Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-64).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Syracuse University, 2009 . / "Publication number: AAT 3381571."

Thesis (MMed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Health service organizations are increasingly required to deliver quality healthcare services without increasing costs. The adoption of health information technologies can assist these organizations to deliver a quality service; however, this again exposes the health information to threats. The protection of personal health information is critical to ensure the privacy of patients in the care of health service organizations. Therefore both quality and information security are of importance in healthcare. Organisations commonly use management system standards to assist them to improve a particular function (e.g. quality or security) through structured organizational processes to establish, maintain and optimise a management system for the particular function. In the healthcare sector, the ISO 9001, ISO 9004 and IWA 1 standards may be used for the purpose of improving quality management through the establishment of a quality management system. Similarly, the ISO 27001 and ISO 27799 standards may be used to improve information security management through the establishment of an information security management system. However, the concurrent implementation of multiple standards brings confusion and complexity within organisations. A possible solution to the confusion is to introduce an integrated management system that addresses the requirements of multiple management systems. In this research, various standards relevant to the establishment of management systems for quality and security are studied. Additionally, literature on integrated management systems is reviewed to determine a possible approach to establishing an IMS for quality and information security in healthcare. It will be shown that the quality management and information security management standards contain commonalities that an integration approach can be based on. A detailed investigation of these commonalities is done in order to present the final proposal of the IMSQS, the Integrated Management System for Quality and Information Security in healthcare.

Health service organizations are increasingly required to deliver quality healthcare services without increasing costs. The adoption of health information technologies can assist these organizations to deliver a quality service; however, this again exposes the health information to threats. The protection of personal health information is critical to ensure the privacy of patients in the care of health service organizations. Therefore both quality and information security are of importance in healthcare. Organisations commonly use management system standards to assist them to improve a particular function (e.g. quality or security) through structured organizational processes to establish, maintain and optimise a management system for the particular function. In the healthcare sector, the ISO 9001, ISO 9004 and IWA 1 standards may be used for the purpose of improving quality management through the establishment of a quality management system. Similarly, the ISO 27001 and ISO 27799 standards may be used to improve information security management through the establishment of an information security management system. However, the concurrent implementation of multiple standards brings confusion and complexity within organisations. A possible solution to the confusion is to introduce an integrated management system that addresses the requirements of multiple management systems. In this research, various standards relevant to the establishment of management systems for quality and security are studied. Additionally, literature on integrated management systems is reviewed to determine a possible approach to establishing an IMS for quality and information security in healthcare. It will be shown that the quality management and information security management standards contain commonalities that an integration approach can be based on. A detailed investigation of these commonalities is done in order to present the final proposal of the IMSQS, the Integrated Management System for Quality and Information Security in healthcare.

ABSTRACT Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited blood disorders in which the hemoglobin of the red blood cells is abnormal, cause the shape of the cell to be sickle, and cause severe pain. The purposes of this study were to discover if music therapy could decrease pain, anxiety, and heart rate, while increasing mood and oxygen saturation. Hospital inpatients (N=30) between the ages of four to fourteen participated in a two day randomized control study. Participants were either randomized into the experimental portion of the study and received a thirty minute music therapy session (N=15), or in the portion with no intervention (N=15). A pre and post-test was administered on each day for both groups patients were asked about their pain, anxiety and mood, and the heart rate and oxygen saturation were taken down. An exit survey was given to those in the experimental group. Results indicated that the music therapy session did have a statistically significant decrease on heart rate (p=.024) and increase in oxygen saturation (p=.048) from pre-to post-session on both days. No other significant differences were found. Implications for future research studies and clinical practice are examined. / A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music. / Summer Semester 2015. / May 14, 2015. / Music Therapy, Pediatrics, Sickle Cell Disease / Includes bibliographical references. / Jayne M. Standley, Professor Directing Thesis; Clifford Madsen, Committee Member; Diane Gregory, Committee Member.

The epidemiologic transition has shifted major causes of mortality from infectious disease to chronic disease; however, infectious diseases are again re-emerging as a major global concern (Diamond, 1997; Karlen, 1995; McNeil, 1976). This research aimed to identify potential areas of infectious disease influence that are not health-related in order to help governments and policymakers establish new policies, correct current policies, or further address these issues in order to effectively prevent and combat infectious disease. This study employed a retrospective, cross-sectional, non-experimental design via structural equation modeling (SEM) and examined tuberculosis incidence rates at the country-level. Secondary data from open-source, international databases like World Bank's World Development Indicators, World Governance Indicators, and World Health Organization for the year 2014 was utilized. Results revealed that the latent constructs of political stability, health system indicators, and detection policies directly affected tuberculosis incidence rates; they also exhibited an indirect effect due to covariation. Economic stability did not direct affect tuberculosis incidence, but it indirectly influenced incidence through the covariation of political stability, health system indicators, and detection policies. As a country's political stability increased, tuberculosis incidence decreased. As positive health system indicators increased, tuberculosis incidence decreased. Countries with more Xpert detection policies in place experienced an apparent increase in tuberculosis incidence.

A significant concern in healthcare is that of patient privacy and how organizations protect against unauthorized access to protected health information. The federal government has responded by instituting policies and guidelines on requirements for protection. However, the policy language leaves areas open to interpretation by those following the guidelines. Reporting to the Office for Civil Rights and/or the patient can open an organization to risk of financial and possible criminal penalties. There is a risk of harm to their reputation which could impact patient visits and market share. Therefore, Privacy Officers might view risk in different ways and therefore handle breach reporting differently. Privacy Officers are responsible for determining an individual organization's breach reportability status. Their processes may vary dependent on their knowledge of the policy, the status of previous reported breaches, and their framing of an incident. This research aims to explore the following factors: (1) personal and organizational knowledge, (2) prior breach status, (3) and scenario framing, to explore if Prospect Theory is applicable to the choices a Privacy Officer makes regarding breach determination. The study uses primary data collection through a survey that includes loss and gain scenarios in accordance with Prospect Theory. Individuals listed as Privacy Officers within the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) were the target audience for the survey. Univariate, Bivariate, Multivariate, and Post Regression techniques were used to analyze the data collected. The findings of the study supported the theoretical framework and provided industry and public affairs implications. These findings show that there is a gap where Privacy Officers have to make their own decisions and there is a difference in the types of decisions they are making on a day to day basis. Future guidance and policies need to address these gaps and can use the insight provided by this study.

The political focus of equitable health outcomes in the United States have long centered on access to medical care. However, there is compelling evidence that access to medical care is only the bare minimum necessary to achieve health, and the true influence of health insurance on health is still unclear. Widely accepted models of health estimate that less than 20% of health outcomes can be attributed to clinical care, while greater than 50% is related to social and economic determinants of health, with income being the most consistent predictor. As a result, this study investigated whether earned income is related to insurance status on the one hand and self-rated health on the other; whether the association between income and self-rated health is indirectly influenced by the presence of health insurance –namely private health insurance; whether there are differences in self-rated health between the privately insured, the publicly insured, and the uninsured; and if duration of uninsurance was inversely associated with self-rated health. As hypothesized, higher income was associated with having health insurance, and in particular private insurance. Among all included predictor variables, higher income and private insurance are the strongest predictors of higher self-rated health, and lower income and Medicaid were the strongest predictors of lower self-rated health. This study affirms that the health of persons with Medicaid is more similar to persons who are uninsured, and the health of persons with private insurance is more similar to those with Medicare. The association between income and self-rated health is indirectly influenced by health insurance. Age and education exerted the strongest overall influence on self-rated health: older respondents had lower self-rated health, and more educated respondents had higher self-rated health. And as uninsurance duration increased, self-rated health decreased. Additional studies are recommended to improve health insurance policy.