Maternal and Child Health Library
This and past issues of the MCH Alert are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/archives.html.
November 22, 2006
1. New Edition of Adolescent Violence Prevention
Knowledge Path Available
2. Three New Programs Proven to Improve Behavioral and
Mental Health Outcomes for Children and Adolescents
3. GAO Report Documents Abstinence-Education Assessment
Efforts
4. Article Looks at Primary Care in Seven Countries
************************************************************
REMINDER: MCH ALERT READER FEEDBACK FORM 2006
Thanks to all who have completed the MCH Alert Reader Feedback Form.
Your feedback is vital to help us assess and improve the MCH Alert.
If you have not yet responded, please take a few moments to complete
the questions and submit your comments. You will find the Reader
Feedback Form online at
http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/feedback.html
We thank you for your time and for helping make the MCH Alert a success!
************************************************************
1. NEW EDITION OF ADOLESCENT VIOLENCE PREVENTION KNOWLEDGE PATH
AVAILABLE
The new edition of Knowledge Path: Adolescent Violence Prevention is an
electronic guide to selected resources from the public health, medical,
criminal justice, education, and social services literature that
measure, document, and monitor adolescent violence; identify risk and
protective factors; and report on promising intervention strategies.
The knowledge path, produced by the MCH Library, includes separate
sections of resources on specific aspects of adolescent violence such
as bullying, firearms, gangs, media violence, school violence, and
violent-crime victimization. The knowledge path is intended for use by
health professionals, policymakers, educators, community activists, and
families who are interested in obtaining timely information on this
topic. The knowledge path is available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/kp_adolvio.html.
MCH Library knowledge paths on other maternal and child health topics
are available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/index.html.
The MCH Library welcomes feedback on the usefulness and value of these
knowledge paths. A feedback form is available at http://www.mchlibrary.info/KnowledgePaths/feedback.html.
************************************************************
2. THREE NEW PROGRAMS PROVEN TO IMPROVE BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Three new program summaries that focus on child and adolescent behavior
and mental health were recently added to RAND's Promising Practices
Network Web site:
The Social Decision Making/Problem Solving program helps children and
adolescents in grades K-8 acquire social and decision-making skills and
apply them to real situations. The program seeks to develop children's
and adolescents' self-esteem, self-control, and social-awareness
skills, as well as skills for coping with stress and emotions.
Evaluation results show that participants experienced improved
socialization and also had better emotional and behavioral
self-control, even when exposed to distressing situations. More
information is available at http://www.promisingpractices.net/program.asp?programid=154.
The Coping Cat program is a cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention
that helps children and adolescents ages 8-17 recognize and analyze
anxious feelings and develop strategies to cope with anxiety-provoking
situations. The program uses several behavioral training strategies,
including cognitive restructuring, simulation, real-life exposure, and
relaxation training. Participants reported improved coping skills and
reductions in anxiety, fear, and depression. Parents also reported
improved behavioral, social, and health outcomes for their children.
More information is available at http://www.promisingpractices.net/program.asp?programid=153.
The Reaching Educators, Children, and Parents program is a
comprehensive school-based skills-training program designed for young
children who experience both internalizing problem behaviors
(withdrawn, anxious, and depressed behaviors) and externalizing problem
behaviors (aggressive, oppositional, and impulsive behaviors). The
program's primary goals are to reduce psychological problems and to
prevent more serious problems among children who are not receiving
formal mental health services. Results show that participants generally
experienced decreases in both internalizing and externalizing problem
behaviors, although results varied depending on who reported the
behaviors: parent, teacher, peer, or the participating child. More
information is available at http://www.promisingpractices.net/program.asp?programid=155.
************************************************************
3. GAO REPORT DOCUMENTS ABSTINENCE-EDUCATION ASSESSMENT EFFORTS
Abstinence Education: Efforts to Assess the Accuracy and Effectiveness
of Federally Funded Programs describes the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services' (DHHS') efforts to assess the scientific accuracy
of materials used in abstinence-until-marriage education programs and
the efforts of DHHS, states, and researchers to assess the
effectiveness of such programs. The report, produced by the Government
Accountability Office, presents results in brief and background
information. Discussion topics include limitations of federal and state
efforts to assess the scientific accuracy of materials used in
abstinence-until-marriage education programs, limits to the conclusions
drawn from efforts to assess the programs' effectiveness, conclusions,
recommendations for executive action, agency comments, and evaluation.
A description of how DHHS selected a contractor for the
abstinence-until-marriage technical assistance contract, which was
awarded in September 2002, is included. The report is available at
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0787.pdf.
************************************************************
4. ARTICLE LOOKS AT PRIMARY CARE IN SEVEN COUNTRIES
"Results from the seven-country survey depict a time of extensive
global experimentation in primary care redesign," state the authors of
an article published as a Health Affairs Web Exclusive on November 2,
2006. Even in the United States, with its highly specialized physician
work force, primary care physicians account for the majority of visits
for common conditions and are the physicians individuals name when
asked if they have a regular source of care. This article discusses the
2006 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Primary
Care Physicians, which interviewed physicians in seven countries:
Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. The survey focused on information
technology (IT) and clinical record systems, care coordination, use of
teams, participation in quality incentives, and financial incentives.
The survey consisted of interviews with representative samples of
primary care physicians in seven countries using a common questionnaire.
The authors found that
- Primary care physicians in Australia, the Netherlands, New
Zealand, and the United Kingdom have the most widespread and
multifunctional systems; Canada and U.S. physicians lag well behind.
German rates tend to be in the mid-range.
- More than one-third of physicians in all countries except Germany
said that their clients sometimes or often experience coordination
problems (e.g., care was not well coordinated across multiple sites or
providers, medical records were not available at the time of a
scheduled visit, tests or procedures had to be repeated because
findings were unavailable).
- A high proportion of physicians in all countries except Germany
said that they are less than well prepared to care for clients with
multiple conditions. Concerns are particularly acute in Canada.
- Physicians in Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands are most
likely to offer early morning office hours and some hours beyond the
typical work day. In the other four countries, fewer than half of the
physicians reported early morning, evening, or weekend office hours.
One-third or more of U.S., New Zealand, and U.K. physicians reported no
office hours during these times.
- All seven countries have initiatives to engage physicians in
collaborative efforts to learn and innovate, benchmark clinical
performance, set targets for improvement, and provide incentives to
improve care and manage chronic conditions.
- In each country, the question of how to pay for care and to
reward and support improved performance has been central to policy
discussions.
The authors conclude that "as the United States confronts how to
redesign incentives to improve access, quality, and efficiency amid a
more fragmented payer system, it has an opportunity to learn from the
diverse approaches in countries that are implementing systemwide
initiatives." The authors continue, "cohesive, broad-based policy
changes in the United States could lead to improved absolute and
relative performance."
Schoen S, Osborn R, Huynh PT, et al. 2007. On the front lines of care:
Primary care doctors' office systems, experiences, and views in seven
countries. Health Affairs 25(6):w555-w571. Available at http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/hlthaff.25.w555.
************************************************************
To subscribe to MCH Alert, send an e-mail message to
MCHAlert-request@list.ncemch.org
with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
You do not need to enter any text in the body of the message.
To unsubscribe from MCH Alert, send an e-mail message to
MCHAlert-request@list.ncemch.org
with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
You do not need to enter any text in the body of the message.
************************************************************
MCH Alert © 1998-2006 by National Center for Education in Maternal
and
Child Health and Georgetown University. MCH Alert is produced by
Maternal and Child Health Library at the National Center for Education
in Maternal and Child Health under its cooperative agreement
(U02MC00001) with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health
Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. The Maternal and Child Health Bureau reserves a
royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to use the work for
federal purposes and to authorize others to use the work for federal
purposes.
Permission is given to forward MCH Alert, in its entirety, to others.
For
all other uses, requests for permission to duplicate and use all or
part of the information contained in this publication should be sent to
mchalert@ncemch.org.
The editors welcome your submissions, suggestions, and questions.
Please contact us at the address below.
MANAGING EDITOR: Jolene Bertness
CO-EDITOR: Tracy Lopez
COPYEDITOR/WRITER: Ruth Barzel
LIST ADMINISTRATOR: Beth DeFrancis Sun
MCH Alert
Maternal and Child Health Library
Georgetown University
Box 571272
Washington, DC 20057-1272
Phone: (202) 784-9770
Fax: (202) 784-9777
E-mail: mchalert@ncemch.org
Web site: http://www.mchlibrary.info/alert/default.html
************************************************************