Demystifying the National Institutes of Health diversity supplement: Mentee and mentor experiences and recommendations.

BACKGROUND: The National Institutes of Health supports professional development of diverse researchers through diversity supplements. Limited awareness and understanding of the application process have hindered utilization of this funding mechanism. PURPOSE: We describe perspectives and recommendations of mentee and mentor recipients of diversity supplements. METHODS: Our working group, comprised of faculty from an Historically Black College and University and an R1 research university, conducted stakeholder interviews with three mentees and four mentors from various institutions. We used content analysis to derive categories of experiences and recommendations. DISCUSSION: Interviewees reported on advantages of diversity supplements, ensuring institutional support, identifying a good mentee-mentor match, developing grantsmanship specific to diversity supplements, and increasing numbers of these applications. CONCLUSION: We identify opportunities for stakeholders to increase awareness of diversity supplements. Our data support greater understanding of this mechanism, establishing strong mentoring relationships, and submitting robust applications. Findings can enhance diversity among the scientific community.

National Institutes of Health diversity supplements: Perspectives from administrative insiders.

BACKGROUND: The NIH Diversity Administrative Supplement is a funding mechanism that provides support for diverse early-stage researchers. There is limited guidance on how to apply for these awards. PURPOSE: We describe perspectives of NIH program/diversity officers and university research administrators offering recommendations for diversity supplement submission. METHODS: This article is the product of a working group exploring diversity in research. Nursing faculty from an R2 Historically Black College and University and an R1 research intensive university conducted stakeholder interviews with NIH program/diversity officers and university research administrators. We used content analysis to categorize respondents' recommendations. FINDINGS: Recommendations centered on harmonizing the applicant with the program announcement, communication with program/diversity officers, mentor/mentee relationship, scientific plan, and systematic institutional approaches to the diversity supplement. DISCUSSION: Successful strategies in submitting diversity supplements will facilitate inclusion of diverse researchers in NIH-sponsored programs. Systematic approaches are needed to support development of diverse voices to enhance the scientific community.

Effects of patients and hospital characteristics on myocardial infarction mortality: health disparity outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if patient characteristics would have significant effects on outcomes for inpatients' Myocardial Infarction (MI) with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) admitted to Non-Federal Hospitals. METHODS: We used data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project under the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HCUP_AHRQ, 2006) and data were retrospectively analyzed. This database was the latest HCUP data available in 2008, when the study was initiated. RESULTS: There were significant results noted in healthcare outcomes between age, gender, insurance and patient mortality with gender and patient insurance (p < .001). Male inpatients had more major procedures than their female counterparts (p < .001). Treatment procedure effect on patient mortality was highly significant for age (p < .001) and gender (p < .0001), and more females died than expected (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The implication of this study to practice is that healthcare could be more cost effective if healthcare providers are to screen and treat all patients that present with diabetic mellitus for heart and other related diseases. This venture would help detect and prevent myocardial infarction before it occurs. Discharged patients need to be followed as well to prevent frequent admissions. Prevention is better than cure.

African American health disparities in lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and globally. African Americans experience significant differences in lung cancer incidence and mortality. Smoking is the single greatest risk for lung cancer, making smoking cessation programs a potentially fruitful approach for reducing the risk of lung cancer. Despite clinical practice guidelines that prompt nurses to advise patients to quit smoking, only a small percentage of nurses do so. Minority patients are less likely than Whites to receive smoking cessation advice. This article discusses recent findings on the pathophysiology and risks for lung cancer. The literature on smoking cessation research is examined to determine the features of successful cessation interventions. Recommendations are offered for enhancing tobacco cessation efforts in nursing practice, education, and research.

Exploring the disparities in health-care outcomes of inpatient diabetic myocardial infarction transfers in non-federal hospitals.

The purpose of the study was to assess whether patient transfer demonstrated health-care disparities in patients with myocardial infarction and type 2 diabetes mellitus who had been admitted to non-federal hospitals in 2006. This was a secondary data analyses. Retrospective data was extracted from the 2006 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Data analysis and management were performed using SPSS version 17.0. Of the 2,774 discharges, 1,684 (67%) were admitted through the emergency room. The primary insurance was Medicare (1,200) (43%). Insurance type influenced whether or not a patient was transferred (p < 0.001). There was a significant disparity between gender and patient insurance (p < 0.001). More males (67%) than females (33%) were admitted, however, more females died than expected (p < 0.001). These results suggested that patients' age, gender, and insurance were the major factors that influenced patient transfer. All patients, irrespective of age, gender, or ethnicity, should be treated equally upon admission.