Assessing Latino Caregiver’s Knowledge and Understanding of Medication Management for Children and the Use of Health Technology to Gather Information

For people with low literacy who come from other cultures, accessing, understanding and using the United States healthcare system is challenging. Existing literature states that low parental health literacy among the Latino population is related to poor health outcomes for their children. This project explores Latino caregiver’s health practices and the possible uses of technology, specifically Smartphone applications (apps), to provide information about their child’s health care. The project included two focus group sessions (one in English, one in Spanish) with a total of 17 caregivers who attend a Head Start Program. The focus groups addressed two aims: (1) to understand caregivers\u27 current knowledge and issues concerning medication management for their children; (2) to assess the current use and effectiveness of existing technology by caregivers to obtain health information. The findings suggest that caregivers are interested and could benefit from a culturally appropriate and linguistically responsive Smartphone health app. While both focus groups discussed features they would like to see in a health app, the Spanish-speaking group emphasized their personal experiences with access, communication with providers, and challenges with navigating the health care system. Caregivers identified a lack of trust that they have with the medical system which suggests the need for education of health care providers to improve their communication skills and understanding of the needs of the Latino population

Program Design: a Practical Guide for Creating EL Programs with a Focus on Social-Emotional Development

The research question addressed in this project was, how can English Language (EL) teachers design a program that best serves the social-emotional needs of English Learners (ELs)? The author of this capstone documented her personal experience as a first-year teacher, which inspired her to research methods to improve students’ social-emotional skill sets. The available research on social-emotional learning was merged with theories concerning second language learning to create a framework that addresses the social-emotional learning of ELs. A website was created for secondary EL teachers featuring articles and teaching resources

Using technology in service delivery to families, children and young people

This paper provides an overview of how the innovative use of technology can add value to service delivery in organisations working with families, children and young people.Key messages:Most Australians have access to the Internet and use mobile devices to connect from anywhere, at any time. Research suggests that even isolated and marginalised groups are using technology in their everyday lives.For some groups (e.g., young people), technology may be their preferred method of communication.There appears to be a difference between how people are using the Internet (regularly, from anywhere, connecting with social networks, investigating services) and how some organisations are engaging with it (infrequently, in one direction).Technology works best when used to augment or improve existing services for clients, or to offer innovative approaches to existing services.Technology can be used in diverse ways for organisational improvement (e.g., remote access, staff training, professional development) or client services (e.g., online counselling, SMS appointment reminders, access to resources).Using technology does not necessarily involve large monetary investments or reinventing the wheel in terms of policy and procedures. Often it is a matter of adapting and refining existing services and policies to better suit the online world.Incorporating technology into services takes time, and will need continued assessment and refinement to be successful

Partnering With Stakeholders to Inform the Co-Design of a Psychosocial Intervention for Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Disease

Input from diverse stakeholders is critical to the process of designing healthcare interventions. This study applied a novel mixed-methods, stakeholder-engaged approach to co-design a psychosocial intervention for mothers expecting a baby with congenital heart disease (CHD) and their partners to promote family wellbeing. The research team included parents and clinicians from 8 health systems. Participants were 41 diverse parents of children with prenatally diagnosed CHD across the 8 health systems. Qualitative data were collected through online crowdsourcing and quantitative data were collected through electronic surveys to inform intervention co-design. Phases of intervention co-design were: (I) Engage stakeholders in selection of intervention goals/outcomes; (II) Engage stakeholders in selection of intervention elements; (III) Obtain stakeholder input to increase intervention uptake/utility; (IV) Obtain stakeholder input on aspects of intervention design; and (V) Obtain stakeholder input on selection of outcome measures. Parent participants anticipated the resulting intervention, HEARTPrep, would be acceptable, useful, and feasible for parents expecting a baby with CHD. This model of intervention co-design could be used for the development of healthcare interventions across chronic diseases

Drug Overdose Prevention 2023: Equity-Focused Risk Mitigation Resources for Opioid/Stimulant Use Disorder

The purpose of this document is to summarize and synthesize risk mitigation resources related to the opioid crisis in terms of their potential application in Nebraska, with an emphasis on health equity initiatives in the geographic region including Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Exemplary resources from select other states are included and annotated, as well. Our research team sought equity-focused, evidence-based models in use regionally, as well as ancillary resources to inform Nebraska’s drug overdose prevention efforts for opioid use disorder and/or stimulant use disorder

'The drug survey app' : a protocol for developing and validating an interactive population survey tool for drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

Background: Disadvantage and transgenerational trauma contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians being more likely to experience adverse health consequences from alcohol and other drug use than non-Indigenous peoples. Addressing these health inequities requires local monitoring of alcohol and other drug use. While culturally appropriate methods for measuring drinking patterns among Indigenous Australians have been established, no similar methods are available for measuring other drug use patterns (amount and frequency of consumption). This paper describes a protocol for creating and validating a tablet-based survey for alcohol and other drugs (“The Drug Survey App”). Methods: The Drug Survey App will be co-designed with stakeholders including Indigenous Australian health professionals, addiction specialists, community leaders, and researchers. The App will allow participants to describe their drug use fexibly with an interactive, visual interface. The validity of estimated consumption patterns, and risk assessments will be tested against those made in clinical interviews conducted by Indigenous Australian health professionals. We will then trial the App as a population survey tool by using the App to determine the prevalence of substance use in two Indigenous communities. Discussion: The App could empower Indigenous Australian communities to conduct independent research that informs local prevention and treatment efforts

'The Drug Survey App': a protocol for developing and validating an interactive population survey tool for drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

BACKGROUND: Disadvantage and transgenerational trauma contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians being more likely to experience adverse health consequences from alcohol and other drug use than non-Indigenous peoples. Addressing these health inequities requires local monitoring of alcohol and other drug use. While culturally appropriate methods for measuring drinking patterns among Indigenous Australians have been established, no similar methods are available for measuring other drug use patterns (amount and frequency of consumption). This paper describes a protocol for creating and validating a tablet-based survey for alcohol and other drugs ("The Drug Survey App"). METHODS: The Drug Survey App will be co-designed with stakeholders including Indigenous Australian health professionals, addiction specialists, community leaders, and researchers. The App will allow participants to describe their drug use flexibly with an interactive, visual interface. The validity of estimated consumption patterns, and risk assessments will be tested against those made in clinical interviews conducted by Indigenous Australian health professionals. We will then trial the App as a population survey tool by using the App to determine the prevalence of substance use in two Indigenous communities. DISCUSSION: The App could empower Indigenous Australian communities to conduct independent research that informs local prevention and treatment efforts

Promoting the engagement of interpreters in Victorian health services

This study examined a range of evidence about the barriers to - and facilitators of - the engagement of interpreters as experienced by the health sector and its practitioners.Executive summaryEffective communication between health practitioners and their clients is fundamental to ensure the safety and quality of health care. For the thousands of Victorians with low English proficiency, effective communication in a health setting cannot be achieved without an appropriately skilled interpreter. Yet evidence shows that there are many occasions when credentialled interpreters are not engaged even though they should be, creating risks for both clients and health practitioners.Communication in health care settings allows the health practitioner to accurately understand the client’s health concerns and symptoms. It enables the client to be able to provide informed consent, understand diagnoses, receive information and understand risks associated with medication or treatment. Compliance with follow-up care also requires effective communication, as does the client’s ability to advise the practitioner of any adverse effects or other concerns regarding treatment.Around 4 per cent of Victorians speak English ‘not well’ or ‘not at all’. For these members of the community, effective communication in a health setting cannot be achieved without an interpreter who has the necessary range of skills to undertake the task competently and ethically.Professional interpreting has been a key discipline in the health sector in Victoria for over 30 years. However evidence shows that the engagement of credentialled interpreters is still not commensurate with the needs of the community. The issue is of concern nationally. A recent study found that a client with low English proficiency had only a one in one hundred chance of having a professional interpreter engaged when required in a primary care setting in Australia.Shortfalls in the provision of interpreting services constitute a major barrier to addressing inequalities in health care.This study examined a range of evidence about the barriers to - and facilitators of - the engagement of interpreters, as experienced by the health sector and its practitioners. Based on the evidence examined, recommendations are made in relation to:Strengthening legislation, organisational and professional guidelines and standards Closing gaps in Commonwealth funding for interpreters Ensuring Victorian Government funding for interpreters for state administered and funded health services is commensurate with needAdjusting the national funding formula for hospitals to provide weighting for the engagement of interpreters when patients have low English proficiencyEncouraging health services and tertiary institutions to routinely provide training on working with interpreters in professional development and professional practice education Promoting organisational development to ensure policy and practices are in place for effective engagement of credentialled interpreters to meet a variety of demands across language groups Developing initiatives to ensure the supply of interpreters in new-arrival languages and the capacity of the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) to test in these languages. The evidence also indicates that there is an insufficient supply of credentialled interpreters who have skills in working in complex health environments. There is a compelling case for a broad national workforce and industry review

Cultural Health Literacy: A Case Study of Somali Refugee\u27s Information-Seeking Behavior and Health Communication Praxis

This case study examines Somalian refugees who have sought health information from a trusted source and how it affected their health decision. Health literacy, the ability to find, understand, and use health information and make health decisions, is an understood barrier to achieving optimal health. Social determinants affect an individual’s ability to access and appropriately use the information for decision-making. The communication inequality theory states that health disparities occur when communication inequalities transpire across the communication continuum, and inequitable access to learning manifests within specific individuals or groups. Research data was collected using a sociodemographic and SNS use questionnaire and interviews. The findings were analyzed using a spiral analysis process. Data analysis determined four themes and eight subthemes answering the CRQ and SRQs. Information access, information processing, source trust, and decision-making themes guided the research findings and implications. This study showed that those with more education and who were proficient in English had more access to mediating communication factors, allowing them to intentionally look for and understand health information to gain knowledge to make an informed health decision