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A study evaluating an interactive adult telehealth education program in Arkansas surveyed 2,567 participants. Older adults, Blacks, American Indians, and participants with a high school diploma or less expressed significantly higher levels of satisfaction than other participants. This was attributed to development of sessions responding to community requests and to speakers' communication skills, clarity of the technology, and convenient scheduling. (TD)

Socioeconomic and demographic factors can affect the impact of telehealth education programs that use interactive compressed video technology. This study assessed program satisfaction among participants in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' School Telehealth Education Program delivered by interactive compressed video. Variables in the one-group posttest study were age, gender, ethnicity, education, community size, and program topics for years 1997-1999. The convenience sample included 3,319 participants in junior high and high schools. The School Telehealth Education Program provided information about health risks, disease prevention, health promotion, personal growth, and health sciences. Adolescents reported medium to high levels of satisfaction regarding program interest and quality. Significantly higher satisfaction was expressed for programs on muscular dystrophy, anatomy of the heart, and tobacco addiction (p < 0.001 to p = 0.003). Females, African Americans, and junior high school students reported significantly greater satisfaction (p < 0.001 to p = 0.005). High school students reported significantly greater satisfaction than junior high school students regarding the interactive video equipment (p = 0.011). White females (p = 0.025) and African American males (p = 0.004) in smaller, rural communities reported higher satisfaction than White males. The School Telehealth Education Program, delivered by interactive compressed video, promoted program satisfaction among rural and minority populations and among junior high and high school students. Effective program methods included an emphasis on participants' learning needs, increasing access in rural areas among ethnic groups, speaker communication, and clarity of the program presentation., Socioeconomic and geographic factors can affect the impact of telehealth education programs that use interactive compressed video technology for consumer health education. Variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, education, and [...]

Purpose: This study evaluated access to medical care, changes in clinical outcomes, and cost savings among children participating in telehealth/telemedicine consultations, asthma and diabetes telemonitoring consultations in a school telehealth project in rural Arkansas. Methods: A one-group pretest; 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up design was used with a sample of 56 elementary, middle, and high school children and adolescents in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Center for Distance Health, Telehealth KIDS project during August, 2007-August, 2009. This project provided telehealth consultations in 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school in rural Arkansas. The telehealth/telemedicine consultations used interactive video technology to provide medical management and self-management education for asthma, diabetes, and acute pediatric conditions. Telemonitoring consultations at the schools assessed peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory volume (FEV1) (measures of lung function); pulse oximetry (measure of oxygen saturation); blood glucose; blood pressure; heart rate; asthma and diabetes symptoms. Statistical procedures included the longitudinal data analysis, McNemar test, Wilcoxon signed ranks test, and paired samples t-test. Findings: This project provided 3,135 telehealth consultations, which included 2,583 asthma consultations (n = 40 children/adolescents) for telemonitoring, inhaler assessments/education, spirometry lung function testing, and asthma education; 546 diabetes consultations (n = 6 children/adolescents) for telemonitoring and diabetes education; and 6 telehealth/telemedicine consultations for acute pediatric conditions. During 2007-2008, children were referred to the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in this project during 2,625 (84%) telehealth consultations; and during 875 (28%) consultations at 12-month follow-up. During 2007-2008, a referral to additional health resources in this project was made for children and families during 1,939 (62%) telehealth consultations; and during 1,309 (42%) consultations at 12-month follow-up. Children with asthma had decreased hospital admissions from baseline (mean = 0.20) to 12-month follow-up (mean = 0.00), with total cost savings of $2,526.00 in Medicaid reimbursement costs. These children had fewer school absences and asthma-symptom days from baseline (respectively, mean = 4.33, mean = 3.26) to 12-month follow-up (respectively, mean = 2.87, mean = 1.33); and demonstrated significantly improved inhaler technique from baseline to 15-month follow-up (P < .01). Children with diabetes had decreased blood glucose and improved adherence to daily glucose monitoring from baseline (respectively, mean = 285.17, 50%) to 6-month follow-up (respectively, mean = 209.83,100%). Conclusion: School telehealth improved access to health care for children in the rural Arkansas Delta and demonstrated positive clinical outcomes and cost savings in Medicaid reimbursement costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a post-consultation survey during 1998–2002 (n=412 consultations) in the Rural Hospital Telehealth Project run by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Changes in the patient's diagnosis and treatment plan as a result of the telemedicine session were assessed. There were 47 consultants, who conducted 2–82 consultations each. The teleconsultants established a diagnosis in 74 consultations. This was 26% of the 286 respondents. Of the 63 respondents for cases where there was a prior diagnosis and a change was applicable, 17 consultants (27%) reported that there was a change in the patient's diagnosis. The consultants established a patient treatment plan in 139 consultations. This was 52% of the 268 respondents. Of the 123 respondents for cases where there was a prior treatment plan and a change was applicable, 82 (67%) consultants reported a change in the treatment plan. The changes in diagnosis and management imply benefits for the rural population in Arkansas as a result of the use of telemedicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Rural Americans have less access than their urban counterparts to health promotion information Purpose: To assess differences in program satisfaction associated with age, gender, ethnicity, community size, and education among participants in an Arkansas adult telehealth education program that utilized interactive video technology Methods: A program evaluation instrument was administered to a convenience sample of 2567 people who participated in the program from 1996 through 1999 Findings: The evaluation instrument demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85) and construct validity. Older adults, blacks, American Indians, and participants from smaller rural communities and with a high school degree or less had significantly greater satisfaction (P<0.001 to P = 0.03) Conclusions: The findings suggest that socioeconomic and demographic factors can affect satisfaction with telehealth education programs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study related to the remineralization on teeth adjacent to fluoride releasing materials. The study shows that continual high frequency and low concentration fluoride release has been suggested for a treatment strategy to prevent tooth demineralization and enhance mineralization. The nonbrushed fluoride which releases composite resin group has demonstrated 28 percent demineralization. Several charts related to the same are also presented.

A dentist with 16 years of practice experience who participated in the ADA's New Dentist program ticks off the benefits of participation in the American Dental Association: discounts, insurance, CE, publications, leadership opportunities, political voice, patient benefits, product testing, and more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]