Rethinking the Accessibility of Hearing Assessments for Children with Developmental Disabilities.

We aim to determine the accessibility of gold-standard hearing assessments - audiogram or auditory brainstem response (ABR) - during the first 3 months of hearing health care for children with and without developmental disabilities. Electronic health records were examined from children (0-18 years) who received hearing health care at three hospitals. Children with developmental disabilities had a diagnosis of autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or intellectual disability. Assessments from the first 3 months were reviewed to determine if ≥ 1 audiogram or ABR threshold was recorded. To evaluate differences in assessment based on disability status, logistic regression models were built while accounting for age, race, ethnicity, sex, and site. Of the 131,783 children, 9.8% had developmental disabilities. Whereas 9.3% of children in the comparison group did not access a gold-standard assessment, this rate was 24.4% for children with developmental disabilities (relative risk (RR) = 3.79; p < 0.001). All subgroups were at higher risk relative to the comparison group (all p < 0.001): multiple diagnoses (RR = 13.24), intellectual disabilities (RR = 11.52), cerebral palsy (RR = 9.87), Down syndrome (RR = 6.14), and autism (RR = 2.88). Children with developmental disabilities are at high risk for suboptimal hearing evaluations that lack a gold-standard assessment. Failure to access a gold-standard assessment results in children being at risk for late or missed diagnosis for reduced hearing. Results highlight the need for (1) close monitoring of hearing by healthcare providers, and (2) advancements in testing methods and guidelines.

Psychological safety is associated with better work environment and lower levels of clinician burnout.

Burnout is attributed to negative work environments and threatens patient and clinician safety. Psychological safety is the perception that the work environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and may offer insight into the relationship between the work environment and burnout. In this cross-sectional analysis of survey data from 621 nurse practitioners in California, we found that one-third (34%) experienced high burnout. Four factors in the work environment were negatively associated with burnout and positively associated with psychological safety. Significant mediation effects of psychological safety were observed on the relationships between each work environment factor and both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. The largest mediation effects were observed on the total effects of Nurse Practitioner-Physician Relations and Practice Visibility on Emotional Exhaustion (37% and 32%, respectively) and Independent Practice and Support and NP-Administration Relations on Depersonalization (32% and 29%, respectively). We found, overall, that psychological safety decreased the strength of the negative relationship between work environment and burnout. We argue that research, practice, and policy efforts to mitigate burnout and improve the work environment should consider psychological safety as a metric for system-level well-being.

Small Patients but a Heavy Lift: Workload and Burnout of Advanced Practice Providers and Physicians in a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the association between workload and the level of burnout reported by clinicians in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A qualitative analysis was used to identify specific factors that contributed to workload and modulated clinician workload in the NICU. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a study utilizing postshift surveys to explore workload of 42 NICU advanced practice providers and physicians over a 6-month period. We used multinomial logistic regression models to determine associations between workload and burnout. We used a descriptive qualitative design with an inductive thematic analysis to analyze qualitative data. RESULTS: Clinicians reported feelings of burnout on nearly half of their shifts (44%), and higher levels of workload during a shift were associated with report of a burnout symptom. Our study identified 7 themes related to workload in the NICU. Two themes focused on contributors to workload, 3 themes focused on modulators of workload, and the final 2 themes represented mixed experiences of clinicians' workload. CONCLUSION: We found an association between burnout and increased workload. Clinicians in our study described common contributors to workload and actions to reduce workload. Decreasing workload and burnout along with improving clinician well-being requires a multifaceted approach on unit and systems levels.

A quantitative feedback intervention to reduce binge drinking in young adults.

OBJECTIVE: Existing binge drinking reduction interventions such as brief intervention and personalized normative feedback have shown modest impact. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility (recruitment and retention rates), acceptability, and preliminary efficacy testing of a short-term "know your numbers (KYN)" intervention on motivating young adults to reduce their engagement in binge drinking. METHOD: Young adults (N=94, mean age 21 years) with a history of binge drinking received a 4-week KYN intervention that included information about their U.S. Alcohol Use Disorders Test (USAUDIT) scores and the alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol (PEth) level in relationship to different risk levels of alcohol use. At baseline and 4-weeks, measures included USAUDIT scores, PEth levels, motivation (Alcohol Contemplation Ladder) and other drinking measures. Focus groups were conducted at 4-weeks for feedback on the KYN approach. RESULTS: The recruitment rate was 82.26% (retention rate 76.9%). At 4-weeks there was a 62% increase in contemplation scores (indicating higher motivation), a decrease in USADUIT scores with an increase in the percent of participants classified as low-risk drinkers. No differences were found between baseline and 4-week PEth levels or number of binge episodes. Focus group results revealed satisfaction with the KYN approach but the need to understand how PEth levels and USAUDIT scores corresponded to health consequences and alcohol use levels. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this pilot study support the acceptability and potential use of a KYN approach in helping young adults understand their drinking levels.

The Social Ecology of Burnout: A framework for research on nurse practitioner burnout.

BACKGROUND: The U.S. health system is burdened by rising costs, workforce shortages, and unremitting burnout. Well-being interventions have emerged in response, yet data suggest that the work environment is the problem. Nurse practitioner (NP) burnout is associated with structural and relational factors in the work environment, practice autonomy, and hierarchical leadership. PURPOSE: We explore the unique social, cultural, and political environment in which NPs work through the lens of social ecology and present the Social Ecology of Burnout (SEB) framework. METHODS: We review current burnout frameworks in the context of the NP practice environment and discuss the SEB, specifically exploring psychological safety and its influence on burnout. FINDINGS: Psychological safety, work environment, and policy are presented within the SEB and solutions which empower NPs are considered. DISCUSSION: Our framework can serve as a guide for future nursing research, practice, and policy.

Using the Age-Friendly Environment Framework to Assess Advance Care Planning Factors Among Older Adults With Limited Income: A Cross-Sectional, Descriptive Survey Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The World Health Organization created the Age-Friendly Environment (AFE) framework to design communities that support healthy aging and equitable decision making. This framework's resource domains may account for disparately lower advance care planning (ACP) among older adults with limited incomes compared to those with high incomes. We aimed to describe and examine associations of AFE factors with ACP. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We recruited and conducted cross-sectional surveys among older adults with limited incomes in 7 community-based settings in Nashville, TN. ACP and AFE item scales were dichotomized and analyzed with unadjusted phi correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Survey participants (N = 100) included 59 women, 70 Black/African American, and 70 ≥60 years old. Most participants agreed that their community was age friendly (≥58%) and varied in ACP participation (22%-67%). Participants who perceived easy travel and service access and sufficient social isolation outreach were more likely to have had family or doctor quality-of-life discussions (phi = 0.22-0.29, p < .05). Having a healthcare decision maker was positively associated with age-friendly travel, housing, and meet-up places (phi = 0.20-0.26, p < .05). DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The AFE framework is useful for exploring the environmental factors of ACP, but further research is warranted to identify specific and immediate resources to support successful ACP among populations with socioeconomic disadvantage.

Weight Bias Among Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Midwives: Findings From a National Sample.

INTRODUCTION: Weight bias toward individuals with higher body weights permeates health care settings in the United States and has been associated with poor weight-related communication and quality of care as well as adverse health outcomes. However, there has been limited quantitative investigation into weight bias among perinatal care providers. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs)/certified midwives (CMs) attend approximately 11% of all births in the United States. The aims of this study were to measure the direction and extent of weight bias among CNMs/CMs and compare their levels of weight bias to the US public and other health professionals. METHODS: Through direct postcard distribution, social media accounts, professional networks, and email listservs, American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB)-certified midwives were solicited to complete an online survey of their implicit weight bias using the Implicit Association Test and their explicit weight bias using the Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire, Fat Phobia Scale, and Preference for Thin People measure. RESULTS: A total of 2257 midwives participated in the survey, yielding a completion rate of 17.7%. Participants were mostly White and female, with a median age of 46 years and 11 years since AMCB certification. More than 70% of midwives have some level of implicit weight bias, although to a lesser extent compared with previously published findings among the US public (P < .01) and other health professionals (P < .01). In a subsample comparison of female midwives to female physicians, implicit weight bias levels were similar (P > .05). Midwives also express explicit weight bias, but at lower levels than the US public and other health professionals (P < .05). DISCUSSION: This study provides the first quantitative research documenting weight bias among a national US sample of perinatal care providers. Findings can inform educational efforts to mitigate weight bias in the perinatal care setting and decrease harm.

Implicit and Explicit Weight Bias among Midwives: Variations Across Demographic Characteristics.

INTRODUCTION: Weight bias toward individuals with higher body weights is present in health care settings. However, there has been limited quantitative exploration into weight bias among perinatal care providers and its potential variations based on demographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to examine if the direction and extent of weight bias among midwives certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) varied across age, years since certification, body mass index (BMI), race, ethnicity, and US geographic region. METHODS: Through direct email listservs, postcard distribution, social media accounts, and professional networks, midwives were invited to complete an online survey of their implicit weight bias (using the Implicit Association Test) and their explicit weight bias using the Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire (AFA), Fat Phobia Scale (FPS), and Preference for Thin People (PTP) measure. RESULTS: A total of 2106 midwives who identified as Black or White and resided in one of 4 US geographic regions participated in the survey. Midwives with a lower BMI expressed higher levels of implicit (P <.01) and explicit (P ≤.01) weight bias across all 4 measures except for the AFA Fear of Fat Subscale. Implicit weight bias levels also varied by age (P <.001) and years since certification (P <.001), with lower levels among younger midwives (vs older) and those with fewer years (vs more) since certification. Only age and BMI remained significant (P <.001) after adjusting for other demographic characteristics. Lower explicit weight bias levels were found among midwives who identified as Black (vs White) on 2 measures (FPS: adjusted ß = -0.07, P = .004; PTP: P = .01). DISCUSSION: This was the first quantitative study of how weight bias varies across demographic characteristics among a national sample of midwives. Further exploration is needed in more diverse samples. In addition, research to determine whether weight bias influences clinical decision-making and quality of care is warranted.

Life-Stage and Contextual Factors of Advance Care Planning Among Older Adults With Limited Income.

Patient perspectives are essential to understand healthcare disparities such as low rates of advance care planning (ACP) among adults with limited income. We completed twenty semi-structured interviews using purposive and snowball sampling. Initial and final themes emerged from inductive inclusion of recurring codes and deductive application of the cumulative disadvantage theory. Four themes emerged: (1) structural, (2) life-stage, (3) social stressors and resources, and (4) individual stress responses and ACP readiness. ACP resources among participants included positive structural and social support and previous familial death experiences that were mitigated by stress avoidance and competing priorities. Structural resources and healthcare stressors should be addressed with policy and research to improve continuous healthcare participation and support early, comprehensive ACP.

A Brief Intervention in Primary Care to Improve Parents' Discipline Practices and Reach Other Caregivers.

Parents (N = 599) of 6-month-old to 10-year-old children were given a handbook intervention that educates about healthy discipline in a pediatric clinic serving low-income families in Nashville, Tennessee. A research assistant spent approximately 1 minute introducing the intervention. A total of 440 parents (73.4%) responded to a follow-up survey 2 to 4 months later. Most parents (88%) who completed the follow-up survey had read at least part of the handbook. Of parents who received the handbook, 63% reported that the handbook helped them discipline their children. Half of parents reported specific changes they made because of the handbook. The most frequently reported changes were more talking/explaining/communicating (25%), more redirecting (7.8%), more patience/listening (6.0%), less anger/yelling (10.8%), and less spanking (7.5%). 42% of parents reported that they shared the handbook with other caregivers, friends, relatives, and children. A brief clinic intervention improves parents' discipline practices and reaches other caregivers.

Endovascular Detection of Catheter-Thrombus Contact by Vacuum Excitation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this work is to introduce and demonstrate the effectiveness of a novel sensing modality for contact detection between an off-the-shelf aspiration catheter and a thrombus. METHODS: A custom robotic actuator with a pressure sensor was used to generate an oscillatory vacuum excitation and sense the pressure inside the extracorporeal portion of the catheter. Vacuum pressure profiles and robotic motion data were used to train a support vector machine (SVM) classification model to detect contact between the aspiration catheter tip and a mock thrombus. Validation consisted of benchtop accuracy verification, as well as user study comparison to the current standard of angiographic presentation. RESULTS: Benchtop accuracy of the sensing modality was shown to be 99.67%. The user study demonstrated statistically significant improvement in identifying catheter-thrombus contact compared to the current standard. The odds ratio of successful detection of clot contact was 2.86 (p = 0.03) when using the proposed sensory method compared to without it. CONCLUSION: The results of this work indicate that the proposed sensing modality can offer intraoperative feedback to interventionalists that can improve their ability to detect contact between the distal tip of a catheter and a thrombus. SIGNIFICANCE: By offering a relatively low-cost technology that affords off-the-shelf aspiration catheters as clot-detecting sensors, interventionalists can improve the first-pass effect of the mechanical thrombectomy procedure while reducing procedural times and mental burden.

Effects of a medication adherence app among medically underserved adults with chronic illness: a randomized controlled trial.

For individuals living with a chronic illness who require use of long-term medications, adherence is a vital aspect of successful symptom management and outcomes. This study investigated the effect of a smartphone app on adherence, self-efficacy, knowledge, and medication social support in a medically underserved adult population with various chronic illnesses. Participants were randomized to a group who used the app for one month or a control group provided with a printed medication list. Compared to the control group, participants receiving the intervention had significantly greater medication adherence (Cohen's d = -0.52, p = .014) and medication self-efficacy (Cohen's d = 0.43, p = .035). No significant effects were observed related to knowledge or social support. The findings suggest use of the app could positively impact chronic disease management in a medically underserved population in the United States.