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Biomedical subjects

Deborah C Messecar

Publications and source records attributed to Deborah C Messecar.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Reading statistics in nursing research: a self-study CD-ROM module.

A statistics CD-ROM tutorial program was developed to replace a classroom course with several self-study modules. For the CD-ROM delivery method, students were asked to complete a Likert-type questionnaire with response options similar to those used for end-of-course evaluations at the nursing school. Ratings ranged from 1 to 5, with 1 equaling outstanding and 5 equaling completely unsatisfactory. Ratings for the CD-ROM were compared with those of a Web-based course taught the prior year. Mean satisfaction ratings of Web-based delivery of content was low due to technical problems with the Internet courseware used. Overall satisfaction with the CD-ROM for students who used all the components was improved substantially, compared to the Web-based delivery method.

CD-ROM↗

Home environmental modification strategies used by caregivers of elders.

Although several definitions and categorizations of home environmental modification strategies exist, previous researchers have not addressed whether the conceptualizations developed by clinicians and researchers match the way families think about how they modify the home environment in order to provide care to frail elders. The aim of the analysis reported here was to describe, from the family's perspective, the home environmental modification strategies that they use. Twenty-four caregivers of community-dwelling elders with a variety of impairments were interviewed. Seventeen families provided guided tours of the elder's home and allowed selected observation of some caregiving activities. Forty-four modification strategies were identified and categorized into one of seven home environmental modification purposes: organizing the home, supplementing the elder's function, structuring the elder's day, protecting the elder, working around limitations or deficits in the home environment, enriching the home environment, and transitioning to a new home setting. More research is needed on the processes families use to generate and refine the home environmental modification strategies identified in this study.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Feasibility of a virtual health and wellness center for the Oregon Air National Guard.

A cross-sectional survey of members was used to examine the feasibility of developing a virtual health and wellness center in the Oregon Air National Guard. The survey asked about the health behaviors members wanted to change and explored their current access to, and potential use of, the Internet to make these changes. Surveys were mailed to 1,368 members, and 521 (38%) were returned. Most respondents (92.5%) had contemplated making one or more health behavior changes in the past year, which included becoming more physically active (94.6%), improving eating habits (86%), losing weight (81%), improving stress management (62%), and reducing tobacco use (46%). Popular sources of health behavior change information used included reading material (95.5%) and the Internet (91.3%). Many respondents had Internet access (82%), and average computer self-efficacy, rated on a scale of 1 to 5, was very high (mean = 4.05, SD = 0.91). Use of the Internet by health professionals to promote health behavior change among Oregon Air National Guard personnel seems feasible and desirable.

Adult↗