Objectives. To describe the sociodemographic differences among Mexican American children (first, second, and third generation), non-Hispanic black children, and non-Hispanic white children; to compare the health status and health care needs of Mexican American children (first, second, and third generation) with those of non-Hispanic black children and non-Hispanic white children; and to determine whether first-generation Mexican American children have poorer health care access and utilization than do non-Hispanic white children, after controlling for health insurance status and socioeconomic status. Methods. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to create a sample of 4372 Mexican American children (divided into 3 generational groups), 4138 non-Hispanic black children, and 4594 non-Hispanic white children, 2 months to 16 years of age. We compared parent/caregiver reports of health status and needs (perceived health of the child and reported illnesses), health care access (usual source of health care and specific provider), and health care utilization (contact with a physician within the past year, use of prescription medications, physician visit because of earache/infection, and hearing and vision screenings) for different subgroups within the sample. Results. More than two thirds of first-generation Mexican American children were poor and uninsured and had parents with low educational attainment. More than one fourth of first-generation children were perceived as having poor or fair health, despite experiencing similar or better rates of illnesses, compared with other children. Almost one half of first-generation Mexican American children had not seen a doctor in the past year, compared with one fourth or less for other groups. Health care needs among first-generation Mexican American children were lower, on the basis of reported illnesses, but perceived health status was worse than for all other groups. After controlling for health insurance coverage and socioeconomic status, first-generation Mexican American children and non-Hispanic black children were less likely than non-Hispanic white children to have a usual source of care, to have a specific provider, or to have seen or talked with a physician in the past year. Conclusions. Of the 3 groups of children, Mexican American children had the least health care access and utilization, even after controlling for socioeconomic status and health insurance status. Our findings showed that Mexican American children had much lower levels of access and utilization than previously reported for Hispanic children on the whole. As a subgroup, first-generation Mexican American children fared substantially worse than second- or third-generation children. The discrepancy between poor perceived health status and lower rates of reported illnesses in the first-generation group leads to questions regarding generalized application of the “epidemiologic paradox.” Given the overall growth of the Hispanic population in the United States and the relative growth of individual immigrant subgroups, the identification of subgroups in need is essential for the development of effective research and policy. Furthermore, taking generational status into account is likely to be revealing with respect to disparities in access to and utilization of pediatric services.

This study presents a conceptual model to investigate the electronic health (E-Health) capability required by healthcare professionals. First, a scale to measure E-Health capability was developed and validated, then it was used to collect the survey data. Second, the partial least squares (PLS) method was used to empirically test the conceptual model and hypotheses through the survey data collected. The empirical results support the proposed structure for E-Health capability encompassing the three skills/knowledge domains: IT governance capability, practice management capability, and business model innovativeness. The findings improve our understanding of the concept of E-Health capability. The conceptual model of E-Health capability is of particular value to those concerned with skills/knowledge training and competency development for healthcare professionals in healthcare organizations. Healthcare organizations can develop E-Health capability profiles for individual healthcare professionals in accordance with their own organization contexts.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-202). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2006. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-202).

Radiography is a constantly changing environment that is continuously evolving with new technology and new techniques on how to image human anatomy. This has led to cheaper and easier ways of imaging that present an opportunity for radiographers to practice independently from radiologists. The increase in the number of radiographers going into private practice since 2006 has led to a number of private radiography practices failing due to competition and other management and financial factors. This study seeks to provide insight into the changing environment of private radiographic practice and the level of success it can bring to radiographers. This will enable radiographers to better determine their personal and professional development needs, which will effectively improve their ability to manage and sustain private radiographic practices. This approach stems from the researcher’s belief that with the right skill and knowledge radiographers can run successful private practices and in so doing be able to empower others to do the same. The researcher has chosen to carry out a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design in order to explore and describe the detailed recommendations and views of private radiographic practice owners and how they manage their practices. The chosen method of data collection for this study is individual one-on-one interviews supported by a literature control. The one-on-one interview was used to collect the data from participants who meet the inclusion criteria. The researcher purposively selected participants to ensure that their ideas and opinions will benefit the study. The chosen method of data analysis is Tesch’s data analysis approach as it follows the qualitative way of data analysis which occurs in three phases: description, analysis, and interpretation. This research made use of Guba’s trustworthiness model to establish the validity and reliability of the qualitative research. The four criteria in this model for trustworthiness are truth-value by using the qualitative approach of credibility; applicability determined by using transferability; consistency determined by using the qualitative approach of dependability and, finally, neutrality determined by the qualitative approach to confirmability. The following six (6) ethical principles were followed to ensure no harm came to the participants: beneficence and non-maleficence, autonomy, justice, veracity, confidentiality and privacy. On completion of the study, the researcher made recommendations based on the findings for inclusion in basic radiographic training and continuous professional development. These recommendations are: Complete reviewing of the management training syllabus in radiography education. Compilation of literature that deals with private practice radiography. Inclusion of private practice radiographers in radiography societies. Further research into the subject of private practice radiography. This will allow for the knowledge contained in the study to be accessible to those who need it. It is also important to note that a study of this nature has never been conducted and therefore sharing of this information will allow for radiographers to know and understand what sustaining a private radiographic practice involves. The findings will be disseminated in seminars, conferences and publications.

No description available.

Following completion of residency, orthodontists become businessmen. In such venture, their degree of financial success is defined by the level of income production. It also affects the degree of satisfaction with their career. This study explores the influencers of income production in orthodontic practices. Specifically, it explores if matriculating in a Graduate School-listed practice management course in residency, affected their financial success. We posit, conceptual understanding of elements of success in the course yields increased earning potential in the life of an orthodontist. The objective of this study was to explore if structured business management course that includes a syllabus and multiple lectures during residency would allow orthodontists to achieve financial success quicker than those who received only anecdotal advice. Our findings might be expected to influence the orthodontic curricula. A survey instrument of 19 questions, consisting of multiple-choice questions and visual analog scales, was designed and entered into SurveyMonkey. American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Partners in Research Program administered the data collection to assess how comfortable and competent orthodontists were in managing their business in the first 3-years of practice. AAO Partners in Research identified 704 orthodontists who fit the inclusion criteria. They were contacted by email with the designed survey instrument. After initial distribution, another reminder email was sent to increase the response rate. For statistical analysis, Mann-Whitney analysis, Kruskal-Wallis Test followed by Post Hoc pairwise comparison, and multiple regression analyses were performed to identify any differences between those who received structured business management course and those who did not in their financial success following residency. Out of 704 orthodontists who received the survey, 142 responded (20% response rate). The results suggest that there is no significant difference in the amount of income production in the 3rd year after graduation regardless of whether one had the practice management course in his or her residency or not (p=0.979; sig. p<0.05). In addition, the length of time it takes for the orthodontists to feel satisfied with their income since graduation and access to business education during residency had an asymptotic significance value of 0.170, which suggests that the differences were statistically insignificant. However, there is a significant correlation between receiving help and income production as those who had assistance, specifically from family members, earned more at their 3rd year of practice than those who did not (p=0.009; sig. p<0.05). Moreover, although taking practice management course during residency did not make significant differences in their income production at their 3rd year of practice, those who had taken the course felt much more comfortable with practice management topics than those who did not (p=0.000-0.004; sig. p<0.05). With these results, graduate school registered practice management course is not a necessity during residency in helping graduating orthodontists to achieve financial success more quickly. Nonetheless, knowledge from the course and support from their family members certainly aid the newly graduates to feel more confident towards managing their offices in the early years of their practice. / Oral Biology

Diss. Linköping : Univ., 2004.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.