Impact of Stigma on Clinician Training for Opioid Use Disorder Care: A Qualitative Study in a Primary Care Learning Collaborative.

PURPOSE: We undertook a study to examine how stigma influences the uptake of training on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in primary care academic programs. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study of 23 key stakeholders responsible for implementing MOUD training in their academic primary care training programs that were participants in a learning collaborative in 2018. We assessed barriers to and facilitators of successful program implementation and used an integrated approach to develop a codebook and analyze the data. RESULTS: Participants represented the family medicine, internal medicine, and physician assistant fields, and they included trainees. Most participants described clinician and institutional attitudes, misperceptions, and biases that enabled or hindered MOUD training. Perceptions included concerns that patients with OUD are "manipulative" or "drug seeking." Elements of stigma in the origin domain (ie, beliefs by primary care clinicians or the community that OUD is a choice and not a disease), the enacted domain (eg, hospital bylaws banning MOUD and clinicians declining to obtain an X-Waiver to prescribe MOUD), and the intersectional domain (eg, inadequate attention to patient needs) were perceived as major barriers to MOUD training by most respondents. Participants described strategies that improved the uptake of training, including giving attention to clinician concerns, clarifying the biology of OUD, and ameliorating clinician fears of being ill equipped to provide care for patients. CONCLUSIONS: OUD-related stigma was commonly reported in training programs and impeded the uptake of MOUD training. Potential strategies to address stigma in the training context, beyond providing content on effective evidence-based treatments, include addressing the concerns of primary care clinicians and incorporating the chronic care framework into OUD treatment.

Preparing nurse scientists for health services and policy research: Five-year outcomes of interprofessional postdoctoral training in the National Clinician Scholars Program.

BACKGROUND: The National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) is an interprofessional postdoctoral fellowship for physicians and nurses with a PhD. or DNP focused on health services research, policy, and leadership. PURPOSE: To evaluate 5-year outcomes of nurse postdoctoral scholars in the NCSP. METHODS: We describe the 5-year outcomes of nurse fellows and graduates from six NCSP sites (positions, number of peer-reviewed publications, citations, and h-index). CONCLUSION: There were 53 nurses in the sample (34 alumni, 19 fellows). Approximately half (47%, n = 16) of alumni had tenure-track faculty positions and had bibliometric performance indicators (such as h-indices) 2 to 4 times greater than those previously reported for assistant professors in nursing schools nationally. NCSP nurse scholars and alumni also had an impact on community partnerships, health equity, and health policy DISCUSSION: This study highlights the potential of interprofessional postdoctoral fellowships such as the NCSP to prepare nurse scientists for health care leadership roles.

The Need for Advanced Clinical Education for Nurse Practitioners Continues Despite Expansion of Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs.

We read with great interest Mundinger and Carter's exposition of how, in their view, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education has lost its way and what consequences might result. Mundinger and Carter note that DNP programs are overwhelming focused on nonclinical practice. We share the concern of Mundinger and Carter about the future of nurse practitioner (NP) education within the context of expanding DNP programs. In this commentary, we raise concerns about NP transition to practice and the limited, but concerning, evidence that new NPs struggle in their transition to practice. We note that this concern is magnified as NPs continue to move into specialty roles. Health systems have responded to this concern by developing residency and fellowship programs. Fifteen years after the AACN position statement on the clinical doctorate was issued, the goal of DNP education remains an unfinished project. An important question remains: Can, will, and how should DNP programs deliver?

Use of Simulation to Integrate Behavioral Health Into Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Programs.

BACKGROUND: Identifying and treating acute and chronic behavioral health conditions is integral to primary care practice, yet primary care nurse practitioner (NP) training models do not meet the demand for integrated behavioral health practices. Simulation offers an effective pedagogical tool for integrating behavioral health training in primary care. METHOD: With support from federal funding and external consultants, new didactic and complementary simulation curricula in integrated behavioral health care were introduced in the primary care and psychiatric mental health NP programs at a school of nursing. Two rounds of this curricular innovation were implemented and evaluated across specialties. RESULTS: Ninety-seven students participated in the training and reported enhanced behavioral-health assessment and hand-off skills, greater confidence in applying core content, and improved communication skills. CONCLUSION: Thoughtfully designed simulation offers an important tool for developing integrated behavioral health competencies that will help prepare future primary care clinicians meet the needs of patients and communities. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(2):128-133.].

Scaling up: bringing the transitional care model into the mainstream.

Elderly, chronically ill people experience frequent changes in health status that require transitions among health care providers and settings. This issue brief describes two projects that identified the essential elements of effective care management interventions for this population and the facilitators of translating one such intervention, the Transitional Care Model (TCM), into mainstream practice. Together these projects demonstrate that successful translation of the TCM, which incorporates both in-person contact and a nurse-led, interdisciplinary team approach, can effectively interrupt patterns of frequent rehospitalizations, reduce costs, and improve patient health status. Findings from these projects inform challenges that must be overcome to facilitate the translation of effective care management innovations into mainstream practice.

A Framework for Transforming Primary Care Health Care Professions Education and Training to Promote Health Equity.

A diverse and well-trained, distributed and resourced primary care workforce is essential for advancing health equity. However, few standardized models exist to guide health care professions education (HCPE) on core competencies regarding understanding and effectively addressing social determinants of health, social injustice, structural barriers, and the high burden of health needs in marginalized populations. We propose a framework with domains of policies and incentives, enabling institutional climate, educational content and integration, and community-orientation and community engagement. The framework encompasses inter-disciplinary team-based care and immersive community experiences to equip learners with cognitive skills and knowledge needed to understand and address unmet needs and ensure equitable access to the entire continuum of care. Research is needed to understand barriers and promoters of a health equity-guided HCPE, and standards for theory-driven curricular contents and metrics to evaluate and track progress. Multisector collaborations and demonstration projects may help guide standardized training on advancing health equity.

Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Training Programs.

Drug overdose death rates from opioid use have risen steadily since 1999 and reached epidemic levels, slowing for the first time in 2018, though not for many forms of opioid use. Yet evidence-based approaches to combating OUD, such as medication-assisted treatment for OUD (MT-OUD), are still inaccessible to many. Primary care providers are well-positioned to offer these services; however, training and education in OUD care remains inadequate. The National Center for Integrated Behavioral Health interviewed the Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA) awardees of federal funding to implement an MT-OUD curriculum in their primary care residency training programs to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation. Awardees were interviewed at program launch and one year later. Results showed the importance of leadership willingness to participate, effective treatment integration into existing workflow, curriculum and clinical flexibility, and supportive interdisciplinary and community partnerships. Recommendations for best practices of MT-OUD training in primary care are identified.

Nurse staffing and patient outcomes: evolution of an international study.

Industry-wide health sector reforms in the United States, Canada, and Europe have provided a unique opportunity to examine the effects of hospital restructuring on inpatient nursing care and patient outcomes across an array of settings. Seven interdisciplinary research teams--1 each in Alberta, British Columbia, England, Germany, Ontario, Scotland, and the United States--have formed an international consortium whose aim is to study the effects of such restructuring. Each site has enrolled large numbers of hospitals and nurses to explicate the role that organization of nursing care, a target of hospital restructuring, plays in differential patient outcomes. The study seeks to understand more fully the influence of both nurse staffing and the nursing practice environment on patient outcomes. Discussion of the theoretical foundation, study design, and process of developing the study instruments and measures illustrates the process to date, as well as the feasibility of and opportunities inherent in such an international endeavour.

Does Quality of End-of-Life Care Differ by Urban-Rural Location? A Comparison of Processes and Family Evaluations of Care in the VA.

PURPOSE: Several studies have identified differences in end-of-life (EOL) care between urban and rural areas, yet little is known about potential differences in care processes or family evaluations of care. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between rurality of residence and quality of EOL care within the Veterans Affairs health care system. METHODS: This study was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of 126,475 veterans who died from October 2009 through September 2016 in inpatient settings across 151 facilities. Using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression, we compared quality of EOL care between urban and rural veterans using family evaluations of care and 4 quality of care indicators for receipt of (1) palliative care consult, (2) a chaplain visit, (3) death in an inpatient hospice unit, and (4) bereavement support. FINDINGS: Veterans from rural areas had lower odds of dying in an inpatient hospice unit compared to veterans from urban areas, before and after adjustment (large rural OR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.70-0.77; P < .001, small rural OR 0.81, 95% CI: 0.77-0.86; P < .001, isolated rural OR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81-0.93; P < .001). Differences in comparisons of other quality of care indicators were small and of mixed significance. No significant differences were found in family ratings of care in fully adjusted models. CONCLUSION: Receipt of some EOL quality indicators differed with urban-rural residence for some comparisons. However, family ratings of care did not. Our findings call for further investigation into unmeasured individual characteristics and facility processes related to rurality.

The association between nursing factors and patient mortality in the Veterans Health Administration: the view from the nursing unit level.

CONTEXT: Nurse staffing is not the same across an entire hospital. Nursing care is delivered in geographically-based units, with wide variation in staffing levels. In particular, staffing in intensive care is much richer than in nonintensive care acute units. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of in-hospital patient mortality with registered nurse staffing and skill mix comparing hospital and unit level analysis using data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PATIENTS: A retrospective observational study using administrative data from 129,579 patients from 453 nursing units (171 ICU and 282 non-ICU) in 123 VHA hospitals. METHODS: We used hierarchical multilevel regression models to adjust for patient, unit, and hospital characteristics, stratifying by whether or not patients had an ICU stay during admission. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: In-hospital mortality. RESULTS: : Of the 129,579 patients, mortality was 2.9% overall: 6.7% for patients with an ICU stay compared with 1.6% for those without. Whether the analysis was done at the hospital or unit level affected findings. RN staffing was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality for patients with an ICU stay (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.99-1.03). For non-ICU patients, increased RN staffing was significantly associated with decreased mortality risk (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86-0.96). RN education was not significantly associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the association between RN staffing and skill mix and in-hospital patient mortality depends on whether the analysis is conducted at the hospital or unit level. Variable staffing on non-ICU units may significantly contribute to in-hospital mortality risk.

Managed care and hospital cost containment.

This study assesses the ability of managed care to contain hospital costs since the managed care backlash, using data from California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for all acute-care hospitals in the state for the period 1991-2001. The analysis employs a long-differences design to examine cost growth before and after the managed care backlash. Results from the early 1990s are consistent with prior evidence that the combination of more competitive markets and high managed care penetration held down costs. Post-backlash, high managed care penetration no longer was associated with lower cost growth in the most competitive markets, indicating that the synergistic effects between managed care and hospital competition no longer may exist.

Trends in characteristics and country of origin among foreign-trained nurses in the United States, 1990 and 2000.

OBJECTIVES: We describe long-term trends in the characteristics of foreign-trained new entrants to the registered nurse (RN) workforce in the United States. METHODS: Using the 1990 and 2000 US Census 5% Public Use Microdata Sample files, we compared trends in characteristics of US- and foreign-trained new entrants to the RN labor force (n=40827) and identified trends in the country of origin of the foreign-trained new entrants. RESULTS: Foreign-trained RNs grew as a percentage of new entrants to the RN workforce, from 8.8% in 1990 to 15.2% in 2000. Compared with US-trained RNs, foreign-trained RNs were 3 times as likely to work in nursing homes and were more likely to have earned a bachelor's degree. In 2000, 21% of foreign-trained RNs originated from low-income countries, a doubling of the rate since 1990. CONCLUSIONS: Foreign-trained RNs now account for a substantial and growing proportion of the US RN workforce. Our findings suggest foreign-trained RNs entering the United States are not of lower quality than US-trained RNs. However, growth in the proportion of RNs from low-income countries may have negative consequences in those countries.

Medical migration to the U.S.: trends and impact.

The United States is in the midst of a prolonged nursing shortage, one that could reach a deficit of 800,000 registered nurses (RNs) by 2020. Increasingly, foreign-trained nurses are migrating to the U.S., particularly from low-income countries, seeking higher wages and a higher standard of living. Increased reliance on immigration may adversely affect health care in lower-income countries without solving the U.S. shortage. This Issue Brief analyzes trends in medical migration, and explores its short- and long-term effects on the health care workforce in the U.S. and in developing countries.

Nursing shortage redux: turning the corner on an enduring problem.

Projections of a substantial nursing workforce imbalance in the coming decade have galvanized policymakers, providers, private foundations, nurses, and others to proffer aggressive and sustainable strategies to ameliorate the looming shortage. The solutions are largely ones that seek to increase supply. Analysis of the 1992-2000 National Sample Surveys of Registered Nurses shows that increasing losses from the active workforce, stagnant wages, and low levels of job satisfaction pose major impediments to bolstering supply. Strategies focused on working conditions and retention should occupy a central position in any nursing workforce revitalization plan.

Imported care: recruiting foreign nurses to U.S. health care facilities.

As U.S. health care facilities struggle to fill current registered nurse staffing vacancies, a more critical nurse undersupply is predicted over the next twenty years. In response, many institutions are doubling their efforts to attract and retain nurses. To that end, foreign nurses are increasingly being sought, creating a lucrative business for new recruiting agencies both at home and abroad. This paper examines past and current foreign nurse use as a response to nurse shortages and its implications for domestic and global nurse workforce policies.

Trends in international nurse migration.

Predicted shortages and recruitment targets for nurses in developed countries threaten to deplete nurse supply and undermine global health initiatives in developing countries. A twofold approach is required, involving greater diligence by developing countries in creating a largely sustainable domestic nurse workforce and their greater investment through international aid in building nursing education capacity in the less developed countries that supply them with nurses.

Measuring nursing care time and tasks in long-term services and supports: one size does not fit all.

BACKGROUND: Although most staff in long-term care services and support (LTSS) are nursing care personnel, a method for measuring the provision of nursing care has not yet been developed. PURPOSE/METHODS: We sought to understand the challenges of measuring nursing care across different types of LTSS using a qualitative approach that included the triangulation of data from three unique sources. RESULTS: Six primary challenges to measuring nursing care across LTSS emerged. These included (a) level of detail about time of day, amount of time, or type of tasks varied by type of nursing and organization; (b) time and tasks were documented across clinical records and administrative databases; (c) data existed in both paper and electronic formats; (d) several sources of information were needed to create the fullest picture of nursing care; (e) data were inconsistently available for contracted providers; and (f) documentation of informal caregiving was unavailable. Differences were observed between assisted living facilities and home- and community-based services compared with nursing homes. Differences were also observed across organizations within a setting. A commonality across settings and organizations was the availability of an electronically stored care plan specifying individual needs, but not necessarily how these would be met. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrate the variability of data availability and specificity across three distinct LTSS settings. This study is an initial step toward establishing a process for measuring the provision of nursing care across LTSS in order to explore the range of nursing care needs of LTSS recipients and how these needs are currently fulfilled.

Developing an instrument to measure heart failure disease management program intensity and complexity.

BACKGROUND: Comparing disease management programs and their effects is difficult because of wide variability in program intensity and complexity. The purpose of this effort was to develop an instrument that can be used to describe the intensity and complexity of heart failure (HF) disease management programs. METHODS AND RESULTS: Specific composition criteria were taken from the American Heart Association (AHA) taxonomy of disease management and hierarchically scored to allow users to describe the intensity and complexity of the domains and subdomains of HF disease management programs. The HF Disease Management Scoring Instrument (HF-DMSI) incorporates 6 of the 8 domains from the taxonomy: recipient, intervention content, delivery personnel, method of communication, intensity/complexity, and environment. The 3 intervention content subdomains (education/counseling, medication management, and peer support) are described separately. In this first test of the HF-DMSI, overall intensity (measured as duration) and complexity were rated using an ordinal scoring system. Possible scores reflect a clinical rationale and differ by category, with zero given only if the element could potentially be missing (eg, surveillance by remote monitoring). Content validity was evident as the instrument matches the existing AHA taxonomy. After revision and refinement, 2 authors obtained an inter-rater reliability intraclass correlation coefficient score of 0.918 (confidence interval, 0.880 to 0.944, P<0.001) in their rating of 12 studies. The areas with most variability among programs were delivery personnel and method of communication. CONCLUSIONS: The HF-DMSI is useful for describing the intensity and complexity of HF disease management programs.