A systematic approach to developing NP-led student health services clinic on a regional university campus.

BACKGROUND: Universities are communities with specific health care needs, and rural campuses often do not have access to student health services (SHS). PROBLEM: Lack of basic services can increase health risks for students and the greater community. METHODS: A theory-informed quality improvement project utilizing an organizational assessment, study survey, and proof-of-concept intervention designed to demonstrate feasibility and acceptability of a SHS clinic. INTERVENTION: An NP-directed influenza immunization clinic was conducted on a small rural college campus in southeastern United States. RESULTS: Seventy-eight students received influenza vaccinations, demonstrating to local stakeholders the feasibility and acceptability of SHS for primary preventative services. Ninety-seven percent of these students expressed a high likelihood that they would obtain the vaccine again. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study can be used as an exemplar to guide health care initiatives focused on college students in rural communities.

Leadership Development Activities and Benefits From the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows (RJWF-ENF) program was the gold standard for executive career development of nurse leaders from 1997 to 2017. With more than two decades of experience, ENF program leaders encouraged the fellows to "trust the process" during the difficult times of leadership development and value the collegial relationships they could develop with other nurse fellows. This article describes the benefits of the Action Learning Model for leadership development through the experience of the Boom-X-2K action learning team from the RWJF-ENF final cohort of 2014-2017. The moniker Boom-X-2K was chosen to emphasize supporting the intergenerational development of nurse leaders from three generations: Baby Boomers (Boom), Generation X (X), and Millennials (2K). This article also describes the action learning team's end product: a self-assessment tool designed to evaluate leaders' self-assessed ability to influence. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(7):344-348.].

Actionability and Usability of a Fever Management Tool for Pediatric Caregivers.

BACKGROUND: Effective fever management in children relies on caregivers having adequate general and numerical literacy. Nationally, nine of 10 adults have difficulty understanding health information. Lack of understanding basic information about fever management is a primary reason given for nonurgent pediatric emergency department visits. The Assess-Communicate-Treat (A.C.T.) tool was created by nurses 18 years ago to help parents better understand fever management. METHOD: This article describes a quality improvement project that used an expert health care provider panel and parents who attended focus groups to reevaluate the A.C.T. tool. The Simply Put manual, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook readability formula (SMOG) tool, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) readability test, and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT-P) were used to evaluate the A.C.T. tool. RESULTS: Following focus groups, 45 of 72 items on the A.C.T. tool were revised using a 4-point Likert scale. After revision, the tool rated 88% for understandability and 83% actionability using the PEMAT-P tool. CONCLUSION: Recognizing caregivers' health literacy needs is critical to optimizing health outcomes and reducing health care costs in the pediatric population. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(7):338-344.].

Partnering to Educate Nurses in Long-Term Care.

Despite a 2008 national call to retool a health care workforce for an aging America, the geriatrics-trained workforce is declining while the U.S. population continues to age. Formalized academic-practice partnerships between long-term care facilities and schools of nursing are one response to strengthening the work-force caring for older adults. This article details the activities of an intentional, synergistic, 3-year partnership between National HealthCare Corporation (NHC) and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing. The partnership focused on providing continuing education and leadership development for NHC nurses while also providing nursing faculty with access to clinicians and patients in long-term care for the purposes of education, research, and quality improvement. The ultimate goal for both partners was improved patient outcomes. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(2):75-81.].

The HLKES-2: Revision and Evaluation of the Health Literacy Knowledge and Experiences Survey.

BACKGROUND: Low health literacy impacts individual health and the health care system. The Health Literacy Knowledge and Experience Survey (HLKES) was created to evaluate preparedness of nurses to provide health literate care. However, the instrument was developed a decade ago and needs revision. The purpose of this study was to update and shorten the HLKES into a feasible, valid, and reliable instrument. METHOD: The HLKES was refined into a 14-item instrument (10 knowledge questions and four experience questions). Expert review was obtained. Face validity was assessed, and pilot and field testing with students was conducted. RESULTS: Scale content validity index was 0.95, and individual questions demonstrated appropriate item difficulty and discrimination. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .565 for the 10 multiple choice questions and .843 for the four Likert-type questions, indicating good reliability. CONCLUSION: A reliable and valid HLKES-2 was developed to evaluate health literacy knowledge and experiences in a contemporary setting. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(2):86-92.].

Meeting Health Care Needs in Rural Alabama: The Power of Partnerships.

Recruiting and retaining rural primary care providers is challenging. The Graduate Nursing Education Primary Care Scholars (GNEPCS) is a partnership between a philanthropic organization and a school of nursing to recruit, educate, train, and retain primary care advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) for practice in rural Alabama with a focus on improving the state's health outcomes. In its initial four years, the GNEPCS partnership has been successful in identifying 60 registered nurses interested in becoming rural primary care APRNs. These students have received mentoring, individualized content on rural health, preceptorships with rural providers, and opportunities for professional and leadership development. Pilot philanthropic funding has allowed us to develop sustainable curricula, attract additional complementary federal funds, and create a critical mass of practice-ready APRNs who are improving primary care access for some of the state's most rural and underserved populations.

Development of the Leadership Influence Self-Assessment (LISA©) instrument.

PURPOSE: This study aims to describe the development and psychometric evaluation of the Leadership Influence Self-Assessment (LISA©) tool. BACKGROUND: LISA© was designed to help nurse leaders assess and enhance their influence capacity by measuring influence traits and practices and identifying areas of strength and weakness. METHODS: Concepts identified in the Adams Influence Model and input from content experts guided the development of 145 items for testing. Administered to 165 nurse leaders, the assessment was subjected to exploratory factor analysis (EFA). FINDINGS: EFA yielded a four-factor solution that comprised 80 items. Cronbach's alpha for factors ranged between 0.912 and 0.938. All factor loadings were >0.4; the smallest factor contained 14 items. Items grouped together in the theoretical model also clustered together in the EFA. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary psychometric testing supports validity and reliability of the LISA© and its potential use as a tool to assess influence capacity for purposes of leadership development and research.

Knowledge of limited health literacy at an academic health center.

BACKGROUND: Health care providers' awareness and knowledge of the impact that limited health literacy has on the health care system and the individual patient was measured. In addition, the usefulness of the Limited Literacy Impact Measure (LLIM) was examined. METHODS: Two hundred forty providers and students attending a university-sponsored presentation on health literacy were invited to participate. RESULTS: Participants were most knowledgeable about the impact on patients and less knowledgeable about the impact on the health care system. CONCLUSIONS: Health care provider knowledge and awareness of limited health literacy continues to be a challenge. Educational programs developed for providers and patients are needed to address the health literacy crisis. Improving health literacy will improve health outcomes while reducing the use of unnecessary health care services.