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Purpose: Hispanics residing in rural areas are among those who are least likely to be screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) and more likely to present with late stage CRC than other racial or ethnic groups. We conducted a pilot study utilizing a mixed-method approach to explore perceptions of CRC and CRC screening among Hispanic adults residing in South Texas rural communities and to identify health literacy needs associated with CRC screening uptake. Methods: A convenience sample of 58 participants, aged 35–65, were recruited to complete questionnaires and participate in focus groups, ranging in size from 4 to 13 participants. Six focus groups were conducted across 3 adjacent rural counties. A semi-structured moderator’s guide was designed to elicit discussion about participants’ experiences, knowledge, and perceptions of CRC and CRC screening. Findings: Lack of knowledge of CRC and CRC screening as cancer prevention was a common theme across focus groups. A majority, 59%, reported never been screened. Thirty-nine percent reported they had been screened for colon cancer and 5% reported they did not know if they had been screened. Participants with lower educational levels perceived themselves at high risk for developing CRC polyps, would not want to know if they had CRC, and if they did have CRC, would not want to know until the very end. Limited information about CRC and CRC screening, a lack of specialized providers, limited transportation assistance, and compromised personal privacy in small-town medical facilities were perceived to be barriers to CRC screening. Conclusions: Low screening rates persist among rural Hispanics. Improving CRC screening literacy and addressing factors unique to rural Hispanics may be a beneficial strategy for reducing screening disparities in this at-risk population.

This exploratory study assessed health literacy among urban African-American high school students to improve understanding of the association between adolescent health literacy and asthma.We conducted a secondary data analysis of the control group (n = 181) of the Puff City randomized controlled trial (2006-2010), a web-based intervention to promote asthma management among students, grades 9 through 12. A validated self-report 3-item health literacy screening instrument was completed at final online follow-up survey. Logistic regression was used to explore the association between health literacy, demographic characteristics, quality of life, asthma management, and health care utilization.Multivariate analysis revealed that an overall inadequate health literacy score was associated with students who were more likely to be younger (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.44-0.84), not on Medicaid (OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.17-0.76), have at least one hospitalization (OR 1.29; 95% CI 1.07-1.56); and a lower overall quality of life (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.59-0.95). Those lacking confidence in filling out medical forms, needing help reading hospital materials, and having difficulty understanding written information were more likely to not have a rescue inhaler (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.25-0.94), have one or more emergency visits (OR 1.21 95% CI 1.02-1.43), and one or more hospitalizations (OR 1.19; 95% CI 1.01-1.41), respectively.The findings indicate a significant association between inadequate health literary and suboptimal asthma management. It is important to advance understanding of adolescent health literacy, especially those at-risk, as they assume asthma self-management tasks and move toward independent adult self-care.

This article describes the evaluation of a comprehensive school-based asthma management program in an inner-city, largely African-American school system. All 54 elementary schools (combined enrollment 13,247 students) from a single urban school system participated in this study. Schools were randomly divided between immediate and delayed intervention programs. The intervention consisted of 3 separate educational programs (for school faculty/staff, students with asthma, and peers without asthma) and medical management for the children with asthma (including an Individual Asthma Action Plan, medications, and peakflow meters). Children with asthma were identified using a case detection program and 736 were enrolled into the intervention study. No significant differences were observed in school absences, grade point average, emergency room visits, or hospitalizations between the immediate and delayed intervention groups. Significant increases in knowledge were observed in the immediate intervention group. This study of a school-based asthma management education and medical intervention program did not show any differences between the intervention and control groups on morbidity outcomes. Our experience leads us to believe that such measures are difficult to impact and are not always reliable. Future researchers should be aware of the problems associated with using such measures. In addition, connecting children with a regular source of health care in this population was difficult. More intensive methods of medical management, such as school-based health centers or supervised asthma therapy, might prove more effective in inner-city schools.

This study compared parent and child responses to a symptom questionnaire as a means of determining whether child and parent responses are equally valuable in case-detection procedures. We completed a study validating a multistage case-detection procedure. The case-detection procedure classified students into 3 categories based on their parents' questionnaire responses (probable asthma, possible asthma, and negative for asthma). Those who were classified as possible asthma by questionnaire underwent further testing, including spirometry and exercise challenge. The children with abnormal testing results were considered to have probable asthma. McNemar's test and kappa coefficients were used to examine parent-child agreement. Sensitivity and specificity of the case-detection procedure were compared using either the parent's or the child's responses to the questionnaire. The data indicated moderate agreement between parent and child responses to questions regarding previous diagnosis of asthma and past asthma therapy (p < .001, kappa coefficients of 0.6030 and 0.5966, respectively). Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values in the multistage case-detection procedure were similar when using either parent or child responses to the questionnaire. Among the false negatives, the distribution of asthma severity was consistent whether using child or parent responses. Parent-child agreement did not differ significantly by gender or age of the child or whether the child had a previous diagnosis of asthma. These results suggest that the use of child responses is a viable option for case detection, particularly in identifying those with a previous diagnosis of asthma

direct admission process and increased the frequency of verbal communication between medical providers. Background. Transitions in care are vulnerable times for patients. Standardizing workflows and communication between medical providers is thought to decrease the risk of adverse events. When transferring patients from our hospital to an inpatient hospice facility, our Palliative Care physicians are able to directly admit patients without having a separate hospice admission nurse visit to assess the patient and facilitate the transfer. This can expedite the transfer out of the hospital for patients, but some physicians are less familiar with implementing this process than others, leading to concerns about increased risk of adverse events. Research Objectives. Design and implement a standardized checklist to improve physician comfort with performing direct admissions of patients from our hospital to an inpatient hospice facility and physician communication during the transition of care. Method. We developed a checklist tool for patients being directly admitted to an inpatient hospice facility from our hospital. Preand post-intervention surveys assessed physician comfort with directly admitting patients to the inpatient hospice facility and quantified the number of verbal hand-offs given to the accepting hospice physician. Result. We surveyed seven hospital palliative care physicians. After implementation of the checklist, the mean reported comfort level with completing the direct admission process improved from 3.14 to 4 (Likert Scale, 1-5), the mean number of verbal hand-offs per month increased from 6.33 to 13.5, and the mean number of verbal hand-offs per person per month increased from 1.03 to 2.25. Conclusion. This study suggests that implementation of a standardized tool to facilitate transitions in care between a hospital and an inpatient hospice facility increases physician comfort level with the process and increases the frequency of verbal hand-offs to accepting physicians. Implications for Research, Policy, or Practice. This standardized checklist tool can be adapted for use at other institutions to help improve workflow and communication during transitions of care. We Thought We Had More Time: Exploring Next-of-Kin Accounts of Hospice and Palliative Care Discussions for Veterans Who Died in VA Medical Centers (S766) Beverly Williams, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL. F. Amos Bailey, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham/Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL. Lesa Woodby, PhD MPH, Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL. Angelina Wittich, PhD MPH, Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL. Kathryn Burgio, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL. (All authors listed above had no relevant financial relationships to disclose.)

Result. Two broad thematic categories were identified: what the students learned and what the students experienced. Student writings revealed learning about palliative care (pain management, family meetings, goals of care, patientfamily centered care, timing of palliative care, and delivering bad news); being a doctor (knowledge, communication, presence, empathy, not giving false hope, and person-focused care); the patient (importance of family, the experience of dying, and the uniqueness of each patient); and themselves (need to be non-judgmental, ability to do palliative care, self-limitations, becoming a better physician, and dealing with death). Student reflections centered on encounters with patients and families, internal emotional responses, and self-transformation.