Publications--DO NOT EDIThttp://hdl.handle.net/10106/97182024-03-28T09:58:36Z2024-03-28T09:58:36ZPilot Trial of an Electronic Family Medical History in US Faith-Based CommunitiesNewcomb, PatriciaCanclini, SharonCauble, DeniseRaudonis, Barbara M.Golden, Paulettehttp://hdl.handle.net/10106/270452024-01-02T16:30:04Z2014-01-01T00:00:00ZPilot Trial of an Electronic Family Medical History in US Faith-Based Communities
Newcomb, Patricia; Canclini, Sharon; Cauble, Denise; Raudonis, Barbara M.; Golden, Paulette
In spite of the acknowledged importance of collecting family health information, methods of collecting, organizing, and storage of pedigree data are not uniformly utilized in practice, though several electronic tools have been developed for the purpose. Using electronic tools to gather health information may empower individuals to take responsibility in managing their family health history. The purpose of this study was to describe the feasibility and outcomes of introducing small groups to the My Family Health Portrait tool in faith-based communities using faith community nurses (FCNs). This pilot project adopted a mixed methods approach to assess the potential of an educational intervention delivered by FCNs for increasing the use of electronic technologies for organizing and storing family health histories among the general public. Treatment and control groups were recruited from four faith-based communities in north Texas using a parallel-groups quasi-experimental design. Qualitative data were gleaned from field notes made by investigators interacting with FCNs and observing their teaching. A majority of respondents believed that knowing one’s health history and passing it on to family and medical personnel is important. Those receiving face-to-face instruction on the electronic tool were significantly more likely to have written down family health information than the control group who received only an informational handout (χ2
= 5.96, P = .015). Barriers to teaching about and using the electronic tool included FCNs’ lack of facility with computers in the educational context and FCN and respondent mistrust of electronic storage for family health information.
2014-01-01T00:00:00ZTransmission of family health information within familiesNewcomb, PatriciaRaudonis, Barbara M.Snow, DianeCauble, Denisehttp://hdl.handle.net/10106/112242024-01-03T15:38:14Z2012-03-01T00:00:00ZTransmission of family health information within families
Newcomb, Patricia; Raudonis, Barbara M.; Snow, Diane; Cauble, Denise
Background and Aims: A comprehensive family health history still offers the best data for calculating risk of most complex diseases, but lack of informant accuracy hinders its use. Young adults transitioning from the parental home to more independent university life may be poor historians. The purpose of this study was to describe the quality of family health information acquired by young university students and to characterize the process by which they learn family health facts. Methods: Thematic content analysis was applied to interviews with undergraduate students enrolled in diverse classes across disciplines at a public US university. Results: Two processes, hanging around and trickling down, described the ways young adults learned family health information. The majority of respondents described both empowerment and a sense of vulnerability that resulted from having their family health information. Conclusions: Family health history provided by young adult students is characterized by inaccuracies related to lack of information and misunderstanding of information that is available. Young students are typically transitioning from the care of local primary care physicians into relationships with new healthcare providers, and are interested in family health history. Thus, this transition is an opportunity for nurses to construct an organized family health history with them.
2012-03-01T00:00:00ZUsing improvisational theater to teach genetics conceptsNewcomb, PatriciaRiddlesperger, Krishttp://hdl.handle.net/10106/112222024-01-03T15:52:23Z2007-09-01T00:00:00ZUsing improvisational theater to teach genetics concepts
Newcomb, Patricia; Riddlesperger, Kris
**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: For 40 years, nursing leaders have called for more genetics content in the undergraduate nursing curriculum, but incorporating the essentials of the growing body of genetics knowledge into crowded nursing curricula remains a struggle. This case report describes an innovative strategy for assessing genetics content in a curriculum while providing a stimulating learning opportunity for students. Results suggest that using improvisational theater for teaching genetic concepts is an effective strategy and is well accepted by students.
2007-09-01T00:00:00ZSpreadsheet and Relational Database Programs: Useful Tools for Perioperative NursesNewcomb, Patriciahttp://hdl.handle.net/10106/97192024-01-03T16:00:23Z2012-06-01T00:00:00ZSpreadsheet and Relational Database Programs: Useful Tools for Perioperative Nurses
Newcomb, Patricia
**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: Information management has become a critical skill for all nurse professionals, including perioperative registered nurses (RNs). In perioperative nursing, combinations of high-touch and high-tech patient needs require staff to be acutely aware clinically. Staff members are focused on responsibilities for assessing, monitoring, and intervening in specific patient situations and may miss the importance of learning to successfully manage amounts of data greater than those generated by one patient at one particular time. When staff nurses and managers begin to think about collecting evidence to demonstrate the quality of their performance or when they begin to express the wish to test their hunches about the factors that influence patient outcomes in their units the time to develop competencies in formal data management has arrived. Fortunately, the challenges of learning to organize and manipulate data do not approach the difficulty of the challenges faced by perioperative nurses in practice on a daily basis.
KEY POINTS • Clinicians should be aware that simple spreadsheet programs are usually available on computers in nursing units and can be useful tools for staff nurses. • In the absence of commercial reference management software, a spreadsheet program can efficiently organize literature for evidence-based projects. • Simple spreadsheet programs can be used to organize and analyze data collected in research or evidence-based projects.
2012-06-01T00:00:00Z