A Retrospective Review of a Local Healthcare Process Designed to Improve Understandability, Actionability, and Readability of Written Documents for Veterans

Preventable chronic diseases are plaguing our veterans. Health literacy is an important component of prevention and chronic disease self-management. People need health literacy skills to read and understand information. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) calls the Veterans Health Education and Information (VHEI) Committee for a review process to improve the understandability, actionability, and readability of VHEI resources. This retrospective review of a local evidence-based process improvement is being implemented at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DCVAMC) to satisfy a VHA directive to improve the understandability, actionability, and readability of written materials. The local process improvement involves a robust education administered thru a four-cycle Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework by the VHEI Coordinator to the committee responsible for approving written patient education documents for publication within the facility. The purpose of this project is to review and analyze the documents produced by this process improvement and to evaluate its effectiveness. Project questions will be answered using the appropriate statistical test to determine 1) if there was any significant difference between the real written documents and the historical written documents on the Understandability and Actionability domains as measured on the PEMAT-P, 2) if there was a significant difference between the real written documents and the historical documents on the Flesch Reading Ease scores, 3) if there was a significant difference between the real written documents and the historical documents on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and 4) if there were any significant improvements in Committee member’s confidence or self-efficacy scores in reviewing written documents. This initiative will expectedly satisfy the VHA mandate for improving the understandability, actionability, and readability of documents by implementing a review and approval process. Additionally, it is also expected to demonstrate the Committee’s increased perceived self-efficacy to review and provide feedback on written documents as a sustainable review process.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_healthsciences/1012/thumbnail.jp

Who Does Cy Think He Is?

A question-and-answer column with ISU\u27s mascot Cy

Meaningful travel: Women, independent travel and the search for self and meaning

It is increasingly recognised by researchers that tourism experiences incorporate more than just physical travel to a place, as they can also involve spiritual elements, psychological and physical benefits, altruism, self-development, and life-change. Building on this recognition, this paper puts forward the idea that independent travel plays an important and meaningful part in the course of people\u27s lives. The concept of \u27meaningful travel\u27 is defined and explored, using women\u27s experiences of independent leisure and business travel as a context. Conceptualising travel as meaningful and relevant to everyday life reveals the complex, fluid and dynamic nature of the tourist experience, and calls for an effort to transgress simplistic and uni-dimensional interpretations of tourism, business travel and holiday-taking. Analysis of the women\u27s stories and words revealed that \u27meaningful travel\u27 centred around three key themes: a search for self and identity; self-empowerment; and connectedness with others/ \u27global citizenship\u27. Essentially, what the findings demonstrate is that meaningful travel is not about a mere search for authenticity and a collection of \u27cultural capital\u27. Rather, meaningful travel involves women searching for an increased sense of self and reconsidering their perspectives of life, society and their relationships with others. Furthermore, the results also demonstrate how women are able to transfer the meaning and benefits from their travel experiences upon their return home, within their everyday lives and contexts

Tildrakizumab in the treatment of psoriasis: latest evidence and place in therapy.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that is clinically characterized by scaly cutaneous plaques. New evidence suggests that dysregulation of interleukin (IL)-23, a key cytokine in the T-helper-17 pathway, plays a vital role in the development of psoriatic systemic inflammation. The novel biologic medication tildrakizumab is among the first drugs with specific action against IL-23 that has recently been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Tildrakizumab has been shown in large randomized controlled trials to be effective in improving skin manifestations as well as enhancing quality of life outcomes in patients with psoriasis. Its simple dosing, prolonged duration of action, and mild adverse event profile make it a practical option for patients; however, only a small number of trials have investigated the clinical effectiveness of tildrakizumab, and long-term data regarding the drug's efficacy and safety are currently limited. Hence, further research is needed to better understand the risks and benefits of tildrakizumab. This review summarizes and analyzes phase I, phase II, and phase III clinical trials that investigate the mechanism, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of tildrakizumab. It also identifies areas in which additional studies are warranted to further elucidate the advantages of tildrakizumab over other biologic therapies

One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Diverse Populations

Proposes a framework for meeting patients' cultural and linguistic needs: policies and procedures that support cultural competence, data collection, population-tailored services, and internal and external collaborations. Includes a self-assessment tool

1947. 1964. 2010.

Ethos magazine is a large part of the reason why I am at Iowa State University. Countless times I’ve heard fellow journalism majors talk about how they couldn’t wait to apply to work for the Iowa State Daily, while I always had my eyes set on being a part of Ethos. I did not envision myself as being editor-in-chief when I entered college, but thanks to a love affair with this magazine, here I am. That’s why after watching the struggles beset on Ethos, I find myself more dedicated to rebuilding the strength of the magazine

Cost effectiveness of subaxial fusion-lateral mass screws versus transarticular facet screws

pre-printAs health care reform continues to evolve, demonstrating the cost effectiveness of spinal fusion procedures will be of critical value. Posterior subaxial cervical fusion with lateral mass screw and rod instrumentation is a wellestablished fixation technique. Subaxial transarticular facet fixation is a lesser known fusion technique that has been shown to be biomechanically equivalent to lateral mass screws for short constructs. Although there has not been a widespread adoption of transarticular facet screws, the screws potentially represent a cost-effective alternative to lateral mass rod and screw constructs. In this review, the authors describe an institutional experience with the use of lateral mass screws and provide a theoretical cost comparison with the use of transarticular facet screws

Immersive learning in a block teaching model: A case study of academic reform through principles, policies and practice

Universities across the globe are considering how to effect meaningful change in their higher education (HE) delivery in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and shifting student learning preferences. This paper reports on a descriptive case- study of whole-of-institution curriculum reform at one regional Australian university, where more traditional 13-week semesters have been replaced with a 6-week immersive block model known as the Southern Cross Model. Based on a synthesis of literature in best practice HE pedagogy and principles, the case study draws on both a review of policy and staff interviews (N = 5) to outline the key changes necessary for successful HE transformation. Analysis revealed themes related to the vital roles of leadership, capacity building, monitoring the transition, staff adoption, and adequate technical systems in implementing a radical, multifaceted institutional transformation. Implications for practice at institutions considering reforming their curriculum model are also discussed. The findings from this case study indicate that an institutional transformation to an immersive block model requires both a considered change in institutional policy and process, as well as the appropriate resourcing of roles, governance committees, technical solutions, and, importantly, communities of practice