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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]

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]

This study assessed differences in program satisfaction among health professionals participating in a distance continuing education program by gender, ethnicity, discipline, and community size. A one-group posttest design was used with a sample of 45,996 participants in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Rural Hospital, Distance Continuing Medical Education Program during 1995-2007. This program provided 2,219 continuing education programs for physicians (n = 7,047), nurses (n = 21,264), allied health (n = 3,230) and dental (n = 305) professionals, pharmacists (n = 4,088), administrators (n = 1,211), and marketing/finance/human resources professionals (n = 343). These programs were provided in Arkansas hospitals, clinics, and area health education centers. Interactive video technology and the Internet were used to deliver these programs. The program satisfaction instrument demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.91) and construct validity. Participants had high levels of satisfaction regarding knowledge and skills, use of information to enhance patient care, program quality, and convenience of the technology (mean total satisfaction score = 4.44, range: 1-5). Results from the t-test for independent samples and one-way analysis of variance indicated that men (p = 0.01), African-Americans and Hispanics (p < 0.01), dental professionals (p < 0.01), and participants in larger urban communities (population of 75,001-185,000) (p < 0.01) had significantly greater satisfaction. Nurses and physicians had significantly greater satisfaction regarding the use of information in practice to enhance patient care (p < 0.01). Results suggest that socioeconomic and demographic factors can affect satisfaction with distance continuing education programs.