The Patient Care Experience as Perceived by Hispanic Patients With Chronic Illness Undergoing Transplant: A Grounded Theory.

Hispanics are one of the largest-growing minorities, yet little is understood of the patient experience from their perspective. Patient experience is the current federally mandated hospital quality indicator that is measured via the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Minority representation in the HCAHPS survey development however was not robust. This study used a constructivist grounded theory method to explore how English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients seeking kidney and liver transplant care at a safety-net hospital perceive and interpret the care experience. A grounded theory process model emerged finding comfort, communication, connection, and care to be interdependent factors crucial for a positive hospital admission. Furthermore, "cultural context" was found to influence perception of each of these concepts. This research provides key insights into how Hispanics may perceive their needs when seeking care. A Supplemental Digital Content video abstract is available at http://links.lww.com/ANS/A50 .

A Grounded Theory Approach to Navigating Infertility Care During U.S. Military Service.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to understand how active duty service members and their partners navigate the infertility care process within the Military Health System (MHS) while managing a military career. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained Institutional Review Board approval to employ a qualitative design using grounded theory methods. We recruited participants using purposive sampling, followed by theoretical sampling. We derived data from demographic questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Consistent with grounded theory methods, we began analysis with line-by-line coding and moved to focused coding. We employed constant comparative analysis throughout the process to name, categorize, and conceptualize data and relationships. RESULTS: The participants included 28 patients, five partners, nine health care providers, and two military leaders. The infertility care process began with active duty service members and their partners recognizing the desire to have a child and discovering infertility, followed by deciding to seek infertility care. The experience was temporally bound within the context of the military environment. We identified the following themes, which described facilitators and barriers to accessing care: Duty station location, career stage, military versus the civilian cost of services, command climate, and policy. These facilitators and barriers varied widely across the Department of Defense (DoD), which resulted in fragmented and inconsistent care cycles, contributed to emotional and physical stress, and created tension between career progression and family formation. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding how military couples perceive and manage demands of infertility care may enhance access to care, decrease patient costs, improve outcomes, result in better support for military couples who experience infertility, and ultimately improve the health and military readiness of our armed forces. The results support the need for action by providers, policy makers, and military leaders to develop effective infertility treatment programs and policies in the DoD.

Examining child flourishing, family resilience, and adversity in the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health.

PURPOSE: Explore factors associated with flourishing and family resilience among children aged 6 months to 5 years old in the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 NSCH was conducted using Kleinman and Norton's Regression Risk Analysis method to derive adjusted risk measures for logistic regression models to assess factors contributing to (1) child flourishing and (2) child flourishing stratified between resilient and non-resilient families. RESULTS: In multivariable models, resilient families less often reported a child with two or more lifetime ACE exposures (ARD -0.11, 95% CI -0.15, -0.08), more likely to live in a supportive neighborhood (ARD 0.08, 95% CI 0.05,0.11), and more likely to report emotional support in raising children (ARD 0.07, 95% CI 0.12, 0.40). Accounting for ACE exposures, within resilient families, child flourishing was more likely when the child lived in a supportive neighborhood (ARD 0.09, 95% CI 0.03, 0.15), received care in a patient centered medical home (ARD 0.09, 95% CI 0.02,0.15), and when parents reported having emotional support in raising children (ARD 0.10, 95% CI 0.05, 0.17) Within non-resilient families, child flourishing was more likely when parents had emotional support in raising children (ARD 0.15, 95% CI 0.04,0.27). CONCLUSION: Promoting emotional support for parents may bolster family resilience and help young children to flourish despite adversity. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Further research and innovative models of care are needed to optimize the role of pediatric primary care in promoting safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for children and families.

Examining the Relationship of Family Social Capital and Use of Pediatric Primary Health Care Services in the 2016-19 National Survey of Children's Health.

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the relationship of family social capital (FSC) and pediatric primary health care services (PHCU) among young children aged 0-5 years in the United States. FSC involves the interrelated contexts of child health and family characteristics. Understanding how this impacts PHCU may reveal important considerations for supporting access and use of essential health care services. METHOD: Using data from the 2016-19 National Survey of Children's Health (weighted N = 21,496,634), we conducted descriptive statistics and logistic regression to ascertain the relationship between FSC and PHCU. RESULTS: Statistically significant contributions included FSC (odds ratio [OR] = 1.2; confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-1.40), high school (OR = 0.49; CI = 2.65-5.39), and some college (OR = 0.72; CI = 0.62-0.85) DISCUSSION: Findings support that FSC and parent academic achievement impact PHCU. Interventions that foster family connection and parent adult health literacy may enhance PHCU.

Defining the social determinants of health for nursing action to achieve health equity: A consensus paper from the American Academy of Nursing.

BACKGROUND: The 2019-2020 American Academy of Nursing (Academy, 2019) policy priorities document states that "they have a clear and distinct focus on social determinants of health and uses this lens to advance policies and solutions within each of the three overarching priorities" PURPOSE: This consensus paper seeks to establish conceptual clarity and consensus for what social determinants of health mean for nursing, with emphasis on examples of health policies that advance planetary health equity and improve planetary health-related quality of life. METHODS: Volunteers from five Expert Panels of the Academy met via videoconference to determine roles and refine the focus of the paper. After the initial discussion, the first draft of the conceptual framework was written by the first three authors of the paper and, after discussion via videoconference with all the co-authors, successive drafts were developed and circulated for feedback. Consensus was reached when all authors indicated acceptance of what became the final version of the conceptual framework. FINDINGS: A conceptual framework was developed that describes how the social determinants of health can be addressed through nursing roles and actions at the individual, family, and population levels with a particular focus on the role of health policy. The paper provides a specific health policy example for each of the six key areas of the social determinants of health to illustrate how nurses can act to improve population health. DISCUSSION: Nursing actions can support timely health policy changes that focus on upstream factors in the six key areas of the social determinants of health and thus improve population health. The urgent need to eliminate systematic and structural racism must be central to such policy change if equity in planetary health-related quality of life is to be attained.

Achieving Access Parity for Inpatient Psychiatric Care Requires Repealing the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease Exclusion Rule.

Approximately 3.4% of Americans have a mental health condition and suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. While the rate of mental health conditions has slightly increased for adult populations, America's youth has experienced a significant rise in depression. From 2008 to 2017, occurrence of depression in the adolescent population increased from 8.3% to 13.3%. As adolescents mature into adults; it is likely the rate of mental health conditions for the adult population will rise as well as it is the common thread that binds the diseases of despair: drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide. Arising out of the deinstitutionalization movement of the 1960s, the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) Exclusion Rule (§1905(a)(B) of the Social Security Act) prohibits reimbursement for Medicaid recipients ages 21 to 64 years receiving inpatient care at a psychiatric hospital with 16 or more beds. Consequently, the rule limits payment for psychiatric treatment to general hospitals and smaller, nonspecialized centers, which blocks patients from receiving inpatient care and transfers the financial burden of care onto psychiatric hospitals. The IMD Rule is approaching its 55th anniversary. It requires reevaluation. Although a state waiver process is available, use of this option has the potential to increase the incidence of racial and ethnic disparities across states. Full repeal of the IMD Exclusion Rule could help provide immediate access to inpatient care that is consistent nationwide and be a vital step toward creating financial, treatment and ethical parity for mental health services.

A Matter of Conscience: Examining the Law and Policy of Conscientious Objection in Health Care.

Conscientious objection refers to refusal by a health care provider (HCP) to provide certain treatments, including the standard of care, to a patient based upon the provider's personal, ethical, or religious beliefs. Federal and state rules regarding conscientious objection have expanded the scope of legal protections that HCPs and institutions can invoke in support of refusal. Opponents of these rules argue that allowing refusal of care deprives patients of care that conforms to professionally established guidelines, contradicts long-standing principles related to informed consent, interferes with the ability of health care facilities to provide safe and efficient care, and leaves the patient without means of redress for injury. Proponents respond that such rules are necessary to preserve the moral integrity of providers, including institutions. Although refusal rules are most often associated with abortion, some HCPs have cited moral concerns regarding contraception, sterilization, prevention/treatment of sexually transmitted infections, transition-related care for transgender individuals, medication-assisted treatment of substance use disorders, the use of artificial reproductive technologies, and patient preferences for end-of-life care. Evidence suggests that the burden of conscientious refusal falls disproportionately on vulnerable populations, and legitimate concern exists that moral disagreement is merely pretext for discrimination. A careful balance must be struck between the defending the conscience rights of HCPs and the civil rights of patients.

Social Capital: A Concept Analysis.

The concept of social capital appears in the literature of multiple disciplines as a social determinant of health, an important aspect of human interaction, and a means to support population health capacity. Little is known about the use of social capital within the context of nursing. This article's aim provides insight into the concept of social capital and nursing. Avant and Walker methodology was used to analyze a sample of 78 articles. Along with a variety of articles and content themes, findings from this concept analysis include critical attributes, an operational definition, and reflections regarding future use.

Oxidative Stress Biomarker Decreased in Preterm Neonates Treated With Kangaroo Mother Care.

OBJECTIVE: Due to physiological and metabolic immaturity, prematurely born infants are at increased risk because of maternal separation in many neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The stress induced from maternal-infant separation can lead to well-documented short-term physiologic instability and potentially lifelong neurological, sociological, or psychological sequelae. Based on previous studies of kangaroo mother care (KMC) that demonstrated improvement in physiologic parameters, we examined the impact of KMC on physiologic measures of stress (abdominal temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation, perfusion index, near-infrared spectrometry), oxidative stress, and energy utilization/conservation in preterm infants. METHODS: In this randomized, stratified study of premature neonates, we compared the effects on urinary concentrations of biomarkers of energy utilization and oxidative stress of 1 hr of KMC versus incubator care on Day 3 of life in intervention-group babies (n = 26) and control-group babies (n = 25), respectively. On Day 4, both groups received 1 hr of KMC. Urinary samples were collected 3 hr before and 3 hr after intervention/incubator care on both days. Energy utilization was assessed by measures of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) degradation (i.e., hypoxanthine, xanthine, and uric acid). Oxidative stress was assessed using urinary allantoin. Mixed-models analysis was used to assess differences in purine/allantoin. RESULTS: Mean allantoin levels over Days 3 and 4 were significantly lower in the KMC group than in the control group (p = .026). CONCLUSIONS: Results provide preliminary evidence that KMC reduces neonatal oxidative stress processes and that urinary allantoin could serve as an effective noninvasive marker for future studies.

Reframing child rights to effect policy change.

BACKGROUND: Much of the discourse surrounding children's advocacy in the United States relies on a rights-based approach. We argue that this approach has limitations that impede progress in advancing children's well-being. PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to explain alternatives to a rights-based approach in advocating for children, such as developmental, economic, capabilities, and mutualism frameworks. METHODS: Our analysis is based on the independent work of two separate university-based groups studying children's rights; the authors were each members of one of the groups and subsequently integrated their findings for this article. DISCUSSION: US policies for children, especially in the domains of health and education, depict an unevenness that results in many children failing to receive certain critical services and benefits. Relying on a rights-based approach to correct these disparities and inequities is contentious and has yet to sufficiently change state and federal policies or improve children's health outcomes. Other approaches are needed to advance children's well-being. CONCLUSION: Nurses individually and collectively need to be mindful of the pitfalls of a rights-based approach and use other frameworks in advocating for children and youth.

Improving Postoperative Neonatal Nutritional Practices in an Intensive Care Unit Using the PDSA Cycle.

Quality Improvement models offer a framework for health care professionals to follow in implementing process improvement changes. Use of these models promotes a systematic approach to problem solving, keeps providers from eliminating important steps, facilitates team work, and provides a clear plan for ongoing communication. This paper describes use of the Plan-Do-Study-Act model to implement a unit-based quality improvement project that focused on improving postoperative nutritional practices for neonates with critical congenital heart disease following complex cardiac surgery.

Policy and political advocacy: Comparison study of nursing faculty to determine current practices, perceptions, and barriers to teaching health policy.

PURPOSE: To better understand policy/advocacy concepts and methodology utilized in all levels of nursing educational programs and develop clarity concerning structure of policy content and integration across all levels of education. DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of data obtained from a survey sent to 19,043 nursing faculty in the United States; 598 total responses; 514 complete responses. Quantitative data points were analyzed using SPSS and qualitative data was grouped and analyzed by theme. FINDINGS: Barriers and perceptions of student engagement and student learning outcomes along with institutional and faculty development barriers were explored in baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral level nursing programs. Thirty-six percent of respondents reported having experience in development and implementation of policy, ranging from local to international spheres and 21% reported active involvement in current state and federal policy development. Seventy percent of respondents have advocated for the nursing profession through professional organizations while 44% report current activity in legislative advocacy. CONCLUSIONS: The value of nursing policy education, advocacy, and analysis must be valued in higher education.