Measuring Sleep in Vulnerable Older Adults: A Comparison of Subjective and Objective Sleep Measures.

Objectives: This study compared subjective (questionnaire) and objective (actigraphy) sleep assessments, and examined agreement between these methods, in vulnerable older adults participating in a Veterans Administration Adult Day Health Care (ADHC) program.

Methods: 59 ADHC participants (95% male, mean age = 78 years) completed sleep questionnaires and 72 continuous hours of wrist actigraphy. Linear regression was used to examine agreement between methods and explore discrepancies in subjective/objective measures.

Use of mindfulness, meditation and relaxation to treat vasomotor symptoms.

Postmenopausal women with bothersome vasomotor symptoms (VMS) often seek alternatives to hormone-based treatment due to medication risks or personal preference. We sought to identify the effects of meditation, mindfulness, hypnosis and relaxation on VMS and health-related quality of life in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. To do this, we conducted an umbrella review supplemented by new randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) published since the most recent good-quality systematic review for eligible interventions.

What Patient Characteristics Influence Nurses' Assessment of Health Literacy?

Overestimation of patients' health literacy skills is common among nurses and physicians. At Vanderbilt University Hospital, nurses routinely ask patients the 3 Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS) questions. Data from 2 studies that recruited patients at Vanderbilt University Hospital-the Health Literacy Screening (HEALS) study and the Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study (VICS)-were analyzed to compare the BHLS score recorded by nurses during clinical care with the score recorded by trained research assistants during the same hospitalization.

Mechanisms of patient health behavior change in a randomized controlled trial of a spouse-assisted intervention.

Spouse-assisted interventions can improve health behaviors, but mechanisms of action are unknown. This study evaluated mediators of dietary and physical activity outcomes during a spouse-assisted intervention to improve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial comparing usual care (n = 128) to a spouse-assisted lifestyle change intervention (n = 127) comprising nine monthly goal setting telephone calls to participants and support planning calls to spouses over 11 months.

Health literacy, numeracy, and other characteristics associated with hospitalized patients' preferences for involvement in decision making.

Little research has examined the association of health literacy and numeracy with patients' preferred involvement in the problem-solving and decision-making process in the hospital. Using a sample of 1,249 patients hospitalized with cardiovascular disease from the Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study (VICS), we assessed patients' preferred level of involvement using responses to two scenarios of differing symptom severity from the Problem-Solving Decision-Making Scale. Using multivariable modeling, we determined the relationship of health literacy, subjective numeracy, and other patient characteristics with preferences for involvement in decisions, and how this differed by scenario.

Barriers to appropriate care for mothers and infants during the perinatal period in rural Afghanistan: a qualitative assessment.

This study, conducted in five rural districts in Afghanistan, used qualitative methods to explore traditional practices of women, families and communities related to maternal and newborn care, and sociocultural and health system issues that create access barriers. The traditional practices discussed include delayed bathing of mothers and delayed breastfeeding of infants, seclusion of women after childbirth, restricted maternal diet, and use of traditional home remedies and self-medication instead of care in health facilities to treat maternal and newborn conditions. This study also looked at community support structures, transportation and care-seeking behaviour for maternal and newborn problems which create access barriers.

A Study of Reliability and Burden of Home Health Assessment Using OASIS.

The Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) is used for outcome reporting, quality improvement, and case mix adjustment of per-episode payment for home health care. The research described here addresses interrater reliability of OASIS items and compares clinician time required to complete patient assessment with and without OASIS. Interrater reliability for OASIS data items was estimated using independent assessments by two clinicians for a sample of 66 patients.