Providing Clinical Psychology Training and Trauma-Focused Treatment via Telehealth During COVID-19.

To slow the spread of COVID-19 many mental health providers transitioned to telehealth delivery of trauma-focused treatment for maltreated children. However, these providers faced myriad challenges, including equitable access to equipment and technical demands of telehealth software. Training clinics overseeing pre-doctoral clinical psychology interns experienced the added challenge of providing quality supervision and training via telehealth. This study involves a retrospective application of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework to describe the innovative adaptation to a telehealth service delivery model in a training clinic providing evidence-based trauma-focused treatment to children and their families. Mixed methods data from clinic records and intern evaluations indicate that compared to pre-COVID (February 2019 - February 2020), during early COVID (April 2020 - April 2021) more patients accessed clinic services, interns reported fewer hours of individual supervision, and interns reported greater satisfaction with their training experiences. Implications for ongoing provision of telehealth services are discussed.

Borescope examination and microbial culture results of endoscopes in a tertiary care hospital led to changes in storage protocols to improve patient safety.

BACKGROUND: Flexible endoscopes are highly versatile and useful medical instruments, and their proper reprocessing is critical to patient health and safety. The value of routine visual inspections and surveillance of endoscopes in a tertiary care hospital was assessed by performing borescope examinations and microbial sampling on respiratory, gastro-intestinal (GI), and urological endoscopes. METHODS: A total of 42 endoscopes were cultured, and 36 endoscopes were examined with a borescope. The flush-brush-flush method was used to culture the endoscopes. Collected water was suctioned through a membrane filter device which was plated on a blood agar plate and incubated. A borescope was used to perform endoscope inspection in an antegrade and retrograde approach. RESULTS: Positive microbial cultures were seen in 28% of respiratory, 22% of GI, and 30% of urological endoscopes. Borescope examinations revealed multiple abnormalities and damage including channel shredding, filamentous debris, water retention, discoloration, dents, and red particles. CONCLUSIONS: Borescope examination and microbial culturing should be used routinely to assure endoscopic safety. Borescope examination enabled us to visualize structural damage, foreign material and moisture within endoscopes. The structural damages and the particles found in endoscopes resulted in timely repair and discontinuation of this type of distal end protectors in our facility.

Sociodemographic and Incident Variables as Predictors of Victim Injury From Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From Police Reports.

Predictors of victim injury from intimate partner violence (IPV) were investigated using 1,292 police reports collected in South Carolina in 2009/2010. All cases were opposite sex adults. Results from bivariate statistics showed that IPV cases with ( n = 649) and without visible injuries ( n = 643) differed on victim gender, victim race, type of relationship, and perpetrator's alcohol use. Results from a logistic regression analysis predicting victim injury showed higher odds ratios for males, Whites, and couples identified as cohabitants. Although most victims, including most injured victims, were Black women, males and Whites were overrepresented in the injured group.

Restorative Retelling for Violent Death: An Investigation of Treatment Effectiveness, Influencing Factors, and Durability.

Many adults who have lost a loved one to violent death suffer from depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complicated grief. Limited research has examined structured group interventions for violent death survivors or characteristics (e.g., types of loss, quality and type of relationship with the deceased) that may impact response to intervention. This records review of 91 survivors examined the effectiveness of Restorative Retelling (RR), a brief structured group intervention for violent loss survivors. Participants completed depression, PTSD, and complicated grief measures at pre- and post-treatment and at 1-year follow-up for a subset of participants. Findings revealed statistically significant changes in depression and PTSD symptoms (Cohen's d values ranged from .33-.46) at post-treatment, with significant changes observed across all domains at 1-year follow-up. Treatment response appeared to be influenced by high distress, gender, and relationship with the deceased. Results imply a large-scale randomized control trial to determine treatment efficacy.