Engaging Students by Going the Extra Mile

For the last three years, library faculty have provided face-to-face and distance literacy instruction sessions to health professional students on five campuses around the country, strengthening connections between students and the main campus. Faculty appreciate the interdisciplinary collaboration and students receive instruction in essential research skills. This model highlights the benefits of incorporating librarians into your curriculum

Creating Interactive Online Instruction: The McGoogan Library Experience.

Online instruction is a hot topic at academic medical centers. Seizing the opportunity to join the online movement at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the McGoogan Library created an open access course made up of six learning modules. The modules addressed three issues: 1) supplementing one-shot library instruction, 2) offering opportunity for instruction when a librarian is not embedded in a course, and 3) showcasing the library as an online instruction supporter. This article discusses the planning process, technology used, how the modules were received, and how this initial project increased McGoogan Library\u27s involvement in the UNMC online movement

Quantitative Assessment of Root Development after Regenerative Endodontic Therapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction The purposes of this review were to appraise the level of evidence of the existing regenerative endodontic therapy (RET) publications, perform a meta-analysis on the survival and healing rates of necrotic immature permanent teeth treated with RET, and run a meta-analysis on the quantitative assessment of the root development of those teeth. Methods Electronic searches were performed in Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Cochrane Library databases. Two authors independently screened the titles and abstracts for eligibility. The analyses were performed on the clinical outcomes (ie, survival, healing, and root development) of the procedure. Results Eleven articles were included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses. Three studies were randomized controlled trials, 6 were prospective cohort studies, and 2 were retrospective cohort studies. The pooled survival and healing rates were 97.3% and 93.0%, respectively. The pooled rates of root lengthening, root thickening, and apical closure were 77.3%, 90.6%, and 79.1%, respectively. However, if 20% radiographic changes were used as a cutoff point, there were only 16.1% root lengthening and 39.8% root thickening. Conclusions Within the limitations of the present study, it can be concluded that RET yielded high survival and healing rates with a good root development rate. However, clinical meaningful root development after RET was unpredictable

Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties of Instruments Measuring Patient Preferences for Engagement in Health Care

Aim To identify, critically appraise, and summarize instruments that measure patients’ preferences for engagement in health care. Design Psychometric systematic literature review. Data sources PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to March 2019. Review methods Three reviewers independently evaluated the ‘methodological quality’ and the ‘measurement properties’ of the included instruments using the Consensus‐based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist and Terwee\u27s quality criteria. Each instrument was given a Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) score. The review was registered at PROSPERO (registry number CRD42018109253). Results A total of 16 studies evaluating 8 instruments measuring patients’ preferences for engagement in health care were included. All instruments were downgraded for their ‘methodological quality’ or ‘measurement properties’, or a combination of both. Common concerns were lack of theoretical basis, absence of patient input during development, incorrect usage and reporting of validity measures and absence of a priori hypotheses to test validity. Conclusions There were no identified instruments that demonstrated adequate evidence for all measurement properties. The Patient Preferences for Patient Participation Scale (4Ps) and 10‐item Decisional Engagement Scale (DES‐10) had the highest overall GRADE scores; however, each had some underlying developmental or methodological issues. Impact Assessing how patients prefer to engage in their care is a critical first step to truly individualize engagement interventions to meet patient expectations. Systematic reviews of measures of patient experience with engagement in health care have been undertaken but none are available on measures of patient preferences for engagement. The results highlight the need to further develop and test instruments that measure patients’ preferences for engagement in health care within a framework for consumerism. Involving the consumer in the instrument development process will ensure that engagement strategies used by healthcare providers are relevant and individualized to consumer preferences

Building a Robust E-Learning Module Scorecard: The Nebraska E-Learning Scorecard (NEscore)

Teaching during a pandemic has compelled educators to transform traditional strategies towards more innovative solutions. These innovative solutions use a variety of educational technologies, and often, shift delivery modalities to an online or blended approach to learning. A key strategy in online teaching is the development of quality e-learning modules based on the core tenets of e-learning. E-learning modules aim to enhance knowledge, performance, and retention through interactive and engaging strategies. While the value of a quality e-learning module is well-supported in the literature, there are limited resources available for developers to assess if the module adheres to the core tenets of e-learning. The University of Nebraska Medical Center created a scorecard (Nebraska E-Learning Scorecard, NEscore) based on established core tenets for e-learning that was both useable and reliable in evaluating quality e-learning modules. To determine the usability and reliability of NEscore, we conducted a pilot study and six experts and six novice participants evaluated five e-learning modules utilizing NEscore. Reliability was calculated with Cronbach’s alpha and intra-class correlation coefficients. We also gathered data on demographic information and the perceived satisfaction of participants in using the NEscore. The findings showed strong internal consistency among scores with overall high reliability, and high consistency among participants, showing no significant difference between the two groups of experts and novices. Overall, participants were satisfied with the usability of NEscore. The NEscore offers institutions an established set of criteria to evaluate existing e-learning modules and also serves as a guide for the development of new e-learning modules

Gaps in affiliation indexing in Scopus and PubMed.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine whether unexpected gaps existed in Scopus\u27s author affiliation indexing of publications written by the University of Nebraska Medical Center or Nebraska Medicine (UNMC/NM) authors during 2014. METHODS: First, we compared Scopus affiliation identifier search results to PubMed affiliation keyword search results. Then, we searched Scopus using affiliation keywords (UNMC, etc.) and compared the results to PubMed affiliation keyword and Scopus affiliation identifier searches. RESULTS: We found that Scopus\u27s records for approximately 7% of UNMC/NM authors\u27 publications lacked appropriate UNMC/NM author affiliation identifiers, and many journals\u27 publishers were supplying incomplete author affiliation information to PubMed. CONCLUSIONS: Institutions relying on Scopus to track their impact should determine whether Scopus\u27s affiliation identifiers will, in fact, identify all articles published by their authors and investigators

Emollients to Prevent Eczema in High-Risk Infants: An Integrative Review

The purpose of this integrative review was to assess the research on topical emollients to prevent atopic dermatitis (AD) also known as eczema, in infants at high risk for this condition. Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disorder. Skin barrier dysfunction plays a prominent role in its development. Topical emollients have been hypothesized to enhance the skin barrier and prevent AD. Methods: Searches were conducted in September 2021 in PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science using key word search terms dermatitis, atopic, emollients, petrolatum, and infant, newborn. Inclusion criteria were articles written in English published between 2010 and 2021 that tested emollients in high-risk infants and measured the development of AD. Results: Eight primary research articles were included. Six studies were limited by small sample sizes, short-term application of emollients, and short-term follow-up. These studies generated inconclusive results. Two large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a combined sample of 3,791 infants found no evidence that early, regular use of emollients prevents AD among high-risk infants. Clinical Implications: Findings from two high-quality RCTs indicate that clinicians should not recommend use of emollients to prevent AD. Clinicians may provide evidence-based recommendations for infant skin care, including bathe with water or a combination of water and liquid cleanser formulated for infants, and avoid soaps. Products applied to skin should be free of scent and contact allergens. Petroleum jelly or mineral oil is appropriate to moisturize infants\u27 skin as needed

Building a Robust E-Learning Module Scorecard: The Nebraska E-Learning Scorecard (NEscore)

Teaching during a pandemic has compelled educators to transform traditional strategies towards more innovative solutions. These innovative solutions use a variety of educational technologies, and often, shift delivery modalities to an online or blended approach to learning. A key strategy in online teaching is the development of quality e-learning modules based on the core tenets of e-learning. E-learning modules aim to enhance knowledge, performance, and retention through interactive and engaging strategies. While the value of a quality e-learning module is well-supported in the literature, there are limited resources available for developers to assess if the module adheres to the core tenets of e-learning. The University of Nebraska Medical Center created a scorecard (Nebraska E-Learning Scorecard, NEscore) based on established core tenets for e-learning that was both useable and reliable in evaluating quality e-learning modules. To determine the usability and reliability of NEscore, we conducted a pilot study and six experts and six novice participants evaluated five e-learning modules utilizing NEscore. Reliability was calculated with Cronbach’s alpha and intra-class correlation coefficients. We also gathered data on demographic information and the perceived satisfaction of participants in using the NEscore. The findings showed strong internal consistency among scores with overall high reliability, and high consistency among participants, showing no significant difference between the two groups of experts and novices. Overall, participants were satisfied with the usability of NEscore. The NEscore offers institutions an established set of criteria to evaluate existing e-learning modules and also serves as a guide for the development of new e-learning modules

Nebraska E-Learning Scorecard (NEscore)

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/elearning_tools/1000/thumbnail.jp

Methodological strategies in using home sleep apnea testing in research and practice

Purpose Home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) has increased due to improvements in technology, accessibility, and changes in third party reimbursement requirements. Research studies using HSAT have not consistently reported procedures and methodological challenges. This paper had two objectives: (1) summarize the literature on use of HSAT in research of adults and (2) identify methodological strategies to use in research and practice to standardize HSAT procedures and information. Methods Search strategy included studies of participants undergoing sleep testing for OSA using HSAT. MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase with the following search terms: “polysomnography,” “home,” “level III,” “obstructive sleep apnea,” and “out of center testing.” Results Research articles that met inclusion criteria (n = 34) inconsistently reported methods and methodological challenges in terms of: (a) participant sampling; (b) instrumentation issues; (c) clinical variables; (d) data processing; and (e) patient acceptability. Ten methodological strategies were identified for adoption when using HSAT in research and practice. Conclusions Future studies need to address the methodological challenges summarized in this paper as well as identify and report consistent HSAT procedures and information