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Racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes: a life-course perspective.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, Black infants have significantly worse birth outcomes than do White infants. The cause of these persisting racial disparities remains unexplained. Most extant studies focus on differential exposures to protective and risk factors during pregnancy, such as current socioeconomic status, maternal risky behaviors, prenatal care, psychosocial stress, or perinatal infections. These risk factors during pregnancy, however, do not adequately account for the disparities. METHODS: We conducted a literature review for longitudinal models of health disparities, and presented a synthesis of two leading models, using a life-course perspective. Traditional risk factors during pregnancy are then reexamined within their life-course context. We conclude with a discussion of the limitations and implications of the life-course perspective for future research, practice, and policy development. RESULTS: Two leading longitudinal models of health disparities were identified and discussed. The early programming model posits that exposures in early life could influence future reproductive potential. The cumulative pathways model conceptualizes decline in reproductive health resulting from cumulative wear and tear to the body's allostatic systems. We propose a synthesis of these two models, using the life-course perspective. Disparities in birth outcomes are the consequences of differential developmental trajectories set forth by early life experiences and cumulative allostatic load over the life course. CONCLUSIONS: Future research on racial disparities in birth outcomes needs to examine differential exposures to risk and protective factors not only during pregnancy, but over the life course of women. Eliminating disparities requires interventions and policy development that are more longitudinally and contextually integrated than currently prevail.

Black or African American↗

Collaborative partnerships at the state level: promoting systems changes in public health infrastructure.

Reforms in the public health infrastructure such as those called for in recent Institute of Medicine reports require stakeholder engagement on different levels than traditional grass-roots community work. The Turning Point Initiative, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, involves 21 state-wide partnerships established for systems change and focused in specific areas of public health innovation and policy development. These partnerships represent a different model of strategic alliances and relationship-building than has been previously described in the literature on community-level and health-promotion collaborations. This article utilizes qualitative data to illustrate the ways in which state-level partnerships for systems change both confirm and extend previous models. Findings indicate that state-level public health partnerships share many of the challenges and opportunities of locally-based and health-promotion-oriented partnerships. Collaboration at the state level, however, involves more attention to organizational alliances, coordination of institutional change, and strategic responses to political changes. These partnerships depend on a combination of interpersonal skills, material resources, and organizational savvy to manage complex planning and implementation processes. Influencing policy development and organizational redesign in public health systems requires nuanced understanding of the opportunities provided by various kinds of organizational partners.

Community Health Planning↗

Consumption of fat as an important part of the food and nutrition policy in developed countries.

In developed countries, the excess consumption of some nutritive factors and foodstuffs becomes a major problem. The consumption of fat is included here due to its contribution to the high energy intake and its potential health risks. The consumption of fat as a nutrient is characterized by a steady increase. The physiological requirements of fat intake are not included in many dietary allowances and requirements of other indicators, such as linoleic acid, fatty acids, and cholesterol, are formulated in scientific papers only. The confrontation of existing fat allowances with the effective consumption indicates a tremendous excess. The same is true of some other indicators. The findings about the consumption of fat commodities complete these considerations. The indicated problems of fat consumption reveal the important position of this nutrient and of fat commodities in the food and nutrition situation. But opinions about these important factors are not sufficiently formulated what causes difficulties in food and nutrition planning and therefore in elaborating of the food and nutrition policy. For this reason, the international unification of opinions is urgently needed.

Austria↗

Public/private sector partnership for emerging infections.

This paper gives examples of public/private partnerships that support research, support drug development and that advance policy development, suggesting that such partnerships can advance our understanding and control of emerging infections. The investment in emerging infectious diseases from government and from industry is currently much larger than that from philanthropy. Nevertheless philanthropy, even with limited dollars, is able to play a catalytic function and provide risk capitol for innovative partnerships and could in the future play an even larger role if the value of such investment is better defined and argued to recruit additional dollars to this area.

Animals↗

ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings: prescribing and transcribing--2001.

Results of the 2001 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings that pertain to prescribing and transcribing are presented. A stratified random sample of pharmacy directors at 1091 general and children's medical-surgical hospitals in the United States was surveyed by mail. SMG Marketing Group, Inc., supplied data on hospital characteristics; the survey sample was drawn from SMG's hospital database. The response rate was 49.0%. During 2001, nearly all hospitals are estimated to have pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees that meet an average of seven times per year. It is estimated that more than 90% of P&T committees are responsible for formulary development and management, drug policy development, adverse-drug-reaction review, and medication-use evaluation. More than 90% of hospitals use clinical and therapeutic, cost, and pharmacoeconomic information in the formulary management process, while nearly two thirds consider quality-of-life issues. Nearly 70% use clinical practice guidelines in the formulary management process, and 78% have a medication-use evaluation program designed to improve prescribing. Pharmacists in more than 75% of hospitals provide consultations on drug information, dosage adjustments for patients with renal impairment, antimicrobials, and pharmacokinetics. Further, a majority of hospitals ensure accurate transcription of medication orders by clarifying illegible orders before transcription or entry into medication administration records (MARs), using standardized prescriber order forms, requiring prescribers to countersign all oral orders, and reconciling MARs and pharmacy patient profiles at least daily. In 2001, large hospitals are most likely to use prescriber order-entry systems to improve patient safety and are least likely to require the reentry of medication orders into the pharmacy computer system. The 2001 ASHP survey results suggest that pharmacists in hospital settings have positioned themselves well to improve the prescribing and transcribing components of the medication-use process.

Data Collection↗

Using DRGs in developing referral policies for coronary care within a local health district.

This paper presents the results of a study into some specific aspects of the management of coronary heart disease within one district health authority. In particular, it is concerned with the appropriate balance of inpatient coronary care between the district general hospital and community hospitals in the light of current and potential changes in the clinical management of coronary cases. The study is an example of a multidisciplinary approach to local health planning which is beginning to emerge within the Exeter Health District, the methodology of which may be applicable to client groups within the medical specialties other than coronary cases, such as strokes or respiratory disorders. It also illustrates the use of spatial analysis and diagnosis-related groups in local planning.

Coronary Care Units↗

Workplace violence: a primer for critical care nurses.

This review illustrates the various types of workplace violence nurses can encounter in critical care settings. Lack of a clear definition of workplace violence impedes research on the topic; however, the typology offered by the UIIPRC provides a framework to guide further studies of physical and nonphysical workplace violence. Further investigation of individual and organizational factors will assist nurses and agencies in identifying effective methods to manage, prevent, educate, and respond to each type of workplace violence. Fear, burnout, anxiety, depression, and acute and posttraumatic stress disorders are some of the sequelae that can occur after an incident of workplace violence. Debriefing strategies should be a fundamental component of workplace violence policies to prevent the development of longterm consequences. Additional research is needed on all types of workplace violence, as well as research addressing the needs of specialized setting, such as critical care unit. Critical care nurses have valuable insights regarding the risks they face on their units and should be part of a multidisciplinary team developing policies and workplace violence prevention and education programs.

Emergency Nursing↗

Ethical policy guidelines development for general hospital nurses.

The purpose of this position paper is to examine ethical situations involving nurses, and provide suggestions about how to work through ethical problems they may encounter. Ethics in the nursing profession is ubiquitous. Nurses need to be aware of the provided codes so any ambiguity regarding ethical dilemmas can be resolved. Ethical situations which call for such judgements include: equity, confidentiality, honesty and justice. Resolution of such situations requires consistent education to ensure full awareness of societal values which are projected through the care of clients. This will aid in the provision of quality care and ensure that a holistic approach is achieved to maintain high standards of care.

Clinical Competence↗

Drug and chemical residues in livestock.

The problem of drug and chemical residues in foods of animal origin has become increasingly important to the entire livestock industry as growing consumer health concerns continue to erode the demand for these products. Although nearly 90 per cent of all drugs approved for use in livestock are available for over-the-counter sales, in the public's view, it is only the veterinarian who administers drugs to animals and who, therefore, is responsible for all drug residues in food. Congress has responded to these consumer concerns by applying increased pressure on the FDA to restrict the extra-label use of drugs by veterinarians. The veterinary profession now finds itself in a position in which it must reexamine its current drug-use policies and strive to develop policies that are more responsible to the consumer, both in appearance and substance.

Animals↗

Social policy and mental illness in England in the 1990s: violence, moral panic and critical discourse.

Violence perpetrated by people experiencing mental illness poses a continuing challenge to practitioners and policy makers in the mental health field. It has been suggested, however, that policy developments in England during the period 1990--2000 became unduly dominated by the perceived need to prevent such violence and in particular that a 'moral panic' occurred following a series of high profile homicides perpetrated by people experiencing mental illness. This paper critically examines the ability of the moral panic theory to offer a cogent explanation of the relationship between media representations, public perceptions and developments in both social policy and legislation during the last decade. Its conclusions, however, suggest that the evidence does not support assertions of a moral panic and that of moral panic theory itself has serious flaws. Ultimately the paper suggests that we must look elsewhere, particularly to Foucault's conceptualization of discourse and to the work of Birkland, an American political theorist, in our search for an understanding of the relationship between events, ideas and social policy.

Homicide↗

Monitoring antimalarial drug resistance within National Malaria Control Programmes: the EANMAT experience.

The National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), organized within the Ministry of Health (MoH), is an essential component for the planning, execution and coordination of malaria control activities. As effective case management remains the mainstay of malaria control in almost every African country, antimalarial drug resistance is a major barrier to the implementation of effective malaria control policies. In order to function effectively, these units must have an efficient surveillance system which can provide reliable and current estimates of the severity of drug resistance. Without this information, it is impossible for the MoH to design and promote a rational antimalarial policy, but because of limited resources, especially of people and expertise, most NMCPs have been unable to initiate and manage such a system. The need for collaborative partnerships between the MoH and the research community prompted the establishment of the East Africa Network for Monitoring Antimalarial Treatment (EANMAT). EANMAT has attempted to bring together the complimentary skills of malaria researchers and MoH staff in four east African countries. After 3 years of operation, data generated by EANMAT have been used to review and modify national malaria treatment policies in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. This new approach, which forges a closer working relationship between the research and policy communities, has effectively built capacity around the complex of surveillance, interpretation and use of evidence within a policy environment. The added-value of this approach is that the research community has learned to appreciate the constraints of policy development, and that the control community has established the need to build capacity and ownership of research evidence. Networks similar to EANMAT should be encouraged elsewhere in Africa to engender similar partnerships: to assist the development of rational treatment policies, and thus more effective malaria chemotherapy leading to significant lowering of malaria morbidity and mortality.

Africa, Eastern↗

Planning for change: developing a policy framework for nursing labour markets.

This article examines key aspects of change in European nursing labour markets, and highlights an integrated policy framework intended to improve nurse recruitment, retention and utilization in European health care. Health care is labour intensive. Staffing costs are often a major focus of the health sector. There is a tendency for staffing to be regarded as part of the 'problem' of cost containment, and staffing costs are often a major focus of health sector reform. This report argues that it is more appropriate to regard staffing in general, and nurses in particular, as part of the solution to improving quality, access and cost of care. The major elements in nurse workforce planning are discussed, and the need for planning to be integrated with service delivery is emphasized. With projected increases in the demand for healthcare, and concern about staff shortages, policy attention across Europe and in other countries must focus on improving the methods of recruiting, retaining and utilizing nursing resources. A policy-based framework for sustained improvement is presented, based on five areas of action: improve 'conventional' recruitment; improve recruitment from 'non-conventional' sources; identify and apply incentives to improve staff retention and motivation; improve staff deployment; and improve utilization/skill mix.

Europe↗

ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in acute care settings: prescribing and transcribing--1998. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Results of the 1998 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in acute care settings that pertain to prescribing and transcribing practices are presented. Pharmacy directors at 1058 general and children's medical-surgical hospitals in the United States were surveyed by mail. Data on hospital characteristics were supplied by SMG Marketing Group, Inc.; the survey sample was drawn from SMG's hospital database. The response rate was 51.8%. Respondents reported that at least 90% of hospital and health-system pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees are responsible for formulary development and management, drug policy development, medication-use evaluation, adverse-drug-reaction reporting, and medication error monitoring. More than 90% of the facilities use pharmacoeconomic, clinical and therapeutic, and cost information in formulary development; 83% have a medication-use-evaluation program designed to improve prescribing; more than 95% have P&T committees, infection control committees, and quality control committees; and more than 80% provide pharmacist consultations on drug information, dosage adjustments for patients with renal impairment, antimicrobials, and pharmacokinetics. A majority of respondents reported that accurate transcription of medication orders is ensured by use of standardized physician order forms, clarification of illegible orders, reconciliation of medication administration records (MARs) and pharmacy profiles at least daily, and use of computer-generated MARs. The 1998 ASHP survey results suggest that pharmacists in acute care settings have positioned themselves well to improve the prescribing and transcription components of the medication-use process.

Ambulatory Care↗