Proximal versus distal influences on underrepresented minority students pursuing health professional careers. (41/195)

The Health Careers Opportunities Program (HCOP) at Creighton University provides an important illustration of the short- and long-term successes of pipeline programming. The Pipeline to Success program at Creighton University provides exposure and enrichment activities to participants beginning in middle school and continuing through a one-year postbaccalaureate component in order to ensure that they are knowledgeable about health professional careers and competitive in applying for these training programs. This study hypothesized that the enrichment activities experienced by participants would have the additional benefit of providing indirect or distal influences to motivate participants to meet their career goals. In partial support of this hypothesis, a MANOVA demonstrated that the middle-school participants demonstrated a different pattern of influence from the other program components. Results indicate that as participants progressed through the Pipeline to Success HCOP at Creighton University, the program resources impacted their desire to pursue health professional careers in addition to positively preparing them for health professional training programs. We conclude that these findings have particular importance for planning and implementing student education programs.  (+info)

Experiences promoting healthcare career interest among high-school students from underserved communities. (42/195)

Promoting early interest in healthcare careers among youth from underserved areas is one promising strategy for addressing the health professional shortage in such communities, Most career choice studies try to predict outcomes using such traditional measures as grades and test scores, This study examines experiences influencing healthcare career interest among high-school students participating in health professions introductory programs in underserved communities. The opinions of parents and teachers regarding students' motivations are also considered. Seven focus groups (N=51) were conducted in one rural and two largely minority urban communities in New York State designated as health professional shortage areas. Qualitative data analysis involved a theory-driven, immersion and crystallization approach following the experiential learning model. Constructive experiences with the healthcare system, family role-modeling and support, interactive health-related school activities, the media, inspirational and accessible school staff, and strategic community partnerships, among other factors, facilitated student interest in health professions. Findings suggest that underserved and disenfranchised community environments still pose challenges for furthering healthcare career interest among youth.  (+info)

An interdisciplinary approach to introducing professionalism. (43/195)

OBJECTIVE: To provide interdisciplinary structured activities in academic and clinical settings for introducing the concept of professionalism to health professions students. DESIGN: Undergraduate and graduate students from 8 health care disciplines including pharmacy, nursing, communication sciences and disorders, dietetics and nutrition science, genetic counseling, advanced medical imaging, medical technology, and physical therapy participated in an orientation program focusing on interdisciplinary health care and professionalism, as well as a field experience. ASSESSMENT: Survey results from both components (orientation, n = 284; field experience, n = 123) indicated that the project was valuable in increasing students' awareness of (1) the importance of professionalism in the clinical setting and (2) the potential contributions of their profession to the health care team. CONCLUSION: Health professions curricula should include interdisciplinary learning opportunities that enhance collaboration, collegiality, and professionalism among future members of the health care team.  (+info)

Testing the proficiency to distinguish locations with elevated plantar pressure within and between professional groups of foot therapists. (44/195)

BACKGROUND: Identification of locations with elevated plantar pressures is important in daily foot care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, metatarsalgia and diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the proficiency of podiatrists, pedorthists and orthotists, to distinguish locations with elevated plantar pressure in patients with metatarsalgia. METHODS: Ten podiatrists, ten pedorthists and ten orthotists working in The Netherlands were asked to identify locations with excessively high plantar pressure in three patients with forefoot complaints. Therapists were instructed to examine the patients according to the methods used in their everyday clinical practice. Regions could be marked through hatching an illustration of a plantar aspect. A pressure sensitive platform was used to quantify the dynamic bare foot plantar pressures and was considered as 'Gold Standard' (GS). A pressure higher than 700 kPa was used as cut-off criterion for categorizing peak pressure into elevated or non-elevated pressure. This was done for both patient's feet and six separate forefoot regions: big toe and metatarsal one to five. Data were analysed by a mixed-model ANOVA and Generalizability Theory. RESULTS: The proportions elevated/non-elevated pressure regions, based on clinical ratings of the therapists, show important discrepancies with the criterion values obtained through quantitative plantar pressure measurement. In general, plantar pressures in the big toe region were underrated and those in the metatarsal regions were overrated. The estimated method agreement on clinical judgement of plantar pressures with the GS was below an acceptable level: i.e. all intraclass correlation coefficient's equal or smaller than .60. The inter-observer agreement for each discipline demonstrated worrisome results: all below .18. The estimated mutual agreements showed that there was virtually no mutual agreement between the professional groups studied. CONCLUSION: Identification of elevated plantar pressure through clinical evaluation is difficult, insufficient and may be potentially harmful. The process of clinical plantar pressure screening has to be re-evaluated. The results of this study point towards the merit of quantitative plantar pressure measurement for clinical practice.  (+info)

Antimicrobial price variation: conundrum of medical profession! (45/195)

Pharmacoeconomics plays a pivotal role in clinical practice. High medicine prices can adversely affect a patient's finances and compliance. The Indian pharmaceutical industry has become a cornucopia of medicines with wide variation in prices for the same medicine marketed under different brand names. Price list of available antimicrobial brands was procured from a commercial drug directory. Average price of widely prescribed oral antimicrobials was found and price variation between different brands was calculated. The variation in medicine prices was found to be from 95% lower to more than 350% higher than the average price. Implications of price variation in clinical practice are discussed and remedial measures suggested.  (+info)

Occupational risk factors for asthma among nurses and related healthcare professionals in an international study. (46/195)

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the relations between self-reported work tasks, use of cleaning products and latex glove use with new-onset asthma among nurses and other healthcare workers in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS II). METHODS: In a random population sample of adults from 22 European sites, 332 participants reported working in nursing and other related healthcare jobs during the nine-year ECRHS II follow-up period and responded to a supplemental questionnaire about their principal work settings, occupational tasks, products used at work and respiratory symptoms. Poisson regression models with robust error variances were used to compare the risk of new-onset asthma among healthcare workers with each exposure to that of respondents who reported professional or administrative occupations during the entire follow-up period (n = 2481). RESULTS: Twenty (6%) healthcare workers and 131 (5%) members of the referent population reported new-onset asthma. Compared to the referent group, the authors observed increased risks among hospital technicians (RR 4.63; 95% CI 1.87 to 11.5) and among those using ammonia and/or bleach at work (RR 2.16; 95% CI 1.03 to 4.53). CONCLUSIONS: In the ECRHS II cohort, hospital technicians and other healthcare workers experience increased risks of new-onset current asthma, possibly due to specific products used at work.  (+info)

The case for cultural competence in health professions education. (47/195)

Health profession schools in the United States have to be able to meet the health and pharmaceutical care demands of a rapidly growing racial and multiethnic population. One tactic is to develop and implement or expand existing resources and didactic courses to address cultural competence in the curricula of every college and school of pharmacy. The curriculum should require a focus on the reality of evidence-based health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations; importance of providing culturally competent care and communication to meet the health needs of diverse patient populations; and exposure to cultural diversity. Students should be grounded in cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity. This article establishes a case for integrating cultural competence into the curricula of health professions schools.  (+info)

National healthline responses to a stroke scenario: implications for early intervention. (48/195)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acute stroke is a time-dependent emergency in which patients often arrive outside of the therapeutic treatment windows. To determine the role that healthlines may have in promoting early presentation, this study evaluated patterns of healthline triage of potential stroke patients. METHODS: Phone numbers of healthlines at 82 United States hospitals with neurology residencies were acquired. Each healthline was called and the operator was presented with a standardized scripted stroke patient scenario. The operator was asked to choose 1 of 4 responses that could be given to the patient (wait for symptom resolution, contact a primary care physician, drive to a local urgent care center, call 911 for ambulance transport). The operator was then asked to name common signs and symptoms of stroke. If the operator transferred the call, the process was repeated. RESULTS: Forty-six healthlines participated, with 22% recommending that the patient contact a primary care physician. The remaining 78% recommended calling 911. Calls were transferred at least once in 18 cases, and 24% of the operators could not name 1 sign or symptom of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one-quarter of potential stroke patients were routed away from emergent treatment for the described scenario. By diverting patients away from emergency therapy, patients are in jeopardy of "falling" out of the windows for therapy. Improved stroke education for healthline personnel may result in stroke patients arriving at an emergency department more urgently.  (+info)