Financial Acumen Improves After Financial Literacy Training in Individuals With Substance Use Disorder.

Financial literacy is a skill that may be affected by decreased cognitive processes that arise from substance use disorder. The aim of this mixed-methods study was to determine change in financial acumen after participating in a financial literacy program. Study participants were recruited from a drug and alcohol treatment center in the Southeastern United States. A total of 31 males participated. A t-test was conducted to compare the scores on the financial tests. There was a significant difference between the financial literacy pretest (M = 74, SD = 13.58) and posttest (M = 84, SD = 10.50) scores; t(30) = -3.14, p = .003. Categories that emerged when participants were asked how the information would help manage their finances included: goal setting, saving, and understanding financial institutions. This study "provides preliminary evidence" that supports financial literacy program for this population and indicates that occupational therapy is a profession suited to do so.

Desired student characteristics for hand therapy clinical placements: A mixed method study.

STUDY DESIGN: Mixed method design. INTRODUCTION: Conceptualizing the desired characteristics of a student for a clinical site is vital information during the matching process. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The objective of this study was to identify the specific student characteristics preferred by the hand therapy clinician educator. METHODS: A questionnaire was emailed to members of the American Society of Hand Therapists. A semi structured interview was developed to investigate the topic further. Data was collected and analyzed to determine descriptive statistics and themes regarding the preferred student characteristics. RESULTS: The most common themes found regarding desired student characteristics by hand therapists were students that possess strong interpersonal skills, a willingness to self-study and learn independently, and students that exhibit professional behaviors. DISCUSSION: If students are successfully matched to clinical placements, this may encourage sites to take students in the future and also reduce the need for the clinical educator or university to address problems that arise during the experience. CONCLUSION: Hand therapy clinical educators desire students with strong interpersonal skills, a willingness to self-study and learn independently, demonstrate professionalism and clinical reasoning skills, who possess a sincere interest in hand therapy and demonstrate cultural competence when interacting with patients from different backgrounds and social environments. Finally, hand therapy clinical educators want students to be honest about what they know and what they don't know regarding hand therapy.

Prospective evaluation of patient comprehension of informed consent.

BACKGROUND: Physicians and society may overestimate the level of patient comprehension during the process of obtaining informed consent for medical and surgical treatment. The purpose of this study was to prospectively measure the immediate level of patient comprehension at the time that surgical consent is obtained and the effect of time on this level of understanding. In addition, we studied the effect of sex, education level, and age on comprehension. METHODS: One hundred patients scheduled for elective orthopaedic surgery were enrolled voluntarily into this study. Following discussion of risks and benefits with the surgeon and a reading and explanation of the entire consent form, each patient immediately completed a questionnaire to test recall of the information that had just been reviewed. The same questionnaire was administered to each patient at the first postoperative visit and, if applicable, again at the second postoperative visit. Age, sex, education level, and questionnaire scores were recorded. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients completed the questionnaire preoperatively and scored an average of 70.7% correct answers. Seventy-five patients completed the first postoperative questionnaire, scoring an average of 59.5%. Thirty-nine patients completed the second postoperative questionnaire, scoring an average of 60.8%. The decline between the preoperative and the first postoperative score was significant. The mean score did not differ significantly according to sex at any time point. College-educated patients scored higher than patients without a college education did on both the preoperative and postoperative questionnaires, with the difference in the preoperative score being significant. Patients who were less than fifty years old scored higher than older patients did, with the difference in the postoperative score being significant. CONCLUSIONS: Patient comprehension and recall immediately following a thorough discussion of the consent form was unexpectedly low. This poor recall deteriorated further between the preoperative visit and the first postoperative visit (a period of no more than two weeks). Greater age and lower education level were associated with poorer comprehension. Sex did not affect any of the scores.