Community Engagement Model to Match Psychosocial Health Needs.

The purpose of the current study was to develop a model from community engagement (CE) process data to guide future CE for a focused health problem. Community-based participatory research was used to engage older adults affected by cancer and their family caregivers in eight cancer clusters in one northeastern U.S. state. CE was focused on informing participants about a national telephone helpline offering psychosocial cancer services. A purposeful sample by settings in the cancer clusters yielded an estimated 200,500 individuals who participated in information sessions, health fairs, sporting events, and the media (i.e., print, radio, or television). A general inductive approach was used to analyze CE data and resulted in a four-phase model that health professionals consider in initiating CE. Strategies are discussed for resolving two roadblocks that were identified. This model serves as a guide to standardize CE that informs a community about available services to address a focused health problem. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2018; 11(6):293-305.].

Congruency between educators' teaching beliefs and an electronic health record teaching strategy.

BACKGROUND: Technology has changed healthcare institutions into automated settings with the potential to greatly enhance the quality of healthcare. Implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) to replace paper charting is one example of the influence of technology on healthcare worldwide. In the past decade nursing higher education has attempted to keep pace with technological changes by integrating EHRs into learning experiences. Little is known about educators' teaching beliefs and the use of EHRs as a teaching strategy. AIM: This study explores the composition of core teaching beliefs of nurse educators and their related teaching practices within the context of teaching with EHRs in the classroom. METHODS: A collective case study and qualitative research approach was used to explore and describe teaching beliefs of seven nurse educators teaching with EHRs. Data collection included open-ended, audio-taped interviews and non-participant observation. Content analysis of transcribed interviews and observational field notes focused on identification of teaching belief themes and associated practices. FINDINGS: Two contrasting collective case studies of teaching beliefs emerged. Constructivist beliefs were dominant, focused on experiential, student-centered, contextual and collaborative learning, and associated with expanded and a futuristic view of EHRs use. Objectivist beliefs focused on educators' control of the context of learning and were associated with a constrained, limited view of EHRs. Constructivist educators embrace technological change, an essential ingredient of educational reform. CONCLUSIONS: We encourage nurse educators to adopt a constructivist view to using technology in teaching in order to prepare nurses for a rapidly changing, technologically sophisticated practice.

Examining barriers to self-reporting of elder physical abuse in community-dwelling older adults.

One out of 10 older adults experiences elder abuse in their lifetime, though less than one third of these cases ever get reported. The purpose of this study was to describe older adults' perceptions of physical abuse (PA) as a type of elder abuse including reasons why they may or may not self-report. An author developed vignette scale was used to present three types of PA and three barriers to reporting for each of three living situations. Older adults (n = 76) rated perceptions of whether or not the situation is abusive, likelihood of reporting and likelihood of reporting when presented with each of three barriers. The study participants had a consistent perception of PA; however the barriers affected their likelihood of reporting, which varied across types and situations. The results provide further evidence that reporting abuse is multifactorial and have implications for educational interventions.

A nonprofit community service and academic collaboration to increase outreach to older adults with cancer: lessons learned.

This article describes the lessons learned by social work practitioners and nurse researcher faculty from a unique partnership between a 501(c) 3 nonprofit community service organization (cancer helpline) and an academic facility to improve outreach to older adults with cancer. In preparing the research proposal, carrying out the procedures, and instituting a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach lessons learned included the importance of experienced researchers/writers, unpredictability of research activities, importance of collecting complete data, communicating underlying discipline and role-oriented assumptions, and effectiveness of CBPR to increase outreach to older adults with cancer in Delaware's eight cancer clusters.

Perceptions of the screening mammography experience by Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women.

PURPOSE: To uncover perceptive differences in mammography experiences (from scheduling the mammography appointment to receipt and reporting of mammography results) between women from two different racial/ethnic groups. METHODS: Focus groups (n = 9) were conducted with Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women (n = 88) who were aged 40 years or older and had a mammogram within the preceding 36 months. We used a qualitative ethnographic approach with content analysis to identify key categories present in the transcripts and domain analysis to discover domains of meaning. A matrix was designed to determine which domains differed by racial/ethnic group. The primary mammography-related topics of focus group discussion included 1) the scheduling process, 2) the day of the mammogram, 3) receipt of results, and 4) recommendations to improve the mammography process. MAIN FINDINGS: Six domains uniquely described issues women of the differing racial/ethnic groups experience and perceive as important. Hispanic women highlighted embarrassment surrounding the examination and fear of negative news about their mammography results. Non-Hispanic White women focused on instructions given before or during the examination as a critical process feature. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of the mammography experience vary by race/ethnicity. Mammography experiences might be improved through enhanced sensitivity of healthcare personnel to cultural differences in perceptions of mammogram testing. Future research to investigate the extent to which the domains of meanings uncovered in this study influence a women's decision to return for routine mammograms would be of great value.

Psychometric properties of the Grandparent Perceptions of Family Scale (GPFS).

BACKGROUND: For the majority of grandparents, rarely are their perceptions of family assessed, acknowledged, or viewed in the context of potential effect on individual and family health. OBJECTIVE: To develop and test an instrument to measure grandparent perceptions of family. METHOD: An inductively derived semantic differential instrument comprising 112 items, 8 stimuli, and 27 adjective pairs within 2 domains and framed by the Becoming a Grandparent theoretical model was content validated by an expert panel, revised, and evaluated on a convenience sample of 306 community-dwelling grandparents, aged 41-92 years (M = 64, SD = 9.8), 72% female, 93% U.S. born, 62% college educated, 55% economically comfortable, and 71% living with a spouse or partner. Assessment procedures included internal consistency reliability, item and scale correlation coefficients, and principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation to evaluate construct validity, structure, and magnitude of the scale. RESULTS: The final scale consists of 25 items using 3 stimuli (grandparent's view of grandchild, mother of grandchild, father of grandchild) measuring a single domain (overall view of family). The Grandparent Perceptions of Family Scale (GPFS) includes 5 factors for a total explained variance of 60%. Coefficient alpha for the total scale is .90. DISCUSSION: The GPFS should be helpful to clinicians and researchers in their assessment of grandparents within multigenerational families and in planning appropriate interventions to address the roles and relationships of grandparents within families. Further GPFS evaluation is suggested with grandparents of diverse racial or ethnic identification; social economic position; education; and family definition, roles, composition, and structure.

The Wheat Valley assisted living culture: rituals and rules.

This ethnographic study describes the cultural knowledge individuals use to organize their behaviors at one assisted living facility, Wheat Valley. Data were comprised of transcribed interviews with residents, family members, and staff; field notes of observations and informal interviews; and abstracted information from facility documents. The Wheat Valley culture is described as having six cultural categories, a single theme, a threat to the culture, and a conceptualization of resident decision-making. The cultural description provides the basis for a discussion of practice implications.