Instilling Diet and Exercise Confidence: Influence of Nurse Body Size

This paper reports a research study focused on perspective of nurse body size and how it affects confidence in a nurses’ ability to provide education on diet and exercise. The study followed a descriptive method design guided by a cross-sectional survey with quantitative variables. Results show that there is increased confidence in a nurse’s ability to provide education and influence habits regarding diet and exercise when the nurse role models such behaviors. Other findings presented include respondents’ perception of their body mass index versus their actual body mass index, percentage of respondents with health care conditions related to obesity, and percentage of respondents who have received education on diet and exercise from a heath care professional. The results of the study will enhance nursing literature and will benefit registered nurses, advance practice nurses, and nurse educators. It will provide nurses with an increased understanding of how their body size can influence receptiveness to teaching on diet and exercise

Childhood Obesity: The Role of Health Policy

This first policy report from the CPRC and the NICHQ Childhood Obesity Action Network was released on March 18, 2008 in Miami Florida as part of the Second Childhood Obesity Congress

Occupational therapists’ views of using a virtual reality interior design application within the pre-discharge home visit process

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Background: A key role of Occupational Therapists (OTs) is to carry out pre-discharge home visits (PHV) and propose appropriate adaptations to the home environment, to enable patients to function independently after hospital-home discharge. However, research shows that more than 50% of specialist equipment installed as part of home adaptations is not used by patients. A key reason for this is that decisions about home adaptations are often made without adequate collaboration and consultation with the patient. Consequently, there is an urgent need to seek out new and innovative uses of technology to facilitate patient/practitioner collaboration, engagement and shared decision making in the PHV process. Virtual reality interior design applications (VRIDAs) primarily allow users to simulate the home environment and visualise changes prior to implementing them. Customised VRIDAs, which also model specialist occupational therapy equipment, could become a valuable tool to facilitate improved patient/practitioner collaboration if developed effectively and integrated into the PHV process. Objective: To explore the perceptions of occupational therapists with regards to using VRIDAs as an assistive tool within the PHV process. Methods: Task-oriented interactive usability sessions, utilising the think-aloud protocol and subsequent semi-structured interviews were carried out with seven Occupational Therapists who possessed significant experience across a range of clinical settings. Template analysis was carried out on the think-aloud and interview data. Analysis was both inductive and driven by theory, centring around the parameters that impact upon the acceptance, adoption and use of this technology in practice as indicated by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Results: OTs’ perceptions were identified relating to three core themes: (1) perceived usefulness (PU), (2) perceived ease of use (PEoU), and (3) actual use (AU). Regarding PU, OTs believed VRIDAs had promising potential to increase understanding, enrich communications and patient involvement, and improved patient/practitioner shared understanding. However, it was unlikely that VRIDAs would be suitable for use with cognitively impaired patients. For PEoU, all OTs were able to use the software and complete the tasks successfully, however, participants noted numerous specialist equipment items that could be added to the furniture library. AU perceptions were positive regarding use of the application across a range of clinical settings including children/young adults, long-term conditions, neurology, older adults, and social services. However, some “fine tuning” may be necessary if the application is to be optimally used in practice. Conclusions: Participants perceived the use of VRIDAs in practice would enhance levels of patient/practitioner collaboration and provide a much needed mechanism via which patients are empowered to become more equal partners in decisions made about their care. Further research is needed to explore patient perceptions of VRIDAs, to make necessary customisations accordingly, and to explore deployment of the application in a collaborative patient/practitioner-based context

Addressing the Quality and Safety Gap Part II: How Nurses Are Shaping, and Being Shaped by, Health Information Technologies

Explores the role of health information technologies (HIT) in improving patient safety and the role of nurses in designing, implementing, and educating clinicians to use HIT, including electronic health records and bar code medication administration

Consolidated List of Requirements

This document is a consolidated catalogue of requirements for the Electronic Health Care Record (EHCR) and Electronic Health Care Record Architecture (EHCRA), gleaned largely from work done in the EU Framework III and IV programmes and CEN, but also including input from other sources including world-wide standardisation initiatives. The document brings together the relevant work done into a classified inventory of requirements to inform the on-going standardisation process as well as act as a guide to future implementation of EHCRA-based systems. It is meant as a contribution both to understanding of the standard and to the work that is being considered to improve the standard. Major features include the classification into issues affecting the Health Care Record, the EHCR, EHCR processing, EHCR interchange and the sharing of health care information and EHCR systems. The principal information sources are described briefly. It is offered as documentation that is complementary to the four documents of the ENV 13606 Parts I-IV produced by CEN Pts 26,27,28,29. The requirements identified and classified in this deliverable are referenced in other deliverables

Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Abstracts 2005

Proceedings of the Advances in Teaching & Learning Day Regional Conference held at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2005

The Impact of Accountable Care: Interactions between patients and payers – Where do pharmacists lie?

Introduction: Over the past several years, patient outcomes became the focus of health care. With increased accountability, pharmacy education must transform the next generation of health care providers according to the new 2016 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education standards, which includes preparing future pharmacists to provide patient-centered care and population health. Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS) faculty have responded by creating a required, four semester, integrated course series: Pharmacy Practice and Healthcare Administration. Purpose: To design a chapter within a pharmacy based textbook, which will replace the physician based Health Care Handbook currently used in the series. Methods: A literature search utilizing EBSCO, MEDLINE, and Pharmacist’s Letter provided content for chapter outlines. Online patient-centered resources and personal experiences assisting patients provided examples of community pharmacy encounters. Both the outline and written chapter underwent multiple revisions based upon faculty feedback. Product: Chapter 2: Patient to Payer Interactions focuses on patient interactions with private and public payers and provides practice cases that can serve as application tools. Publishing involves seven faculty (six COPHS; one Library) and six COPHS students. With chapter structure revisions and final editing underway, the ebook is scheduled for release in Fall 2017. Conclusions: Chapter 2 content provides an additional perspective on patient-centered care focused on access, cost, and quality. By accessing quality care, future pharmacist will not only help patients select the care they want and need, but also manage the cost of care. Once completed, the book will undergo peer and student review