Browsing by Subject "Health Personnel"
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Item Open Access A cross-sectional exploratory study of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency health care providers in the assessment of child maltreatment in Maputo, Mozambique.(BMC emergency medicine, 2018-05-09) Pinto, Liliana; Lein, Adriana; Mahoque, Raquel; Wright, David W; Sasser, Scott M; Staton, Catherine ABACKGROUND:In Mozambique, and other low-income countries (LICs), there is little information on the burden of child maltreatment (CM). Emergency care services (ECS) play an important role in recognizing, treating, and intervening in situations of CM. We aim to identify knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CM among health care providers in ECS at Mavalane General Hospital in Maputo, Mozambique. METHODS:This exploratory cross-sectional study evaluates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care providers to diagnose and treat cases of CM. A 25 min, pilot-tested verbal interview questionnaire was administered to 49 physicians and nurses working in ECS at Mavalane General Hospital. Interviews were completed between October-November 2010. Data were managed and analyzed in SPSS 14.0 and descriptive statistics were generated. RESULTS:Of 49 health care providers, 83.6% reporting receiving no, or very little CM education or training. Only 61.2% had knowledge of physical abuse as a main form of child maltreatment and 38.8% were able to identify corresponding symptoms of physical abuse. Sexual abuse as a main form of CM was mentioned by 26.5 and 2% cited its symptoms. While 87.7% of health care providers strongly agreed or agreed that they hold an important role in preventing CM, 51.1% also strongly disagreed or disagreed that they feel confident diagnosing and treating CM cases. In regards to follow-up, 14.3% strongly disagreed or disagreed that they know where to refer victims for further follow-up and an additional 14.3% did not know whether they agreed or disagreed. CONCLUSION:This study revealed knowledge gaps in emergency health care provider knowledge of the main forms of CM and their symptoms. The fact that a majority of health care providers in our sample did not receive information specific to CM in their medical education and training could explain this gap, as well as their unawareness of where to refer victims. Given that health care providers believe they play an important role in identifying and treating CM, future research should focus on raising physician awareness of CM and developing education and training materials grounded in cultural contexts to build response capacity in Mozambique and other LICs.Item Open Access A qualitative analysis of the Three Good Things intervention in healthcare workers.(BMJ open, 2017-06-13) Rippstein-Leuenberger, Karin; Mauthner, Oliver; Bryan Sexton, J; Schwendimann, ReneBACKGROUND:Intensive care unit (ICU) personnel have an elevated prevalence of job-related burn-out and post-traumatic stress disorder, which can ultimately impact patient care. To strengthen healthcare workers' skills to deal with stressful events, it is important to focus not only on minimising suffering but also on increasing happiness, as this entails many more benefits than simply feeling good. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the content of the 'good things' reported by healthcare workers participating in the 'Three Good Things' intervention. METHODS:In a tertiary care medical centre, a sample of 89 neonatal ICU (NICU) healthcare professionals registered for the online intervention. Of these, 32 individuals eventually participated fully in the 14-day online Three Good Things intervention survey. Daily emails reminded participants to reflect on and respond to the questions: "What are the three things that went well today?" and "What was your role in bringing them about?" To analyse their responses, we applied a thematic analysis, which was guided by our theoretical understanding of resilience. RESULTS:Involving more than 1300 statements, the Three Good Things responses of the 32 study participants, including registered nurses, physicians and neonatal nurse practitioners, led to the identification of three main themes: (1) having a good day at work; (2) having supportive relationships and (3) making meaningful use of self-determined time. CONCLUSIONS:The findings show the personal and professional relevance of supportive relationships strengthened by clear communication and common activities that foster positive emotions. The Three Good Things exercise acknowledges the importance of self-care in healthcare workers and appears to promote well-being, which might ultimately strengthen resilience.Item Open Access Child welfare agency ties to providers and schools and substance abuse treatment use by adolescents.(Journal of substance abuse treatment, 2011-01) Wells, R; Chuang, E; Haynes, LE; Lee, IE; Bai, YPolicy makers and advocates are increasingly encouraging child-serving organizations to work together. This study examined how child welfare agency ties with substance abuse treatment providers and schools correlated with substance abuse treatment for adolescents receiving child protective services. A sample of adolescents with substance use risk was extracted from a national survey of families engaged with child welfare. Logistic regressions with adjustments for complex survey design used child welfare agency ties to substance abuse treatment providers and schools to predict treatment. As expected, adolescents were more likely to report treatment when child protective services and substance abuse treatment were in the same agency and when child welfare agency directors reported joint planning with schools. However, child welfare agency agreements with substance abuse treatment providers were negatively associated with treatment. This unexpected finding implies that agencies may sometimes cooperate to address problems and to improve service utilization.Item Open Access Conceptualizing trust in community-academic research partnerships using concept mapping approach: A multi-CTSA study.(Evaluation and program planning, 2018-02) Dave, Gaurav; Frerichs, Leah; Jones, Jennifer; Kim, Mimi; Schaal, Jennifer; Vassar, Stefanie; Varma, Deepthi; Striley, Catherine; Ruktanonchai, Corrine; Black, Adina; Hankins, Jennifer; Lovelady, Nakita; Cene, Crystal; Green, Melissa; Young, Tiffany; Tiwari, Shristi; Cheney, Ann; Cottler, Linda; Sullivan, Greer; Brown, Arleen; Burke, Jessica; Corbie-Smith, GiselleObjectives
Collaborations between communities, healthcare practices and academic institutions are a strategy to address health disparities. Trust is critical in the development and maintaining of effective collaborations. The aim of this pilot study was to engage stakeholders in defining determinants of trust in community academic research partnerships and to develop a framework for measuring trust.Methods
The study was conducted by five collaborating National Institute of Health' Clinical and Translational Sciences Awardees. We used concept mapping to engage three stakeholders: community members, healthcare providers and academicians. We conducted hierarchical cluster analysis to assess the determinants of trust in community-academic research partnerships.Results
A total of 186 participants provided input generating 2,172 items that were consolidated into 125 unique items. A five cluster solution was defined: authentic, effective and transparent communication; mutually respectful and reciprocal relationships; sustainability; committed partnerships; and, communication, credibility and methodology to anticipate and resolve problems.Conclusion
Results from this study contribute to an increasing empirical body of work to better understand and improve the underlying factors that contribute to building and sustaining trust in community academic research partnerships.Item Open Access Design of the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response and Outcomes (HERO) research platform.(Contemporary clinical trials, 2021-10) Friedland, Anne; Hernandez, Adrian F; Anstrom, Kevin J; Chen-Lim, Mei Lin; Cohen, Lauren W; Currier, Judith S; Forrest, Christopher B; Fraser, Ryan; Fraulo, Elizabeth; George, Anoop; Handberg, Eileen; Jackman, Jennifer; Koellhoffer, Jayne; Lawrence, Daryl; Leverty, Renee; McAdams, Patty; McCourt, Brian; Mickley, Brenda; Naqvi, Syed Hasan; O'Brien, Emily C; Olson, Rachel; Prater, Clyde; Rothman, Russell L; Shenkman, Elizabeth; Shostak, Jack; Turner, Kisha Batey; Webb, Laura; Woods, Chris; Naggie, Susanna; HERO Research ProgramBackground
The SARS CoV-2 virus has caused one of the deadliest pandemics in recent history, resulting in over 170 million deaths and global economic disruption. There remains an urgent need for clinical trials to test therapies for treatment and prevention.Design
An online research platform was created to support a registry community of healthcare workers (HCWs) to understand their experiences and conduct clinical studies to address their concerns. The first study, HERO-HCQ, was a double-blind, multicenter, randomized, pragmatic trial to evaluate the superiority of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) vs placebo for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of COVID-19 clinical infection in HCWs. Secondary objectives were to assess the efficacy of HCQ in preventing viral shedding of COVID-19 among HCWs and to assess the safety and tolerability of HCQ.Methods
HCWs joined the Registry and were pre-screened for trial interest and eligibility. Trial participants were randomized 1:1 to receive HCQ or placebo. On-site baseline assessment included a COVID-19 nasopharyngeal PCR and blood serology test. Weekly follow-up was done via an online portal and included screening for symptoms of COVID-19, self-reported testing, adverse events, and quality of life assessments. The on-site visit was repeated at Day 30.Discussion
The HERO research platform offers an approach to rapidly engage, screen, invite and enroll into clinical studies using a novel participant-facing online portal interface and remote data collection, enabling limited onsite procedures for conduct of a pragmatic clinical trial. This platform may be an example for future clinical trials of common conditions to enable more rapid evidence generation.Item Open Access Digital health competencies for primary healthcare professionals: A scoping review.(International journal of medical informatics, 2020-11) Jimenez, Geronimo; Spinazze, Pier; Matchar, David; Koh Choon Huat, Gerald; van der Kleij, Rianne MJJ; Chavannes, Niels H; Car, JosipBackground
Despite digital health providing opportunities to enhance the quality, efficiency and safety of primary healthcare, the adoption of digital tools and technologies has been slow, partly because of poor digital health literacy. For primary healthcare systems to take full advantage of these technologies, a capable, digitally literate workforce is necessary. Still, the essential digital health competencies (DHCs) for primary healthcare have not been explored. This review aims to examine the broad literature on DHCs as it applies to Primary Care (PC) settings.Methods
We performed a scoping review on all types of research linking DHCs to PC. We searched all major databases including Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library in November 2019. Concurrently, a thorough grey literature search was performed through OpenGrey, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, and key government and relevant professional associations' websites. Screening and selection of studies was performed in pairs, and data was analysed and presented using a narrative, descriptive approach. Thematic analysis was performed to identify key DHC domains.Results
A total of 28 articles were included, most of them (54 %) published before 2005. These articles were primarily aimed at PC physicians or general practitioners, and focused on improving knowledge about information technologies and medical informatics, basic computer and information literacy, and optimal use of electronic medical records. We identified 17 DHC domains, and important knowledge gaps related to digital health education and curriculum integration, the need for evidence of the impact of services, and the importance of wider support for digital health.Conclusions
Literature explicitly linking DHCs to PC was mostly published over a decade ago. There is a need for an updated and current set of DHCs for PC professionals to more consistently reap the benefits of digital technologies. This review identified key DHC domains and statements that may be used to guide on the development of a set of DHC for PC, and critical knowledge gaps and needs to be considered. Such a DHC set may be used for curricula development and for ensuring that the essential DHC for PC are met at a clinical or organizational level, and eventually improve health outcomes.Item Unknown Educating future providers of personalized medicine.(North Carolina medical journal, 2013-11) Katsanis, Sara H; Dungan, Jennifer R; Gilliss, Catherine L; Ginsburg, Geoffrey AItem Unknown Educational interventions to improve recognition of delirium: a systematic review.(J Am Geriatr Soc, 2013-11) Yanamadala, Mamata; Wieland, Darryl; Heflin, Mitchell TDelirium is a common and serious condition that is underrecognized in older adults in a variety of healthcare settings. It is poorly recognized because of deficiencies in provider knowledge and its atypical presentation. Early recognition of delirium is warranted to better manage the disease and prevent the adverse outcomes associated with it. The purpose of this article is to review the literature concerning educational interventions focusing on recognition of delirium. The Medline and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINHAL) databases were searched for studies with specific educational focus in the recognition of delirium, and 26 studies with various designs were identified. The types of interventions used were classified according to the Predisposing, Reinforcing and Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation (PRECEDE) model, and outcomes were sorted according to Kirkpatrick's hierarchy. Educational strategies combining predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors achieved better results than strategies that included one or two of these components. Studies using predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing strategies together were more often effective in producing changes in staff behavior and participant outcomes. Based on this review, improvements in knowledge and skill alone seem insufficient to favorably influence recognition of delirium. Educational interventions to recognize delirium are most effective when formal teaching is interactive and is combined with strategies including engaging leadership and using clinical pathways and assessment tools. The goal of the current study was to systematically review the published literature to determine the effect of educational interventions on recognition of delirium.Item Unknown Emotional Exhaustion Among US Health Care Workers Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019-2021.(JAMA network open, 2022-09) Sexton, J Bryan; Adair, Kathryn C; Proulx, Joshua; Profit, Jochen; Cui, Xin; Bae, Jon; Frankel, AllanImportance
Extraordinary strain from COVID-19 has negatively impacted health care worker (HCW) well-being.Objective
To determine whether HCW emotional exhaustion has increased during the pandemic, for which roles, and at what point.Design, setting, and participants
This survey study was conducted in 3 waves, with an electronic survey administered in September 2019, September 2020, and September 2021 through January 2022. Participants included hospital-based HCWs in clinical and nonclinical (eg, administrative support) roles at 76 community hospitals within 2 large health care systems in the US.Exposures
Safety, Communication, Organizational Reliability, Physician, and Employee Burnout and Engagement (SCORE) survey domains of emotional exhaustion and emotional exhaustion climate.Main outcomes and measures
The percentage of respondents reporting emotional exhaustion (%EE) in themselves and a climate of emotional exhaustion (%EEclim) in their colleagues. Survey items were answered on a 5-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); neutral or higher scores were counted as "percent concerning" for exhaustion.Results
Electronic surveys were returned by 37 187 (of 49 936) HCWs in 2019, 38 460 (of 45 268) in 2020, and 31 475 (of 41 224) in 2021 to 2022 for overall response rates of 74.5%, 85.0%, and 76.4%, respectively. The overall sample comprised 107 122 completed surveys. Nursing was the most frequently reported role (n = 43 918 [40.9%]). A total of 17 786 respondents (16.9%) reported less than 1 year at their facility, 59 226 (56.2%) reported 1 to 10 years, and 28 337 (26.9%) reported 11 years or more. From September 2019 to September 2021 through January 2022, overall %EE increased from 31.8% (95% CI, 30.0%-33.7%) to 40.4% (95% CI, 38.1%-42.8%), with a proportional increase in %EE of 26.9% (95% CI, 22.2%-31.8%). Physicians had a decrease in %EE from 31.8% (95% CI, 29.3%-34.5%) in 2019 to 28.3% (95% CI, 25.9%-31.0%) in 2020 but an increase during the second year of the pandemic to 37.8% (95% CI, 34.7%-41.3%). Nurses had an increase in %EE during the pandemic's first year, from 40.6% (95% CI, 38.4%-42.9%) in 2019 to 46.5% (95% CI, 44.0%-49.1%) in 2020 and increasing again during the second year of the pandemic to 49.2% (95% CI, 46.5%-51.9%). All other roles showed a similar pattern to nurses but at lower levels. Intraclass correlation coefficients revealed clustering of exhaustion within work settings across the 3 years, with coefficients of 0.15 to 0.17 for emotional exhaustion and 0.22 to 0.24 for emotional exhaustion climate, higher than the .10 coefficient typical of organizational climate (a medium effect for shared variance), suggestive of a social contagion effect of HCW exhaustion.Conclusions and relevance
This large-scale survey study of HCWs spanning 3 years offers substantial evidence that emotional exhaustion trajectories varied by role but have increased overall and among most HCW roles since the onset of the pandemic. These results suggest that current HCW well-being resources and programs may be inadequate and even more difficult to use owing to lower workforce capacity and motivation to initiate and complete well-being interventions.Item Unknown Evaluating Response Time in Zanzibar's Malaria Elimination Case-Based Surveillance-Response System.(The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 2019-02) Khandekar, Eeshan; Kramer, Randall; Ali, Abdullah S; Al-Mafazy, Abdul-Wahid; Egger, Joseph R; LeGrand, Sara; Mkali, Humphrey R; McKay, Michael; Ngondi, Jeremiah MAs countries transition toward malaria elimination, malaria programs rely on surveillance-response systems, which are often supported by web- and mobile phone-based reporting tools. Such surveillance-response systems are interventions for elimination, making it important to determine if they are operating optimally. A metric to measure this by is timeliness. This study used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the response time of Zanzibar's malaria elimination surveillance-response system, Malaria Case Notification (MCN). MCN conducts both passive and reactive case detection, supported by a mobile phone-based reporting tool called Coconut Surveillance. Using data obtained from RTI International and the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Program (ZAMEP), analysis of summary statistics was conducted to investigate the association of response time with geography, and time series techniques were used to investigate trends in response time and its association with the number of reported cases. Results indicated that response time varied by the district in Zanzibar (0.6-6.05 days) and that it was not associated with calendar time or the number of reported cases. Survey responses and focus groups with a cadre of health workers, district malaria surveillance officers, shed light on operational challenges faced during case investigation, such as incomplete health records and transportation issues, which stem from deficiencies in aspects of ZAMEP's program management. These findings illustrate that timely response for malaria elimination depends on effective program management, despite the automation of web-based or mobile phone-based tools. For surveillance-response systems to work optimally, malaria programs should ensure that optimal management practices are in place.Item Unknown Factors Affecting Adolescents' Willingness to Communicate Symptoms During Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review from the Children's Oncology Group.(Journal of adolescent and young adult oncology, 2019-04) McLaughlin, Colleen A; Gordon, Kristi; Hoag, Jennifer; Ranney, Lori; Terwilliger, Nancy B; Ureda, Tonya; Rodgers, CherylThe purpose of this systematic review is to (1) synthesize evidence facilitators and barriers affecting adolescent willingness to communicate symptoms to health care providers (HCPs) and (2) create practice recommendations. The PICOT (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time) question guiding the review was, among adolescents with cancer, what factors affect their willingness to communicate symptoms to HCPs? Three databases, PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychINFO, were searched using keywords from the PICOT question. Inclusion criteria included original research studies with samples of at least 51% adolescents aged 10-18 years who were receiving or had received cancer treatment. Studies were included that evaluated outcomes related to willingness to communicate in general as well as communication of specific treatment symptoms. Exclusion criteria included systematic reviews and publications emphasizing cancer screening, cancer prevention, survivorship, or decision making. A total of 11 studies were included in the systematic review. Two of the studies focused on symptom communication; the remaining nine studies focused on general communication or the overlap between general and symptom communication. Barriers to symptom and/or general communication included negative expectations, health-related uncertainty, ambiguousness with assessments, unfamiliarity, restriction of information, perceived negative provider characteristics/behaviors, adolescent circumstance, worry about others' perceptions, and provider approach. Facilitators to symptom and/or general communication included open communication, perceived favorable provider characteristics/behaviors, seasoned adolescent, and patient-provider rapport. Five practice recommendations were developed from the evidence that supports general and symptom communication between adolescents who are receiving or have completed cancer treatment and their HCPs.Item Open Access Factors affecting compliance with clinical practice guidelines for pap smear screening among healthcare providers in africa: systematic review and meta-summary of 2045 individuals.(PloS one, 2013-01) Asonganyi, Etienne; Vaghasia, Meenakshi; Rodrigues, Clarissa; Phadtare, Amruta; Ford, Anne; Pietrobon, Ricardo; Atashili, Julius; Lynch, CatherineBackground
Although the importance of the Pap smear in reducing cancer incidence and mortality is known, many countries in Africa have not initiated yet widespread national cervical cancer screening programs. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) on cervical cancer screening in developing countries; however, there is a gap between expectations and clinical performance. Thus, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-summary to identify factors affecting compliance with CPGs for Pap screening among healthcare providers in Africa.Methods
And Findings: MEDLINE, Scirus, Opengate and EMBASE databases were searched in January 2012. Studies involving medical personnel practicing in Africa, whose outcome measured any factors that affect medical personnel from using a Pap smear to screen for cervical cancer, were included. Two reviewers independently evaluated titles and abstracts, then full-texts, extracted data and assessed quality of the included studies. A descriptive analysis of the included studies was conducted. We calculated Frequency effect sizes (FES) for each finding and Intensity effect sizes (IES) for each article to represent their magnitudes in the analyses. Of 1011 studies retrieved, 11 studies were included (2045 individuals). Six different themes related to the factors affecting compliance with CPGs were identified: Insufficient Knowledge/Lack of awareness (FES = 82%), Negligence/Misbeliefs (FES = 82%), Psychological Reasons (FES = 73%), Time/Cost Constraint (FES = 36%), Insufficient infrastructure/training (FES = 45%) and also no reason given (FES = 36%). IES for articles ranged between 33 and 83%.Conclusions
These results suggest that prevention initiatives should be comprehensive to include education and resources needs assessments and improvement, Pap smear test training, strategies on costing, and practitioner time studies.Item Open Access From Community Laywomen to Breast Health Workers: A Pilot Training Model to Implement Clinical Breast Exam Screening in Malawi.(PloS one, 2016-01) Gutnik, Lily; Moses, Agnes; Stanley, Christopher; Tembo, Tapiwa; Lee, Clara; Gopal, SatishBACKGROUND:Breast cancer burden is high in low-income countries. Inadequate early detection contributes to late diagnosis and increased mortality. We describe the training program for Malawi's first clinical breast exam (CBE) screening effort. METHODS:Laywomen were recruited as Breast Health Workers (BHWs) with the help of local staff and breast cancer advocates. The four-week training consisted of lectures, online modules, role-playing, case discussions, CBE using simulators and patients, and practice presentations. Ministry of Health trainers taught health communication, promotion, and education skills. Breast cancer survivors shared their experiences. Clinicians taught breast cancer epidemiology, prevention, detection, and clinical care. Clinicians and research staff taught research ethics, informed consent, data collection, and professionalism. Breast cancer knowledge was measured using pre- and post-training surveys. Concordance between BHW and clinician CBE was assessed. Breast cancer talks by BHW were evaluated on a 5-point scale in 22 areas by 3 judges. RESULTS:We interviewed 12 women, and 4 were selected as BHWs including 1 breast cancer survivor. Training was dynamic with modification based on trainee response and progress. A higher-than-anticipated level of comprehension and interest led to inclusion of additional topics like breast reconstruction. Pre-training knowledge increased from 49% to 91% correct (p<0.0001). Clinician and BHW CBE had 88% concordance (kappa 0.43). The mean rating of BHW educational talks was 4.4 (standard deviation 0.7). CONCLUSIONS:Malawian laywomen successfully completed training and demonstrated competency to conduct CBE and deliver breast cancer educational talks. Knowledge increased after training, and concordance was high between BHW and clinician CBE.Item Open Access Gaps in Hypertension Guidelines in Low- and Middle-Income Versus High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.(Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 2016-12) Owolabi, Mayowa; Olowoyo, Paul; Miranda, J Jaime; Akinyemi, Rufus; Feng, Wuwei; Yaria, Joseph; Makanjuola, Tomiwa; Yaya, Sanni; Kaczorowski, Janusz; Thabane, Lehana; Van Olmen, Josefien; Mathur, Prashant; Chow, Clara; Kengne, Andre; Saulson, Raelle; Thrift, Amanda G; Joshi, Rohina; Bloomfield, Gerald S; Gebregziabher, Mulugeta; Parker, Gary; Agyemang, Charles; Modesti, Pietro Amedeo; Norris, Shane; Ogunjimi, Luqman; Farombi, Temitope; Melikam, Ezinne Sylvia; Uvere, Ezinne; Salako, Babatunde; Ovbiagele, Bruce; COUNCIL InitiativeItem Open Access Good to Great: Quality-Improvement Initiative Increases and Sustains Pediatric Health Care Worker Hand Hygiene Compliance.(Hospital pediatrics, 2017-04) McLean, Heather S; Carriker, Charlene; Bordley, William ClayThe Joint Commission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization challenge hospitals to achieve and sustain compliance with effective hand hygiene (HH) practice; however, many inpatient units fail to achieve a high level of reliability. The aim of the project was to increase and sustain health care worker (HCW) compliance with HH protocols from 87% (level of reliability [LOR] 1) to ≥95% (LOR 2) within 9 months on 2 pediatric inpatient units in an academic children's hospital.This study was a time-series, quality-improvement project. Interventions were tested through multiple plan-do-study-act cycles on 2 pediatric inpatient units. HH compliance audits of HCWs on these units were performed randomly each week by the hospital infection prevention program. Control charts of percentages of HCW HH compliance were constructed with 3-σ (data within 3 SDs from a mean) control limits. These control limits were adjusted after achieving significant improvements in performance over time. Charts were annotated with interventions including (1) increasing awareness, (2) providing timely feedback, (3) empowering patients and families to participate in mitigation, (4) providing focused education, and (5) developing interdisciplinary HH champions.HH compliance rates improved from an average of 87% (LOR 1) to ≥95% (LOR 2) within 9 months, and this improvement has been sustained for >2 years on both pediatric inpatient units.Significant and sustained gains in HH compliance rates of ≥95% (LOR 2) can be achieved by applying high-reliability human-factor interventions.Item Open Access Gratitude at Work: Prospective Cohort Study of a Web-Based, Single-Exposure Well-Being Intervention for Health Care Workers.(Journal of medical Internet research, 2020-05-14) Adair, Kathryn C; Rodriguez-Homs, Larissa G; Masoud, Sabran; Mosca, Paul J; Sexton, J BryanBACKGROUND:Emotional exhaustion (EE) in health care workers is common and consequentially linked to lower quality of care. Effective interventions to address EE are urgently needed. OBJECTIVE:This randomized single-exposure trial examined the efficacy of a gratitude letter-writing intervention for improving health care workers' well-being. METHODS:A total of 1575 health care workers were randomly assigned to one of two gratitude letter-writing prompts (self- vs other focused) to assess differential efficacy. Assessments of EE, subjective happiness, work-life balance, and tool engagement were collected at baseline and 1-week post intervention. Participants received their EE score at baseline and quartile benchmarking scores. Paired-samples t tests, independent t tests, and correlations explored the efficacy of the intervention. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software assessed the linguistic content of the gratitude letters and associations with well-being. RESULTS:Participants in both conditions showed significant improvements in EE, happiness, and work-life balance between the intervention and 1-week follow-up (P<.001). The self-focused (vs other) instruction conditions did not differentially predict improvement in any of the measures (P=.91). Tool engagement was high, and participants reporting higher motivation to improve their EE had higher EE at baseline (P<.001) and were more likely to improve EE a week later (P=.03). Linguistic analyses revealed that participants high on EE at baseline used more negative emotion words in their letters (P=.005). Reduction in EE at the 1-week follow-up was predicted at the level of a trend by using fewer first-person (P=.06) and positive emotion words (P=.09). No baseline differences were found between those who completed the follow-up assessment and those who did not (Ps>.05). CONCLUSIONS:This single-exposure gratitude letter-writing intervention appears to be a promising low-cost, brief, and meaningful tool to improve the well-being of health care workers.Item Open Access Hand hygiene noncompliance and the cost of hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.(Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 2010-04) Cummings, Keith L; Anderson, Deverick J; Kaye, Keith SBACKGROUND: Hand hygiene noncompliance is a major cause of nosocomial infection. Nosocomial infection cost data exist, but the effect of hand hygiene noncompliance is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To estimate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-related cost of an incident of hand hygiene noncompliance by a healthcare worker during patient care. DESIGN: Two models were created to simulate sequential patient contacts by a hand hygiene-noncompliant healthcare worker. Model 1 involved encounters with patients of unknown MRSA status. Model 2 involved an encounter with an MRSA-colonized patient followed by an encounter with a patient of unknown MRSA status. The probability of new MRSA infection for the second patient was calculated using published data. A simulation of 1 million noncompliant events was performed. Total costs of resulting infections were aggregated and amortized over all events. SETTING: Duke University Medical Center, a 750-bed tertiary medical center in Durham, North Carolina. RESULTS: Model 1 was associated with 42 MRSA infections (infection rate, 0.0042%). Mean infection cost was $47,092 (95% confidence interval [CI], $26,040-$68,146); mean cost per noncompliant event was $1.98 (95% CI, $0.91-$3.04). Model 2 was associated with 980 MRSA infections (0.098%). Mean infection cost was $53,598 (95% CI, $50,098-$57,097); mean cost per noncompliant event was $52.53 (95% CI, $47.73-$57.32). A 200-bed hospital incurs $1,779,283 in annual MRSA infection-related expenses attributable to hand hygiene noncompliance. A 1.0% increase in hand hygiene compliance resulted in annual savings of $39,650 to a 200-bed hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Hand hygiene noncompliance is associated with significant attributable hospital costs. Minimal improvements in compliance lead to substantial savings.Item Open Access Implementation of the HEART Pathway: Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.(Critical pathways in cardiology, 2018-12) Gesell, Sabina B; Golden, Shannon L; Limkakeng, Alexander T; Carr, Christine M; Matuskowitz, Andrew; Smith, Lane M; Mahler, Simon AOBJECTIVE:The HEART Pathway is an evidence-based decision tool for identifying emergency department (ED) patients with acute chest pain who are candidates for early discharge, to reduce unhelpful and potentially harmful hospitalizations. Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, we sought to identify important barriers and facilitators to implementation of the HEART Pathway. STUDY SETTING:Data were collected at 4 academic medical centers. STUDY DESIGN:We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 key stakeholders (e.g., health system leaders, ED physicians). We conducted interviews before implementation of the HEART Pathway tool to identify potential barriers and facilitators to successful adoption at other regional academic medical centers. We also conducted postimplementation interviews at 1 medical center, to understand factors that contributed to successful adoption. DATA COLLECTION:Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used a Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework-driven deductive approach for coding and analysis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Potential barriers to implementation include time and resource burden, challenges specific to the electronic health record, sustained communication with and engagement of stakeholders, and patient concerns. Facilitators to implementation include strength of evidence for reduced length of stay and unnecessary testing and iatrogenic complications, ease of use, and supportive provider climate for evidence-based decision tools. CONCLUSIONS:Successful dissemination of the HEART Pathway will require addressing institution-specific barriers, which includes engaging clinical and financial stakeholders. New SMART-FHIR technologies, compatible with many electronic health record systems, can overcome barriers to health systems with limited information technology resources.Item Open Access LGBTQ-Affirmative Behavioral Health Services in Primary Care.(Primary care, 2021-06) Heredia, Dagoberto; Pankey, Tyson L; Gonzalez, Cesar ABehavioral health concerns related to sexual and gender minority stress impair functioning and limit quality of life. With greater interest in implementing LGBTQ-affirmative health care practices, primary care providers likely will see larger numbers of LGBTQ individuals presenting with behavioral health concerns. Behavioral health and medical providers may not feel prepared to address the biological, psychological, social, and cultural minority stress factors that have an impact on LGBTQ patients. LGBTQ-affirmative behavioral health providers in primary care can offer a unique service by conducting tailored evaluations and individualized interventions targeting multifactorial influences that cause and perpetuate psychological distress in LGBTQ patients.Item Open Access Mixed Methods Survey of Zoonotic Disease Awareness and Practice among Animal and Human Healthcare Providers in Moshi, Tanzania.(PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2016-03) Zhang, Helen L; Mnzava, Kunda W; Mitchell, Sarah T; Melubo, Matayo L; Kibona, Tito J; Cleaveland, Sarah; Kazwala, Rudovick R; Crump, John A; Sharp, Joanne P; Halliday, Jo EBBACKGROUND: Zoonoses are common causes of human and livestock illness in Tanzania. Previous studies have shown that brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever account for a large proportion of human febrile illness in northern Tanzania, yet they are infrequently diagnosed. We conducted this study to assess awareness and knowledge regarding selected zoonoses among healthcare providers in Moshi, Tanzania; to determine what diagnostic and treatment protocols are utilized; and obtain insights into contextual factors contributing to the apparent under-diagnosis of zoonoses. METHODOLOGY/RESULTS: We conducted a questionnaire about zoonoses knowledge, case reporting, and testing with 52 human health practitioners and 10 livestock health providers. Immediately following questionnaire administration, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 of these respondents, using the findings of a previous fever etiology study to prompt conversation. Sixty respondents (97%) had heard of brucellosis, 26 (42%) leptospirosis, and 20 (32%) Q fever. Animal sector respondents reported seeing cases of animal brucellosis (4), rabies (4), and anthrax (3) in the previous 12 months. Human sector respondents reported cases of human brucellosis (15, 29%), rabies (9, 18%) and anthrax (6, 12%). None reported leptospirosis or Q fever cases. Nineteen respondents were aware of a local diagnostic test for human brucellosis. Reports of tests for human leptospirosis or Q fever, or for any of the study pathogens in animals, were rare. Many respondents expressed awareness of malaria over-diagnosis and zoonoses under-diagnosis, and many identified low knowledge and testing capacity as reasons for zoonoses under-diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed differences in knowledge of different zoonoses and low case report frequencies of brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever. There was a lack of known diagnostic services for leptospirosis and Q fever. These findings emphasize a need for improved diagnostic capacity alongside healthcare provider education and improved clinical guidelines for syndrome-based disease management to provoke diagnostic consideration of locally relevant zoonoses in the absence of laboratory confirmation.
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