|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
RCHE director Steven Witz, left, and Purdue communication professor Bart Collins experiment with new technology that will be used to help design a telehealth model to promote patient learning and improve self-care.
In this test, Witz and Collins are communicating via computer with Hannah Kim, a doctoral student in education technology, and Scott Schaffer, a Purdue professor of education technology. |
|
People
> Research associate works to establish new guidelines to improve health literacy. More
> Healthcare Technical Assistance Program adds staff. More
> Student Ambassador to speak at May commencement. More
Projects
> Regenstrief Center awards funding for new seed projects. More
> Student poster on rural healthcare access wins first place award. More
Partners
> Regenstrief Center and Indianapolis Patient Safety Coalition attend Lucian Leape Institute Inaugural Gala. More
> Healthcare Engineering Alliance holds the First Annual Symposium. More
> St. Vincent Health calls for abstracts for research symposium in June. More
Progress
> Chinese engineer explores U.S. healthcare system. More
> Registration strong for Regenstrief Center Spring Conference. More
> Distinguished nursing professor to speak on future of evidence-based practice. More
Publicity
> Regenstrief Foundation, Purdue center strengthen efforts to improve healthcare. More
> HealthcareTAP sees healthy growth, new director. More
|
|
 |
Research associate works to establish new guidelines to improve health literacy
Jakob Jensen presents on health
literacy
to
Purdue extension
educators |
|
|
Communication specialists in a variety of healthcare settings are being told the same thing: “Use plain language.” Plain language—using clear, straightforward prose and eliminating “unnecessary” words—is thought to be an effective way to communicate with the public. But Jakob Jensen, a new assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Regenstrief Center research associate, believes that efforts to simplify health-related messages may actually hinder an individual’s ability to understand, process and use information. This may seem counter-intuitive, said Jensen, but in some cases, the process of simplifying messages removes important information that may allow individuals to determine a message’s validity and relevance.
“According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, only 12 percent of adults have proficient health literacy (1), which is defined by the Institute of Medicine as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions,” said Jensen, who earned his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Illinois and joined the faculty at Purdue in 2007. “Patients’ inability to navigate the healthcare system, engage in self-care or successfully communicate with medical providers can have serious ramifications on individual health outcomes and system-wide quality, safety and efficiency.”
Yet Jensen calls into question the methods of the “plain language” movement being adopted by the federal government and other organizations in an attempt to reach the low health literacy population. “In theory, adopting ‘clear, straightforward expression, using only as many words as are necessary’ makes sense,” said Jensen, citing a common definition from Robert Eagleson. “In practice, plain language has tended to ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater,’ cutting information that is essential to true comprehension.”
Jensen has focused on the impact of plain language on scientific reporting in the general media. He notes that elements that indicate uncertainty in the science being reported, such as the limitations and caveats included in research literature, are often removed in the media under the guise of plainer language. Jensen maintains that elements of scientific uncertainty are essential for readers to assess the relevance of the report to their personal health.
“Take research on cancer, for example. Based upon media reports, it seems like everything causes cancer these days,” said Jensen. “Without access to information about research limitations or scope, it is difficult to filter these messages to determine what information applies to us. This can leave us overwhelmed and much less likely to act on information that could improve our health. Instead of completely removing scientific uncertainty, we need to find ways to simplify its expression.” Jensen’s work also has revealed that research participants perceive scientists to be more credible when they acknowledge the limitations of their research in media accounts.
Jensen’s current project with the Regenstrief Center aims to create and validate instruments that measure health skills (e.g., health literacy) among underserved, pre-diabetic populations in four Indiana counties. In addition to standard pen and paper surveys, Jensen has developed a portable research lab equipped with survey software that utilizes audio and icons instead of text to provide illiterate participants with an opportunity to interact with interfaces that are increasingly common in patient-centered healthcare delivery.
1 Kirsch IS, Jungeblut A, Jenkins L, Kolstad A. 1993. Adult Literacy in America: A First Look at the Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
back to top
Healthcare Technical Assistance Program adds staff
Earlier this year, the Healthcare Technical Assistance Program (HealthcareTAP) welcomed Brian Leonard as the program’s Performance Improvement Projects Manager. Leonard received both his bachelor of science in Organization Leadership and Supervision and master of science in Organizational Leadership and Supervision/Lean Enterprise from Purdue University. He has more than 10 years experience in performance improvement and project management in the manufacturing sector and during the past three years has contributed to a variety of TAP and HealthcareTAP projects as a graduate assistant. His primary responsibilities are new curriculum and training development, facilitation Lean projects in hospitals and other healthcare providers, and oversight of other HealthcareTAP projects.
back to top
Student Ambassador to speak at May commencement
Akshay Thomas, Regenstrief Center student ambassador and senior in health sciences, has been chosen by the Purdue assistant vice president for student services to serve as one of four student responders for the May graduation ceremonies at Purdue.
This distinguished honor is based on the student's academic achievements, oral presentation skills, exemplary leadership abilities and service to the university and community. Students are nominated by the deans of the nine Purdue colleges, and a student responder is selected for each division of graduation ceremonies (there are four divisions this spring). Thomas has been selected to make brief comments on behalf of the graduating class to a diverse audience of graduates, guests, faculty and staff at the end of the ceremony for the colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences, Technology and Veterinary Medicine.
"This is one of my favorite parts of my job, to review the nominations and see the exceptional caliber of many of our graduating seniors," said assistant vice president Sandra Monroe. "It was difficult this year to narrow the results to just four students. Akshay emerged as a leader among his peers, and we are proud to highlight his achievements this May."
Thomas will graduate with a bachelor's of science degree in health sciences. In addition to his two years as a Regenstrief Center student ambassador, he also is the former vice president and current president of the Health Sciences Student Council, the former fund-raising chair and current treasurer of Students Helping Others Through Service, undergraduate research intern for Discovery Park and MCAT/DAT instructor for Kaplan Inc. He is the recipient of the Mortar Board Scholarship, Distinguished Health Science Student Award, Access to Education Scholarship, Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship, Gold Medals for Science and English (Loyola College, Chennai), and is on the National Deans List. He also appears in the new Discovery Park video at www.purdue.edu/dp. Starting this fall, he plans to pursue the dual M.D./M.S. Applied Anatomy degree at Case Western Reserve University.
back to top
|
|
 |
Regenstrief Center awards funding for new seed projects
On April 2, the Regenstrief Center announced the winners of its recent request for seed project proposals. The center received a total of 33 proposals, 20 of which were forwarded for formal review by peer faculty, Regenstrief Center executive team members, and healthcare professionals from the center’s strategic partners.
“The proposal committee was very pleased at the number and diversity of proposals we received, both from current Regenstrief Center collaborators and new faculty,” said Steven M. Witz, Regenstrief Center director. "Our faculty and healthcare reviewers were instrumental in helping us to cull through the proposals and identify those that had the greatest potential to advance the work of the center and have a transformational impact on healthcare.”
The following proposals were chosen for funding:
> "Measuring and Reporting Quality Performance aand Medication Safety in Community Pharmacy." Principal Investigator: Carol Birk, PharmaTAP
> "Point of Care Audit and Feedback Tools to Improve Patient Safety." Principal Investigator: Lisa Hopp, Nursing, Purdue Calumet
> "Optimal Long-Term Care Resource Allocation for Older Adults Enrolled in Medicaid." Principal Investigator: Nan Kong, Biomedical Engineering
> "Impact of Insufficient Community-based Long Term Care on Medicare Expenditures." Principal Investigators: Laura Sands, Nursing and Joseph Thomas, Pharmacy Practice
> "Modeling the Supply Chains for Healthcare Products." Principal Investigator: Leroy Schwarz, Krannert School of Management
back to top
Student poster on rural healthcare access wins first place award
Jweinat with the AIHA
Chicago president |
|
|
A Regenstrief Center Student Ambassador recently won the first place undergraduate poster award in the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Student Poster contest for her work promoting rural healthcare quality and service availability in Indiana.
Jillian Jweinat, a senior in health sciences at Purdue, completed a research project to help the rural community of Kewanna, Ind., explore options to improve the community’s access to healthcare services. The four-month project, which was completed in December 2007, was part of the Discovery Undergraduate Research Internship (DURI) program. DURI offers 50 internships per academic semester to involve Purdue undergraduates in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in Discovery Park. Steven M. Witz, director of the Regenstrief Center, served as Jweinat’s faculty project coordinator.
Kewanna is a poor, rural town of less than 700 in northern Indiana. Access to healthcare is severely limited; the nearest hospital facility is located more than 15 miles away in Rochester. The town has not had any federally funded health programs since 1992. Jweinat’s goal was to learn about the healthcare needs of the community and recommend state and federal healthcare funding sources for which Kewanna may qualify. Earlier this year, Jweinat presented her recommendations to the town council, which include the following funding options:
> Federally-Certified Rural Health Clinics – These independent or provider-based clinics must be located in communities that have a Census Bureau designation of “non-urbanized” and a federal designation as a “health professional shortage area” or a “medically under- served area.” These clinics receive special Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and must have physician assistants, nurse practitioners or certified nurse managers on-site and available to see patients.
> Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program – This program provides grants to each state to implement a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) program. These hospitals must be located in a rural area more than 35 miles from another hospital (or 15 miles in mountainous terrain or areas with only secondary roads). They receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicare, allow for flexible staffing and services, and offer patients a sliding fee scale.
> Federally-Qualified Health Clinics – These health centers must serve a “medical underserved area” or “medically underserved population” (rural or urban) under the Public Health Service (PHS) Act. They must be a public or private non-profit entity, and be open for a minimum of 32 hours per week. They also must offer professional call coverage when the practice is closed. In addition to enhanced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, these clinics can receive PHS grant money.
Jweinat’s poster focused on the benefits of a local healthcare clinic to both residents and employers, particularly Winamac Coil Springs, which is the major employer in Kewanna and has been supportive in improving healthcare access for the town.
In February, Kewanna’s town council expressed their intentions of pursuing Jweinat’s recommendations. Jweinat, who will graduate in May with a bachelor's of science degree in occupational health, plans to attend graduate school and pursue a medical degree.
back to top
|
|
 |
Regenstrief Center, Indianapolis Patient Safety Coalition attend Lucian Leape Institute Inaugural Gala
On Friday, Feb 8, leadership from the Regenstrief Center and the Indianapolis Patient Safety Coalition were guests at the inaugural gala celebrating the founding of the Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation. The institute functions as a think tank focused on defining strategic paths and calls to action for the field of patient safety.
The Boston event included an afternoon program of concurrent discussion groups on transforming patient safety, moderated by founding members of the Institute, which included:
> Lucian Leape, Institute Chair and Adjunct Professor of Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health
> Donald M. Berwick, President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
> Carolyn M. Clancy, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy
> James B. Conway, Senior Vice President of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
> Paul A. Gluck, Chair of the Board of Directors, National Patient Safety Foundation
> David M. Lawrence, Chairman and retired CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
> Julianne M. Morath, COO of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
> Dennis S. O’Leary, President of the Joint Commission
> Diane C. Pinakiewicz, Institute President and President of the National Patient Safety Foundation
Kathy Rapala, R.N., J.D., director of the Indianapolis Patient Safety Coalition, Regenstrief Center research associate and gala attendee, said creation of the institute is another significant step forward in coordinating and unifying patient safety efforts across the country. “Dr. Leape has been instrumental in leading the patient safety movement in the United States, and through this institute will continue to define the national patient safety agenda,” said Rapala. “The Regenstrief Center and the Indianapolis Patient Safety Coalition can use the direction set by these preeminent patient safety leaders to align with the efforts of our healthcare partners and achieve excellent healthcare outcomes.”
back to top
Healthcare Engineering Alliance holds the First Annual Symposium
Joseph Pekny presents at the first annual Healthcare Engineering Symposium in North Carolina.
|
|
Regenstrief Center leadership served as featured speakers in the first Annual Healthcare Engineering Symposium organized by the Healthcare Engineering Alliance (HEA). The alliance, composed of Purdue University, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, University of Arkansas and the University of South Florida, was established to facilitate communications among healthcare engineering research programs, share best practices, and develop programs to bring about transformational improvement in healthcare delivery.
The symposium on “The Interface of Health Services Research and Healthcare Engineering" took place on April 6-8 in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The event brought together nationally recognized researchers from health systems engineering and health services to exchange information, establish potential collaborative opportunities, and discuss actionable mechanisms between the two fields to help move findings into clinical practice and health policy. Steven M. Witz, director of the Regenstrief Center, Joseph Pekny, Regenstrief Center executive team member, and Dale Compton, professor emeritus of industrial engineering and the Regenstrief Center’s advisory committee chair, gave presentations at the event.
back to top
St. Vincent Health calls for abstracts for research symposium in June
St. Vincent Hospital invites individual investigators and research groups to submit abstracts for presentation at the Annual Research Symposium to be held June 11, 2008, on the Indianapolis campus. Selected abstracts will have the opportunity to be presented at the symposium during the morning plenary session. All abstracts will be considered for display as posters in the foyers of St. Vincent Hospital and the Ruth Lilly Conference Center from June 12 - 20. Abstracts are due no later than 5 p.m. on April 21.
Awards will be presented for the best abstracts selected from each of the following categories: Student/Intern/Resident/Fellow, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals, Physicians/Medical Staff, and Other/Multidisciplinary. Judging criteria for abstracts include the originality of the work and clarity of the abstract (background, methods, results, conclusions). For more information, contact the St. Vincent Hospital Research Department at 317-338-2455.
back to top
|
|
 |
Chinese engineer examines U.S. healthcare system
Professor Zhao
presents
during
an RCHE Brownbag
Lecture
Series |
|
|
Nan Kong, RCHE faculty and assistant professor in biomedical engineering, recently hosted visiting scholar Lei Zhao, Ph.D. from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China as part of a Visiting Indian and Chinese Scholars grant through Purdue’s Office of International Programs.
During his six-week visit, Zhao, who is an assistant professor in the department of industrial engineering and has been working on establishing the Health Care Services (HCS) Research Lab at Tsinghua University, China,
interacted with Purdue faculty and students and traveled throughout the United States to view various aspects of the U.S. healthcare system, including University of Wisconsin Teaching Hospital; Mayo Clinic in Minnesota; Rush Medical School and University Healthcare Consortium in Chicago; UPS World Port in Louisville, Ky.; and the Institute of Industrial Engineers’ Society for Health Systems conference in Orlando, Fla.
“This was a great opportunity for Purdue to establish positive relations with one of the top universities in China,” said Kong. “He was particularly impressed with the infrastructure established in biomedical engineering and Discovery Park and the possibilities for future collaboration in healthcare research. His visit also paved the way for future student and faculty exchanges, advancing our goal of training globally-conscious engineers.”
back to top
Registration strong for Regenstrief Center Spring Conference
Healthcare executives and professionals, faculty, staff and students will come together on April 22 for the Regenstrief Center’s fourth annual spring conference, titled Research Solutions in Healthcare: Challenges and Lessons Learned. Conference sessions, to be held in the Burton D. Morgan Center in Purdue’s Discovery Park, will explore the process of implementing research innovation in the healthcare setting.
“Our goal each year is to bring together the worlds of healthcare research and practice, to facilitate connections between academics and those on the frontlines of healthcare,” said Ken Musselman, strategic collaboration director for the Regenstrief Center. “We are delighted at the variety of individuals from across the state who have registered, and we look forward to an engaging day of learning and networking.”
For more information, visit www.purdue.edu/rche/spring2008.
back to top
Distinguished nursing professor to speak on the future of evidence-based practice
Bernadette
Mazurek Melnyk |
|
|
The Regenstrief Center and Purdue School of Nursing will welcome Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/NPP, FAAN, FNAP, Dean and Distinguished Foundation Professor in Nursing at Arizona State University on Tuesday, April 29 as a part of the Regenstrief Center Pioneer Speaker Series. Her presentation, “The State of Evidence-Based Practice with a Vision for the Future,” will begin at 10 a.m. in the Burton D. Morgan Center, Room 121.
Melnyk has actively practiced for more than 20 years as a pediatric nurse practitioner/psychiatric nurse practitioner in pediatric primary care and child/adolescent inpatient and out-patient mental health service settings. She earned the degree of BSN from West Virginia University School of Nursing, the MSN from the University of Pittsburgh, and the PhD in clinical nursing research from the University of Rochester.
Melnyk is founder and chair of a national mental health promotion campaign for children and teens called KySS (Keep your children/yourself Safe and Secure), sponsored by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners along with 22 national nursing and interdisciplinary professional organizations. Most recently, she was appointed to the Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine sectoral strategy working group and the United States Preventive Services Task Force.
back to top
|
|
 |
Regenstrief Foundation, Purdue center strengthen efforts to improve healthcare
The Regenstrief Foundation and Purdue University will expand their partnership in designing a new prescription for the nation's healthcare system, officials announced Thursday, April 3.
The foundation, which helped found the university's Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering with a $3 million gift in 2005, is investing $11 million more, Purdue President France A. Córdova announced at the President's Executive Roundtable Luncheon at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
"We have seen how research at Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering in Discovery Park is helping address inefficiencies in this nation's $2 trillion health-care system," Córdova said. "Researchers are providing real answers in patient scheduling, telemedicine, patient safety and other areas of this complex system. And we are confident Purdue will play a major role in offering solutions to make health-care delivery more efficient, effective and affordable for all Americans."
The grant to the Purdue center also will provide seed funding for smaller research projects and help sponsor annual conferences that highlight best practices and promote collaboration among healthcare professionals, faculty and students.
"From the foundation's initial $3 million in funding, Purdue's Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering has developed an exciting model that brings together healthcare stakeholders and offers engineering-driven solutions to improve how healthcare is delivered across the nation," said Leonard J. Betley, Regenstrief Foundation president. "We view this partnership as an investment in addressing a critical issue facing every American today."
Regenstrief Center director Steven Witz, Purdue's St. Vincent Health Chair of Healthcare Engineering, said the additional funding will help the center expand its focus on three key areas of healthcare related research — health education and learning technologies, systems analyses of healthcare delivery and patient-outcome assessment.
"Healthcare remains one of the nation's top domestic issues in a year where we will elect a new U.S. president," Witz said. "The ranks of uninsured continue to rise. We spend more on health care than any other country. This nation's healthcare system needs a major overhaul, and the Regenstrief Center is providing research to support systems improvement and policy development."
back to top
HealthcareTAP sees healthy growth, new director
Purdue University's Healthcare Technical Assistance Program is expanding to include programs aimed at improving the health-care provider system, public health system, control of employer-paid healthcare costs, and medicine safety.
To meet the growing demand for its services, TAP has promoted Mary Anne Sloan from HealthcareTAP associate director to director.
"HealthcareTAP is being presented with an unprecedented level of opportunity to serve our state on healthcare and health-care system issues," TAP director David McKinnis said. "As director, Mary Anne will address these opportunities, assuming responsibility for TAP initiatives related to public health and population health, employer cost control, hospital patient flow, lean health care, quality and safety. She also will explore expanded partnerships with funding sources to establish regional personnel."
Current HealthcareTAP projects include:
> Public health preparedness and performance improvement. HealthcareTAP has performed pandemic planning gap analyses in all 94 of Indiana's county health departments and helped plan for alternate care sites in 11 counties. Staff also is providing assistance to local and state departments of health to complete the current version of the "National Public Health Performance Standards, Local, State, and Governance Instruments."
HealthcareTAP also is providing performance improvement training to more than 400 public health employees in 21 counties and at the Indiana State Department of Health. The program is expected to expand training to 30 additional counties in 2008.
> Hospital performance improvement. Interdisciplinary teams from Purdue's College of Engineering and School of Nursing have worked with 26 of Indiana's 120 acute care hospitals on 49 projects involving patient flow, lean healthcare and safety.
> Healthcare cost management. With support from the School of Nursing, HealthcareTAP is piloting an assessment and training program for 10 medium to large manufacturers to teach employees how to lower healthcare costs.
Sloan said she looks forward to working with more hospitals, health departments and industries. "HealthcareTAP has seen an overwhelmingly positive response from the healthcare providers with whom we've worked," Sloan said. "Whether it's revamping a hospital's surgery schedule to make it more efficient, helping a company lower employee healthcare costs or working with counties to assess public health needs, each project poses unique challenges. I look forward to forming even more partnerships in the years ahead."
HealthcareTAP was launched in May 2005 as a partnership with the Indiana Hospital Association and the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering based at Purdue's Discovery Park.
back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
