Emergency medical services (EMS) in the United States are frequently used for nonurgent medical needs. Use of 911 and the emergency department (ED) for primary care-treatable conditions is expensive, inefficient, and undesirable for patients and providers. The objective is to describe the outcomes from community paramedicine (CP) and mobile integrated health care (MIH) interventions related to the Quadruple Aim. Three electronic databases were searched for peer-review literature on CP-MIH interventions in the United States. Eight articles reporting data from 7 interventions were included. Four studies reported high levels of patient satisfaction, and only 3 measured health outcomes. No study reported provider satisfaction measures. Reducing ED and inpatient utilization were the most common study outcomes, and programs generally were successful at reducing utilization. With reduced utilization, costs should be reduced; however, most studies did not quantify savings. Future studies should conduct economic analyses that not only compare the intervention to traditional EMS services, but also measure potential cost savings to the EMS agencies running the intervention. Most cost savings from reduced utilization will be to insurance companies and patients, but more efficient use of EMS agencies' resources could lead to cost savings that could offset intervention implementation costs. The other 3 aims (health, patient satisfaction, and provider satisfaction) were reported inconsistently in these studies and need to be addressed further. Given the small number of heterogeneous studies reviewed, the potential for CP-MIH interventions to comprehensively address the Quadruple Aim is still unclear, and more research on these programs is needed.
An exploratory study of resiliency profiles of male and female juvenile offenders committed to a juvenile correctional facility was conducted. The goal of the present study was to examine juvenile offenders’ positive characteristics (e.g., adaptability, optimism, self-efficacy, tolerance of differences). To assess positive characteristics and vulnerabilities, 215 male and female juvenile offenders completed The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents . K-means cluster analysis identified four resiliency profiles among the sample of juvenile offenders. The clusters were analyzed using ANOVA to determine how they differed on the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents, as well as demographic factors (e.g., age, age when incarcerated, number of months incarcerated prior to survey completion, number of educational credits obtained) and behavioral indicators (number of major infractions and visits to segregation 30 days before survey completion). Differences in the four resiliency profiles are discussed in respect to these factors. Discussion of the four resiliency profiles illuminates the importance of identifying areas of strength to help mitigate against risk factors for juvenile offending and to prevent recidivism.
Effective team communication is necessary for the provision of high-quality health care. Yet, recent graduates from diverse health-care disciplines report inadequate training in communication skills and end-of-life care. This study explored the impact of a withdrawal of life-sustaining measures interprofessional simulation on team communication skills of students representing medicine, nursing, and social work. The 3-phase simulation required teams to communicate with the patient, family, and one another in the care of a seriously ill patient at the end of life. Team communication in the filmed simulations was analyzed via the Gap-Kalamazoo Communication Checklist. Results revealed fair to good communication across the 9 communication domains. Overall team communication was strongest in “shares information” and lowest in “understands the patient’s and family’s perspective” domains. Field notes revealed 5 primary themes— Team Dynamics, Awkwardness, Empathy is Everything, Build a Relationship, and Communicating Knowledge When You Have It—in the course of the data analysis. Logistical challenges encountered in simulation development and implementation are presented, along with proposed solutions that were effective for this study. This simulation provided an opportunity for interprofessional health-care provider students to learn team communication skills within an end-of-life care context.
Individuals who identify as transgender (trans) or other gender-diverse identities are highly marginalized populations within the United States health care system. Transgender individuals experience a broad range of health disparities leading to devastating health outcomes. Experiences with discrimination and biased care often result in a lack of trust in providers and reduced care seeking, yet providers frequently rely on communication with trans patients to build competence. Consequently, when a trans patient has restricted communication, whether due to biological or psychological reasons, their care can be further disrupted. The nursing code of ethics compels the provision of competent care to all patients, regardless of demographics or gender identity,
Sixteen exploratory college students participated in in-depth interviews exploring their family career genograms. Through the use of constant comparison method, five salient themes emerged from the qualitative interviews. Important insights affecting college students with undeclared majors are provided to inform family counseling and family-oriented career practice.
Interprofessional education case sessions allow learners to apply discipline-specific knowledge to real-life scenarios through thorough facilitated discussion of a patient case. Our interprofessional case discussion was implemented for learners to develop care plans for complex geriatric patients; learners have intentional time to learn with, from and about each other’s roles in geriatric care. All learners receive the case and work through it from their discipline’s perspective, then join a facilitated group discussion to develop collaborative care plans. Participants were surveyed using the ICAS and qualitative comments about perceptions of interprofessional learning, and most interprofessional (medicine, pharmacy, psychology and social work) learners found the sessions to be educational. Themes emerging from qualitative analysis about what was most educational were “different professional approaches”, “professional roles”, “collaboration” and “problem solving”. Typically, learners were unable to identify “least educational” components to the activity. Overall feedback from learners aligns with the goals of interprofessional education. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Mental Health Practice and Aging Interest Group.
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