10 research outputs found

    Improving Chronic Pain Management Processes in Primary Care Using Practice Facilitation and Quality Improvement: The Central Appalachia Inter-Professional Pain Education Collaborative

    Get PDF
    Purpose: With the increasing burden of chronic pain and opioid use, provider shortages in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia have experienced many challenges related to chronic pain management. This study tested a practice facilitator model in both academic and community clinics that selected and implemented best practice processes to better assist patients with chronic pain and increase the use of interdisciplinary health care services. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, a practice facilitator was assigned to each state’s clinics and trained clinic teams in quality improvement methods to implement chronic pain tool(s) and workflow processes. Charts for 695 patients with chronic pain using opioids, from 8 randomly selected clinics in eastern Appalachia, were reviewed to assess for changes in clinic processes. Results: Statistically significant improvements were found in 10 out of 16 chronic pain best practice process measures. These included improved workflow implementation (P < 0.001), increased urine drug screen test orders (P = 0.001) and increased utilization of controlled medication agreements (P = 0.004). In total, 7 of 8 clinics significantly improved in at least one, if not all, selected and implemented process measures. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that practice facilitation, standardization of workflows and formation of structured clinical teams can improve processes of care in chronic pain management and facilitate the use of interdisciplinary services. Future studies are needed to assess long-term patient-centered outcomes that may result from improved processes of chronic pain care

    Begin With the End in Mind: Infusing Transition Planning and Instruction into Elementary Classrooms

    No full text
    There is a widespread misconception that transition planning and programming begin in high school. However, there are many opportunities for teachers to infuse transition-focused education into teaching and learning activities for their elementary-grade students. Teachers can engage students with disabilities and their families in transition-focused activities throughout the elementary school years. Activities include helping students build self-determination and career awareness as well as increasing parental knowledge about the longitudinal nature of transition planning

    Improving Chronic Pain Management Processes in Primary Care Using Practice Facilitation and Quality Improvement: The Central Appalachia Inter-Professional Pain Education Collaborative

    Get PDF
    Purpose: With the increasing burden of chronic pain and opioid use, provider shortages in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia have experienced many challenges related to chronic pain management. This study tested a practice facilitator model in both academic and community clinics that selected and implemented best practice processes to better assist patients with chronic pain and increase the use of interdisciplinary health care services. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, a practice facilitator was assigned to each state’s clinics and trained clinic teams in quality improvement methods to implement chronic pain tool(s) and workflow processes. Charts for 695 patients with chronic pain using opioids, from 8 randomly selected clinics in eastern Appalachia, were reviewed to assess for changes in clinic processes. Results: Statistically significant improvements were found in 10 out of 16 chronic pain best practice process measures. These included improved workflow implementation (P \u3c 0.001), increased urine drug screen test orders (P = 0.001) and increased utilization of controlled medication agreements (P = 0.004). In total, 7 of 8 clinics significantly improved in at least one, if not all, selected and implemented process measures. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that practice facilitation, standardization of workflows and formation of structured clinical teams can improve processes of care in chronic pain management and facilitate the use of interdisciplinary services. Future studies are needed to assess long-term patient-centered outcomes that may result from improved processes of chronic pain care

    Improving Chronic Pain Management Processes in Primary Care Using Practice Facilitation and Quality Improvement: The Central Appalachia Inter-Professional Pain Education Collaborative

    No full text
    Purpose: With the increasing burden of chronic pain and opioid use, provider shortages in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia have experienced many challenges related to chronic pain management. This study tested a practice facilitator model in both academic and community clinics that selected and implemented best practice processes to better assist patients with chronic pain and increase the use of interdisciplinary health care services. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, a practice facilitator was assigned to each state’s clinics and trained clinic teams in quality improvement methods to implement chronic pain tool(s) and workflow processes. Charts for 695 patients with chronic pain using opioids, from 8 randomly selected clinics in eastern Appalachia, were reviewed to assess for changes in clinic processes. Results: Statistically significant improvements were found in 10 out of 16 chronic pain best practice process measures. These included improved workflow implementation (P \u3c 0.001), increased urine drug screen test orders (P = 0.001) and increased utilization of controlled medication agreements (P = 0.004). In total, 7 of 8 clinics significantly improved in at least one, if not all, selected and implemented process measures. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that practice facilitation, standardization of workflows and formation of structured clinical teams can improve processes of care in chronic pain management and facilitate the use of interdisciplinary services. Future studies are needed to assess long-term patient-centered outcomes that may result from improved processes of chronic pain care

    Abstract A112: Lifetime cigarette smoking and breast cancer risk in young women: Racial and socioeconomic disparities in risk in the Young Women’s Health History Study

    No full text
    Abstract The etiology of breast cancer (BC) among young women is not well understood. Recent studies have suggested that tobacco exposure is associated with an increased risk of BC but few studies have evaluated risk among women under age 50 or racial and socioeconomic disparities in risk. We hypothesized that racial and socioeconomic differences in age at smoking initiation and lifetime cigarette smoking contribute to disparities in BC risk among young women. Data were examined from a population-based case-control study in women under 50 years of age, the Young Women’s Health History Study. In total, 1,812 women with invasive BC (1,130 Non-Hispanic (NH) White, 682 NH Black) and an area-based sample of 1,381 control women (716 NH White, 665 NH Black), frequency matched to cases by five-year age group, study site and race were identified and interviewed from the Los Angeles County and Metropolitan Detroit SEER registry areas. Lifetime smoking history (including age at initiation, duration, and frequency) were collected from structured in-person interviews. Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between lifetime cigarette smoking and BC risk adjusted for matching and known BC risk factors. Additionally, cross-product interaction terms of smoking exposure by race and by socioeconomic position (SEP; based on household percent poverty) were evaluated by Wald’s test. Among controls, 36.5% reported ever smoking at least 1 cigarette a day for at least 6 months in their lifetime with White women compared to Black women (38.3% vs. 32.3%) and women of lower SEP (&lt;150% of poverty) compared to higher SEP (≥150% of poverty) (50.4% vs. 31.5%) being more likely to have ever smoked. In adjusted models, those who ever vs. never smoked were 1.20 times as likely to develop BC; findings were marginally significant (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99-1.46, p=0.07). No differences were found by race or SEP, nor was there a consistent association with BC risk for duration of smoking history (in pack-years) or average number of cigarettes smoked per day. Age at smoking initiation (never smoker, initiated at age &lt;25 years, initiated at age ≥25 years) was significantly positively associated with BC risk (p trend=0.02). Smoking initiated at 25 years or older was associated with a 78% increased risk of BC compared to never smokers (95% CI: 1.15-2.77). A positive association between age at initiation and BC risk was observed among White (p trend=0.048), but not Black women. A marginally significant increased risk with age at initiation was observed among women of higher SEP (p trend=0.05) but not among those of lower SEP. We found evidence that smoking is associated with an increased risk of BC in young women, especially among those who started smoking at an older age. Despite efforts to reduce smoking, the prevalence of smoking remains highest among people of low socioeconomic position, as we found. Encouraging women not to initiate smoking is important to reduce BC risk among women under age 50. Citation Format: Ugonna Ihenacho, Ann S Hamilton, Wendy J Mack, Anna H Wu, Jennifer B Unger, Dorothy R Pathak, Richard T Houang, Michael F Press, Kendra L Schwartz, Lydia Marcus, Ellen M Velie. Lifetime cigarette smoking and breast cancer risk in young women: Racial and socioeconomic disparities in risk in the Young Women’s Health History Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr A112

    Abstract PO-200: Increased risk of luminal A and HER2-type breast cancer with lifetime cigarette smoking among non-Hispanic Black and White women in the Young Women’s Health History Study

    No full text
    Abstract Previous studies have found that tobacco exposure is associated with an increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer (BC) overall and some studies suggest that risk is only increased for Luminal A BC. Few studies have described the association between tobacco exposure and BC risk with characterization of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) subtype. This analysis explored associations between smoking over the life course and BC risk overall and by BC subtype among a socioeconomically diverse population of young non-Hispanic (NH) Black and White women. Data were examined from a population-based case-control study in women under 50 years of age, the Young Women’s Health History Study. In total, 1,812 women with invasive BC (1,130 NH White, 682 NH Black) and an area-based sample of 1,381 (716 NH White, 665 NH Black) control women, frequency matched to cases by five-year age group, study site and self-reported race were identified from the Los Angeles County and Metropolitan Detroit SEER registry areas. Lifetime smoking histories were collected from in-person interviews. Sample-weighted logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the association between lifetime cigarette smoking status (never versus ever smoker) and BC risk adjusted for known BC risk factors and study site. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted for analyses by BC subtype. Heterogeneity in the odds ratio (OR) estimates by BC subtype and cross-product interaction terms of smoking status by race and by household percent poverty (HHP) were evaluated by the Wald test. In adjusted models, BC risk overall was not significantly associated with ever smoking at least 1 cigarette a day for 6 months or more (OR 1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97- 1.43). By BC subtype, ever smokers displayed a statistically significant 30% increase in Luminal A BC risk compared to never smokers (OR 1.30; 95% CI 1.03-1.64) and a 90% increased risk of HER2-type BC (OR 1.90; 95% CI 1.17-3.08). Smoking was not associated with risk of Luminal B or Triple Negative BC. Associations between ever smoking and BC risk significantly differed by BC subtype (Pheterogeneity=0.02). Statistical interactions by race or by HHP were not observed. However, we noted that in stratified models the association between smoking and risk for HER2-type BC was higher among NH White compared to NH Black women and among women with HHP ≥150% compared to HHP &lt;150%. For Luminal A BC, the association with smoking did not differ by race and risk was higher among women with HHP &lt;150% compared to HHP ≥150%. Although other studies have identified an association between smoking and Luminal A BC, this may be the first study to identify an association between smoking and hormone receptor negative, HER2-type BC risk. An increased risk for HER2-type BC among NH White women and women with HHP ≥150% was suggested. Research in HER2-type BC is a relatively new and evolving field as HER2 expression was often underreported in the pathology reports of cases diagnosed before 2005. Citation Format: Ugonna N. Ihenacho, Ann S. Hamilton, Wendy J. Mack, Anna H. Wu, Jennifer B. Unger, Dorothy R. Pathak, Richard T. Houang, Michael F. Press, Kendra L. Schwartz, Lydia Marcus, Ellen M. Velie. Increased risk of luminal A and HER2-type breast cancer with lifetime cigarette smoking among non-Hispanic Black and White women in the Young Women’s Health History Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-200

    Public-Nonprofit Partnerships for Collective Action in Dynamic Contexts of Emergencies

    No full text
    This article seeks to understand the problem of building cooperation among public and nonprofit organizations to achieve public service goals in emergencies. It also examines the factors that contribute to successful public-nonprofit partnerships (PNP) and what factors inhibit their development. The theoretical framework draws upon the literature on social capital, network theory and organizational collaboration. The article uses the network analysis perspective to assess the relationships among organizations in terms of their strength, direction and density in the rapid evolution of emergency response operations. The theoretical framework is applied to analyse the interorganizational responses to the 11 September 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks in New York City. Emergency response operations required coordinated action among many actors across multiple jurisdictions under conditions of urgent stress, high demand and tight time constraints. This type of network analysis can constitute a field of substantial interest and importance to democratic societies that are seeking to manage problems of public service delivery in emergencies using innovative means. © Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2006
    corecore