Simplification of Health and Social Services Enrollment and Eligibility: Lessons for California From Interviews in Four States

Explores state officials' and advocates' views on issues involved in streamlining enrollment and eligibility processes, including the importance of staff buy-in, community partners' outreach efforts, and technological challenges and lessons learned

Questions & Answers About Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Title I of the ADA makes it unlawful for any employer to discriminate against a qualified applicant or employee because of a disability in any aspect of employment. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act provides the same protections for federal government employees and applicants. In addition, most states have their own laws prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of disability. Some of these state laws may apply to smaller employers and provide protections in addition to those available under the ADA

A 3 Week Geriatric Education Program for 4th Year Medical Students at Dalhousie University

Purpose -Population demographics are shifting towards an increased average age. Yet, many medical schools still do not have mandatory comprehensive education in Geriatric Medicine. In 2001, the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Dalhousie University developed a required three-week geriatric course for fourth year medical students. This paper describes the details of the curriculum so that it can be reproduced in other settings. Results - The curriculum was successfully implemented. An examination, held at the end of each 3-week rotation, documented extensive learning of important concepts in Geriatric Medicine. The students gave positive feedback about the benefits of this training program. Conclusion -A well developed formal education program teaches students specific skills in Geriatric Medicine, which may improve the care of the growing elderly populatio

Technology in Practice (Section 2.31 of the Comprehensive Clinical Psychology: Vol. 2. Professional Issues)

The contemporary practice of psychology requires a prudent balance of traditional and emerging communication methods. Interpersonal interactions in the context of human relationship (e.g., speech, emotional expressions, and nonverbal gestures) have been a vital part of emotional healing throughout many centuries, and research findings in the 1990s underscore the importance of relational factors in effective psychological interventions (Whiston & Sexton, 1993). In addition to the time honored interpersonal communication methods of professional psychology, rapid technological advances have propelled psychologists into another sphere of communication. Today\u27s professional psychologist is increasingly expected to attain mastery in both of these communication methods-the very old and the very new

Postpartum Depression Screening of Women Veterans in Alaska Quality Improvement Project

A Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Nursing SciencePostpartum depression screening guidelines were updated by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the United States Preventive Services Task Force in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Universal postpartum depression screening is recommended where previously it was not. Postpartum depression screening is relevant to the rapidly growing population of women Veterans served by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) as part of their comprehensive health care benefits. Little information was available on the postpartum depression screening practices within the Alaska VA Healthcare System. Using a quality improvement methodology, the author identified postpartum depression screening as a topic of interest. Current practice was assessed through a retrospective chart audit of all maternity consults placed during the fiscal year 2014. The chart audit revealed an 81% postpartum depression screening rate. Incomplete data limited a full statistical analysis; however, all women who returned to an Alaska VA clinic, received screening and treatment. An informational brochure was developed for women and their health care providers highlighting postpartum depression screening and treatment resources.Title Page / Abstract / Table of Contents / List of Tables / List of Appendices / Introduction / Purpose / Literature Review / Implications for Nursing Practice / Methods / Results / Discussion / Conclusion / References / Appendice

Strategies to Increase Food Stamp Participation

Discusses the benefits, for both individuals and states, of boosting participation in food and nutrition programs. Recommends strategies and best practices to expand participation while lowering costs, such as coordinating efforts with other programs

User Interfaces for Patient-Centered Communication of Health Status and Care Progress

The recent trend toward patients participating in their own healthcare has opened up numerous opportunities for computing research. This dissertation focuses on how technology can foster this participation, through user interfaces to effectively communicate personal health status and care progress to hospital patients. I first characterize the design space for electronic information communication to patients through field studies conducted in multiple hospital settings. These studies utilize a combination of survey instruments, and low- and high-fidelity prototypes, including a document-editing prototype through which users can view and manage clinical data to automatically associate it with progress notes. The prototype, activeNotes, includes the first known techniques supporting clinical information requests directly within a document editor. A usage study with ICU physicians at New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYP) substantiated our design and revealed how electronic information related to patient status and care progress is derived from a typical Electronic Health Record system. Insights gained from this study informed following studies to understand how to design abstracted, plain-language views suitable for patients. We gauged both patient and physician responses to information display prototypes deployed in patient rooms for a formative study exploring their design. Following my reports on this study, I discuss the design, development and pilot evaluations of a prototype Personal Health Record application providing live, abstracted clinical information for patients at NYP. The portal, evaluated by cardiothoracic surgery patients, is the first of its kind to allow patients to capture and monitor live data related to their care. Patient use of the portal influenced the subsequent design of tools to support users in making sense of online medication information. These tools, designed with nurses and pharmacists and evaluated by cardiothoracic surgery patients at NYP, were developed using topic modeling approaches and text analysis techniques. Embodied in a prototype called Remedy, they enable rapid filtering and comparison of medication-related search results, based on a number of website features and content topics. I conclude by discussing how findings from this series of studies can help shape the ongoing design and development of patient-centered technology

Data DNA: The Next Generation of Statistical Metadata

Describes the components of a complete statistical metadata system and suggests ways to create and structure metadata for better access and understanding of data sets by diverse users

The Promise of Health Information Technology: Ensuring that Florida's Children Benefit

Substantial policy interest in supporting the adoption of Health Information Technology (HIT) by the public and private sectors over the last 5 -- 7 years, was spurred in particular by the release of multiple Institute of Medicine reports documenting the widespread occurrence of medical errors and poor quality of care (Institute of Medicine, 1999 & 2001). However, efforts to focus on issues unique to children's health have been left out of many of initiatives. The purpose of this report is to identify strategies that can be taken by public and private entities to promote the use of HIT among providers who serve children in Florida