The Effectiveness of Tablet-based Application for Older Adults with Diabetes Mellitus Type II: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Advances in technological applications such as tablet-based computers is growing dramatically in the field of healthcare, as there is a considerable eagerness for mobile health interventions. Tablet-based interventions can have positive effects on both health and health service delivery processes (Free et al, 2013). Technological applications have been developed for a wide range of healthcare needs, including patient registration, data management, and self- management applications. Background: The usefulness of technology and the powerful capabilities of technological applications have led to a significantly increased interest in finding novel approaches to support older adults’ self-management.Self-management technological applications have been used in various contexts, and usability is key in sustainability and adoption of such technologies. Theoretical Framework: The study will be guided by the self-management model of Maintaining the Balance (Jacelon, 2010). Design: Quasi-experimental design. Methods: Quantitative standardized measures will be used in this study. A purposive sample of 24 elderly patients with DMII will be recruited for the study. The descriptive and inferential analysis will be used to analyze the quantitative data. Results: This is an ongoing project, and the study is currently in the recruitment and data collection phase.The final patient is expected to be enrolled by the end of March 2017. We hope to recruit approximately 24 patients to the study. Analyses will focus on usability attributes (effectiveness, efficacy, errors/simplicity, and overall satisfaction), perceived diabetes self-management and blood glucose level are the main outcomes. Conclusion: A well-designed application with new features has the ability to provide more promising results regarding improving the quality of life, supporting informed decision making, improving communication with care providers, promoting active collaboration with care teams, encouraging self-care behaviors, problem-solving, improving health status, and improving clinical outcomes

Development and Pilot Test of Pictograph-Enhanced Breast Healthcare Instructions for Community-Residing Immigrant Women

Current written text-based health-care instructions are not suitable for presenting lengthy, complex breast health-care instructions and are difficult for immigrant women with limited literacy skills. The aims of this study were to develop breast health-care instructions enhanced by pictographs (simple line drawings representing health-care actions) and pilot test the instructions in a sample of six immigrant women with limited literacy skills. Based on the Mayer\u27s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, pictographs were developed in addition to low-literacy text. The text and the pictographs were then pilot tested with six immigrant women in community health centres for clarity, comprehension and acceptability through face-to-face interviews. Participants perceived that the drawings were engaging and enhanced clarity of the intended health-care messages. The black and white simple line drawings were well received by participants of varying race and ethnicity. The pictograph-based approach might be an effective tool in developing health-care instructions for immigrant women with limited literacy skills. Future research is needed to compare the effect of pictograph-enhanced instructions with written text-based instructions on adherence to instructions and health outcomes. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd

Older Adults’ Perception of Pictograph-Based Discharge Instructions After Hip-Replacement Surgery.

Current text-based discharge instructions are unsuitable for low-literate older adults who have difficulty following written action-based instructions. To address this issue, we developed discharge instructions for low-literate older adults after hip replacement surgery using pictographs (i.e., simple line drawings with stick figures showing explicit care actions). The aim of this focus group study was to examine the acceptability and comprehension of these instructions to 15 low-literate older adults. Participants perceived that the pictograph-based discharge instructions helped them understand the intended health care messages, especially for step-by-step procedures of discharge actions. The black-and-white line drawings were well received by all participants of various race/ethnicity. A pictograph-based approach is an effective strategy for developing discharge instructions not only for patients with low literacy skills in acute health care settings, but also for immigrants with significant communication challenges. Future research is suggested to compare the effects of pictograph-based and text-based instructions on adherence to instructions and health outcomes. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated

Comparative Assessment of Informatics Competencies in Three Undergraduate Programs

This study was conducted to determine and compare the informatics competencies of students in three undergraduate tracks: Traditional Pre-Licensure, Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and Accelerated BSN. Data were collected from 131 students in fall 2011 using a 30-item Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale. Scale scores indicated that RN to BSN (mean=3.21) and Accelerated BSN (mean=3.01) students were competent in informatics, but not Traditional Pre-Licensure students (mean=2.82). Comparison of competency scores by track reveal that RN to BSN and Traditional Pre-Licensure students differed significantly in overall informatics competency (F(2, 92)=4.31, p=.02). This difference may reflect students’ different levels of clinical nursing experience and the learning format of each track. All students perceived they lacked competence in two subscale areas, “Applied computer skills” and “Clinical informatics role.” These findings provide insight about the strengths and weakness of the informatics competencies of nursing students and warrant attention from nurse educators when designing nursing curricula

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Comparative Assessment of Informatics Competencies in Three Undergraduate Programs

Abstract This study was conducted to determine and compare the informatics competencies of students in three undergraduate tracks: Traditional PreLicensure, Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and Accelerated BSN. Data were collected from 131 students in fall 2011 using a 30-item Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale. Scale scores indicated that RN to BSN (mean=3.21) and Accelerated BSN (mean=3.01) students were competent in informatics, but not Traditional Pre-Licensure students (mean=2.82). Comparison of competency scores by track reveal that RN to BSN and Traditional Pre-Licensure students differed significantly in overall informatics competency (F(2, 92) =4.31, p=.02). This difference may reflect students' different levels of clinical nursing experience and the learning format of each track. All students perceived they lacked competence in two subscale areas, "Applied computer skills" and "Clinical informatics role." These findings provide insight about the strengths and weakness of the informatics competencies of nursing students and warrant attention from nurse educators when designing nursing curricula

Validation of the Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale Among Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Students

This study investigated the psychometrics of the Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Scale for nursing students in undergraduate (n = 131) and graduate (n = 171) programs. The scale had a valid five-factor structure, accounting for 69.38% of the variance, high internal consistency reliabilities (0.96 for the total scale and 0.84 to 0.94 for subscales), and good responsiveness (standardized response mean = 0.99), as well as significantly improved scores in nursing students with diverse demographic and educational backgrounds after taking an informatics course. Our factor structure was similar to the original scale, differing slightly in four items’ loadings. This difference may reflect current informatics practice or the greater diversity of our sample. Further research is needed on the factor, data/information management skills, and related item loadings. This scale could be used to assess informatics competencies and develop educational strategies that prepare nursing students as informatics-competent graduates in information technology–rich environments

Nurses’ Interpretation of Patient Status Descriptions on the Braden Scale

The risk of pressure ulcers is widely assessed using the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Ulcer Risk, which describes patient characteristics for various severity levels. However, many of these characteristics are described in vague terms that nurses may interpret inconsistently, potentially threatening scale reliability. To examine the consistency of nurses\u27 interpretations of five vaguely described patient characteristics on the Braden Scale we surveyed a convenience sample of 102 nurses and compared their interpretations with those of two nurse experts. The results show large variations in nurses\u27 interpretations. Although the highest frequency of nurses\u27 responses to the majority of descriptions was consistent with the experts\u27 interpretation, the large variation in responses may seriously threaten consistent and accurate assessment of pressure-ulcer risk with the Braden Scale. Our findings suggest that training programs provide operational definitions of these vague patient descriptions, so the Braden Scale can be used consistently in patient care