Examining the Impact of Selected Sociodemographic Factors and Cancer-Related Fatalistic Beliefs on Patient Engagement via Health Information Technology Among Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Analysis

BACKGROUND

Despite the role of health information technology (HIT) in patient engagement processes and government incentives for HIT development, research regarding HIT is lacking among older adults with a high burden of chronic diseases such as cancer. This study examines the role of selected sociodemographic factors and cancer-related fatalistic beliefs on patient engagement expressed through HIT use for patient engagement in adults aged ≥65 years. We controlled for cancer diagnosis to account for its potential influence on patient engagement.

OBJECTIVE

This study has 2 aims: to investigate the role of sociodemographic factors such as race, education, poverty index, and psychosocial factors of cancer fatalistic beliefs in accessing and using HIT in older adults and to examine the association between access and use of HIT in the self-management domain of patient activation that serves as a precursor to patient engagement.

METHODS

This is a secondary data analysis of a subset of the Health Information National Trend Survey (Health Information National Trend Survey 4, cycle 3). The subset included individuals aged ≥65 years with and without a cancer diagnosis. The relationships between access to and use of HIT to several sociodemographic variables and psychosocial factors of fatalistic beliefs were analyzed. Logistic and linear regression models were fit to study these associations.

RESULTS

This study included 180 individuals aged ≥65 years with a cancer diagnosis and 398 without a diagnosis. This analysis indicated that having less than a college education level (P=<.001), being an individual from an ethnic and minority group (P=<.001), and living in poverty (P=.001) were significantly associated with decreased access to HIT. Reduced HIT use was associated with less than a college education (P=.001) and poverty(P=.02). This analysis also indicated that fatalistic beliefs about cancer were significantly associated with lower HIT use (P=.03). Specifically, a 1-point increase in the cancer fatalistic belief score was associated with a 36% decrease in HIT use. We found that controlling for cancer diagnosis did not affect the outcomes for sociodemographic variables or fatalistic beliefs about cancer. However, patients with access to HIT had a self-management domain of patient activation (SMD) score of 0.21 points higher (P=.003) compared with patients who did not have access. SMD score was higher by 0.28 points (P=.002) for individuals who used HIT and 0.14 points higher (P=.04) who had a prior diagnosis of cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Sociodemographic factors (education, race, poverty, and cancer fatalistic beliefs) impact HIT access and use in older adults, regardless of prior cancer diagnosis. Among older adults, HIT users report higher self-management, which is essential for patient activation and engagement.

Frontline healthcare workers' mental distress, top concerns, and assessment on hierarchy of controls in response to COVID-19: a cross-sectional survey study

BACKGROUND

The existing studies showed that frontline healthcare workers during an epidemic experienced unusual stressors and mental distress which even lasted for years after the crisis. It is important to learn about their concerns early to mitigate the negative impact as well as to evaluate disease control from experiences on the front lines for improving responses to the outbreak. The study aimed to provide insights on how to strengthen public health responses to protect healthcare workers both physically and mentally, and effectively control the disease in light of hierarchy of controls.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was distributed online via Qualtrics to frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 through a university's nursing program and received 267 valid responses from 103 certificated nursing assistants, 125 nurses, and 39 other health professionals. A descriptive data analysis with a Chi-square test at a two-sided 0.05 level of significance was performed on factors that potentially affected mental health of healthcare workers and effectiveness of disease control at workplace in five domains. The themes were summarized on open-ended questions.

RESULTS

About 30% of the respondents showed the symptom of depression and needed a further investigation. The influencing factors in five domains were examined. Engineering and administrative controls, as well as PPE were widely used in response to COVID-19. The respondents assessed the state and workplace responses to COVID-19 better than the federal government responses. The workplace responses were considered most effective. Multiple factors with a statistically significant correlation with effectiveness of the disease control at workplace were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

The study suggested that timely responses at policy level will be more effective than other measures in early prevention and control of the pandemic, mental distress should be addressed in addition to PPE, and nursing programs should consider providing a situation-specific career coaching or counseling for students. A longitudinal study at a larger scale is warranted to capture the variation of time change with the disease control evolvement and across geographic regions.

Role of Health Information Technology in the Engagement Process of Older Adults’ Cancer Treatment Decision Making

This study investigates the role of Health Information Technology (HIT) in the process of patient engagement in treatment decision making in older adults in cancer care. Despite the role of HIT in patient engagement processes and government incentives for HIT development, research regarding HIT is lacking among older adults. The following study is a secondary data analysis of a subset of the Health Information National Trend Survey (HINTS 4, Cycle 3), including individuals 65 years old and above. Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and linear regression models were fit to study several sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and psychosocial variables in this study. The results show that education, poverty status, and self-management domain of the patient activation (which is a precursor of the engagement process) were significantly associated with access to and utilization of HIT. No significant differences between access to and utilization of HIT and the diagnosis of cancer were found. However, fatalistic beliefs about the diagnosis of cancer significantly impacted the use of HIT in all models, including those controlling for cancer diagnosis and access to HIT. Specifically, a one-point increase in cancer fatalism score is associated with a 59% decrease in the utilization of HIT, giving evidence that fatalistic beliefs about cancer can drive engagement behaviors regardless of a diagnosis of cancer. Our study provides vital information for providers and policy researchers to take into account for future implementation and development strategies of HIT in cancer care for older adults.

Health Literacy in Surgery

Background:

Low health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes in many chronic diseases and may have an important role in determining surgical outcomes. This study aims to comprehensively review the current state of science on adult health literacy in surgery and to identify knowledge gaps for future research.

Methods:

Using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted to identify all studies from January 2002 through May 2018 that used validated instruments to assess health literacy among adult patients undergoing surgery. Studies were assessed for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and evaluated on findings by their focus on identifying health literacy levels, understanding associations with surgical outcomes, and/or developing interventions to address low health literacy.

Key Results:

There were 51 studies on health literacy with data from 22,139 patients included in this review. Low health literacy was present in more than one-third of surgical patients (34%, interquartile range 16%–50%). The most commonly used validated instrument for assessment of health literacy in the surgical population was the Newest Vital Sign. Most studies were focused on identifying the prevalence of low health literacy within a surgery population (84%, n = 43). Few studies focused on understanding the association of health literacy to surgical outcomes (12%, n = 6) and even fewer studies developed interventions to address health literacy (4%, n = 2).

Discussion:

Low health literacy is common among surgical patients. Important opportunities exist to better understand the role of health literacy in determining surgical outcomes and to develop more health literacy-sensitive models of surgical care. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2020;4(1):e45–e65.]

Plain Language Summary:

Health literacy has not been well-studied in surgery but likely plays an important role. In this article, we reviewed all current research on health literacy in surgery to help us understand where we are at and where we need to go. We found that low health literacy is common and we need more ways to address it in surgery.

Quality of care for Black and Latina women living with HIV in the U.S.: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Ending the HIV epidemic requires that women living with HIV (WLWH) have access to structurally competent HIV-related and other health care. WLWH may not regularly engage in care due to inadequate quality; however, women's perspectives on the quality of care they receive are understudied.

METHODS

We conducted 12 focus groups and three in-depth interviews with Black (90%) and Latina (11%) WLWH enrolled in the Women's Interagency HIV Study in Atlanta, GA, Birmingham, AL, Brooklyn, NY, Chapel Hill, NC, Chicago, IL, and Jackson, MS from November 2017 to May 2018 (n = 92). We used a semi-structured format to facilitate discussions about satisfaction and dissatisfaction with health care engagement experiences, and suggestions for improvement, which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Themes emerged related to women's health care satisfaction or dissatisfaction at the provider, clinic, and systems levels and across Institute of Medicine-defined quality of care domains (effectiveness, efficiency, equity, patient-centeredness, safety and timeliness). Women's degree of care satisfaction was driven by: 1) knowledge-based care resulting in desired outcomes (effectiveness); 2) coordination, continuity and necessity of care (efficiency); 3) perceived disparities in care (equity); 4) care delivery characterized by compassion, nonjudgment, accommodation, and autonomous decision-making (patient-centeredness); 5) attention to avoiding side effects and over-medicalization (safety); and 6) limited wait time (timeliness).

CONCLUSIONS

Quality of care represents a key changeable lever affecting engage in care among WLWH. The communities most proximally affected by HIV should be key stakeholders in HIV-related quality assurance. Findings highlight aspects of the health care experience valued by WLWH, and potential participatory, patient-driven avenues for improvement.

Racial disparities and factors associated with prescription for smoking cessation medications among smokers receiving routine clinical care for HIV

Factors associated with prescription of smoking cessation medication (SCM), including the impact of race, have not been well described among a large population of people living with HIV (PLWH) engaged in routine clinical care. Our study investigated whether there are racial differences between African-American and White PLWH regarding SCM prescription and sought to identify other factors associated with these prescriptions at a large HIV clinic in the Southeastern United States. Among 1899 smokers, 38.8% of those prescribed SCMs were African-American and 61.2% were White. Factors associated with lower odds of SCM prescription included African-American race (AOR, 0.63 [95% CI: 0.47, 0.84]) or transferring care from another HIV provider during the study period (AOR, 0.63 [95% CI: 0.43, 0.91]). Whereas major depression (AOR, 1.54 [95% CI: 1.10, 2.15]), anxiety symptoms (AOR, 1.43 [95% CI: 1.05, 1.94]), and heavy smoking (>20 cigarettes/day) (OR, 3.50 [95% CI: 2.11, 5.98]) were associated with increased likelihood of SCM prescription. There were racial disparities in the prescription of SCM in African Americans with HIV. These findings underscore the need to increase pharmacotherapy use among African Americans to improve smoking cessation outcomes across racial groups among PLWH.

Mental health disorders and alcohol use are associated with increased likelihood of smoking relapse among people living with HIV attending routine clinical care

BACKGROUND

People living with HIV (PLWH) have a high level of interest in quitting smoking, but only a small proportion have sustainable abstinence 6 months after cessation. Few investigations have focused on relapse to smoking among PLWH. In this investigation, we evaluated the prevalence of relapse after smoking cessation and the characteristics associated with smoking relapse using a retrospective, longitudinal cohort of PLWH during an eight-year observation.

METHODS

All patients aged ≥19 years that reported current smoking during the study period and then reported not smoking on a subsequent tobacco use questionnaire (quitters) were eligible for the study. In addition, patients required at least one subsequent follow-up visit after quitting where smoking status was again reported to allow for assessment of relapse. A Cox proportional hazard model was fit to evaluate factors associated with smoking relapse in PLWH attending routine clinical care.

RESULTS

Of the 473 patients who quit smoking in the study, 51% relapsed. In multivariable analysis, factors significantly associated with a higher likelihood of relapse were anxiety symptoms (HR = 1.55, 95% CI [1.11, 2.17]) and at-risk alcohol use (HR = 1.74, 95% CI [1.06, 2.85]), whereas antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence (HR = 0.65, 95% CI [0.49, 0.99]) and longer time in care (HR = 0.94, 95% CI [0.91, 0.98]) were associated with a reduced likelihood of relapse after cessation.

CONCLUSION

Our study underscores the high prevalence of smoking relapse that exists among PLWH after they quit smoking. Successful engagement in mental health care may enhance efforts to reduce relapse in the underserved populations of PLWH.

Critical, and not functional, health literacy is associated with missed HIV clinic visits in adults and older adults living with HIV in the Deep South

Engagement in care is a key component of the HIV treatment cascade and is influenced by biopsychosocial factors. Little is known about the association of health literacy with this impactful outcome in people living with HIV (PLWH). Ninety-five PLWH completed a comprehensive battery including health literacy measures covering several domains (i.e., numeracy, reading, self-efficacy, and ability to appraise and access health information). Engagement in care was operationalized as missed clinic visits (i.e., proportion of clinic visits in the prior 24 months where the participant did not attend and did not cancel or reschedule). The ability to appraise health information (measured by the Newest Vital Sign [NVS]) was the only significant health literacy predictor of missed clinic visits. Hierarchical linear regression including clinico-demographics and all health literacy variables showed that age, depression, neurocognition, and NVS were significant (p < 0.05) correlates of missed clinic visits. The ability to appraise health information was a strong and independent predictor of missed clinic visits in PLWH, even in the context of traditional correlates. Such measures may be useful in identifying PLWH with low health literacy who may be at risk for poorer engagement in care. Future research developing interventions targeting this health literacy dimension are warranted.

Predictors of smoking cessation among people living with HIV receiving routine clinical care

People living with HIV (PLWH) have a higher prevalence of smoking and are less likely to quit smoking than the general population. Few studies involving a large sample of PLWH receiving routine care have evaluated factors associated with smoking cessation. This retrospective longitudinal cohort study evaluated factors associated with smoking cessation among PLWH from 2007 to 2018. Of 1,714 PLWH smokers included in the study, 27.6% reported quitting smoking. Suppressed plasma HIV-1 RNA (<200 copies/ml) was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of smoking cessation (HR_adjusted = 1.27, 95% CI [1.03, 1.58]); whereas age/10 year increments (HR_adjusted = 0.12, 95% CI [0.04, 0.38]), greater length of care at the HIV clinic (HR_adjusted = 0.97, 95% CI [0.94, 0.99]), lack of insurance (HR_adjusted = 0.77, 95% CI [0.61, 0.99]) or having public insurance (HR_adjusted = 0.74, 95% CI [0.55, 0.97)]), current substance use (HR_adjusted = 0.66, 95% CI [0.43, 0.97]) and risk of developing alcohol use disorder (HR_adjusted = 0.60, 95% CI [0.43, 0.84]) were associated with a reduced likelihood of quitting smoking. These findings underscore the importance of early smoking cessation intervention among PLWH. In addition, targeted smoking cessation intervention strategies are needed for groups at risk for being less likely to quit, including older patients, and those with alcohol and substance use disorders.

A summative evaluation of productivity and accomplishments of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars Program participants

From 2008 to 2017, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars Program inspired, developed, and supported cohorts of next generation national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards. With support from mentors, scholars in the program created individual development plans focused on scholarship, teaching, service, and leadership. The curriculum of the scholar development program combined goals and objectives related to leadership development, enhancement of nursing education skills, and focused programs of research and scholarship. In addition, program outcomes emphasized engagement in institutional, university, and professional governance systems. This article describes and recounts findings from the program participants regarding accomplishments, productivity, and facilitators contributing to their achievement of program outcomes.

Advancing the Science and Practice of Medication Adherence

Medication adherence remains a significant unmet challenge for optimizing patient outcomes. Recent advances in the conceptualization, measurement, and support of medication adherence offer fresh opportunities to make a meaningful impact on adherence-related behavior and outcomes. These advances emphasize the multifaceted and dynamic nature of medication adherence, provide novel methods for monitoring medication adherence in clinical care, and articulate a set of multilevel strategies to more effectively improve and sustain medication adherence. Here, we offer recommendations for how clinicians can better engage with, and benefit from, these innovations to improve patient medication adherence and associated treatment outcomes.

A Text Messaging Intervention to Support Option B+ in Kenya: A Qualitative Study

Key challenges in providing lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) to pregnant and breastfeeding women (Option B+) in sub-Saharan Africa include achieving long-term adherence and retention in care. One intervention that may help address these challenges is mobile text messaging. We evaluated the acceptability of a text messaging intervention to support women's ART adherence and retention in care in rural western Kenya. Forty in-depth interviews with 20 pregnant/postpartum women infected with HIV, their male partners, and four focus groups with 30 health care providers were conducted during September-November 2014. Data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed the following themes: (a) overall acceptability of the text messaging intervention; (b) proposed content of text messages; (c) format, timing, and language of text messages; and (d) potential challenges of the text messaging intervention. Findings were used to refine a text messaging intervention being evaluated at Kenyan study sites rolling out Option B+.

Perceptions of Brain Health and Cognition in Older African Americans and Caucasians With HIV: A Focus Group Study

As people age with HIV, cognitive problems may become more prevalent and severe, but lifestyle behaviors (i.e., physical activity) have been shown to protect brain health and cognition. We examined the perceptions that older adults living with HIV have about protecting and improving brain health and cognition through lifestyle behaviors. Qualitative data were analyzed from four focus groups (N = 30) of African Americans and Caucasians living with HIV and at least 50 years of age. An open-coding scheme using conventional content analysis was employed. Two results were found. First, many older adults with HIV in our study expressed a variety of cognitive complaints that interfered with daily function. Second, these participants reported few specific ideas about how such health behaviors were important to their own brain health and cognition. Education interventions may help older adults with HIV learn to improve and protect brain health and cognition as they age.

Feedback on a Multimodal Cognitive Intervention for Adults Aging With HIV: A Focus Group Study

Nearly 50% of adult persons living with HIV (PLWH) experience HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), which is associated with deteriorating brain health and cognitive functioning. Multimodal interventions that simultaneously improve physical activity, nutrition, and sleep hygiene may be of value for adult PLWH, especially as they age and become vulnerable to HAND. We used four focus groups of PLWH (N = 30; ages ≥ 50 years) to solicit feedback about Cognitive Prescriptions, a multimodal cognitive intervention. Lifestyle and health behaviors pertaining to Cognitive Prescriptions were assessed, including: (a) physical activity, (b) mental activity, (c) nutrition, (d) social engagement, (e) emotional health, (f) sleep hygiene, and (g) substance use. When presented a template of the intervention, participants expressed favorable opinions and remarked they would want to work with a clinician, paraprofessional, or peer to implement such a program into their own daily routines. From this, implications for practice and research are provided.

Coping Strategies of Nurses in a Palliative Care Unit

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the coping strategies of staff nurses working in palliative care. Death and dying are important aspects of nurses' day-to-day work in palliative care and considered stressful, yet satisfying. The sensitive feelings of nurses and delicate emotions may lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and overall poor clinical judgments, thus resulting in unsafe patient care. Little contemporary evidence exists regarding the effect of workplace stress on palliative care nurses or their coping strategies. In this qualitative descriptive study, 11 registered nurses working in a palliative care unit were recruited to participate using purposive sampling. Data were collected through a 10-item, open-ended survey developed by the researcher to examine the coping strategies of palliative care nurses. Analysis of the data yielded the following themes related to coping strategies: spirituality, support from colleagues and managers, and use of resources. The results of this study revealed important concerns for nurses as caregivers of dying patients in palliative care and suggested a need for nurses to discover multiple ways in which they can cope with their grief. The findings of the study illustrate that nurses use a combination of strategies to internally and externally cope with the management of patients on the palliative care unit. With a better understanding of how palliative care nurses currently cope, strategies can be recognized to improve these coping skills. This includes organizational support, and social support at work with colleagues, family, and friends.

A Qualitative Study on Health Numeracy and Patient-Provider Communication of Laboratory Numbers in Older African Americans with HIV

Health numeracy plays a vital role in the successful management of HIV because much HIV-related health information is expressed in quantitative terms. The purpose of our study was to explore what older African Americans with HIV (N = 20) understood about their HIV laboratory numbers and to examine communication of the numbers between patients and providers during clinic visits. The following four themes emerged: (a) HIV laboratory numbers are important to understand health status; (b) the numbers can often be confusing; (c) mutual communication between patient and provider is essential to understand the numbers; and (d) when communicating numbers, use less detail. Implications for future interventions to address health numeracy deficits in this population are discussed.

The impact of neuropsychological performance on everyday functioning between older and younger adults with and without HIV

In this cross-sectional study, a community-based sample of 162 younger and older adults with and without HIV was compared on neuropsychological and everyday-functioning measures. In the HIV sample, the relationship between cognition, everyday functioning, and HIV biomarkers was also examined. A battery of cognitive tests was completed along with two laboratory measures of everyday functioning and one measure of HIV medication adherence. Main effects for age and HIV were found on several neuropsychological measures and on the Timed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living test; those who were older or who had HIV exhibited poorer performance. Although age-by-HIV interactions were not observed, older adults with HIV as a group performed worse on eight out of the nine neuropsychological and everyday functioning measures. Few of these neuropsychological and everyday measures were related to HIV biomarkers (e.g., CD4+ T cell count). Implications for nursing practice and research are posited.

The moderating effect of sexual pressure on young urban women's condom use

The purpose of this study was to examine whether women's experiences of sexual pressure moderated the relationship between sexual empowerment determinants and condom use in a sample of 100 high-risk women, ages 19-25. Five sexual empowerment determinants of condom use were identified from the literature: HIV knowledge, self-esteem, condom self-efficacy, positive attitudes toward condom use, and condom negotiation skills. Linear and logistic regression analyses revealed that positive attitudes toward condom use and condom negotiation skills were significant predictors of condom use. These relationships, however, were moderated by sexual pressure. Findings indicate that women's experiences with sexual pressure have the potential to decrease the likelihood of condom use, even though other sexually protective behaviors may be exhibited.