Use of an Electronic Referral Application to Address Post-Injury Needs of Victims of Firearm Injury in a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program.

BACKGROUND: Wraparound referrals are a cornerstone of hospital-based violence intervention programs, which have proven to be an effective public health approach for mitigating violence and recidivism. We hypothesized that replacing a manual referral process with an electronic referral application would increase the number of generated referrals and improve compliance with follow-up visits. STUDY DESIGN: The population for this single center quantitative study was a convenience sample of firearm-injured patients. Data from 74 patients were collected using the electronic health record, the electronic referral application, and the trauma registry before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Post-implementation of the electronic referral application showed an increased number of generated referrals, increased emergency department and inpatient utilization of trauma recovery center services, and an increase in second follow-up visit compliance. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated an increase in the number of referrals and greater likelihood of completion of post-injury follow-up visits after implementing the electronic referral system.

Healthcare provider compliance with the 2013 ACC/AHA Adult Cholesterol Guideline recommendation for high-intensity dose statins for patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the foremost cause of death for U.S. adults. The 2013 ACC/AHA Adult Cholesterol Guidelines recommend high-intensity dose statins for individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD). OBJECTIVE: To determine healthcare provider compliance with the Cholesterol Guideline recommendation specific to high-intensity dose statins for patients with CAD. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine compliance rate. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate healthcare provider beliefs, attitudes, and self-confidence toward this recommendation. RESULTS: Of the 473 patients with CAD, 67% were prescribed a high-intensity dose statin. Patients with non-ST segment myocardial infarction and ST segment myocardial infarction were more likely to be prescribed a high-intensity dose statin versus a moderate or low-intensity dose. Healthcare providers strongly agreed with this guideline recommendation. CONCLUSION: There exists a dichotomy between intention to prescribe and actual prescribing behaviors of high-intensity dose statin for patients with CAD.

Moving toward health and fitness: a collaborative academic and community mental health services partnership.

For individuals with serious mental illness, physical fitness is a health imperative. This article describes the progression of an ongoing interprofessional partnership formed between a university's school of health professions and a community mental health services agency to find ways to improve the physical health status of individuals served by the agency. Clinical and research initiatives involving nursing and physical therapy faculty and students have contributed to the establishment of a growing physical fitness and health promotion program championed by agency administrators, staff, and service users. The groundwork has been laid for future collaborative efforts. More needs to be done to turn the tide on the chronic disease tsunami that prematurely takes the lives of people struggling with mental disorders.

A model plan for the uninsured: delivering quality and affordability in a limited benefit managed care safety net program in Flint, Michigan.

This paper presents the background and multiyear outcome data for a limited benefit safety-net care program in Michigan. It is a possible solution for policymakers and hospital/clinic administrators to consider when evaluating plans to provide primary care for the 30 million uninsured Americans who will be affected by the Affordable Care Act.

Nurse practitioner management of chronic musculoskeletal pain: a chart review.

This study explored NPs' management of chronic musculoskeletal pain via a record review of 50 uninsured patients. The findings include a summary of the utilization of services and treatments along with demographic data. Recommendations for education, practice, and further research are discussed.

Developing a selection method for graduate nursing students.

PURPOSE: The student selection process is an important faculty responsibility that impacts student success in individual courses, retention, and ultimately graduation rates. The purpose of this article is to review the existing research on graduate student selection and describe one university's newly developed selection process. DATA SOURCES: Existing literature and research and one university's selection data. CONCLUSIONS: There is limited existing research on graduate student selection to assist faculty in selecting students. One university's process is described in detail for possible replication by others to improve the process. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The process highlighted in this article may be useful to other faculty as a model for improvement of student selection processes.

Are we moving toward an expanded role for part-time faculty?

The 30-year trend of increased use of part-time faculty in higher education warrants the following questions: Are part-time faculty roles changing in light of the increased presence of part-time faculty in the academia? In addition, what is their contribution to the educational institution's mission of research, teaching, and service? Boyer's model of scholarship was used in this research to answer these questions. The author discusses the research findings and their implications.