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PubMed2000

Approaches to eliminating sociocultural disparities in health.

The recent flurry of studies documenting the presence of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in health care and health have outpaced articles that describe effective strategies to eliminate disparities. Through literature review and informal interviews with research, policy, and program experts, we developed a framework of programs that address disparities through targeting clinicians, patients and communities, and health systems. We found that the lack of technical expertise, resources, and sensitive tools are all common barriers to evaluating programs. To stimulate more effective programs and rigorous evaluations, we describe specialized implementation and evaluation techniques programs can use, and make recommendations for future efforts.

Cultural Diversity↗
PubMed2001

Evaluation of a program to promote positive parenting in the neonatal intensive care unit.

PURPOSE: To describe and evaluate a parent education program to promote positive parenting in the NICU. DESIGN: Program evaluations completed by parent participants and staff members. SAMPLE: 104 parents (59 mothers and 45 fathers) who attended the Parent's Circle; also 44 NICU or SCN staff members. MAIN OUTEOME VARIABLE: Family and staff evaluations of the Parent's Circle program. RESULTS: Families reported that attending Parent's Circle helped them gain perspective on their situation, feel supported, learn key developmental concepts, locate hospital and community resources, and optimize interactions with their fragile infant. Staff reported that the knowledge parents gained from Parent's Circle influenced their interactions and behaviors in the NICU.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

A multilaboratory peer assessment quality assurance program-based evaluation of anticardiolipin antibody, and beta2-glycoprotein I antibody testing.

We evaluated the performance of anticardiolipin (aCL) and beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2-GPI) antibody assays through a large external quality assurance program. Data from the 2002 cycle of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Program (RCPA QAP) were analyzed for variation in reported numerical values and semiquantitative results or interpretations according to method type or group and in conjunction with available clinical data. High interlaboratory variation in numerical results and notable method-based variation, combined with a general lack of consensus in semiquantitative reporting, continues to be observed. Numerical results from cross-laboratory testing of 12 serum samples (for immunoglobulin G [IgG]-aCL, IgM-aCL, and IgG-beta2-GPI) yielded interlaboratory coefficients of variation (CVs) that were higher than 50% in six of 12 (50%) specimens for IgG-aCL, and 12 of 12 (100%) specimens for IgM-aCL and IgG-beta2-GPI. Semiquantitative reporting also varied considerably, with total (100%) consensus occurring in only four of 36 (11%) occasions. General consensus (where > 90% of participating laboratories agreed that a given serum sample gave a result of either negative or positive) was only obtained on 13 of 36 (36%) occasions. Variation in results between different method types or groups were also present, resulting in potential biasing of the RCPA QAP-defined target results by the large number of laboratories using the dominant aCL assays. Finally, laboratory findings frequently did not agree with the available clinical information. In conclusion, in a large proportion of specimens from the 2002 RCPA QAP cycle, laboratories could not agree on whether a serum sample tested was aCL-positive or aCL-negative, or beta2-GPI-positive or beta2-GPI-negative. Despite prior attempts to improve the standardization of testing and reporting practices, laboratory testing for aCL and anti-beta2-GPI still demonstrates significant interlaboratory and intermethod variation, which needs to be taken into account for the clinical interpretation of test results, especially those from different laboratories.

Antibodies, Anticardiolipin↗
PubMed2006

School-based smoking prevention programs for adolescents in South Korea: a systematic review.

The number of research papers evaluating programs designed to prevent adolescent smoking have increased in the last 13 years in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate these programs, to review the features of the studies and to systemically assess the results on the knowledge about, and attitude to, smoking and smoking behavior. Database searched were national digital library (NDL) and the Research Information Service System, which are major literature search systems for all academic fields in South Korea, and the Research Information Center for Health, which is a database for health field. A total of 11 papers were included. Program contents are described under five categories and the mode of delivery is described. Methodological features were investigated and effect of the size of the study on variables investigated was computed. Knowledge was the main content of the program in most of the studies. Most studies delivered classroom-based instructions that were mainly didactic presentations. School-based smoking programs have not influenced adolescent smoking behavior as much as anticipated. Methodological problems were discussed. Several recommendations are made to improve effectiveness of smoking prevention programs and reduce methodological flaws in future studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Can the social model explain all of disability experience? Perspectives of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The social model of disability has had a major influence on the academic field of disability studies and on contemporary understandings of the causes and experience of disability. The purpose of this study was to examine the adequacy of the social model for explaining the disability experience of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). METHODS: This qualitative study examined the experiences of 47 adults with CFS participating in a research project that aimed to evaluate a participant-designed rehabilitation program. Data were aggregated from focus group interviews, open-ended questionnaires, progress notes, and from a program evaluation questionnaire. Data analysis was based on a grounded theory approach and used triangulation of multiple data sources and member checks to assure dependability of findings. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the analysis: (1) minimization and mistrust of the disability; (2) negative experiences of impairment; (3) lack of identification with the disability community; and (4) the focus on advocacy as a quest for legitimacy. These themes varied in the extent to which they conformed to the principles set forth by the social model. CONCLUSIONS: Although the social model has important contributions to lend to occupational therapy practice, it is important to recognize that it may not capture the full reality of disability. In particular, the social model has serious limitations in describing the disability experience of individuals with disabilities who do not have visibly obvious disabilities and whose impairments do not conform to the traditional viewpoint of disability.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Technical workshop report: Working Group II: agricultural occupational health and safety services for farmers and ranchers.

This work group felt that there is compelling evidence that effective occupational health services are essential to improve the serious occupational safety and health problems in agriculture. Program initiatives may be stimulated by federal and state governments, but development and implementation must involve the grassroots farm community and local resources. Other countries (Sweden, Finland, Canada) are far ahead of the United States in this area and serve as examples. Developing services should be comprehensive and should include clinical, technical, and educational efforts. Marketing programs to the public must include grassroots involvement. Surveillance and program evaluation are essential in any new program efforts. Funding such programs must be shared by federal, state, local, and private resources. Regulatory options should be a minimal part of such a program, but mandatory rollover protective devices and mandatory reporting seems to be one feasible regulatory option.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2000

Mortality impact of an integrated community cardiovascular health program.

BACKGROUND: Preventing cardiovascular disease through community interventions makes theoretical sense but has been difficult to demonstrate. We set out to determine whether a community cardiovascular health program had an impact on mortality. DESIGN: Program evaluation plus ecologic observational analysis of program encounters and mortality rates with external comparisons. SETTING: Franklin County and two comparison counties in rural Maine. PARTICIPANTS: Program encountered >50% of regional adults, broadly distributed by site, gender, and age. INTERVENTIONS: From 1974 to 1994, a community program, integrated with primary medical care and staffed by professional nurses, provided education, screening, counseling, referral, tracking, and follow-up for cardiovascular risk factors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age-adjusted mortality rates (total, heart, coronary, cerebrovascular, cancer) for three counties and Maine, plus annual program encounters. RESULTS: Relative to Maine, the Franklin heart disease death rate was 0.97 at baseline (1960-1969; 95% confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.03), 0.91 during the program (0.85 to 0.97), 0.83 during the 11 years of program growth (0.78 to 0.88), but 1.0 during the 10 years of decreasing encounters. Franklin's total death rate was 1.01 at baseline, 0.95 during the program (0.92 to 0.98), and 0.90 during program growth (0.86 to 0. 94). Results were similar for coronary disease, stroke, and cancer. Relative death rates did not fall in either comparison county. Nurse-client encounters totaled 120,280 over 21 years. Relative to Maine, heart disease death rates correlated inversely with program encounters (r = -0.53) but not with unemployment or physician supply. CONCLUSIONS: Integrated with primary medical care, a comprehensive, nurse-mediated community cardiovascular health program in rural Maine has been associated with significant time-dependent and dose-dependent reductions in cardiovascular and total mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Quality assurance for community mental health centers: impact of P.L. 94-63.

The Community Mental Health Centers Amendments of 1975 (Public Law 94-63) contained three requirements relating to quality assurance in community mental health centers: the development of national standards for the centers, the development of quality assurance programs, and the collection of data to be used in program evaluation. The authors describe the CMHC standards developed by the National Institute of Mental Health in compliance with the law. They discuss quality assurance programs in the centers in relation to the developing network of professional standards review organizations. They also describe the kinds of activities centers must conduct to meet the program evaluation requirements and some of the materials that have been developed to assist the centers.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed2005

Chile's national nutritional supplementation program for older people: lessons learned.

Demographic changes in developing countries have resulted in rapid increases in the size of the older population. As a result, health-care budgets face increasing costs associated with the declining health and function of older people. Some governments have responded to this situation by designing innovative programs aimed at older people. One such program, implemented by the government of Chile, distributes an instant food mix fortified with vitamins and minerals to all persons over 70 years old who are registered by the national health service. The national health service covers approximately 90% of the older population. The program specifically targets nutritional vulnerability and micronutrient deficiency, which are common among poor older people in Chile. We present here the findings of a one-year investigation into all aspects of Chile's program for the elderly. The research included in-depth interviews with policy makers and program implementers, focus group discussions with user groups, analysis of the micronutrient content of the nutritional supplement, and telephone interviews of a random sample of older people. The results demonstrate that there can be a considerable degree of self-targeting within national programs; programs need to be sufficiently flexible to permit periodic protocol change; user groups must be consulted both before and during program implementation; and the design of an effective program evaluation must be in place before program implementation. It is hoped that these results will be useful to policy makers and implementers planning programs aimed at improving the health and function of older people.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Physicians Taking Action Against Smoking: an intervention program to optimize smoking cessation counselling by Montreal general practitioners.

In 1997 the Direction de la santé publique de Montréal-Centre initiated "Physicians Taking Action Against Smoking," a 5-year intervention program to improve the smoking cessation counselling practices of general practitioners (GPs) in Montreal. Program development was guided by the precede-proceed model. This model advocates identifying factors influencing the outcome, in this case counselling practices. These factors are then used to determine the program objectives, to develop and tailor program activities and to design the evaluation. Program activities during the first 3 years included cessation counselling workshops and conferences for GPs, publication of articles in professional interest journals, publication of clinical guidelines for smoking cessation counselling and dissemination of educational material for both GPs and smokers. The program also supported activities encouraging smokers to ask their GPs to help them stop smoking. Results from 2 cross-sectional surveys, conducted in 1998 and 2000, of random samples of approximately 300 GPs suggest some improvements over time in several counselling practices, including offering counselling to more patients and discussing setting a quit date. More improvements were observed among female than male GPs in both psychosocial factors related to counselling and specific counselling practices. For example, improvements were noted among female GPs in self-perceived ability to provide effective counselling and in the belief that it is important to schedule specific appointments to help patients quit; in addition, the perceived importance of several barriers to counselling decreased among female GPs. A greater proportion of the female respondents to the 2000 survey offered written educational material than was the case in 1998, and a greater proportion of the male GPs devoted more time to counselling in 2000 than in 1998; however, among male GPs the proportion who discussed the pros and cons of smoking with patients in the pre-contemplation stage declined between 1998 and 2000, as did the proportion who referred patients in the preparation stage to community resources. Our experience suggests that an integrated, theory-based program to improve physicians' counselling practices could be a key component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce tobacco use.

Counseling↗
PubMed1981

Evaluation of a self-help education-exercise program for asthmatic children and their parents: six-month follow-up.

A program evaluation was conducted on a sample of 40 families with asthmatic children who were managed in private practice and participated in a self-help education-exercise program in Denver. Baseline measures were collected for the six-month period before the program, and follow-up measures were collected for the six-month period following completion of the eight-week program. The results indicated that a significant number of children experienced less debilitation after completing the program and also had less need of medical services. The interpersonal relations between the child and the parents were judged to have improved in a significant number of families, and a significant number of mothers reported that they experienced less emotional distress in getting a significant number of parents to quit smoking. Additional evaluations are recommended with a sample of asthmatic children who are more severely debilitated and more difficult to manage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Faculty evaluation by residents in an emergency medicine program: a new evaluation instrument.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of preceptors in training programs is essential; however, little research has been performed in the setting of the emergency department (ED). The goal of this pilot study was to determine the validity and reliability of a faculty evaluation instrument-the Emergency Rotation (ER) scale-developed specifically for use in emergency medicine (EM). METHODS: A prospective study comparing the ER scale with two alternative faculty evaluation instruments was completed in three of the five EDs affiliated with an EM teaching program, where emergency physicians are members of the clinical teaching faculty. The participants were 18 residents (postgraduate years 1, 2, and 3) who were completing four-week clinical rotations in EM. Residents at the end of the rotation recorded their evaluations of each emergency physician with whom they had clinical encounters on the following evaluation tools: the ER scale, a longer validated scale (Irby), and a global assessment scale (GAS). Domain scores were correlated with the previously validated scale and the GAS to determine validity using a multitrait-multimethod matrix. The reliability of the ER scale was measured using a Chronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: Forty-eight preceptor evaluations were completed on 29 individual preceptors. The rating of preceptors was high using the ER scale (median: 16 of 20; IQR: 13, 18), Irby (median: 300 of 378; IQR: 267, 321), or GAS (mean: 7.8 of 10; SD: 1.3). Domain scores for each tool were used in the multitrait-multimethod matrix and the correlations between a previously validated tool and the ER scale were found to be high (>0.70) in the various domains. The internal consistency of the ER scale was also high (r = 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: The ER scale appears to be valid and reliable. It performs well when compared with previously psychometrically tested tools. It is a sensible, well-adapted tool for the teaching environment offered by EM.

Alberta↗
PubMed1982

Skill acquisition and client movement indices. Implementing cost-effective analysis in rehabilitation programs.

This article outlines the development and implementation of a cost-effective approach to client and program evaluation. The indices presented summarize a client's acquisition of behavioral skills (Skill Acquisition Index) and progression along a continuum of becoming less dependent and more productive (Client Movement Index). Data are presented summarizing how the two non-monetary outcome measures have been used in formative program evaluation. The paper also discusses some of the problems involved in implementing cost-effective analyses in rehabilitation programs and suggests specific strategies to overcome the problems.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1987

[Physical disabilities in Hansen's disease at the time of diagnosis. II. Indicators for evaluating a Hansen's disease control program].

The evaluation of physical disabilities caused by hanseniasis at the moment of the diagnosis, was carried out through the clinical and epidemiological forms of the 8,915 cases recorded in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1981 to 1983. The resulting data showed that the disabilities' evaluation at the moment of the diagnosis is an important index for the hanseniasis control programme specially when related to other variable elements involved in the diagnosis of the hanseniasis situation.

Brazil↗
PubMed1992

Analytic sensitivity and specificity of enzyme immunoassay results in testing for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 antibody.

In 1986, a performance evaluation program at the Centers for Disease Control was implemented to assess the quality of performance of laboratories testing for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 antibody and to identify problems that occur during the testing process. Laboratories participating in the Centers for Disease Control Model Performance Evaluation Program for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 antibody testing furnished enzyme immunoassay results after they tested performance evaluation panels that were sent to them in August and November 1989. The panels consisted of 10 individual samples containing antibody-negative and antibody-positive samples, some of which were duplicates. Not all laboratories received the same panel of samples. Low false-negative and false-positive rates, as well as high intrashipment and intershipment reproducibility, indicate that most laboratories did not experience difficulty in testing performance evaluation samples sent to them in August and November 1989.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1983

Patient satisfaction with mental health services: a meta-analysis to establish norms.

Patients typically express high rates of satisfaction with their mental health care. This finding and the lack of well controlled studies on patient satisfaction in the literature underscore the need for meaningful guidelines for clinicians and program evaluators in interpreting patient satisfaction data. To address this problem a meta-analysis was undertaken to establish norms on patient satisfaction for various types of mental health programs. Programs were categorized according to three dimensions: inpatient vs. outpatient vs. residential care; chronic vs. non-chronic; and conventional vs. innovative. Meta-analysis procedures were modified to accommodate the single-group study designs that dominate the literature. The analysis revealed that chronic patients express less satisfaction with their treatment compared to non-chronic patients. Innovative programs are viewed more positively than conventional ones. No differences were found in rates of patient satisfaction between inpatient and outpatient programs. Acceptably reliable norms and confidence intervals of patient satisfaction were established for conventional inpatient programs serving either chronic or non-chronic patients; conventional outpatient programs for non-chronic patients; and for all programs combined according to chronic vs. non-chronic, inpatient vs. outpatient, and conventional vs. innovative. However, data were insufficient to compute norms for other program types. The norms thus established can be used for comparative purposes by program evaluators. A cumulative, national data base on patient satisfaction is recommended to further refine these norms.

Consumer Behavior↗