Multidimensional team-based intervention using musical cues to reduce odds of facility-acquired pressure ulcers in long-term care: a paired randomized intervention study.

OBJECTIVES: To test the effectiveness of a pressure ulcer (PU) prevention intervention featuring musical cues to remind all long-term care (LTC) staff (nursing and ancillary) to help every resident move or reposition every 2 hours. DESIGN: Twelve-month paired-facility two-arm (with one-arm crossover) randomized intervention trial. SETTING: Ten midwestern U.S. LTC facilities. Four treatment facilities received intervention during Months 1 to 12, four comparison facilities received intervention during Months 7 to 12, and two pseudo-control facilities received no intervention. PARTICIPANTS: LTC facility residents (N = 1,928). INTERVENTION: All facility staff received in-person education, video, and handouts, and visiting family members received informational pamphlets on PU prevention and an intervention featuring musical cues. Nurse-led multidisciplinary staff teams presented the cues as prompts for staff and family to reposition residents or remind them to move. Musical selections (with and without lyrics) customized to facility preferences were played daily over the facility intercom or public address system every 2 hours for the 12-hour daytime period. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome measure was the frequency of new facility-acquired PUs divided by the total number of facility Minimum Data Set (MDS) resident assessments conducted during the study period. RESULTS: Odds of a new PU were lower in intervention facilities (P = .08) for MDS 2.0 assessments and were significantly lower (P = .05) for MDS 3.0. Mean odds ratios suggested intervention facility residents were 45% less likely than comparison facility residents to develop a new PU. CONCLUSION: Customized musical cues that prompt multidisciplinary staff teams to encourage or enable movement of all residents hold promise for reducing facility-acquired PUs in LTC settings.

Racial and age-related disparities in obtaining screening mammography: results of a statewide database.

BACKGROUND: This study compared mammography rates in Arkansas, based on race and age, to identify any disparities in obtaining mammography. METHODS: The Arkansas Mammography Data Collection Project contained data on 133,549 women, 87,680 of them aged 40 to 64 and 45,869 aged 65 years or older. Race data were available on 64,526 women. Mammography rates were compared by patient age and race. RESULTS: Women aged 65 years and older were less likely to obtain mammograms than younger women: 21.67% versus 23.30%. Mammograms were more likely to be classified as diagnostic in older women and as screening in younger women. Older African American women were less likely to obtain mammograms than younger women of the same race (7.23% vs 8.02%), while older white women were more likely to obtain mammograms than younger white women (11.64% vs 11.31%). African Americans were less likely to obtain mammograms in both age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Older African American women are less likely to obtain mammograms than white and younger women. The reasons for this disparity warrant further evaluation.