Virtual Interprofessional Education: Team Collaboration in Discharge Planning Simulation.

PURPOSE OF STUDY: This study assessed the effectiveness of a virtual interprofessional education (IPE) discharge planning simulation, focusing on collaborative patient education, and recommendations for hospital discharge. PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING: An acute care hospital. METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE: The study utilized a virtual IPE discharge planning simulation for health care students from six different programs. The simulation involved prebriefing, icebreaker, team meeting, patient interaction, and debriefing. Assessment included pre- and post-IPE surveys that included the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Competency Self-Assessment Tool, and video analysis using the Modified McMaster-Ottawa Rating Scale. RESULTS: Student participants from diverse health care programs (n =143) included nursing (n = 20), occupational therapy (n = 21), physical therapy (n = 42), physician assistant (n = 38), respiratory therapy (n = 3), and social work (n = 19). All programs except respiratory therapy showed significant improvement in IPEC Competency scores post-IPE, with positive outcomes for understanding other professions' roles. Students' self-reported perceptions of team performance were rated highly in various categories. Video analysis demonstrated strong interrater reliability for team scores. IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE: Effective hospital discharge planning is vital for cost reduction and patient care improvement. IPE emphasizes collaborative learning among health care students. Previous studies highlight positive outcomes from IPE discharge planning, including virtual formats. This virtual IPE discharge planning simulation significantly improved students' understanding and collaboration competencies, evident in increased IPEC scores across five professions.

Stress and Health Status Among Members of a Disadvantaged Community in Flint, Michigan in the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic creates psychological concerns and stress and its impacts are more extreme for those with health concerns residing in socially and economically disadvantaged communities, such as residents of Flint, Michigan. This study assesses the stress level among people who received community assistance in the first 3 months of COVID lockdowns. Further, it examines associations between stress and physical and mental health status. We measured perceived stress, health concerns, mental distress, and perceived physical and mental health from 106 survey respondents. Comparisons of stress levels by demographics showed that females, high school graduates, and homeowners had higher stress levels than its counterparts. Results from general linear models showed that stress was highest among those with high levels of psychological distress, perceived poor mental health, and more health concerns. The associations between poor perceived physical health and stress were marginal. Homeowners and high school diploma holders showed lower stress levels. This research suggests community health practices tailored to community characteristics and culture will have the greatest impact on stress and health problems in underserved communities.

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine among Older Adults: Differences between Baby Boomers and Pre-Boomers.

OBJECTIVES: To compare use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) across age cohorts. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys. PARTICIPANTS: Adults born in 1964 or earlier (N = 11,371). Over half (61.3%) are baby boomers and 53% are female. Seventy-five percent of the sample is white, 10.2% African American, 0.6% black Caribbean, 9.35% Latino, and 4.1% Asian. MEASUREMENTS: The dependent variable is a dichotomous variable indicating use of any CAM. The main predictor of interest is age cohort categorized as pre-boomers (those born in 1945 or earlier) and baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). Covariates include the use of traditional service providers in the past 12 months and 12-month levels of mood, anxiety, and substance disorder. Disorders were assessed with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Logistic regression was used to test the association between use of CAM and age cohort. RESULTS: Baby boomers were more likely than pre-boomers to report using CAM for a mental disorder. Among identified CAM users, a higher proportion of baby boomers reported using most individual CAM modalities. Prayer and spiritual practices was the only CAM used by more pre-boomers. CONCLUSIONS: Age cohort plays a significant role in shaping individual healthcare behaviors and service use and may influence future trends in the use of CAM for behavioral health. Healthcare providers need to be aware of patient use of CAM and communicate with them about the pros and cons of alternative therapies.