A community-university run conference as a catalyst for addressing health disparities in an urban community.

The African American population of Buffalo, New York experiences striking race-based health disparities due to adverse social determinants of health. A team of community leaders and university faculty determined that a community dialogue was needed to focus research and advocacy on the root causes of these disparities. In response, we organized the annual Igniting Hope conference series that has become the premier conference on health disparities in the region. The series, now supported by an R13 conference grant from NCATS, has been held four times (2018-2021) and has attracted community members, community leaders, university faculty, and trainees. The agenda includes talks by national leaders and breakout/working groups that led to a new state law that has reduced disproportionate traffic-ticketing and drivers' license suspensions in Black neighborhoods; mitigation of the disproportionate COVID-19 fatalities in Black communities; and the launching of a university-supported institute. We describe the key elements of success for a conference series designed by a community-university partnership to catalyze initiatives that are having an impact on social determinants of health in Buffalo.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: No scales measure self-efficacy in women with Type 2 diabetes. A scale was developed and tested. METHODS: Items generated, content validity index (CVI) assessed by experts, the 2-part Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale (DSLF-I and DSLF-II) was piloted with 62 women, administered to 208 women, and then readministered to 30 women to determine initial reliability. Factor analysis was conducted for construct validity. Discriminant, convergent, and predictive validity was examined. RESULTS: The CVI index was 98%. Cronbach's alphas were 0.88 (DSLF-I) and 0.82 (DSLF-II; pilot) and 0.87 and 0.86, respectively (main study); test-retest correlation was .60 (DSLF-I) and .69 (DSLF-II). There were 3 factors that emerged: diabetes knowledge of self-care activity, diabetes diet self-care, and diabetes medication self-care. CONCLUSIONS: The Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale demonstrates good initial reliability and validity.

Registered nurse scope of practice and ED complaint-specific protocols.

INTRODUCTION: The use of complaint-specific protocols (CSPs) by emergency registered nurses (RNs) can improve ED efficiency. However, RN practice is influenced by regulatory environments that may facilitate or inhibit the use of protocols. The purpose of this policy analysis was to explore the language of state boards of nursing scope-of-practice documents related to the use of RN-initiated CSPs in the ED setting. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was used to investigate how the RN's scope of practice relates to the use of CSPs in ED settings across states. Data were collected from state boards of nursing Web site documents. RESULTS: Three major themes emerged: cautiously within scope, intentionally vague/silent, and outside scope. Seven states (Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma) were identified where RN-initiated CSPs appear to be currently outside the RN's scope of practice. Therefore 18% of the US population, or 55,973,900 people, resides in states where CSPs are not allowed. DISCUSSION: State-to-state inconsistencies in the RN's scope of practice may interfere with the implementation of practices that enhance ED efficiency. RNs in all states must ensure that they have the requisite knowledge, skill, and documented competency to implement CSPs, if supported by their employing facility. Efforts to standardize ED RN education and policy are warranted. Continued research is needed assess the impact of RN-initiated CSPs on the efficiency of ED care.

Pilot testing HIV and intimate partner violence prevention modules among Spanish-speaking Latinas.

The purpose of this study was to test two modules of a theoretically based, gender- and culturally specific HIV intimate partner violence risk reduction intervention for Spanish-speaking Latinas. The themes of the modules were "Estás en una relación sana y segura?" (Are you in a healthy and safe relationship?) and "Mantenerse sana y segura" (Keeping yourself healthy and safe). An evaluative one-group, repeated measure design with measures collected at preintervention (N = 31), immediate postintervention (n = 26), and 1-month postintervention follow-up (n = 20) design was used to evaluate the intervention. Study results represent a small but significant first step toward an integrative approach to the prevention of two major and interrelated public health issues among an at-risk and underserved population.