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The MAPP training program evaluation.

This article reports on an evaluation of regional training programs designed to increase the knowledge and use of Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). The objectives for the MAPP training program included teaching participants about MAPP resources on the Web, providing participants with instruction about what MAPP is, and why it is important for community health improvement. Participants were also instructed on how to implement MAPP through a series of concrete steps such as mobilizing community partnerships, creating an action plan, conducting a series of assessments, and identifying strategic issues. An on-site survey with pretraining and posttraining questions and a follow-up survey were developed and administered to participants to assess their readiness levels to access MAPP resources and actively use and promote MAPP in their communities. The findings indicate that participants' knowledge of MAPP and confidence to use it improved as a result of training. Six months after training, participants' readiness levels increased from pretraining levels in the areas of incorporating MAPP into their roles, presenting MAPP to community partners, and using MAPP for community health improvement projects. Making changes in their organizations and communities to implement MAPP did not change significantly from pretraining levels. Just under half of training participants were implementing MAPP 6 months posttraining.

Community Health Planning↗

Paretic hand rehabilitation with constraint-induced movement therapy after stroke.

OBJECTIVE: Hemiparesis of the upper limb after stroke can be severely disabling. We studied the effectiveness of constraint-induced movement therapy in improving motor abilities in very chronic stroke subjects. We assessed whether the obtained changes, if any, would endure after the intervention program. DESIGN: Participants were 27 consecutive chronic stroke subjects (mean age, 56 +/- 13 yrs) who fulfilled specific motor criteria. The design was an uncontrolled preintervention to postintervention comparison. The subjects participated in a 2-wk-long constraint-induced movement therapy program. The motor function of the affected arm and its daily use were assessed using a structured motor performance test in a control test 2 wks before the intervention, then again immediately before and after the intervention, and at the follow-up. The intervention was undertaken in a rehabilitation hospital. RESULTS: The motor abilities of the affected arm improved significantly as measured by the structured motor performance test. The obtained improvements in the affected arm motor behavior endured for 5 mos after the therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic stroke subjects, who have sufficient residual motor control for exercise, benefit from highly concentrated therapy and can still enhance their voluntary motor control of the affected arm even years after the incident.

Adult↗

The establishment of social worker participation in rural primary health care.

This paper analyses four attempts to establish programs involving social worker participation in rural primary health care agencies. Successful programs are likely to be those in which the host physicians have been involved in program design and have specifically invited participation by social workers. The successful solicitation of such invitations will require the development of multilevel advocacy programs and effective communication strategies.

Alabama↗

Iowa medicare beneficiaries' satisfaction and experiences with a prescription drug discount card and preferred drug list.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expectations, experiences, and satisfaction with the Iowa Priority Prescription Savings (IPPS) program. DESIGN: Longitudinal descriptive study. SETTING: Iowa. PARTICIPANTS: Randomly selected Iowa Medicare beneficiaries who self-enrolled in the IPPS prescription discount card program. INTERVENTIONS: Three self-administered surveys mailed in November 2002, June 2003, and September 2004, during the first, second, and third years of IPPS operation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Expectations of drug discounts, amount of discounts received, awareness of the IPPS preferred drug list (PDL), and satisfaction with the program. RESULTS: Usable response rates for the three surveys were 43.5%, 31.0%, and 38.4%. About one fourth of members initially expected discounts of more than 20% on their prescription medications. After IPPS was implemented, many members were unaware of the discounts they were receiving, but the percentage of members reporting discounts of more than $20 per month increased from 7.4% in year 1 to 16.4% in year 3. More than one half of the members were unaware of which drugs were on the PDL in years 1 and 2, but this improved to 21% unawareness in year 3. Satisfaction with the program was low but improved over time. Members who received discounts, did not expect large discounts, or received a medication review were more satisfied with the program. CONCLUSION: Some IPPS members had unrealistic expectations about the amount of discounts they would receive, and expectations of large discounts decreased satisfaction. Satisfaction and amount of discounts improved over time, and beneficiaries whose medications were reviewed, usually by a pharmacist, were more satisfied with the program. PDL awareness was a problem despite substantial educational efforts by IPPS, a finding that has implications for the recently implemented Medicare Part D drug benefit.

Aged↗

An interventional program to improve antibiotic use.

BACKGROUND: Large volume and often inappropriate use of specific antimicrobial agents increase selective pressure for emergence of resistant bacteria and place strain on the pharmacy budget. OBJECTIVE: To initiate a multidisciplinary program designed to align intravenous vancomycin and fluoroquinolone prescribing practices with guidelines for appropriate use of these agents. METHODS: A multidisciplinary, prospective interventional program was implemented to encourage early discontinuation of inappropriate vancomycin and fluoroquinolone therapy and decrease inappropriate duplicative gram-negative coverage using fluoroquinolones. A computerized review was performed for patients receiving intravenous vancomycin and fluoroquinolones for 1998 in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In June 1999, guidelines were disseminated and an interventional program was initiated, with a monthly conference for medical residents regarding antimicrobial resistance and local hospital practices. Concurrently, a prospective review of new orders was assessed by the clinical pharmacist and interventions performed when inappropriate use occurred. RESULTS: The interventional program was successful in reducing unnecessary duplicative gram-negative coverage with intravenous fluoroquinolones by 26% (p < 0.001) from 1998 to 2001. Overall, a 43% reduction in the number of courses of intravenous fluoroquinolones was seen during these 4 years. Courses lasting >5 days were reduced by 22% (p < 0.001). Vancomycin prescriptions deemed inappropriate that were administered >5 days were reduced by 16% (p < 0.001) during the same time period. The interventions performed by the clinical pharmacist were deemed successful, with a 76% acceptance rate by providers. CONCLUSIONS: Education of physicians through monthly conferences and personal interventions resulted in an increase in appropriate empiric antibiotic use, a decrease in the duration of inappropriate use, and a decrease in duplicate gram-negative coverage.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Early orthodontic treatment as a means to increase access for children enrolled in Medicaid in Washington state.

BACKGROUND: The authors assessed the likelihood that interceptive orthodontic Medicaid programs would increase access to care for Washington children. METHODS: The authors surveyed 210 Washington state orthodontists, including questions on demographics, attitudes toward early treatment, use of innovations and perceptions of Medicaid. Respondents were either Medicaid participants or nonparticipants. RESULTS: Fifty of 159 respondents were Medicaid participants. Most respondents perceived early orthodontic treatment as beneficial. Medicaid participants were more willing to participate in Medicaid early-treatment programs, had slightly fewer patients in the "other insurance" category, provided more discounted fees, received more Medicaid inquiries, practiced in rural areas with lower household incomes, reported feeling overworked and experienced fewer Medicaid problems. The principal problem reported with the Medicaid system was low fee reimbursement. CONCLUSIONS: Programs offering early orthodontic treatment could increase access. Important barriers would be low fees and unfamiliarity with Medicaid. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Medicaid should design programs aimed at early treatment with reasonable reimbursement and an educational component.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Doing away with uncompensated care of the uninsured.

As more people lose their health insurance, an increasing volume of uncompensated care is absorbing billions of dollars of limited resources of the nation's hospitals, health systems, and other provider organizations. As yet, no provider organization has developed a comprehensive management approach to address this growing problem. Currently, the money spent on uncompensated care is viewed as a drain on institutional bottom lines rather than as a fund dedicated to improving the health of uninsured patients and prospective patients. If an accountable executive were made responsible for managing this problem by paying for all of this care on a case-by-case basis as third parties do, uncompensated care could be eliminated. Payment for each case would come from the institutional resources no longer required for uncompensated care. There is reason to hypothesize that with effective management, a significant amount of the resources currently absorbed by uncompensated care could be shifted from excessive inpatient care to more productive, innovative community initiatives. This paper outlines a six-point management program designed to increase the income and decrease the expense currently associated with uncompensated care, while improving quality, patient satisfaction, and outcomes. The program can be carried out by an individual provider organization, or as a collaborative program involving two or more organizations. Recommended are demonstration projects to test the feasibility and net cost or cost savings of such an approach, preferably starting in one-hospital towns.

Community Health Services↗

Rewards for couples without sons, 1988.

The Government of Gujarat, India, has implemented a program designed to promote family planning by providing parents with a "retirement income" that is independent of the work of sons. Under the program, couples with 1 daughter would receive Rs 1000 in social security certificates when they join the program and Rs 18,000 in cash after 10 years. Couples with two daughters would receive Rs 5000 in certificates and Rs 15,000 in cash; couples with three daughters would receive Rs 4000 in certificates and Rs 12,000 in cash; and couples with four or more daughters would receive Rs 3000 in certificates and Rs 9000 in cash. In order to qualify for the program, the following guidelines must by satisfied: 1) the wife must not be more than 33 years old; 2) the husband or wife must have undergone a sterilization operation after producing only one or more daughters--but no sons; and 3) in cases where the couple has only one daughter, the child must be three years old or younger.

Asia↗

Project Redirection: evaluation of a comprehensive program for disadvantaged teenage mothers.

An evaluation of Project Redirection, a two-year demonstration program designed to help pregnant teenagers and teenage mothers, shows that teenagers from a comparison group, who were not enrolled in the demonstration program, were significantly more likely than project participants to experience a repeat pregnancy after one year, but that after two years the difference was small and nonsignificant. Likewise, at 12 months into the program, the project participants proved more likely to be using contraceptives, but by 24 months the comparison group had caught up. After one year of participation, the project teenagers were more likely than the others either to be in school or to have graduated (56 and 49 percent, respectively). However, this differential also disappeared by 24 months. Nonetheless, even at that point, project teenagers who had dropped out prior to joining the program and those who had had a repeat pregnancy were more likely to be in school or to have completed school than were similar comparison teens. Project teenagers also were somewhat more likely to have held a job during the two-year period than were teenagers not enrolled in the program. All in all, the evaluation demonstrated that teenagers who participated in the project and remained in it for more than a year had consistently better outcomes in education, employment and repeat pregnancy than any other group had. Comparison teenagers who had never participated in any special program for pregnant teenagers, on the other hand, demonstrated consistently poorer outcomes than any other group.

Adolescent↗

Making the health care system 'safe' for persons with HIV infection or AIDS.

If health care reform is implemented in states and nationally, the safety of this process needs to be examined for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Reform should assure ongoing prevention and transmission control of HIV and continuous coverage of medical costs for persons ill with HIV or AIDS. These persons currently benefit from various state and federal categoric programs designed to assure access to preventive and personal care services. Washington State has passed health care reform legislation that envisions integrating these programs to provide a system of population-based and personal health care. This legislation was analyzed using existing epidemiologic and entitlement information about persons with HIV infection or AIDS in the state to assess its effect. The relationship between public health and personal care services will be a central concern for those with HIV infection or AIDS, and complete coverage of this group may be achieved relatively late in the process of implementing health care reform. Health personnel planning under health care reform will affect the delivery of HIV- and AIDS-related services. Including treatment of AIDS in the basic benefit package merits particular attention. These issues parallel those being faced by the nation as a whole as it seeks to ensure epidemic disease control and compassionate care for long-term disabling illness if health care reform is implemented.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

[Effects of an intensive therapy program for behaviorally disordered mentally handicapped patients on staff personnel in residential care].

This study evaluates the effects of an intensive therapy program designed for mentally handicapped persons with severely disturbed or autistic behavior on their staff personal which had an active role in the program. The staff members rated their professional competence, quality of interaction with the client, team culture and work satisfaction before and after being engaged in the program, with additional ratings of their personal aims at the beginning of the program. Three sets of data were obtained with the program being conducted three times in a row. The testings of the related as well as the independent samples show differentiated program effects. The main effect is an increase of the professional competence and quality of interaction, especially by the qualified staff members. Trainees put emphasis on the development of their personal relationship with the client. The results are discussed in terms of the impact of learning processes specific to the roles of the staff members and motivational factors on learning and therapy outcome, along with institutional conditions influencing successful learning. Thus the program facilitates the professional and interpersonal learning process of staff members in a specific way with success as well as with limitations.

Autistic Disorder↗

An evaluation of a program to reduce home hot tap water temperatures.

Children are more likely to be hospitalised because of burns from hot liquids than from contact with fire and flames. Many of these hot liquid burns are from contact with hot tap water, usually in the home. Hot tap water burns to young children can be prevented completely by lowering the delivery temperature of the hot tap water. This study reports on the evaluation of a program designed to lower the temperature of home hot tap water in Dunedin, New Zealand. In conjunction with a national media campaign, the program provided an educational intervention to households with young children. Before and after measures were made and comparison groups were used to determine the effect of the intervention on tap water temperatures. Mean tap water temperature was 64.2 degrees C at baseline and 61.2 degrees C at follow-up. The proportion of households with water temperatures above 70 degrees C decreased by 50 per cent between baseline and follow-up while the proportion below 60 degrees C increased from 33 per cent to 47 per cent. The group receiving the intervention did not differ significantly from the comparison groups. There were significant decreases in tap water temperature across all groups, but the majority of households still had temperatures above 55 degrees C at the end of the study.

Burns↗

Computerized NCLEX-RN preparation programs. A comparative review.

Nursing faculty and students, as well as schools of nursing, are concerned about maintaining or improving pass rates on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). This article offers a comparative review of eight computerized NCLEX-RN preparation programs: Compass RN; Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) Assess Test; NLN-CAT-RN Pharmacology Test; Meds, incorporated Comprehensive Q & A; Mosby's NCLEX Review; Medi-Sim Computer-Assisted Preparation for NCLEX-RN; Preparing for NCLEX-RN CAT; and NLN-CAT Practice RN. Criteria for evaluating these programs include program design features, types of questions and feedback, performance reports, screen design, ease of use, technical support and documentation, warranty and upgrade policy, and price. Issues associated with using NCLEX-RN preparation programs also are discussed.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

A developmental model for risk avoidance in adolescents confronting AIDS.

Epidemiologic studies indicate that HIV infection is on the rise within the adolescent population. Much of this increase has been attributed to the teenager's developmental proclivity for risk-taking behavior. Intervention programs designed to curtail high-risk behaviour among adolescents have focused primarily on educational methods alerting teenagers to modes of disease transmission. Among these programs, demonstration and role-playing techniques have shown promise, but have not significantly modified behavior patterns. In contrast, a new developmental technique known as previewing advocates the use of representation and enactment to promote risk deterrence. Previewing may serve as a productive alternative to traditional interventions, since it directly addresses the adolescent's cognitive limitations with regard to the prediction of behavioral outcomes. This paper recommends a prevention model using previewing that is designed to lower the incidence of AIDS transmission among adolescents.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

The parent-adolescent relationship education (PARE) program: a curriculum for prevention of STDs and pregnancy in middle school youth.

The Parent-Adolescent Relationship Education (PARE) Program, designed for parents and middle school students, focuses on strengthening family communication about sexual issues and behaviors to help prevent teen pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The program includes content about reproduction, STDs and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), contraception, sex risks, and safe-sex behaviors. The course uses social learning and cognitive behavioral concepts to enhance decision-making, refusal, and resistance skills. A randomized treatment or control group design is used to assign parent-child dyads to an experimental education group (social learning) or an attention-control group (traditional didactic teaching). Three post-program maintenance or booster sessions are held at 6-month intervals and at times prior to peak teen conception periods to reinforce the knowledge and skills learned. Pre- and posttests for parents and students assess group differences in parental involvement and communication, contraception, sex attitudes and intentions, sex behaviors (initiation of sexual intercourse, frequency, number of partners, contraceptive practices, refusal skills), and the incidence of pregnancy.

Adolescent↗

Innovative designs and practices for acute systemic toxicity studies.

Over a four year period our laboratory has conducted 124 acute systemic toxicity studies (64 oral, 39 dermal, and 21 inhalation), altering study and program designs with the objectives of maximizing information while minimizing animal usage. By employing dose selection strategies, probes, lethality limits instead of LD50's, staggered sequential dosing, and by conducting studies in batteries, animal usage was reduced by 48% below the average number currently quoted as necessary for an LD50 study. Simultaneously, use of a neurobehavioral screen, adjunct studies and a flexible study design have led to a significant upgrading in the information generated by these studies. Additionally, the use of a decision tree approach for selecting tissues for histopathology was developed. The use of specific indicators (such as organ weights) for selecting organs for microscopic examination was also evaluated. Our efforts demonstrate that significantly more information can be generated by studies utilizing fewer animals than is now common practice.

Animals↗

Human tissue monitoring and specimen banking: opportunities for exposure assessment, risk assessment, and epidemiologic research.

A symposium on Human Tissue Monitoring and Specimen Banking: Opportunities for Exposure Assessment, Risk Assessment, and Epidemiologic Research was held from 30 March to 1 April 1993 in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. There were 117 registered participants from 18 states and 5 foreign countries. The first 2 days featured 21 invited speakers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, various other government agencies, and universities in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Norway. The speakers provided a state-of-the-art overview of human exposure assessment techniques (especially applications of biological markers) and their relevance to human tissue specimen banking. Issues relevant to large-scale specimen banking were discussed, including program design, sample design, data collection, tissue collection, and ethical ramifications. The final group of presentations concerned practical experiences of major specimen banking and human tissue monitoring programs in the United States and Europe. The symposium addressed the utility and research opportunities afforded by specimen banking programs for future research needs in the areas of human exposure assessment, risk assessment, and environmental epidemiology. The third day of the symposium consisted of a small workshop convened to discuss and develop recommendations to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding applications and utility of large-scale specimen banking, biological monitoring, and biological markers for risk assessment activities.

Biomarkers↗

Early education as community intervention: assisting an ethnic minority to be ready for school.

An early education program designed for an ethnic minority of Native Hawaiians implemented at the community rather than the individual child level of intervention is described. The program development effort is theory driven and provides an opportunity to investigate the application of neo-Vygotskian theory to an applied community educational problem. Though not specifically derived from the work of O'Donnell, Tharp, and Wilson (1993), the project reported here shares a common intellectual heritage. This paper demonstrates the parallels between the early education program developed for Hawaiian children and the applicability of the theory presented in the work of O'Donnell et al.

Child, Preschool↗