This study examines primary care provider (PCP) experiences with the initial parental disclosure ... more This study examines primary care provider (PCP) experiences with the initial parental disclosure of cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening (NBS) results in order to identify methods to improve parent-provider communication during the CF NBS process. PCPs of infants who received positive CF NBS results participated in semistructured phone interviews. Interviews were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis. PCPs acknowledged the difficulty of "breaking bad news" to parents, and emphasized minimizing parental anxiety and maximizing parental understanding. PCPs used a variety of methods to notify parents, and shared varying information about the significance of the results. Variation in the method of parental notification, information discussed, and attention to parents' emotional needs may limit successful follow-up of children with positive CF NBS results. A multifaceted intervention to improve PCP knowledge, management, and communication could improve provider confidence, optimize information transfer, and minimize parental distress during the initial disclosure of CF NBS results.
Identifying new methods to deliver cancer genetic counseling (GC) are needed to meet the growing ... more Identifying new methods to deliver cancer genetic counseling (GC) are needed to meet the growing interest in BRCA1/2 testing. The goal of this pilot feasibility study was designed to test the initial acceptability of group GC on selected patient outcomes (satisfaction, distress, perceived control) in a breast/ovarian cancer genetics clinic setting. Sixty-five participants at increased risk for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer (HBOC) agreed to participate in self-selected individual or group GC appointments. Forty-nine participants completed all study questionnaires and were included in the analyses. There were significant improvements for participants in both the individual and group GC formats with regard to perceived personal control, general psychological distress and cancer-specific psychological distress scores. Participants in both the individual and group formats reported high satisfaction scores on the Genetic Counseling Satisfaction Scale. Study results suggest that group G...
The use of the telephone for providing healthcare is growing. The aim of this exploratory study w... more The use of the telephone for providing healthcare is growing. The aim of this exploratory study was to describe tele-health lessons and strategies as discussed by specialists who provide information and recommendations on poison control hotlines. Three focus groups of 25 participants who work as specialists in poison information in poison control centers were conducted. Group discussions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Themes that emerged from the data on strategies for telephone communication include: taking control of the call, developing a therapeutic relationship, tailoring communication to fit each caller, preventing information overload, confirming caller understanding, and hands-on training for the development of telephone communication skills. Specialists in poison information identified challenges specific to communicating with patients over the telephone and reported several types of strategies they used to manage them. Telephone communication training may be needed to assist health care providers in improving their communication skills.
WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: The retention and use of residual bloodspots is a practice of many ... more WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: The retention and use of residual bloodspots is a practice of many state newborn screening programs. This practice has become controversial, and little is known about public attitudes on the retention and research use of newborn residual bloodspots.
... E-mail: erin.rothwell@nurs.utah.edu Kassidy Siharath was a graduate student in the Department... more ... E-mail: erin.rothwell@nurs.utah.edu Kassidy Siharath was a graduate student in the Department of Public Health at the University of Utah ... challenge course experiences not only for newly formed groups but also for ones that have been together for awhile (Bisson, 1997; Schoel ...
Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 2008
... Erin Witter Rothwell a * , Kassidy Siharath a , Holly Badger b , Sandra Negley a & Je... more ... Erin Witter Rothwell a * , Kassidy Siharath a , Holly Badger b , Sandra Negley a & Jennifer Piatt c pages 113-131. ... in this field (Bisson, 19998. Bisson, C. 1999. “Sequencing the adventure experience”. In Adventure programming , Edited by: Miles, JC and Priest, S. 205–214. ...
Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 2013
The purpose of this research was to identify what types of information expectant parents want to ... more The purpose of this research was to identify what types of information expectant parents want to make a decision about the use of their babies' residual dried blood specimens for research. Three focus groups were conducted with pregnant women and their partners and one focus group with prenatal healthcare providers and educators. Eleven categories of information needs were identified within each focus group. Providing sufficient information for parents to make informed choices will be essential to future research with residual dried blood specimens and to maintain public trust with the growing applications of this important public health program.
Poison control center (PCC) personnel face many challenges in communicating with callers and with... more Poison control center (PCC) personnel face many challenges in communicating with callers and with each other. The purpose of this study was to identify interpersonal communication issues that affect the work environment within PCCs. As part of a larger questionnaire study distributed electronically to members of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) to assess communication training needs for PCCs, three questions were included to assess interpersonal communication within the work environment: (1) How important is interpersonal communication within your center to a positive work environment? (not at all to extremely important, 1-7); (2) How disruptive is interpersonal communication to your work? (not at all to extremely disruptive, 1-7); and (3) What communication issues do you find most disruptive to your work? (free-text response). Descriptive and qualitative content analyses were used to identify themes in responses. A total of 537 responses were received from SPIs, directors, medical directors, and other PCC staff. Interpersonal communication within the PCC was rated as extremely important to a positive work environment (median = 7 and IQR = 6-7; 62.3% rated as extremely important). Interpersonal communication was rated as less than moderately disruptive on average (median = 3 and IQR = 2-4). Free-text responses were received from 335 (62%) respondents. Free-text comments were broadly categorized as relating to PCC personnel and work environment and issues related to PCC callers. Categories that emerged from the PCC personnel and work environment category included the following: poor interpersonal communication (n = 104; 31%); background noise (n = 96; 29%); poor work procedures (n = 51; 15%); and poor management communication (n = 38; 11%). Interpersonal communication within PCCs was considered to be important for a positive work environment. Although not found to be strongly disruptive by most respondents, several specific interpersonal communication issues were identified by PCC personnel as disruptive to their work.
Effective communication has been shown to be essential to physician-patient communication and may... more Effective communication has been shown to be essential to physician-patient communication and may be even more critical for poison control center (PCC) calls because of the absence of visual cues, the need for quick and accurate information exchange, and possible suboptimal conditions such as call surges. Professionals who answer poison control calls typically receive extensive training in toxicology but very little formal training in communication. An instrument was developed to assess the perceived need for communication training for specialists in poison information (SPIs) with input from focus groups and a panel of experts. Requests to respond to an online questionnaire were made to PCCs throughout the United States and Canada. The 537 respondents were 70% SPIs or poison information providers (PIPs), primarily educated in nursing or pharmacy, working across the United States and Canada, and employed by their current centers an average of 10 years. SPIs rated communication skills as extremely important to securing positive outcomes for PCC calls even though they reported that their own training was not strongly focused on communication and existing training in communication was perceived as only moderately useful. Ratings of the usefulness of 21 specific training units were consistently high, especially for new SPIs but also for experienced SPIs. Directors rated the usefulness of training for experienced SPIs higher for 5 of the 21 challenges compared to the ratings of SPIs. Findings support the need for communication training for SPIs and provide an empirical basis for setting priorities in developing training units.
This article describes methodological processes focusing on developmentally appropriate, creative... more This article describes methodological processes focusing on developmentally appropriate, creative data collection strategies for use with children and adolescents, illustrated from data-based research. The research reported includes adolescents' understanding of physical activity and engagement in designing a computerized questionnaire, adolescent decision making and consent to psychiatric treatment, social skills focus groups for children with behavioral disorders, and development of a longitudinal intervention study to improve the physiological-functional-psychosocial status of children with cystic fibrosis from three qualitative studies of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Use of developmentally appropriate strategies is critical for successful research, contributing to our understanding of the world of children and adolescents.
This study examines primary care provider (PCP) experiences with the initial parental disclosure ... more This study examines primary care provider (PCP) experiences with the initial parental disclosure of cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening (NBS) results in order to identify methods to improve parent-provider communication during the CF NBS process. PCPs of infants who received positive CF NBS results participated in semistructured phone interviews. Interviews were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis. PCPs acknowledged the difficulty of "breaking bad news" to parents, and emphasized minimizing parental anxiety and maximizing parental understanding. PCPs used a variety of methods to notify parents, and shared varying information about the significance of the results. Variation in the method of parental notification, information discussed, and attention to parents' emotional needs may limit successful follow-up of children with positive CF NBS results. A multifaceted intervention to improve PCP knowledge, management, and communication could improve provider confidence, optimize information transfer, and minimize parental distress during the initial disclosure of CF NBS results.
Identifying new methods to deliver cancer genetic counseling (GC) are needed to meet the growing ... more Identifying new methods to deliver cancer genetic counseling (GC) are needed to meet the growing interest in BRCA1/2 testing. The goal of this pilot feasibility study was designed to test the initial acceptability of group GC on selected patient outcomes (satisfaction, distress, perceived control) in a breast/ovarian cancer genetics clinic setting. Sixty-five participants at increased risk for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer (HBOC) agreed to participate in self-selected individual or group GC appointments. Forty-nine participants completed all study questionnaires and were included in the analyses. There were significant improvements for participants in both the individual and group GC formats with regard to perceived personal control, general psychological distress and cancer-specific psychological distress scores. Participants in both the individual and group formats reported high satisfaction scores on the Genetic Counseling Satisfaction Scale. Study results suggest that group G...
The use of the telephone for providing healthcare is growing. The aim of this exploratory study w... more The use of the telephone for providing healthcare is growing. The aim of this exploratory study was to describe tele-health lessons and strategies as discussed by specialists who provide information and recommendations on poison control hotlines. Three focus groups of 25 participants who work as specialists in poison information in poison control centers were conducted. Group discussions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Themes that emerged from the data on strategies for telephone communication include: taking control of the call, developing a therapeutic relationship, tailoring communication to fit each caller, preventing information overload, confirming caller understanding, and hands-on training for the development of telephone communication skills. Specialists in poison information identified challenges specific to communicating with patients over the telephone and reported several types of strategies they used to manage them. Telephone communication training may be needed to assist health care providers in improving their communication skills.
WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: The retention and use of residual bloodspots is a practice of many ... more WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: The retention and use of residual bloodspots is a practice of many state newborn screening programs. This practice has become controversial, and little is known about public attitudes on the retention and research use of newborn residual bloodspots.
... E-mail: erin.rothwell@nurs.utah.edu Kassidy Siharath was a graduate student in the Department... more ... E-mail: erin.rothwell@nurs.utah.edu Kassidy Siharath was a graduate student in the Department of Public Health at the University of Utah ... challenge course experiences not only for newly formed groups but also for ones that have been together for awhile (Bisson, 1997; Schoel ...
Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 2008
... Erin Witter Rothwell a * , Kassidy Siharath a , Holly Badger b , Sandra Negley a & Je... more ... Erin Witter Rothwell a * , Kassidy Siharath a , Holly Badger b , Sandra Negley a & Jennifer Piatt c pages 113-131. ... in this field (Bisson, 19998. Bisson, C. 1999. “Sequencing the adventure experience”. In Adventure programming , Edited by: Miles, JC and Priest, S. 205–214. ...
Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 2013
The purpose of this research was to identify what types of information expectant parents want to ... more The purpose of this research was to identify what types of information expectant parents want to make a decision about the use of their babies' residual dried blood specimens for research. Three focus groups were conducted with pregnant women and their partners and one focus group with prenatal healthcare providers and educators. Eleven categories of information needs were identified within each focus group. Providing sufficient information for parents to make informed choices will be essential to future research with residual dried blood specimens and to maintain public trust with the growing applications of this important public health program.
Poison control center (PCC) personnel face many challenges in communicating with callers and with... more Poison control center (PCC) personnel face many challenges in communicating with callers and with each other. The purpose of this study was to identify interpersonal communication issues that affect the work environment within PCCs. As part of a larger questionnaire study distributed electronically to members of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) to assess communication training needs for PCCs, three questions were included to assess interpersonal communication within the work environment: (1) How important is interpersonal communication within your center to a positive work environment? (not at all to extremely important, 1-7); (2) How disruptive is interpersonal communication to your work? (not at all to extremely disruptive, 1-7); and (3) What communication issues do you find most disruptive to your work? (free-text response). Descriptive and qualitative content analyses were used to identify themes in responses. A total of 537 responses were received from SPIs, directors, medical directors, and other PCC staff. Interpersonal communication within the PCC was rated as extremely important to a positive work environment (median = 7 and IQR = 6-7; 62.3% rated as extremely important). Interpersonal communication was rated as less than moderately disruptive on average (median = 3 and IQR = 2-4). Free-text responses were received from 335 (62%) respondents. Free-text comments were broadly categorized as relating to PCC personnel and work environment and issues related to PCC callers. Categories that emerged from the PCC personnel and work environment category included the following: poor interpersonal communication (n = 104; 31%); background noise (n = 96; 29%); poor work procedures (n = 51; 15%); and poor management communication (n = 38; 11%). Interpersonal communication within PCCs was considered to be important for a positive work environment. Although not found to be strongly disruptive by most respondents, several specific interpersonal communication issues were identified by PCC personnel as disruptive to their work.
Effective communication has been shown to be essential to physician-patient communication and may... more Effective communication has been shown to be essential to physician-patient communication and may be even more critical for poison control center (PCC) calls because of the absence of visual cues, the need for quick and accurate information exchange, and possible suboptimal conditions such as call surges. Professionals who answer poison control calls typically receive extensive training in toxicology but very little formal training in communication. An instrument was developed to assess the perceived need for communication training for specialists in poison information (SPIs) with input from focus groups and a panel of experts. Requests to respond to an online questionnaire were made to PCCs throughout the United States and Canada. The 537 respondents were 70% SPIs or poison information providers (PIPs), primarily educated in nursing or pharmacy, working across the United States and Canada, and employed by their current centers an average of 10 years. SPIs rated communication skills as extremely important to securing positive outcomes for PCC calls even though they reported that their own training was not strongly focused on communication and existing training in communication was perceived as only moderately useful. Ratings of the usefulness of 21 specific training units were consistently high, especially for new SPIs but also for experienced SPIs. Directors rated the usefulness of training for experienced SPIs higher for 5 of the 21 challenges compared to the ratings of SPIs. Findings support the need for communication training for SPIs and provide an empirical basis for setting priorities in developing training units.
This article describes methodological processes focusing on developmentally appropriate, creative... more This article describes methodological processes focusing on developmentally appropriate, creative data collection strategies for use with children and adolescents, illustrated from data-based research. The research reported includes adolescents' understanding of physical activity and engagement in designing a computerized questionnaire, adolescent decision making and consent to psychiatric treatment, social skills focus groups for children with behavioral disorders, and development of a longitudinal intervention study to improve the physiological-functional-psychosocial status of children with cystic fibrosis from three qualitative studies of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis. Use of developmentally appropriate strategies is critical for successful research, contributing to our understanding of the world of children and adolescents.
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