Mary Zeni

Important research questions, such as the prevalence of health conditions in specific groups and health disparities, can be addressed through population-based health databases. Government-funded, federal databases can provide nurse researchers with a representative sample for various levels of analyses. Population-based health databases easily accessed from federal government Web sites for analysis are identified and discussed. These databases, such as the National Health Interview Survey and the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, were collected through rigorous probability sampling and data collection methods and can be generalized to the population of the study. The benefits and limitations of analyzing the databases as a research approach are summarized, using examples from the recently released National Survey of Children's Health. Findings from population-based studies provide significant information on health-related indicators and contribute to the development of sound recommendations for health care practice and policy, thereby supporting evidence-based practice. Analyses of population-based databases provide additional opportunities for nurse researchers to contribute to health policy and evidence-based practice within a framework of nursing-health services research.

Vision plays a key role in a child’s development. Early detection and treatment of vision abnormalities decreases future complications. Follow-up vision care is a common problem. Barriers to vision care include financial cost, lack of insurance knowledge to cover costs, and disbelief of vision results. The purpose of this evidence-based pilot project was to improve the rate of follow-up vision care obtained by school-aged children. The target population was school-aged children from kindergarten to fifth grade at an elementary school within Lake County, Ohio. The vision referral program included phone calls to families to identify and overcome barriers to obtaining vision care. Barriers identified with the target population include disbelief of vision results, lack of knowledge about vision health, and financial cost. Results indicated an increase of vision care rates during the 2017–2018 academic year by 60% above baseline rates from the previous academic year.

Citation: Zeni, N.B. (June 30, 2011) "Legislative: Population-Based Health Dataseis - Part I: An Overview Advocating Evidence-Based Health Policy" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 16 No. 3. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Voll6No03LegCol01 Health agencies within the United States (U.S.) federal government have a strong history of gathering and organizing a wealth of data on a variety of health indicators. The data, collected mainly through survey methods and medical-record reviews, are complied into various dataseis and are usually available free of charge for analysis. These dataseis, commonly referred to as "population-based health databases/ have been used to conduct original research studies within various fields, such as epidemiology, health services research, nursing, sociology, and demography. Research studies conducted with these databases have documented health disparities (Braveman. Cubbin. Egerter. Williams. & Pamuk. 2010: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2005: Powe. Tarver-Carr. Eberhardt. & Brancati. 2003: Scharoun-Lee. Adair. Kaufman. & Gordon-Larsen. 2009) monitored the progress of various health indicators (Bernert et al.. 2010: Dietz. Callaghan. Morrow. & Cogswell. 2006: Jones et al.. 2009); and provided recommendations for health policy IHonberg. McPherson. Strickland. Gage. & Newacheck. 2005: Kogan et a!.. 2010: McPherson et al.. 2004: Ormand. Spillman. Waidmann. Caswell. & Tereschenko. 2011: Parish. Shattuck. & Rose. 2009). Population-based health databases are beneficial not only to nurse researchers, but also to nurses within practice and educational settings who can use health indicators for developing evidence-based interventions and health policy. The purpose of this Legislative Column (Part 1) is to increase understanding of the benefits and limitations of population-based health databases as a possible reference source for developing interventions and health policy. The next Legislative Column. Part 2 will provide an example of how one database, the National Survey of Children's Health, was used to determine prevalence rates of children with a medical home and explore associations between race/ethnicity and medical homes. In this present column I will discuss the benefits and limitations of population-based health databases, describe available resources and considerations in using these resources to answer health-related questions, and present an original research study using the National Survey of Children's Health Database. Benefits and Limitations Two major benefits of using population-based health databases include the ability to generalize findings and the cost effectiveness of using these databases. The term "population-based' usually implies the data were collected through rigorous, probability-sampling methods. Results from probability sampling can be generalized to an entire population. Samples in some databases, such as the National Survey for Children's Health, can be generalized to the population of an individual state. However, the majority of population-based health databases represent a national sample and cannot be generalized to people residing in a state or a smaller area. The major advantage of probability sampling is that this method surpasses a convenience sample or a sample limited to a distinct subset of participants because one can generalize the findings of studies using probability sampling. The second benefit to using databases is related to cost-effectiveness. It would be quite expensive and somewhat prohibitive for a researcher, practitioner, or policy analyst to collect all the data compiled within a health database (Moriartv et al.. 1999I. The collection and organization of data through stringent data collection protocols have already been done by federal government researchers, or their contractors (McArt & McDougal. 2005: Moldanado. . A majority of these released databases are available for anyone to download from government websites and are either free or available for a small fee. …

There is a growing number of children diagnosed and living with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the United States. This increasing incidence and prevalence of ASDs require care coordination within a medical home model, which needs to continue into adulthood. This paper is an evidence review of medical home models for transitioning adolescents living with ASDs from pediatric primary healthcare practices to adult primary care practices. Databases were reviewed and articles selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Nine articles were reviewed and four met criteria. None of the articles addressed medical home models to transition adolescents living with ASDs into adult primary healthcare services. There is a need for nursing to work within an interdisciplinary framework to educate adult healthcare providers on the needs of adolescents living with ASDs and to evaluate medical home transition models for this vulnerable population.

Objective National attention has focused on providing health insurance coverage for children. Less awareness has been given to underinsurance, particularly for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Defined as having inadequate benefits, ...

Important research questions, such as the prevalence of health conditions in specific groups and health disparities, can be addressed through population-based health databases. Government-funded, federal databases can provide nurse researchers with a representative sample for various levels of analyses. Population-based health databases easily accessed from federal government Web sites for analysis are identified and discussed. These databases, such as the National Health Interview Survey and the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, were collected through rigorous probability sampling and data collection methods and can be generalized to the population of the study. The benefits and limitations of analyzing the databases as a research approach are summarized, using examples from the recently released National Survey of Children's Health. Findings from population-based studies provide significant information on health-related indicators and contribute to the development of sound recommendations for health care practice and policy, thereby supporting evidence-based practice. Analyses of population-based databases provide additional opportunities for nurse researchers to contribute to health policy and evidence-based practice within a framework of nursing-health services research.