scholarly journals Development and initial testing of a Health Confidence Score (HCS)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e000411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Benson ◽  
Henry W W Potts ◽  
Pippa Bark ◽  
Clive Bowman

IntroductionPatients need to feel confident about looking after their own health. This is needed to improve patient outcomes and clinical support. With few suitable tools available to measure self-care health confidence, we developed and validated a short, generic survey instrument for use in evaluation and quality improvement.MethodsThe Health Confidence Score (HCS) was developed through literature review, patient and expert focus groups and discussions. This paper reports an initial survey (n = 1031, study 1) which identified some issues and a further face-to-face survey (n = 378, study 2) to test the construct and concurrent validity of the final version. Scores were correlated against the My Health Confidence (MHC) rating scale, howRu (health status measure) and relevant demographics.ResultsThe HCS is short (50 words) with good readability (reading age 8). It has four items covering health knowledge, capability to self-manage, access to help and shared decision-making; each has four response options (strongly agree, agree, neutral disagree). Items are reported independently and as a summary score.The mean summary score was 76.7 (SD 20.4) on 0–100 scale. Cronbach’s alpha = 0.82. Exploratory factor analysis suggested that the four items relate to a single dimension. Correlation of the HCS summary score with MHC was high (Spearman r = 0.76). It was also associated with health status (Spearman r = 0.49), negatively with number of medications taken (r=–0.29) and age (r=–0.22) and not with ethnicity, having children or education level.ConclusionsThe HCS is short, easy to use, with good psychometric properties and construct validity. Each item is meaningful independently and the summary score gives an overall picture of health confidence.

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 519-520
Author(s):  
Priyanka Shrestha ◽  
Erica Husser ◽  
Diane Berish ◽  
Long Ngo ◽  
Marie Boltz ◽  
...  

Abstract Delirium is a serious and potentially life-threatening problem, but it remains clinically under-recognized. Various factors contribute to this under-recognition, including limited understanding of delirium, insufficient training and application of delirium assessments, potential stigma for the patient and increased workload for the clinician. As a part of an NIH funded study testing a rapid two-step delirium identification protocol at two hospitals in the U.S. (one urban and one rural), clinicians completed a 12-item survey to assess their knowledge and attitudes about delirium and their confidence in preventing and managing delirium. Survey response options followed a 5-point rating scale (strongly disagree, disagree, undecided, agree, strongly agree). The sample for this analysis included 399 clinicians (MDs=53; RNs=235; CNAs=111). Chi-square was used to test for group differences between clinician types. Less than half of the clinicians reported agreeing with the statement, “delirium is largely preventable” (MDs: 47%; RN: 44%; CNA: 41%, p-value=0.021). MDs and RNs indicated a high level of confidence in recognizing delirium while CNAs endorsed lower levels of confidence (MDs: 87%; RN: 81%; CNA: 65%, p-value=0.001). All types of clinicians reported lower confidence in managing delirium (MDs: 29%; RN: 36%; CNA: 44%, p-value=0.117). 47% of CNAs and 37% of RNs agreed there is a need for additional training in caring for persons with delirium while only 21% of MDs agreed (p = 0.031). Understanding how different types of clinicians think and feel about delirium will inform training and communication initiatives, clinical implementation, and research on best practices for delirium identification and management.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e000801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Benson ◽  
Clive Bowman

BackgroundMany care home residents cannot self-report their own health status. Previous studies have shown differences between staff and resident ratings. In 2012, we collected 10 168 pairs of health status ratings using the howRu health status measure. This paper examines differences between staff and resident ratings.MethodHowRu is a short generic person-reported outcome measure with four items: pain or discomfort (discomfort), feeling low or worried (distress), limited in what you can do (disability) and require help from others (dependence). A summary score (howRu score) is also calculated. Mean scores are shown on a 0–100 scale. High scores are better than low scores. Differences between resident and staff reports (bias) were analysed at the item and summary level by comparing distributions, analysing correlations and a modification of the Bland-Altman method.Results and conclusionsDistributions are similar superficially but differ statistically. Spearman correlations are between 0.55 and 0.67. For items, more than 92.9% of paired responses are within one class; for the howRu summary score, 66% are within one class. Mean differences (resident score minus staff score) on 0–100 scale are pain and discomfort (−1.11), distress (0.67), discomfort (1.56), dependence (3.92) and howRu summary score (1.26). The variation is not the same for different severities. At higher levels of pain and discomfort, staff rated their discomfort and distress as better than residents. On the other hand, staff rated disability and dependence as worse than did residents. This probably reflects differences in perspectives. Red amber green (RAG) thresholds of 10 and 5 points are suggested for monitoring changes in care home mean scores.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Ahmad Gunawan

Transformation Leadership, Motivation and Satisfiction are the three factors of a few relatively large factors suspected to influence Performance on the PT. Adya Tours. These research aimed to determine the effect of Transformation Leadership, Motivation and Satisfiction toward Performance on the PT. Adya Tours.Research conducted at the PT. Adya Tours by taking 71 employees as the research sample, calculated using the Slovin formula of the total population of 240 employees  at  the  margin  of  error  of  10%.  Data  were collected by questionnaire instruments covered by the five rating scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Quantitative research was conducted by describing and analyzing research data. The multiple linier regression analysis and multiple determination coeficient are the statistic approach to data analysis.The study produced four major findings consistent with the hypothesis put forward, that are: 1) Transformation Leadership has a significant effect on Performance  in  a  positive  direction;  2)  Motivation  has  a  significant  effect  on Performance in a positive direction; 3) Satisfiction has a significant effect on Performance in a positive direction; 4) Transformation Leadership, Motivation and Satisfiction simultaneously influence 92.70% Performance variability.Base on the research finding, in order to increase Performance can be done by increasing Transformation Leadership, Motivation and Satisfiction. Kata kunci:Transformation Leadership, Motivation, Satisfaction, Performance


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-86

The purpose of this study was to investigate oral health status and oral health care services utilization among Myanmar residents in Japan. A crosssectional epidemiological study was performed among 152 Myanmar residents aged 18 to 67 years in Tokyo, Japan. Clinical oral examinations and questionnaire surveys were conducted from June to July, 2017. Caries prevalence for all participants was 70.4% with mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) of 2.72±2.91. The prevalence of periodontal disease (Community Periodontal Index - CPI code 1) for all participants was 93.4%. A total of 67 participants (44.1%) had the experience of dental visits in Japan. Most participants (84.2%) had Japanese health insurance, and the participants with health insurance had a significantly higher number of filled teeth than those without (p=0.036). DMFT (p=0.020) and the prevalence of periodontal disease (p=0.049) were significantly lower in participants with health insurance than in those without. Further, self-perceived oral health was better in participants with health insurance than those without (p=0.001). The status of health insurance was indicated to influence on oral health status. In order to promote oral health and facilitate on owning health insurance to Myanmar residents in Japan, oral health education also should be provided to enhance their oral health knowledge.


2019 ◽  
pp. 113-121
Author(s):  
Aneke C.U. ◽  
Nwankwegu Simeon A.

This study was set to determine the strategies for enhancing the performance of secondary school students in agricultural science for food security in Ebonyi State. A survey research design was adopted with a population of 53 respondents (14 male and 39 female agricultural science teachers) sampled purposively from 48 secondary schools in Izzi local government area of Ebonyi State. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured 4-point weighted 21-item questionnaire developed by the researcher sectioned A and B with response options of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (DA) and Strongly Disagree (SD) after intensive literature review and the numerical values of 4, 3, 2 & 1 was assigned to the instrument respectively. The instrument was validated by three research experts while the reliability index of 0.77 was established using Cronbach Alpha reliability estimate. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the two research questions while t-test was used to test the two null hypotheses at .05 level of significance and appropriate degree of freedom. Some of the findings among others include that teachers can enhance the performance of secondary school students in agricultural science for food security in Ebonyi State. It was therefore recommended that facilities should be made available for proper training of secondary school students for productivity on graduation and as well for food security in Ebonyi State.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Ying Zhou ◽  
Jianhua Wang

We investigated the mental health status of 320 internal migrants in Beijing according to gender, age, marital status, and monthly income, and examined the relationship between their mental health status and social support mechanisms. Participants completed the self-report Symptom Checklist-90-R and Social Support Rating Scale. Results showed that their mental health was significantly worse than the Chinese adult norm as assessed in 2017. Participants' social support varied according to age, marital status, and monthly income. Female participants younger than 30 years old with a monthly income lower than 3,000 yuan comprised the group with the most mental health disorder symptoms. They thus required greater personal attention to their health. The results suggested that social support can predict mental health among internal migrants. Directions for further research are discussed.


Author(s):  
Prakash Poudel ◽  
Rhonda Griffiths ◽  
Amit Arora ◽  
Vincent W. Wong ◽  
Jeff R. Flack ◽  
...  

This study assessed self-reported oral health status, knowledge, and behaviours of people living with diabetes along with barriers and facilitators in accessing dental care. A cross sectional survey of 260 patients from four public diabetes clinics in Sydney, Australia was undertaken using a 35-item questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS software with descriptive and logistic regression analyses. More than half (53.1%) of respondents reported having dental problems which negatively impacted their related quality of life. Less than half (45%) had adequate oral health knowledge. Only 10.8% reported receiving any oral health information in diabetes care settings, which had higher odds of demonstrating adequate oral health knowledge (AOR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.06–6.34). Similarly, 62.7% reported seeing a dentist in the last 12 months. Having private health insurance (AOR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.85–7.40) had higher odds of seeing a dentist in the past 12 months. Dental costs were a major contributor to avoiding or delaying dental visit. Patients living with diabetes have unmet oral health needs particularly around the awareness of its importance and access to affordable dental services. Diabetes care providers can play a crucial role in this area by promoting oral health to their patients.


1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy A. Carr-Hill

SummaryThe conventional belief since the publication of the Black Report is that social inequalities in health have been increasing since 1931–32 although it has been argued that the measure of inequality used is inappropriate. All analyses have been based on mortality rates which, in large part, reflect inequalities in health over the previous 50 years and not current trends. This paper argues that time trends should be assessed with a current health status measure and suggests using height at age 20 as a good measure of the achieved health status of a group. Analysis of a government survey shows that inequalities have stayed the same since 1940, both for men classified by their own occupation and for women classified by their father's occupation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Tucker ◽  
Alan Cuevas Villagomez ◽  
Tamar Krishnamurti

Abstract Background The United States is currently facing a maternal morbidity and mortality crisis, with the highest rates of any resource-rich nation. In efforts to address this, new guidelines for postpartum care suggest that mobile health (mHealth) apps can help provide complementary clinical support for new mothers during the postpartum period. However, to date no study has evaluated the quality of existing mHealth tools targeted to this time period in terms of sufficiency of maternal health information, inclusivity of people of color, and app usability. Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards were used to review the peripartum apps from the Apple and Google Play stores in either the Health/Fitness, Medical, or Education categories. Apps were evaluated for extent and quality of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color using an a priori coding scheme. App usability was evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) score. Results Of the 301 apps from the Apple and Google Play stores, 25 met criteria for final evaluation. Of the 30 maternal health topics coded for, the median number addressed by apps was 19.5 (65%). Peripartum behaviors were more frequently addressed than peripartum outpatient care topics and peripartum acute health risks. The coverage of maternal health information and inclusivity of people of color in app imagery both correlated positively with the MARS usability score of the app. Only 8 apps (32%) portrayed greater than 24% images of people of color- the percent of non-white Americans according to 2019 census estimates. There was no correlation between MARS usability score and number of app users, as estimated by number of ratings for the app available on the app store. In addition, apps with evidence-based maternal health information had greater MARS engagement, information, and aesthetics scores. However, presence of evidence-based information did not correlate with greater numbers of app users. Conclusions Current commercially available peripartum apps range widely in quality. Overall current app offerings generally do not provide adequate maternal health information and are not optimally accessible to the target users in terms of inclusivity of women of color or app usability. Apps delivering evidence-based information and more usable design are more likely to meet these standards but are not more likely to be downloaded by users.


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