Women’s Health educational opportunities at the University of Iowa’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s educational programs span a continuum of learners from undergraduate premedical students to continuing education for practicing providers in Iowa and nearby states. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is committed to teaching women-centered, compassionate, evidence-based care and fostering life-long learning. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is a part of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the University of Iowa Health Care at the University of Iowa

Unleashing Top-of-License Registered Nurse Practice: An Integrative Review

In light of a well-renowned report, “The Future of Nursing” released by the Institute of Medicine (2010), recommendations were suggested that nurses should practice at, and to, the full extent of their licensure, also referred to as top-of-license nursing practice. Transforming nursing care models coupled with strong leadership support is critical to fostering an environment where top-of-license practice can be fully achieved and sustained. This integrative review provides a compilation and synthesis of the available published evidence regarding the best practices for fostering environments conducive to top-of-license nursing practice. Results of these studies strongly supports the notion of nurses practicing to the full extent of their education and training

Psychometric Evaluation and Design of Patient-Centered Communication Measures for Cancer Care Settings

Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of questions that assess patient perceptions of patient-provider communication and design measures of patient-centered communication (PCC). Methods Participants (adults with colon or rectal cancer living in North Carolina) completed a survey at 2 to 3 months post-diagnosis. The survey included 87 questions in six PCC Functions: Exchanging Information, Fostering Health Relationships, Making Decisions, Responding to Emotions, Enabling Patient Self-Management, and Managing Uncertainty. For each Function we conducted factor analyses, item response theory modeling, and tests for differential item functioning, and assessed reliability and construct validity. Results Participants included 501 respondents; 46% had a high school education or less. Reliability within each Function ranged from 0.90 to 0.96. The PCC-Ca-36 (36-question survey; reliability=0.94) and PCC-Ca-6 (6-question survey; reliability=0.92) measures differentiated between individuals with poor and good health (i.e., known-groups validity) and were highly correlated with the HINTS communication scale (i.e., convergent validity). Conclusion This study provides theory-grounded PCC measures found to be reliable and valid in colorectal cancer patients in North Carolina. Future work should evaluate measure validity over time and in other cancer populations. Practice implications The PCC-Ca-36 and PCC-Ca-6 measures may be used for surveillance, intervention research, and quality improvement initiatives

Financing Housing Supports for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

This strategy brief, written by The Finance Project with support from the Foster Care Work Group (FCWG), one of three work groups of the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG), explores strategies for financing supports and services that help foster youth make successful transitions to adulthood. Foundation leaders participating in the YTFG are committed to achieving a common visio -- ensuring that vulnerable youth are connected by age 25 to institutions and support systems that will enable them to succeed throughout adulthood. The FCWG brings together foundation leaders with a shared interest in preparing youth in foster care for their transition out of the child welfare system and providing them pathways to lifelong economic well-being

Staying Power Longer Stays in the My First Place Program Contribute to Successful Outcomes for Transition Age Youth

This paper suggests that a well-structured "housing first" program that combines access to permanent housing, education and employment support, yields strong positive outcomes for youth. We find that youth who stay in program longer are more likely to exit into stable housing and make significant progress in achieving their employment, education, and healthy living goals. This finding holds true for youth who entered program with a variety of risk factors. Additionally, the paper identifies the program practices and policies that support these greater outcomes and ultimately save public resources

Health Care Opinion Leaders' Views on Delivery System Innovation and Improvement

Presents survey results on healthcare experts' views on strategies and models for fostering coordination and integration, such as accountable care systems, medical homes, and bundled payments; priorities among reform provisions; and market concerns

Place-Based Strategies to Improve Access to Health Care in Rural Iowa

Capstone paper from 2015 spring MPA program. Instructed by Allen Zagoren.Sustaining the viability of rural communities depends largely upon citizens’ access to high-quality healthcare, and in tandem, citizens’ access to high-quality healthcare depends upon the success of the community as a whole. In order to overcome the challenges most acutely experienced in rural healthcare such as physician recruitment, reimbursement, and the providing of specialized services; community leaders and healthcare administrators should consider a comprehensive and integrated approach for health care delivery. Current methods are targeted at improvements within the healthcare system itself, but this siloed approach is not effectively capitalizing on opportunities for improvement and long-term sustainability. Strategies to achieve a more holistic approach to providing include collaboration of public and private entities, proactive development in rural communities, cultivating and fostering the next generation, increasing coordination of care, and increasing engagement of current local providers in discussions about community development. Through collaboration between the community and healthcare facilities, communities along the urban-rural continuum should work towards emphasizes their unique strengths to help draw physicians and other health professionals to the area, thereby creating improved health delivery and outcomes for residents