Browsing by Subject "health equity"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Bridging the Humanities and Health Care With Theatre: Theory and Outcomes of a Theatre-Based Model for Enhancing Psychiatric Care via Stigma Reduction
    (APA, 2022-12-22) Wasmuth, Sally; Pritchard, Kevin T.; Belkiewitz , Johnna; Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    Objective: This article describes the rational, methods, implementation, and effectiveness of Identity Development Evolution and Sharing (IDEAS), an evidence-supported, narrative theater-based training that reduces stigma among health care providers to increase health care equity in psychiatric rehabilitation. Method: The IDEAS model has been used to reduce provider bias toward patients. From May 2017 to January 2020, we interviewed people from three patient groups who have been harmed by stigma, including Black women, transgender, and gender-diverse people, and people with substance use disorders. These interviews informed the creation of three theatrical scripts that were performed by professional actors for audiences of health care providers from January 2020 to May 2022. The performances aimed to raise conscious awareness of implicit provider biases and to provide a reflective opportunity to ameliorate these biases. The purpose of IDEAS is to improve experiences in health care settings such as psychiatric rehabilitation of patients from groups who have been harmed by stigma. We used paired-samples t tests to compare pre/postprovider stigma, measured via the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Stigma (AAQ-S). Results: Sociodemographic factors for providers who viewed IDEAS were similar across all three performances. IDEAS significantly decreased AAQ-S scores (t = 11.32, df = 50, M = 13.65, 95% confidence limit: [11.32, 15.97], p < .0001). Conclusions and implications for practice: IDEAS reduces provider stigma to support positive clinical encounters with diverse patient populations. These findings are relevant for psychiatric rehabilitation settings, which seek to establish positive rapport between providers and patients.
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    A Circle of Friends: Persuasive Tools to Improve Heart Health
    (ACM, 2020-01) Sanders, Jamie; Glenn-Smith, Ina; Purnell, Tanjala S.; Martin-Hammond, Aqueasha; Charleston, Jeanne; Human-Centered Computing, School of Informatics and Computing
    Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide. While CVD risk factors are well-known and many can be changed with diet and exercise, more research is needed to understand how to design effective interventions that help patients reduce CVD risk. In this paper, we present the results of a content analysis of the Health Freedom Circle of Friends (COF) Walking Program, a community-based health program run by a public health non-profit that has been shown to reduce CVD risks. We examine the design to better understand the persuasive tools used as well as parts of the design that might benefit from a technological intervention.
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    Relationship between Pantry Characteristics and Clientele Transportation when Accessing Food Resources in St. Joseph County and Surrounding Areas
    (2023-11-09) Stone, Jackson; Bales, John; Harris, Jonathan; Lassen, David
    Food insecurity affects approximately 13% of the total population in St. Joseph County. To address this need, various food pantries and soup kitchens have been established by local community organizations. The advent of COVID-19, among other economic instabilities, exacerbated many health disparities within our community and further strained many already overstretched local nonprofits. In a survey of 10 local organizations from June to July 2023, we attempt to characterize the experiences and obstacles faced by pantry clients and directors (474 clients and 65 directors surveyed). An unexpected trend appeared as transportation means of clients was gathered: 84% of surveyed clients utilized pantries by car. Furthermore, some pantries were accessed almost exclusively by automobile, while others saw greater traffic from those walking, biking, and bussing. Clearly, means of transportation played a significant role in determining where individuals sought food aid. To explain these observed differences, we evaluate the relationships between transportation and pantry schedule, pantry location relative to bus lines, client choice in food selection, and provision of on-site meals. Our results indicate that the number of adjacent bus lines and distance to the nearest bus stop affect means of transportation to pantries (p<0.001). Furthermore, the presence of on-site meals, operation hours, and service use limits are tied to clients’ transportation method (p<0.001). To ensure equitable access and efficient food distribution, a continued focus on infrastructure and its alignment with pantry accessibility remains a critical aspect to address in the future.
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    Special Section on Inclusive Digital Health: Notable Papers on Addressing Bias, Equity, and Literacy to Strengthen Health Systems
    (Thieme, 2022-12-04) Dixon, Brian E.; Holmes, John H.; Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Objective: To summarize significant research contributions on addressing bias, equity, and literacy in health delivery systems published in 2021. Methods: An extensive search using PubMed and Scopus was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles published in 2021 that examined ways that informatics methods, approaches, and tools could address bias, equity, and literacy in health systems and care delivery processes. The selection process comprised three steps: (1) 15 candidate best papers were first selected by the two section editors; (2) external reviewers from internationally renowned research teams reviewed each candidate best paper; and (3) the final selection of three best papers was conducted by the editorial committee of the Yearbook. Results: Selected best papers represent studies that characterized significant challenges facing biomedical informatics with respect to equity and practices that support equity and literacy in the design of health information systems. Selected papers represent the full spectrum of this year’s yearbook theme. In general, papers identified in the search fell into one of the following categories: (1) descriptive accounts of algorithmic bias in medical software or machine learning approaches; (2) enabling health information systems to appropriately encode for gender identity and sex; (3) approaches to support health literacy among individuals who interact with information systems and mobile applications; and (4) approaches to engage diverse populations in the use of health information systems and the biomedical informatics workforce Conclusions: Although the selected papers are notable, our collective efforts as a biomedical informatics community to address equity, literacy, and bias remain nascent. More work is needed to ensure health information systems are just in their use of advanced computing approaches and all persons have equal access to health care and informatics tools.