Aram Dobalian

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use of Mental Health Services

The authors used data from the 1998–1999 Community Tracking Study (CTS) household survey to examine variations in predictors of use of mental health services among different racial and ethnic groups (white, African American, Hispanic, and other). African Americans and Hispanics were less likely to have visited a mental health professional (MHP) in the prior year than were whites. Independent of health insurance and health status, low- to middle-income African Americans may be at particular risk for inadequate use of an MHP compared to higher-income African Americans. Similarly, upper-income Hispanics were more likely to have visited an MHP than Hispanics in the lowest income range. Adults aged 50 and older were less likely to visit an MHP than individuals aged 18–49. Depressed men were more likely to visit an MHP than depressed women. Efforts to reduce disparities should focus on lower-income racial and ethnic minorities.

Pain and the use of outpatient Services among persons with HIV: Results from a nationally representative survey

BackgroundThe negative impact of pain on health-related quality of life has been documented for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Furthermore, pain could be an important factor in seeking medical care. However, the relationship between pain and health service utilization is poorly understood. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pain on use of outpatient services among a nationally representative sample of adults receiving medical care for HIV using Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. MethodsWe used Poisson regression to assess outpatient use over 6 months among 2267 respondents in the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study. Key predisposing variables include gender and race/ethnicity. Enabling factors include income and insurance. Need factors include pain, CD4 count, and diagnosis of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). ResultsSixty-seven percent of respondents reported experiencing pain during the previous 4 weeks. Self-reported pain was higher among those with AIDS, intravenous drug-using females, the unemployed, and those without a baccalaureate degree, but lower among blacks. Patients reporting more pain and those developing more pain used more outpatient services. Poorer health (CD4 count <50 cells/mm3, less energy) was also associated with higher use. Persons with Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance were more likely to have used outpatient services than the uninsured. Persons with a private HMO were no more likely to use services than those without insurance. ConclusionsImproved pain management could reduce outpatient use for persons experiencing pain and lead to substantial cost savings. Inequalities in outpatient use related to insurance are evident.

Panic disorder and pain in a national sample of persons living with HIV.

&NA; Research to date has focused on depression and co‐existing pain in HIV with relatively little attention devoted to the study of anxiety disorders and concurrent pain. We therefore examined the relationships among panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression and pain in a US national sample of persons with HIV, controlling for key sociodemographic and clinical variables, including HIV disease status. The study sample comprised 1489 HIV+ individuals (representing 219 667 persons). In multivariate analyses, panic disorder showed a strong association with pain (&bgr;=−15.70; 99% confidence interval [CI]=−21.33 to −10.08; P<0.001), which was significantly greater than PTSD (P=0.002) but only marginally greater than major depression (P=0.02). Longitudinal analyses of the three psychological disorders revealed that increasing pain from baseline to follow‐up (an approximately 6‐month period) was associated with panic disorder only (relative risk ratio=2.18, 99% CI=1.02–4.69; P<0.01), after controlling for baseline pain scores, baseline HIV disease status and change in disease stage across time. We discuss specific mechanisms by which clinical anxiety and chronic pain may be mutually maintained in HIV+ individuals. Our findings suggest that panic disorder, as well as PTSD and major depression are associated with greater pain in HIV patients.

Pain, problem drug use history, and aberrant analgesic use behaviors in persons living with HIV

Abstract Little is known about the relationship between pain and aberrant use of prescription analgesics in persons living with HIV. We examined the predictive and concurrent associations among pain, aberrant use of opioids, and problem drug use history in a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 2267 HIV+ persons. Covariance structure analyses tested a conceptual model wherein HIV+ patients with a history of problematic drug use (n = 870), compared to those without such history (n = 1397), were hypothesized to report more pain and aberrant opioid use, as well as use of opioids specifically for pain at baseline and 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐ups, after controlling for key sociodemographic characteristics. In support of the hypothesized model, patients with a history of problematic drug use reported more pain, and were more likely to report aberrant use of prescription analgesics, as well as use of such medications specifically for pain, compared to patients without such history. We also found a trend toward greater stability of aberrant opioid use over time in problem drug users compared with non‐problem users suggesting a persistent pattern of inappropriate medication use in the former group. Our findings suggest that even though HIV+ persons with a history of problematic drug use report on‐going patterns of using prescription analgesics specifically for pain, these patients continued to experience persistently higher levels of pain, relative to non‐problem users. Among non‐problem users, pain was not linked to aberrant use of opioids, but was linked to the use of such medications specifically for pain.

Illness burden mediates the relationship between pain and illicit drug use in persons living with HIV

Abstract We investigated predictive and concurrent relationships among reported pain, HIV/AIDS illness burden, and substance use history in 2267 participants in the longitudinal HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS). Substance use history was classified as screening positive for current illicit drug use (N=253), past drug use (N=617), and non‐user (N=1397) at baseline. To control for demographic correlates, age, sex and socioeconomic status (SES) were included as predictors. Covariance structure models indicated greater pain at baseline among participants acknowledging current substance use. Pain at baseline was also directly predicted by greater HIV/AIDS illness burden, lower SES, and older age. At 6 months, pain was directly predicted by prior pain, worse concurrent HIV/AIDS illness burden and female sex. At 12 months, pain was predicted by older age, prior pain, and concurrent HIV/AIDS illness. It was also modestly but significantly predicted by current substance use at baseline. In addition to the direct effects on pain, there were significant indirect effects of demographic and drug use variables on pain mediated through HIV/AIDS illness burden and prior pain. There were significant and positive indirect effects of current and past drug use, greater age, and lower SES on pain at all three time periods. Pain at 6 months and pain at 12 months were also indirectly impacted by previous illness burden. Our results indicate that HIV+persons who screened positive for current use of a range of illicit substances experienced greater HIV/AIDS illness burden which in turn predicted increased pain.

A review and analysis of the clinical laboratory improvement amendment of 1988: compliance plans and enforcement policy.

In 1988, Congress passed the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA), thereby extending coverage of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1967 to include quality standards for all laboratory-based testing. The CLIA was enacted to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of patient test results, regardless of the location where the tests were performed. This article assessed trends in the enforcement policy of the CLIA through an examination of the Laboratory Registry, an annual publication of those individuals or entities that have had sanctions imposed on them by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We reviewed the CLIA, including its oversight, regulations that were promulgated based on it, and its enforcement procedures. We obtained the Laboratory Registries for 1993-2001. Sanctions were categorized into groups per the enforcement regulations (42 C.F.R. section sign 493.2 2000). The data indicated an increasing use of more lenient sanctions from 1997 to 2001, and a gradual increase in fraudulent activity for that same period. One possible explanation for this finding is that implementation of compliance plans by participating clinical laboratories had a mitigating effect on enforcement policy. Compliance plan guidance from the OIG provides an opportunity for laboratory service providers to be proactive in their attempts to decrease errors, and thus improve accuracy and reliability by documenting laboratory policies, procedures, and objectives.

Comprehensive care for vulnerable elderly veterans during disasters

Despite problematic evacuation and sheltering of nursing home residents during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, an exploration of the experiences of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) nursing homes (VANHs) is necessary for a comprehensive examination of the healthcare communitys response to these disasters. VANH evacuations during these hurricanes have not been widely studied. This exploratory project aimed to provide information about the evacuation experiences and characteristics of vulnerable nursing home residents. Interviews with key informants from VHA facilities with nursing home staff and representatives revealed that physical harm, psychological distress, cognitive decline and increased social isolation were areas that deserved special attention for this vulnerable population. Moreover, physical, psychological and social needs were interconnected in that each influenced the others. Findings contribute to the general conversation about meeting the biopsychosocial needs of nursing home residents in an integrated healthcare delivery system and more broadly, the role of long-term care facilities in general in planning for future disasters.

Provider Stakeholders' Perceived Benefit from a Nascent Health Information Exchange: A Qualitative Analysis

We sought to better understand the perceived costs and benefits of joining a nascent health information exchange (HIE) from the perspective of potential provider organization participants. We therefore conducted semi-structured interviews with organizational representatives. Interview transcriptions were thematically coded, and coded text was subsequently aggregated to summarize the breadth and depth of responses. Although no respondents expected HIE to result in net financial benefit to their organization, all respondents recognized some potential benefits, and some respondents expected HIE to result in overall organizational benefit. Disproportionate benefit was expected for the poorest, sickest patients. Many respondents had concerns about HIE increasing the risk of data security breaches, and these concerns were most pronounced at larger organizations. We found little evidence of organizational concern regarding loss of patients to other organizations or publication of unfavorable quality data. If HIE’s greatest benefactors are indeed the poorest, sickest patients, our current health care financing environment will make it difficult to align HIE costs with benefits. To sustain HIE, state and federal governments may need to consider ongoing subsidies. Furthermore, these governments will need to ensure that policies regulating data exchange have sufficient nationwide coordination and liability limitations that the perceived organizational risks of joining HIEs do not outweigh perceived benefits. HIE founders can address organizational concerns by attempting to coordinate HIE policies with those of their largest founding organizations, particularly for data security policies. Early HIE development and promotional efforts should not only focus on potential benefits, but should also address organizational concerns.

The critical elements of effective academic-practice partnerships: a framework derived from the Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Academy

BackgroundThe nursing profession is exploring how academic-practice partnerships should be structured to maximize the potential benefits for each partner. As part of an evaluation of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Nursing Academy (VANA) program, we sought to identify indicators of successful partnerships during the crucial first year.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative analysis of 142 individual interviews and 23 focus groups with stakeholders from 15 partnerships across the nation. Interview respondents typically included the nursing school Dean, the VA chief nurse, both VANA Program Directors (VA-based and nursing school-based), and select VANA faculty members. The focus groups included a total of 222 VANA students and the nursing unit managers and staff from units where VANA students were placed. An ethnographic approach was utilized to identify emergent themes from these data that underscored indicators of and influences on Launch Year achievement.ResultsWe emphasize five key themes: the criticality of inter-organizational collaboration; challenges arising from blending different cultures; challenges associated with recruiting nurses to take on faculty roles; the importance of structuring the partnership to promote evidence-based practice and simulation-based learning in the clinical setting; and recognizing that stable relationships must be based on long-term commitments rather than short-term changes in the demand for nursing care.ConclusionsDeveloping an academic-clinical partnership requires identifying how organizations with different leadership and management structures, different responsibilities, goals and priorities, different cultures, and different financial models and accountability systems can bridge these differences to develop joint programs integrating activities across the organizations. The experience of the VANA sites in implementing academic-clinical partnerships provides a broad set of experiences from which to learn about how such partnerships can be effectively implemented, the barriers and challenges that will be encountered, and strategies and factors to overcome challenges and build an effective, sustainable partnership. This framework provides actionable guidelines for structuring and implementing effective academic-practice partnerships that support undergraduate nursing education.

A systematic review of strategies to address the clinical nursing faculty shortage.

This systematic review provides a comprehensive assessment of models used to expand the ranks of clinical nursing faculty. Nursing faculty shortages constrict the pipeline for educating nurses and make addressing the projected nursing shortage more difficult. Schools of nursing have denied admission to qualified applicants, citing insufficient numbers of nursing faculty as one major reason. Using key search terms in PubMed(®) and CINAHL(®), we identified 14 peer-reviewed articles published between 1980 and 2010 about models for expanding clinical faculty. Partnership models (n = 11) and expanded use of faculty resources (n = 9) were the most common strategies. Few (n = 8) studies assessed program efficacy. A need was identified for studies to assess the effect of alternative models on educational capacity and student performance and to examine the subcomponents of academic-practice partnerships and other innovative approaches to understand the essential factors necessary to implement successful programs.