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1 – 10 of 27Steven A. Blackwell, Gary M. Ciborowski, David K. Baugh and Melissa A. Montgomery
The purpose of this paper is to examine rates of potentially inappropriate prescribing in a population dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid using the new 2003 Fick update…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine rates of potentially inappropriate prescribing in a population dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid using the new 2003 Fick update, which revises the previous 1997 Beers list.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross sectional retrospective review of 2003 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) Medicaid Pharmacy claims data. Claims data submitted for outpatient and nursing home residents for elderly enrollees dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid were analyzed. Potentially inappropriate drug use was assessed using the 2003 Fick update to the previous 1997 Beers list. Inappropriate use was identified based on these criteria for drugs independent of diagnosis.
Findings
Of enrollees with drug use, 34 percent received an inappropriate drug per the 1997 Beers list; 47 percent per the 2003 Fick update. Hispanics had the highest percentage of drug recipients receiving an inappropriate drug in the Northeast region per the 2003 Fick update. Within therapeutic category, the number of inappropriate genitourinary products dispensed to total genitourinary products ranked the highest at 20 percent per the 2003 Fick update.
Practical implications
This study examines variations in Beers drug use in the elderly dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid population in 2003 by applying the 2003 Fick et al. update of the 1997 Beers list to one of the nation's largest sources of person‐specific data on prescribed drugs. Inappropriate use was identified for drugs independent of diagnosis. Of enrollees with drug use, 34 percent received an inappropriate drug per the 1997 Beers list; 47 percent per the 2003 Fick update. Within therapeutic category, the number of inappropriate genitourinary products dispensed to total genitourinary products ranked the highest at 20 percent per the 2003 Fick update. The paper's findings provide evidence that the potential use of inappropriate drugs in Hispanics should be considered separately from other ethnicity groups.
Originality/value
A markedly higher rate of potentially inappropriate drug use in the elderly Medicaid population exists following the Fick update. These findings provide evidence that the potential use of inappropriate drugs in Hispanics should be considered separately from other ethnicity groups. By comparing drug use based on therapeutic category, genitourinary products were found to have the highest potential for inappropriate prescribing.
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Steven A. Blackwell, David K. Baugh, Melissa A. Montgomery, Gary M. Ciborowski and Jesse M. Levy
The purpose of this paper is to identify the probability of the occurrence of an analgesic medication injury when controlling for potential risk factors, as well as gain a better…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the probability of the occurrence of an analgesic medication injury when controlling for potential risk factors, as well as gain a better understanding of which risk factors appear more problematic.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross‐sectional retrospective review of 2004 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service Medicaid Pharmacy claims data. Logistic regression analysis performed to examine the risk of injury‐related emergency room (ER) visits following the use of analgesics controlling for potential risk factors.
Findings
Methadone, an agent to treat severe pain, and propoxyphene, an agent to treat non‐severe pain, are problematic opioids in the elderly. White origin, male gender, and increased disease burden are potential risk factors influencing injury‐related ER visits for elderly analgesic recipients. Increased age in the elderly is a potential risk factor for severe pain analgesics; decreased age for non‐severe pain analgesics.
Research limitations/implications
The study uses administrative data which, by its nature, makes conducting outcomes research on inappropriate medication use problematic. A number of confounders are present.
Practical implications
Appropriate drug therapy in an elderly patient is complicated by age‐related changes in pharmacokinetics as well as chronic disorders that affect drug response. Knowing of additional risk factors that may place the patient at greater odds of having an adverse outcome should improve prescribing practices.
Originality/value
The findings add to the literature by identifying problematic risk factors associated with injury among elderly recipients of analgesics.
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Cameron C. Beatty and Amber Manning-Ouellette
Pre COVID-19 there were a growing number of opportunities for study abroad across higher education in the United States, (Rosch & Haber-Curran, 2013; Martinez, 2012). This paper…
Abstract
Pre COVID-19 there were a growing number of opportunities for study abroad across higher education in the United States, (Rosch & Haber-Curran, 2013; Martinez, 2012). This paper aims to examine phenomena surrounding outcomes of student abroad experiences while centering students’ leadership learning. Centering leadership learning as a framework, findings indicate participants in the study grew in the of areas of leadership efficacy and capacity through the short-term study abroad.
Lois M. Christensen and Melissa G. Whetstone
Although the civil rights movement in the United States occurred more than 50 years ago, voter suppression, as witnessed in the 2012 election, for diverse groups of people…
Abstract
Although the civil rights movement in the United States occurred more than 50 years ago, voter suppression, as witnessed in the 2012 election, for diverse groups of people continues. The information presented in this article supports the teaching and learning of social studies within early childhood and elementary grades as teachers and students consider and examine issues and problems concerning those who have been disenfranchised as voters within the United States. The use of historic role models, artwork, musical lyrics, and primary documents are various ways to assist young learners as they analyze and confront controversial issues such as discrimination within a pluralistic society. Through research, young learners can construct narratives from the present to make meaning from historical figures, events, and places of the past. Children’s understandings of historical people and events that took action against discriminatory practices and opportunities to expand learning about the topic may enable them to take the lead to make our democracy a reality for life, liberty and happiness.
Melissa Intindola and Laurel Ofstein
The purpose of this paper is to explore bricolage as the missing link in understanding how cross-sector social partnerships form and operate in response to grand challenges. It is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore bricolage as the missing link in understanding how cross-sector social partnerships form and operate in response to grand challenges. It is proposed that the weaving together of resources employed by members of cross-sector social partnerships (CSSPs) is bricolage in action and can be linked to Gray's (1985) facilitating conditions for collaboration. While existing research examines bricolage primarily at the individual level, this research studies collective bricolage, as implemented by a cross-sector social partnership in its process to address a grand challenge.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors follow the evolution of a Midwestern initiative aimed at the grand challenge of generational poverty. The deductive case study approach identifies the mechanisms of bricolage being employed in the initiative's evolution and ties these to Gray's (1985) seminal paper on interorganizational collaboration.
Findings
This case study has implications for academics conceptually struggling to understand grand challenges and the role of entrepreneurial initiatives in the public and nonprofit sectors, as well as practitioners currently involved in collaborative efforts to address said challenges.
Originality/value
This study enriches the discussion and enhances the link between the CSSP literature and new notions of social entrepreneurship that embrace the collective as their unit of analysis. This is the first work of its kind to link bricolage to a nascent CSSP and demonstrate how the entrepreneurial concept of bricolage is an inherent part of CSSP formation and operation.
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Juliet Kerico Gray, Melissa Burel, Marlee Graser and Karen Gallacci
The purpose of this paper is to review a selection of articles and books that highlight aspects of spatial theory and literacy from various disciplinary perspectives, along with a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review a selection of articles and books that highlight aspects of spatial theory and literacy from various disciplinary perspectives, along with a review of library space studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviews library literature that uses spatial literacy and its related tools. The authors searched in two databases: Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, and SCOPUS. The paper records were analyzed to find primary research studies, published between 2010 and 2017, which study patron use of library space using various single and hybrid methodologies.
Findings
The findings of the literature reveal that of the 26 studies reviewed, 23 have a descriptive research question and three have a relational research question. Based on the analysis of the research methodologies used, there is more that can be done in support of a librarian’s research efforts as well as the arenas in which research is conducted.
Practical implications
These findings highlight ways in which library and information science researchers and those who educate them can broaden knowledge within the profession regarding spatial theory, literacy and applicable research methodologies for studying library space.
Originality/value
Current and best practices for designing library space studies that use spatial literacy to collect and analyze data are identified along with a discussion of future directions for researchers to better assess space and communicate the value of physical space in libraries.
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Yixuan Li, Scott L. Zeger, Angelo Elmi, Marcee E. Wilder and Melissa L. McCarthy
Few have studied the relationship between employment and health in the Medicaid population. The purpose of this study is to estimate the impact of job loss on the mental health of…
Abstract
Purpose
Few have studied the relationship between employment and health in the Medicaid population. The purpose of this study is to estimate the impact of job loss on the mental health of working Medicaid beneficiaries.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a post hoc analysis of 1,538 adult Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in a prospective cohort study. The authors matched participants who lost their job to participants who remained employed based on demographics, illness severity and social determinants of health. The authors estimated the effect of job loss on the odds of a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety and self-reported mental health during a one-year follow-up period, stratified by prior history of depression and/or anxiety as documented in the Medicaid claims.
Findings
Among participants with no preexisting depression or anxiety, the incidence of depression or anxiety was 17% versus 7% (aOR = 2.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.88 to 4.34) between those who lost versus kept their job, respectively, and the mean difference in self-reported mental health was −4.3 (95% CI: −6.02 to −2.58). Self-reported mental health was also poorer between those who lost versus kept their job among participants with preexisting depression and/or anxiety (x = −4.78 (95% CI: −8.90 to −0.66).
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of this study are as follows: we may not have matched on all factors that influence retaining a job; we do not distinguish between involuntary and voluntary job loss; generalizability is limited; and employment information is based on self-report.
Practical implications
Our society should invest more resources into supporting low-wage workers such as Medicaid beneficiaries.
Social implications
Active labor policies that connect people to jobs, help them retain their job and support skills training to secure a better quality job, could reduce health disparities in the Medicaid population.
Originality/value
Use of both claims and self-reported mental health information to evaluate the impact of job loss on working Medicaid beneficiaries.
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Brian Mayer, Sabrina Helm, Melissa Barnett and Mona Arora
Essential frontline workers in the retail sector face increased exposure risks to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to frequent interactions with the general public. Often…
Abstract
Purpose
Essential frontline workers in the retail sector face increased exposure risks to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to frequent interactions with the general public. Often these interactions are fraught with controversies over public safety protocols. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of frontline workers' perceptions of workplace safety and customer misbehaviors on their stress and psychological distress to inform managing workplace health and safety during public health crises.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an online survey of 3,344 supermarket workers in the state of Arizona (US) during the state's first COVID-19 pandemic wave in July 2020. Measures included mental health distress, and perceptions of workplace safety and customer behaviors. The authors utilized a mixed-methods approach combining multiple regression analyses with qualitative analyses of open-ended comments.
Findings
Workers reported high rates of stress and psychological distress. Increases in mental health morbidity were correlated with perceptions of being unsafe in the workplace and concerns about negative customer encounters. Qualitative analyses reveal frustration with management's efforts to reduce risks intertwined with feelings of being unsafe and vulnerable to threatening customer encounters.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the need to provide and enforce clear safety guidelines, including how to manage potential hostile customer interactions, to promote positive health workplace management during a pandemic.
Originality/value
This study is among the first to assess the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the mental health of non-health care frontline essential workers and presents novel insights regarding perceived customer misbehavior and need for management support and guidance in a public health crisis.
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