Search

ObjectivesElectronic health records (EHRs) are rarely shared among medical and dental providers. The purpose of this study was to assess current information sharing and the value of improved electronic information sharing among physicians and dentists in Germany and the United States.Materials and methodsA survey was validated and distributed electronically to physicians and dentists at four academic medical centers. Respondents were asked anonymously about EHR use and the medical and dental information most valuable to their practice.ResultsThere were 118 responses, a response rate of 23.2%. The majority (63.9%) of respondents were dentists and the remainder were physicians. Most respondents (66.3%) rated the importance of sharing information an 8 or above on a 1-to-10 Likert scale. Dentists rated the importance of sharing clinical information significantly higher than physicians (p = 0.0033). Most (68.5%) providers could recall an instance when access to medical or dental information would have improved patient care. Dentists were significantly more likely to report this than physicians (p = 0.008).ConclusionPhysicians would value a standardized measure of "oral health" in their EHR. Dentists were less likely to find specific medical diagnostic test results of value. Both dentists and physicians agreed that oral-systemic health was important; interoperable EHRs could facilitate information transfer between providers and enhance research on oral-systemic health connections. Both dentists and physicians believed that an interoperable EHR would be useful to practice, but desired information was different between these groups. Refinement of the information needed for shared practice is required.

AbstractObjectiveDesignStudy sampleResultsConclusionTo describe application scenarios of a mobile device that provides a practical means for showcasing potential hearing aid benefits.A prototype of a hearing aid demonstrator based on circumaural headphones and a mobile signal processing platform was developed, providing core functions of a hearing aid, including several gain presets, in a hygienic, robust, and easy-to-use form factor. Speech intelligibility outcomes with the demonstrator and broadband level adaptations as potential fitting references were compared to outcomes with the own hearing aids of hearing-impaired participants. Furthermore, subjective assessments of the effect of the demonstrator were obtained at a public outreach event.20 experienced hearing aid users participated in the speech intelligibility outcome measurements. 54 citizens participated in the public outreach event.Speech intelligibility measurements made with the demonstrator constituted a better predictor for typically achieved aided speech intelligibility outcomes than broadband level adaptations. Participants at the public outreach event reported that trying out the demonstrator changed their expectations of hearing aid benefits and improved their understanding of how hearing aids work.The developed demonstrator promises to be a useful tool for showcasing and probing benefits of hearing aids in clinical, public, and educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The routine use of standardized diagnostic terminologies (DxTMs) in dentistry has long been the subject of academic debate. This paper discusses the strategies suggested by a group of dental stakeholders to enhance the uptake of DxTMs. Through unstructured interviewing at the 'Toward a Diagnosis-Driven Profession' National Conference held on 19 March 2016 in Los Angeles, CA, USA participants were asked how enthusiastic they were about implementing and consistently using DxTMs at their work. They also brainstormed on strategies to improve the widespread use of DxTMs. Their responses are summarized by recursive abstraction and presented in themes. Conference participants were very enthusiastic about using a DxTM in their place of work. Participants enumerated several strategies to make DxTMs more appealing including: the use of mandates, a value proposition for providers, communication and education, and integration with EHRs and existing systems. All groups across the dental healthcare delivery spectrum will need to work together for the success of the widespread and consistent use of DxTMs. Understanding the provider perspective is however the most critical step in achieving this goal, as they are the group who will ultimately be saddled with the critical task of ensuring DxTM use at the point of care.

The children's novel "Out of the Dust" (Hesse, 1997) is an evocative portrayal of the drought and dust storms that devastated Midwestern farms in the 1930s. Through the voice of her 13-year-old narrator, Karen Hesse intertwines history and free verse poetry to create what many readers find to be a moving depiction of the Oklahoma Dustbowl experience. The novel's power has been widely recognized, winning a number of prestigious honors, including the Newbery Medal. In addition to its critical success, "Out of the Dust" is a valuable text in the classroom. With the same setting as the opening of "The Grapes of Wrath" (Steinbeck, 1939) and with a writing style and vocabulary that make it immensely readable, "Out of the Dust" helps build background knowledge for students' understanding of Steinbeck's novel. By using "Out of the Dust," teachers offer students not only an engaging text, but one that can provide academic scaffolds to other historical and literary texts. As a result of all that this celebrated children's text offers, it is much more likely to be singled out for acclamation than critique. It is the author's stance in this article, however, that using Hesse's novel in the classroom is problematic without a critical literacy framework. That novel, like many current and classic texts, depicts the 1930s Dustbowl exclusively in relation to White experiences. Using that novel without questioning the limitations of those representations serves to privilege White experiences and to marginalize the experiences of Oklahomans of color as well as significant aspects of Oklahoma and U.S. history. The process of uncovering those marginalized stories with the goal of problematizing the dominant depiction of the Dustbowl is the focus of this article. (Contains 4 figures and 1 note.)

This article describes and assesses a course design that uses peer mentors to facilitate a collaborative, hands-on learning experience in an introductory marketing course. Results demonstrate that peer mentoring increased content mastery and had a positive effect on students' perceptions of the learning experience. Peer marketing mentors, along with the faculty team, achieved success in providing a demanding and engaging learning environment that meets the needs of learners and equips them with content knowledge required of career-ready professionals. A step-by-step guide is provided to enable others to develop a similar experience for students in their institutions.

Objectives: Current guidelines by the American Dental Association (ADA) recommend deferral of elective dental care for elevated blood pressure. However, it is unknown how frequently this impacts dental treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate rates of asymptomatic hypertension and treatment deferral at a dental school clinic. Methods: This was a retrospective study with data extracted from a chart review of all patients presenting for care at a dental school teaching practice. Differences in dental procedures, the time between visits, and the number of antihypertensive medications were calculated between patients with and without a blood pressure reading exceeding current guidelines for elective treatment. Results: Among 26,821 individuals, 1265 had a visit with elevated blood pressure. Blood pressure readings at the next visit were significantly lower (systolic blood pressure 137 [95% confidence interval {CI} 135–138] mmHg, diastolic blood pressure 82 [95% CI 81–83 mmHg], p < 0.001), although only 24 patients reported taking a new medication. Only 4.1% of these patients had a procedure deferred; for those that did, the average intervisit time was 88.2 days (95% CI 77.7–98.7 days). Conclusions: The majority of patients with blood pressure readings exceeding current ADA recommendations for treatment were treated without evidence of harm. Patients were also unlikely to return to the clinic with new medications for blood pressure after a visit with an elevated blood pressure reading. Oral health providers must weigh the risks and benefits of care deferral and can consider an expanded role in hypertension management in dental settings when caring for patients with elevated blood pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to expand the possibilities of support that children's and young adult literature provides to activist-oriented educators. Joining our voices to others who have made significant contributions to this emphasis, our work examines a too-often-silenced aspect of activism: its intersection with spirituality. Using an inclusive conceptualization of spirituality that emphasizes diversity and complexity, we present and engage with a range of picture books and novels relevant to spiritual activism. We first present a literature review that traces the use of literature in the teaching of activism and spirituality. Drawing from this scholarship, we identify key criteria for selecting spiritual activist texts. Next, we discuss several texts that meet these criteria in relation to four overarching themes: 1) aligning activist approaches with spiritualities, 2) invoking praxis to sustain a vision of change, 3) identifying activist strategies for effecting change, and 4) negotiating across spiritual boundaries. This discussion foregrounds the power of these texts to explore how people's spiritualities sustain and inspire their activist efforts. We conclude by extending these implications with specific recommendations for educators who seek to nourish the activism and spirituality of children and youth.

There is wide recognition that children's lives are directly affected by inequitable practices in relation to aspects of identity such as gender, ethnicity, class, and citizenship. Yet, despite this acknowledgement, few scholars have explored how children are challenging inequities. This examination of the actions and stories of one-nine-year-old female addresses that silence. Data analysis illustrates the ways in which she was enacting social activist tenets. Also illuminated are the hurdles inherent to adult recognition of children's activism. These findings underline the problematic role that deficit framings of children play in our understanding of their perspectives and capabilities.