The doctor of nursing practice (DNP) project was a staff education intervention intended to improve medication adherence at a long-term care facility. The practice gap identified was that staff lacked current evidence-based knowledge in medication compliance. The project addressed whether educating staff on medication compliance would increase…

Background: The link between limited health literacy (HL), an often forgotten social determinant of health, inadequate access to health care, and poor health outcomes demonstrates the need for better patient education. Understanding HL supports patient education on multiple levels. Purpose: Our objective was to measure HL and its association with…

Purpose: This study demonstrates how becoming a high-reliability institution in health care is a priority, given the high-risk environment in which an error can result in harm. Literature conceptually supports the need for highly reliable health care facilities but does not show a comprehensive approach to operationalizing the concept into the…

The evolution of patient engagement in patient-centered care has led to the development of online personal health record (PHR) systems, which are accessed through use of a patient portal. Researchers have found that older adults are among those yet to adopt its use. The UTAUT2 factors are used to help understand an individual's intention to use…

Academic Health Centers and nonprofit hospitals are exploring strategies to meet Affordable Care Act mandates requiring tax-exempt institutions to address community health needs, which commonly include major chronic illnesses. We explore the implications of this regulatory landscape, describing methods that nonprofit health care institutions are…

This document, the HLE2, is an updated version of the "Health Literacy Environment of Hospitals and Health Centers" [see ED508596]. The original workbook and assessment tool has been widely used in the U.S. and has been translated and adapted for different health systems in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This revision, HLE2 (The…

Partnership projects between education and practice beyond clinical placement provide opportunities for growth and improved quality for both the educational unit and the health care facility. Such a partnership happened between Quinte Healthcare Corporation and Loyalist College to benefit students, educational curriculum, nurses new to their…

Purpose: To examine the 1-year prevalence and risk of emergency department (ED) use and ambulatory care-sensitive (ACS) ED use by nursing home (NH) residents with different levels of severity of cognitive impairment (CI). Design and Methods: We used multinomial logistic regression to estimate the effect of CI severity on the odds of any ED visit…

The State of Texas began enforcement of the Woman's Right to Know (WRTK) Act on January 1, 2004. The law requires that all abortions at or after 16 weeks' gestation be performed in an ambulatory surgical center (ASC). In the month the law went into effect, not one of Texas's 54 nonhospital abortion providers met the requirements of a surgical…

Purpose of the study: This study examines urban-rural differences in end-of-life (EOL) quality of care provided to nursing home (NH) residents. Data and Methods: We constructed 3 risk-adjusted EOL quality measures (QMs) for long-term decedent residents: in-hospital death, hospice referral before death, and presence of severe pain. We used…

Purpose: To estimate the frequency of use of pressure-redistributing support surfaces (PRSS) among hip fracture patients and to determine whether higher pressure ulcer risk is associated with greater PRSS use. Design and Methods: Patients (n = 658) aged [greater than or equal] 65 years who had surgery for hip fracture were examined by research…

Background: The aim of the study was to determine neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations in a group of patients with previously undiagnosed or untreated phenylketonuria (PKU) in the south-eastern part of Poland. Methods: The study was conducted among 400 adults with severe intellectual disability who were born prior to neonatal screening…

Population-specific data on factors that affect intimate partner violence (IPV) are needed on female adolescents and young adults, a cohort at greatest risk of IPV in the United States (Rennison, 2001). Studies have frequently overlooked the role of relationship communication as a gatekeeper to IPV (Ridley & Feldman, 2003). To address this…

Purpose: This study's purpose was to advance the process of culture change within long-term care (LTC) and assisted living settings by using participatory action research (PAR) to promote residents' competence and nourish the culture change process with the active engagement and leadership of residents. Design and Methods: Seven unit-specific PAR…

Community-based frail older adults, burdened with complex medical and social needs, are at great risk for preventable rapid rehospitalizations. Although federal and state regulations are in place to address the care transitions between the hospital and nursing home, no such guidelines exist for the much larger population of community-dwelling…