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Developing a bioterrorism preparedness campaign for veterans: Using focus groups to inform materials development.

In the context of a global war on terrorism experts have focused on the potential for a bioterrorist incident to cause widespread health and psychological consequences. Preparation is critical to improving the U.S. response to future bioterrorist incidents and educating the public is recognized as a vital part of this preparedness effort. Under a grant from the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA), researchers from a network of VA health care and research facilities initiated a program to develop and evaluate educational materials for veterans--including those with mental illness. This article describes the results of a series of focus groups with three veteran subpopulations of interest to characterize their concerns and information needs and summarizes the insights gained that helped guide materials development.

Bioterrorism↗

Assessing the primary nurse role in the wound healing process.

OBJECTIVE: To delineate the role of the primary nurse in wound care. METHOD: Data were collected from patient charts within a free-standing rehabilitation hospital in a Canadian province. Within the context of a continuous quality improvement programme, a retrospective chart review was performed. An audit tool was constructed; its face validity was assessed by a panel of staff nurses. RESULTS: Primary nurses are involved in every step of wound care: assessment, treatment, evaluation of wound status and treatment. CONCLUSION: Within the cycle of continuous quality improvement (CQI), this project constitutes the first essential step of assessing the primary nurse's role in wound care. Further CQI studies such as in-service education in wound care and pre-post education evaluation projects are recommended.

Aged↗

Simulation laboratories for training in obstetrics and gynecology.

Simulations have been used by the military, airline industry, and our colleagues in other medical specialties to educate, evaluate, and prepare for rare but life-threatening scenarios. Work hour limits for residents in obstetrics and gynecology and decreased patient availability for teaching of students and residents require us to think creatively and practically on how to optimize their education. Medical simulations may address scenarios in clinical practice that are considered important to know or understand. Simulations can take many forms, including computer programs, models or mannequins, virtual reality data immersion caves, and a combination of formats. The purpose of this commentary is to call attention to a potential role for medical simulation in obstetrics and gynecology. We briefly describe an example of how simulation may be incorporated into obstetric and gynecologic residency training. It is our contention that educators in obstetrics and gynecology should be aware of the potential for simulation in education. We hope this commentary will stimulate interest in the field, lead to validation studies, and improve training in and the practice of obstetrics and gynecology.

Clinical Competence↗

A petroleum company's experience in implementing a comprehensive medical fitness for duty program for professional truck drivers.

Aggregate health risk appraisal data from Chevron Texaco's truck driver workforce revealed that approximately 50% of the truck drivers who completed a health risk appraisal were found to be at risk for a back injury. Lost time records revealed that this population had 65% more lost workdays attributed to cumulative trauma injuries compared with acute trauma injuries. Chevron Texaco addressed the issue by implementing a medical fitness for duty program consisting of three components: physical examination (physical examination mandated by the Department of Transportation and a functional capacity evaluation), education (on safe body mechanics), and physical fitness. After a 1-year development period, the fitness for duty program was implemented for Chevron Texaco's professional truck drivers in North America. In the first year of the program, 109 functional capacity evaluations were completed by trained clinicians, and 88% of candidates were found "able to work without restrictions," whereas 6% were found "able to work with caution." The article describes the program results to date, and also describes the follow-up program for drivers found to be at risk for a back injury.

Absenteeism↗

[Representational analysis: a means to evaluate teacher training in health education].

Research and evaluation of social representations as determinants of behaviour are fundamental components for health education and promotion programmes. The research presented in this article was funded as part of the "Europe against Cancer" programme, and follows the evolution over a five year period, of representations and behaviours of 1500 children from cities in France, Belgium, Spain, Greece, and Portugal. In each city, three different groups were followed and evaluated: Children in the first groups participated in a year-long tobacco prevention programme conducted by specially trained teachers; those in the second groups only participated in sporadic activities designed around World Tobacco Day; those in the third group did not participate in any particular tobacco prevention activities. The evaluation concentrated on analysing the changes in participants' social representations regarding tobacco and smoking related behaviour throughout the five year period. A variety of comparative analysis techniques were used to prepare, evaluate, and modify the content of the teacher training programmes in order to succeed in fulfilling one of the primary objectives of the programme--that of assisting teachers to develop educational attitudes for tobacco prevention in primary schools. The authors esteem that the type of training offered to the teachers had a marked influence on the length and type of programmes they offered to their students.

Child↗

Cervical cancer and sexual lifestyle: a systematic review of health education interventions targeted at women.

A systematic review was conducted to determine the effectiveness of health education interventions to promote sexual risk reduction behaviours amongst women in order to reduce transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV), a leading agent in the development of cervical cancer. A comprehensive search was conducted to identify relevant studies. Studies were included in the review if they evaluated educational interventions targeting women only and measured the impact on either a behavioural outcome such as condom use for sexual intercourse, partner reduction or abstinence, or a clinical outcome such as incidence of a STD. Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria for the review; all had the primary aim of preventing HIV and other STDs rather than cervical cancer. Ten of the 30 studies were considered to provide the strongest evidence for a causal relationship between the intervention and the change in outcomes measured. Each of these 10 most rigorous studies showed a statistically significant positive effect on sexual risk reduction, typically with increased use of condoms for vaginal intercourse. This positive effect was generally sustained up to 3 months after intervention. It was concluded that educational interventions targeting socially and economically disadvantaged women in which information provision is complemented by sexual negotiation skill development can encourage at least short-term sexual risk reduction behaviour. This effect has the potential to reduce the transmission of HPV and thus possibly reduce the incidence of cervical carcinoma.

Female↗

The real challenge: a self-health system with genuine commitment.

Major concepts and principles of health education have succeeded when they have been applied in the field with genuine commitment as illustrated by the programme at the Rural Health Training Centre in India and demonstrated by health education projects in Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. But community health programmes have either failed or their progress been retarded by lack of true commitment to these concepts and principles. At the political, administrative and technical levels of administration, commitment can be developed and strengthened by involvement in health education programmes which apply and adapt health education concepts and principles. Commitment spreads vertically and horizontally, and health education faculty in the schools of public health should facilitate this process. Health education with commitment should operate as a self-reliant health care delivery system to meet the primary health needs of people. Its evolution and development into a self-health system which links and involves the individual, family, community, school, work place, institutions and the total environment in an integrated self-care process is a challenge to be faced. Though the individual and his family assume responsibility for their health, each component of the system has an important role in maintaining and promoting it. In addition there are facilitating systems like the drug industry, whose participation will be crucial for effective functioning of the self-health system. Development of self-health systems is the emerging challenge which the health education specialists of the future will have to meet and they have to be trained adequately in new areas of knowledge, relationships, experience and skills. The new role, in addition to traditional skills, requires a high degree of competence in pioneering, innovating, planning, coordinating and evaluating education for self-health care measures. Above all, health education specialists should be continuously engaged in action research activities which reinforce their commitment to the principles and concepts of health education and promote its spread to all the key levels of the administration.

Community Health Services↗

Alcohol and mortality in middle-aged men from eastern France.

To evaluate prospectively the effect on mortality of wine drinking in Eastern France, we conducted an analysis on 34,014 consecutive middle-aged men coming for a comprehensive health appraisal between 1978 and 1983. We evaluated education, physical activity, smoking, and drinking habits by a questionnaire. Electrocardiogram, blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, and gamma-glutamyltransferase level were routinely measured. Seventy-seven per cent of the subjects drank wine; there was little difference between social classes in this proportion. We evaluated mortality over 10-15 years of follow-up. We estimated the relative risk (RR) of death by Cox proportional hazard models using nondrinkers as the reference and adjusting for six covariables. For an intake of 22-32 and 33-54 gm of alcohol per day, the RR of all-cause death was 0.70 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59-0.82] and 0.76 (95% CI = 0.66-0.87), respectively. The lower mortality resulted from fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Above 128 gm per day of alcohol consumption, the RR was 1.37 (95% CI = 1.16-1.61). A moderate intake of wine (2-5 glasses per day) was associated with a 24-31% reduction in all-cause mortality, a proportion that was similar for smokers, ex-smokers, and nonsmokers.

Adult↗

Evaluating food stamp nutrition education: process for development and validation of evaluation measures.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a process for developing and validating outcome measures relevant to dietary quality behaviors targeted by Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE). The ultimate goal is a measure that is valid, reliable, sensitive to change, and practical for use for a wide variety of FSNE evaluation purposes. The development process has incorporated input from FSNE stakeholders at the federal and state level and follows a systematic, research-driven approach that incorporates both qualitative and quantitative research and includes methods for identification of subject domains, selection of evaluation items, initial pretesting, and reduction of items. This type of research establishes the trustworthiness of new evaluation measures.

Community Health Services↗

Education effects on cognitive function in a healthy aged Arab population.

BACKGROUND: The Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) has not been validated in Arabic speaking populations. The Brookdale Cognitive Screening Test (BCST) has been developed for use in low schooling populations. We investigated the influence of gender, education and occupation in a cognitively normal community sample which was assessed using an Arabic translation of the MMSE and the BCST. METHODS: Cognitively normal subjects (n=266, 59.4% males, mean age (SD): 72.4 (5.5) years) from an Arab community in northern Israel (Wadi Ara) were evaluated. Education was categorized into levels: 1=0-4 years, 2=5-8 years, 3=9-12 years. Effects of gender, education and occupation on MMSE and BCST were analyzed by ANOVA, taking age as a covariate. RESULTS: The mean MMSE score of males [26.3 (4.1)] was higher than that of females [23.6 (4.2) points]. Two-way ANOVA showed a significant interaction between gender and education on MMSE (p=0.0017) and BCST scores (p=0.0002). The effect of gender on MMSE and BCST was significant in education level 1 (p<0.0001, both tests) and level 2 (p<0.05, both tests). For education level 1, MMSE and BCST scores were higher for males, while both scores were higher for females in education level 2. The effect of occupation was not significant for both genders. CONCLUSION: Education and gender influence performance when using the Arabic translation of the MMSE and BCST in cognitively normal elderly. Cognitively normal females with 0-4 years of education scored lower than males. These results should be taken into consideration in the daily use of these instruments in Arabic.

Aged↗

Evaluation of nutritional education using concept mapping.

UNLABELLED: The concept mapping method is presented in the current study as a new tool to assess the learning process taking part in the hallmark of a nutritional education program addressed to obese diabetic patients. POPULATION: eight patients were interviewed prior to and after completion of 1-week in-hospital stay during which concept maps were designed. Concept maps quantitative and qualitative analysis disclose both (i) the importance of previous knowledge among patients prior to nutritional education and (ii) the maintenance of misconceptions after it. Nutritional education allows patients to acquire and structure their knowledge while providing them with a certain amount of medical vocabulary. An underlying correlation between concept maps design and the results of psychological tests identifying eating behaviour troubles (EBT), depression or anxiety has not been clearly identified. However, the nutritional education is more beneficial to those patients with a higher degree of self-assertiveness and with a lesser degree of anxiety, depression and eating disorder.

Attitude to Health↗

Effective initiation of osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment for patients with a fragility fracture in an orthopaedic environment.

BACKGROUND: Fragility fractures resulting from osteoporosis are common injuries. However, the identification and treatment of osteoporosis in these high-risk patients are widely reported to be inadequate. The goals of this study were to determine how many patients receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment for a fragility fracture could be identified and enrolled in a program for osteoporosis education, investigation, and treatment and receive appropriate osteoporosis care within the program. METHODS: An Osteoporosis Exemplary Care Program was implemented to identify, educate, evaluate, refer, and treat patients considered to be at risk for osteoporosis because of a typical fragility fracture. System modifications included coordination among the orthopaedic unit, Metabolic Bone Disease Clinic, and nuclear medicine unit to provide a continuum of care for these patients. Barriers were addressed through ongoing education of physicians, staff, and patients to increase knowledge and awareness of osteoporosis. The percentages of patients previously diagnosed and treated for osteoporosis, referred for investigation of osteoporosis, treated by the orthopaedic team, and receiving appropriate attention for osteoporosis were calculated. Risk factors for osteoporosis were also assessed. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty-nine patients with a fragility fracture (221 outpatients and 128 inpatients) who met the inclusion criteria and an additional eighty-one patients with a fracture (fifty-five outpatients and twenty-six inpatients) who did not meet the inclusion criteria but were suspected by their orthopaedic surgeons of having underlying osteoporosis were enrolled in the Osteoporosis Exemplary Care Program. More than 96% (414) of these 430 patients received appropriate attention for osteoporosis. Approximately one-third (146) of the 430 patients had been diagnosed and treated for osteoporosis before the time of recruitment. Two hundred and twenty-two of the remaining patients were referred to the Metabolic Bone Disease Clinic or to their family physician for further investigation and treatment for osteoporosis. Treatment was initiated by the orthopaedic team for another twenty-three patients. Many patients had risk factors for osteoporosis in addition to the fragility fracture; these included a previous fracture (forty-nine of 187; 26%), a mother who had had a fragility fracture (forty-two of 188; 22%), or a history of smoking (105 of 188; 56%). CONCLUSIONS: In a coordinated post-fracture osteoporosis education and treatment program directed at patients with a fragility fracture and their caregivers, >95% of patients were appropriately diagnosed, treated, or referred for osteoporosis care. To accomplish this, a dedicated coordinator and the full cooperation of orthopaedic surgeons and residents, orthopaedic technologists, allied health-care professionals (nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and social workers), and administrative staff were required.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

Evaluation of an educational low back pain prevention program for hospital employees.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of an educational low back pain prevention program in a cohort of hospital employees. METHODS: A cohort of 136 nonclerical hospital employees attended classes on safe postures and patient handling, then received advice by educators who observed them while they performed their typical workday tasks. Each of the subjects in this intervention group was matched on age, sex, and job category with a control. Musculoskeletal complaints and changes in habits during work and recreational activities were evaluated before the intervention (or the corresponding date in the control group) and after two years. RESULTS: In the intervention group, 36% of subjects with low back pain at baseline were free of this symptom at follow-up, whereas only 26% were in the opposite situation. The proportion of subjects with low back pain episodes lasting longer than 30 days increased significantly from baseline to follow-up in the control group (from 30% to 49%) but not in the intervention group. The number of sick leaves longer than 30 days decreased significantly in the intervention group. Only 33% of the intervention group subjects felt the intervention had been helpful; this proportion varied across job categories. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that differences in job categories should be taken into account when designing educational programs for preventing low back pain. They also indicate that back school programs may be more effective in subjects with a history of low back pain, whereas instruction on safe postures and patient handling may be the best approach in subjects who have not previously experienced low back pain. Observing and providing advice to employees while they are performing their usual duties may be an essential component of low back pain prevention.

Humans↗

Integrating disability studies concepts into occupational therapy education using service learning.

This article describes an occupational therapy educational program's experience with service-learning courses that has fostered student learning about service to the community and disability as a multidimensional construct. Faculty-reflective perspectives about disability and ways to enhance learning about disability as a human experience are presented as an important consideration for health care education curriculum design and course development. Through review of educational evaluation described in research on service learning, the authors used a multi-method assessment matrix to capture students' perspectives on their service learning. The community project investigated accessibility issues that persons with disabilities encountered in social participation at community arts venues. Results from student surveys, interviews, focus groups, and journal entries indicated that service learning contributed to occupational therapy students' appreciation and understanding about disability as an individual, environmental, and societal construct.

Community Health Services↗

Patient education with reference to the process of behavioral change.

From a traditional aspect, behavioral change is conceptualized as a shift from one stable state to another, from stable unhealthy behavior to stable healthier behavior. This approach will influence the type of intervention program to be adopted as well as the type of assessment instrument applied. A concept supported by the results of studies involving a large number of subjects, which enable the natural process of behavioral change to be observed, suggests that behavioral change is a non-stable condition with distinct stages called precontemplation, contemplation, action, and maintenance. There may be relapse at any stage and this should be interpreted as a natural part of the change process. Health educators are confronted with different tasks at each level, and by addressing these tasks and tailoring the intervention programs to suit the stage of the individual subject, better support during the process of change can be given. A project involving cooperations between university institutes and the pharmaceutical industry has developed and evaluated education programs which address different stages of change in a primary care setting. Action-oriented programs for the prevention of coronary disease, sleep disturbance, and chronic pain have proven to be effective. Target behaviors are smoking, stress management, nutrition, and physical exercising. These programs have recently been complimented by others addressing precontemplation and contemplation stage subjects. Further research will have to be carried out in order to find assessment instruments designed to assign the right program to the right person.

Health Behavior↗