Successfully Incorporating Interprofessional Education in a Nonacademic Health Sciences Center.

Enhanced patient outcomes have led the health sciences to seek ways in which to incorporate interprofessional education in their curricula. This article presents a unique and innovative strategy for interprofessional education among nursing, medicine, and pharmacy in a nonacademic health science center setting. Nurse practitioner students from the University of Alabama in Huntsville College of Nursing, medical interns from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, and pharmacy students from Auburn University School of Pharmacy and their respective faculty participated in collaboratively designed simulations and skills experiences.

Nurse faculty as international research collaborators.

Nursing faculty who desire to expand their research portfolios will benefit from collaboration with researchers with complimentary interests from different universities across the world. International collaboration can enhance the productivity of researchers who seek to conduct studies with similar populations in different environments, and who desire a larger impact based on the findings of their studies. International collaborative teams have the potential to make important discoveries that affect the health of populations across the world. Communication is a critical step in defining the roles and professional relationships of researchers involved in international collaboration. Researchers need to be cognizant of rules affecting data security, intellectual property, data ownership, and funding sources in each country. International collaborative research can be exciting and rewarding, especially when participants are culturally aware, respect universities' policies, and are mindful of the ethical and legal principles for the countries in which the research is conducted. This article describes ways to enhance the success of nursing faculty who desire a rich experience with international research collaborators.

The Contribution of Psychological Resilience and Job Meaningfulness to Well-being of Working Cancer Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Although studies suggest that cancer survivors face workplace obstacles, to date there has been little empirical research regarding the personal and environmental factors that can help cancer survivors adjust to work. The purpose of this study was to examine how working survivors' resilience and job meaningfulness were related to their well-being outcomes, including lower cancer-related intrusive thoughts, fatigue, and presenteeism. METHODS: We recruited 200 full-time employed cancer survivors from online participant panels using Qualtrics. Participants responded to an online survey that measured their resilience, job meaningfulness, job-related psychological distress, and well-being outcomes. We conducted descriptive statistical analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and moderated mediated analysis to examine the psychological process in which resilience and job meaning are associated with cancer survivors' mental health and work outcomes. Findings: The relationship between cancer survivors' resilience and their well-being outcomes depended on job meaningfulness. For survivors whose jobs were not highly meaningful, their resilience was related to reduced job-related psychological distress, which, in turn, was related to lower intrusive thoughts, fatigue, and presenteeism. For survivors with highly meaningful jobs, they did not need to rely on resilience to protect them from workplace psychological distress and other negative outcomes. Conclusion/Application to Practice: It is important for working cancer survivors to develop resilience, especially when they do not perceive their work as highly meaningful. Successful resilience-building interventions can buffer the negative impact of low job meaningfulness and help working survivors achieve better outcomes. In addition, organizations can actively help enrich survivors' jobs to increase perceived meaningfulness.

Does a Behavioral Parent Training Program for Parents of ADHD Children Improve Outcomes? A Pilot Project.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common chronic neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. Research suggests increased parent-child conflict exists in families with an ADHD child. The evidence indicates links between child behavior problems and parenting practices. Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is an evidence-based intervention recommended for the treatment of ADHD. BPT is recommended as first-line treatment in ADHD children under age six and as a combination treatment approach for children older than the age six. BPT programs have demonstrated significant improvement in frequency of the problem behaviors of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity associated with ADHD. Pre- and Post-BPT Parenting Scales and Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scales for Parents and Teachers were used to evaluate the efficacy of the BPT program. Percent changes for each participant pre- and post-BPT were calculated. The Parenting Scale overall score and overreactivity factor score showed significant improvement post-BPT (p = .05). Participation in a BPT program can affect parenting practices and improve outcomes for ADHD children. BPT programs are effective in reducing negative parenting practices and improving outcomes for this population.

Innovations in Worksite Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections and the Occupational Health Nurse.

Occupational health nurses play a key role in evaluating innovative technologies that can aid in providing safe and rapid care and reduce lost work time. A nurse-led employee health clinic participated in a validation study of a novel pathogen detection technique developed by GeneCapture, Inc. Their proposed portable urinary tract infection (UTI) in vitro diagnostic test was challenged with discarded, deidentified urine samples from patients presenting with typical UTI symptoms collected at two university clinics and two multiphysician practices. GeneCapture's panel for this study was designed to rapidly identify the genetic signature of seven organisms: gram-negative Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus; and fungal Candida species. The results from 40 clinical samples were in 95% agreement (90% specificity, 100% sensitivity) with traditional urine culture results from routine analysis. This successful occupational health nursing collaboration and validation study shows promise for point-of-care diagnoses and earlier treatment for workers with UTIs.

Screening for Colorectal Cancer at the Worksite.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women in the United States. To increase statewide CRC screening rates, the Alabama Department of Public Health (through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] Colorectal Cancer Control Program grant) partnered with The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and The University of South Alabama (USA) to provide free CRC screening opportunities to eligible University employees and dependents. Resources were invested at both universities to ensure participant education, tracking, and monitoring. In total, 86 fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) were distributed at the UAH campus and 62 were returned for testing; 146 FITs were distributed on the USA campus with 111 returned. Fecal immunochemical test return rates were over 70% at each site. Most notably, 21 positive FITs were identified among UAH participants and 25 at USA. Findings from both efforts suggest that employer-based screening initiatives are a systematic and replicable means of improving CRC screening.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging infectious disease that can present with flu-like symptoms. In individuals with comorbidities or who are immunosuppressed, it can be deadly. The disease is transmitted through contact with someone who has MERS-CoV. The occupational health nurse must be cognizant of and educate the workforce about MERS-CoV transmission, prevention, and treatment.

Ebola Update.

The Ebola virus disease first appeared in 1976 in the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The most recent outbreak occurred in West Africa in March 2014 and quickly spread in surrounding countries. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected individual. The incubation period for Ebola is 2 to 21 days. Individuals are infectious when symptomatic. Identifying individuals at high risk for Ebola in the United States includes early recognition of symptoms and a history of travel to an Ebola-affected area. Multiple diagnostic tests exist and should include a complete blood count and a comprehensive metabolic profile. Standard, contact, and droplet precautions are advised when taking care of patients with Ebola. Appropriate personal protective equipment as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be worn. No vaccine or antiviral drug has been approved, but vaccine trials are under way. Occupational health nurses play a key role in educating employees about this disease.

Obesity, Prediabetes, and Perceived Stress in Municipal Workers.

The primary cause of death for men and women in the United States is heart disease. Obesity and diabetes are major contributors to heart disease, and the risk is worsened in the presence of stress. It is clinically useful to identify predictors of obesity and prediabetes in a working population. The purpose of this current cross-sectional, correlational study was to examine relationships among obesity, prediabetes, and perceived stress in municipal workers using a subset of worksite wellness program data from employees screened in 2010 and 2011. Multiple regression models indicated that age, gender, race, HA1c, shift schedule, physical activity, and occupation were significant predictors of obesity in municipal workers ( p < .01). Prediabetes in municipal workers was predicted by age, Black race, and body mass index (BMI; p < .01). Perceived stress was not a significant predictor of obesity or prediabetes in municipal workers. Overall, the findings of this study provide guidance to occupational health nurses when evaluating individuals in an occupational health setting. Further research is needed to examine relationships among the variables and validate the models.

Practical guidance on the recognition of uncontrolled asthma and its management.

PURPOSE: To highlight the significance of asthma in primary care and offer a practitioner-friendly interpretation of the asthma guidelines for the busy provider, while introducing new treatment options currently in clinical trials, such as the once-daily long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator tiotropium Respimat. DATA SOURCES: Articles with relevant adult data published between 2004 and 2015 were identified via PubMed. Additional references were obtained by reviewing bibliographies from selected articles. CONCLUSIONS: In the United States, uncontrolled or symptomatic asthma is common, with rates of 46%-78% in primary care. Uncontrolled asthma has a substantial impact on patients' quality of life and represents a significant healthcare burden. Nurse practitioners can improve patients' asthma control through education, monitoring, assessment, and treatment. Although asthma management guidelines are readily available, the authors recognize that nurse practitioners see patients with multiple comorbidities, all of which have treatment guidelines of their own. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurse practitioners have a compelling opportunity as frontline caregivers and patient educators to recognize and assess uncontrolled asthma, along with determining the steps necessary to help patients gain and maintain symptom control.

Policy perspectives on occupational stress.

Occupational stress is a major physical and mental hazard for many workers and has been found to contribute to cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, mood disturbances, workplace injuries, and mental health problems. Health care utilization related to these physical and mental health problems costs employers billions of dollars annually. To combat this problem, employers should adopt a preventive approach and institute organizational and administrative changes that require the participation of both management and workers. This article reviews policies that could impact the quality of work life and influence organizational changes needed to achieve occupational health and safety. Occupational health nurses play a vital role in designing and implementing policies to improve work environments and reduce occupational stress.