the purpose of their study. However, the effect of such adaptations is unclear.

A Worksite Occupational Health Clinic-Based Diabetes Mellitus Management Program.

This study is an analysis of a workplace diabetes management program offered to employees of a Fortune 100 financial services corporation located in the United States. The 12-month worksite-based educational program was for employees who were at risk for diabetes, had prediabetes, or were diagnosed with diabetes. This employed population, with health benefits, generally had acceptable control of their diabetes at the start of the program.

Arthroscopic ligamentum teres reconstruction of the hip in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a case study.

Background: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a genetic disorder that affects the structural integrity of collagen within the body. This presents clinically as a connective tissue disorder with increased elasticity of joints, muscles, and ligaments. Multiple joints are affected by hypermobility and joint injury is common in these patients.

Older Adult Strategies for Community Wayfinding.

Community wayfinding becomes more challenging with age and decrements in functioning. Given the growth in numbers of older adults, we need to understand features that facilitate or inhibit wayfinding in outdoor settings to enhance mobility and community engagement. This exploratory study of 35 short- ( n = 14) and long-term ( n = 21) residents in an ethnically diverse neighborhood identified relevant wayfinding factors.