White and Black Differences in Perceived Access to Health and Community Services and Self-Rated Health in an Age-Friendly Community Assessment.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify the race differences in perceived access to health and community services and self-rated health (SRH) among White and Black older adult participants of an age-friendly community assessment. METHODS: Responses (n = 313) to a baseline assessment of Columbus, Ohio, residents aged ≥50 years were analyzed. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between White and Black older adults regarding SRH, with Black older adults reporting lower SRH. Black older adults reported significantly lower perceived access to 11 out of the 13 health and community services. There were no significant differences by race regarding ratings of Columbus and personal neighborhoods as a place for people to live as they age. Regression analyses found income was a significant predictor of SRH for both White and Black older adults. DISCUSSION: Opportunities to increase perceived access and knowledge of health and community services for older adults through targeted, equitable interventions are warranted.

A Comparison of Attrition Rates in Dental Hygiene Programs Using Selective and Nonselective Admissions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference between attrition rates for dental hygiene programs that use selective admissions and nonselective admissions. Admissions to dental hygiene programs is based on a predetermined class size; therefore, applicants must meet the criteria to be considered for selection. Dental hygiene programs want to retain their enrolled students and maximize their student successes; therefore, it is imperative to validate current admissions practices that help reduce attrition rates.Methods: An online survey consisting of forced choice and open-ended questions was sent to the directors of accredited dental hygiene programs in the United States. Surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency distributions. Open-ended questions were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify recurring themes.Results: Ninety-nine surveys were returned for a 30% response rate. There was no statistical difference in attrition rates when selective or nonselective admissions criteria was used in dental hygiene programs (year 2011 p=.435 and year 2012 p=.784). Results of this study also showed baccalaureate degree dental hygiene programs have significantly higher completion rates than associate degree dental hygiene programs (2011 p=.002 and 2012 p=.005).Conclusion: Evidence from this study suggests there is no difference between attrition rates for dental hygiene programs that use selective admissions versus nonselective admissions. Additionally, this study determined that baccalaureate degree dental hygiene programs have less attrition compared to associate degree dental hygiene programs.

Learning Style of Undergraduate Allied Health Students: clinical versus classroom.

BACKGROUND: Recognizing and valuing the diversity of student learning and learning styles allow educators to construct more effective and efficient teaching methods and create mutually beneficial learning environments. METHODS: Kolb(s Learning Style Inventories (LSI) were administered to 82 seniors enrolled in a School of Allied Health at a large midwestern university. The students completed LSI in relation to both their didactic and clinical coursework. Sets of instruments were matched and evaluated using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Overall, in the didactic classroom setting, 24.2% (n=16) of the students were divergers, 28.8% (n=19) were accommodators, 19.4% (n=13) were convergers, and 27.3% (n=18) were assimilators. In the clinical settings, 27.8% (n=20) of the students were divergers, 36.1% (n=26) were accommodators, 23.6% (n=17) were convergers, and only 12.5% (n=9) were assimilators. Learning style did change for 66.7% (n=10) of athletic training majors. Over half of the students in medical dietetics, radiological sciences, and respiratory therapy LSIs did not change from classroom to clinical. CONCLUSION: The diverse nature of the students' preferences reinforces the need for various teaching strategies. Both the students and the educators need to work cooperatively to maximize the balance of the learning environment and make meaning of the educational experience.

Distance learning and the internet in respiratory therapy education.

BACKGROUND: The profession of respiratory therapy (RT) continues to grow both in number, due to population growth and an ever-increasing aging population, and scope of practice, due to both new and expanded roles and responsibilities in divergent areas of clinical practice. Instructional technology, including distance learning, will probably play a key role in training, educating, and assessing RT students to meet the increasing demand for practitioners. OBJECTIVE: To assess current uses of distance learning and opinions concerning the appropriate use of distance education in RT education programs nationwide. METHODS: A 13-item on-line survey was designed to collect information about the frequency of use of various types of distance education typically utilized in RT education programs. The survey was sent to directors of 343 Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care accredited programs of RT education that offer entry-level or advanced courses of study. RESULTS: The response rate was 50% (169 respondents). Fifty-two percent of the respondents indicated that their courses included some form of on-line learning component. Most directors anticipated that the distance composition of their course offerings will remain unchanged or increase in the near future. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that, while distance education plays an important supportive role in RT education, there is still a preference for face-to-face instruction and Internet-facilitated courses among program directors. Program directors continue to view the laboratory and clinical settings as hands-on environments that require instructor supervision in order for students to demonstrate proficiency and critical thinking skills. When used appropriately, distance learning may be an efficient and effective approach to address the many barriers to education faced by the health workforce in general, including budget constraints, overloaded schedules, the need for on-the-job learning opportunities, and lack of access.

Research and scholarship of clinical laboratory science faculty members.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the research and scholarly productivity of faculty in four-year college and university clinical laboratory science (CLS) programs. To identify hours spent in research, numbers of presentations and publications, and external funding. DESIGN: In 2008, a national study involving 106 college and university CLS programs was conducted to determine whether faculty were participating in research. A questionnaire, in electronic format, was distributed to 448 faculty members. Data from 2001 to 2008, and from 275 respondents (61% response) representing 93 of 106 (88%) CLS programs were analyzed. SETTING: The study took place at The Ohio State University with collaboration from the University of Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: All CLS faculty within a four-year university or college sponsoring a NAACLS-accredited CLS program were invited to participate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To determine whether CLS faculty scholarly activities have been strengthened in the past decade. To quantitate scholarship productivity. To assess faculty perceptions of their employment environments. RESULTS: Data indicate that faculty who possess earned doctorates have higher levels of research productivity. While 52% of CLS faculty hold doctorates and 45% are tenured, 36% of all CLS faculty members have not published a research paper or abstract since 2001. On the other hand, 19% have published 11 or more times. CLS faculty were also awarded a total of $62 million in external funding, 83% from government sources. Teaching remains a primary responsibility of many faculty members. CONCLUSIONS: In the past decade, and generally speaking, CLS faculty have made some progress in scholarship including highest degree obtained, publications, presentations, and grantsmanship.

Cultural perceptions of health and diabetes among Native American men.

Diabetes continues to affect minority populations disproportionately, especially Native Americans. Identifying culturally-specific definitions of health and diabetes is critically important for relevant and effective diabetes prevention programs. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 Native American men from two tribal clinics. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed by means of grounded theory, to identify culturally-specific definitions of health and diabetes. The men defined health in terms of physical capabilities and presence of disease. Conversely, the men viewed diabetes as an inexorable downward course that slowly manifests itself through various complications and ultimately results in death. Men feared for their own diagnoses as well as the diagnosis of family or community members whom they considered to be at-risk. Additional information about the perceptions of health and diabetes in racial and ethnic minority populations will significantly contribute to the development of effective diabetes prevention programs.

A report of perfusion staffing survey: decision factors that influence staffing of perfusion teams.

Health care organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the issues surrounding safe staffing because it affects all of us: the patient, public, profession, policy makers, and employers. The conduct of perfusion has been researched, but environmental factors surrounding perfusion have not. The intent of this study was to identify the current perfusion staff to case ratio, the decision factors used to make staffing decisions, and the relative importance of the factors to staff requirements. A survey instrument was constructed. The questionnaire contained four sections: Hospital Information, Perfusionist Information, Staffing Information, and Additional Feedback. Questionnaires were electronically mailed to American Society of Extracorporeal Society (AmSECT) members who were registered on Perflist. Response rate was monitored, and a follow-up survey was sent. Unfortunately, respondents were not compared statistically with the population on like characteristics, because AmSECT does not currently have information regarding the characteristics of their PerfList members. The staff to perfusion case ratio for 2006 was 120 +/- 46 (SD) cases. The top three factors used by perfusionists to determine the number of staff to hire were the number of heart cases, on-call requirements, and the number of operating rooms. The reported use and importance of the decision factors did not differ significantly when reported by chief perfusionists, clinical perfusionists, or those who reported being involved in staffing. On-call requirements were reported to be used significantly more by chief perfusionists and by high activity perfusion teams when determining the number of staff to hire. Small hospitals tended to use staff experience, medium-sized hospitals reported using the number of operating rooms more often, and larger hospitals used the number of hospitals covered to determine staff requirements. Staffing a perfusion team is a difficult task, and many factors need to be considered. This survey provided a description of the current managerial staffing environment and practice. Further research surrounding the application of these factors to staff scheduling is needed.

Predicting academic and National Board Dental Hygiene Examination performance based on Academic Factors.

PURPOSE: Numerous studies have explored reliable variables that predict student success in dental hygiene programs and on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). However, no studies were found using data collected since the NBDHE format changed in 1998 to investigate if traditional predictors hold true. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between pre-admission requirements, basic college science requirements, site of academic preparation, cumulative dental hygiene grade point average (CDHYGPA) and the NBDHE score. METHODS: Data from the academic records of 173 graduates of the dental hygiene program at The Ohio State University from 1998 through 2002 were entered into an Excel spreadsheet using identification numbers. Demographic information for the description of the subjects, course transfer data, course grades in program prerequisites and basic science requirements, CDHYGPA, and NBDHE scores were entered. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social sciences (SPSS-version 10), Pearson's r correlations, regression analysis, and ANOVA with a predetermined level of significance at .05. RESULTS: Of the 173 records entered, 132 had complete data (76.3%). Results indicate the existing prerequisites for the dental hygiene program remain strong predictors for success. A strong correlation was noted between human nutrition courses and the CDHYGPA. Other core science courses completed while in the program-anatomy, physiology and microbiology--also rendered a moderately strong correlation to the CDHYGPA. The greatest predictors for success on the NBDHE were the student's CDHYGPA and the prerequisite three science GPA. Consistency in site of science preparation also revealed a positive correlation to the CDHYGPA. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the continued use of the three science GPA pre-requisite and entering GPA for predicting success in this dental hygiene program and on the NBDHE even after the format changed to include case-based items. Other predictors for success that were identified in the study may aide dental hygiene program admission committees in their selection process. These committees may also consider the site of science preparation noting that institution consistency played a role in academic performance.