Over the past 2 years, the eTHRIVE team has had the opportunity to collaborate across many platforms to share the work initiated through this community-academic partnership. With the grant period ending on June 30th, the team had the opportunity to present at two national conferences and one international conference this month. In addition, the team has begun plans to continue the incorporation of public health learning activities within the UT College of Nursing and access to the public health nursing modules to the public through the eTHRIVE website.
The first opportunity to share the work of eTHRIVE this June was at the ACHNE & APHN 2023 Joint Conference – Association of Community Health Nursing Educators in San Diego, California June 5-8, 2023. “Sharing the work of eTHRIVE at the ACHNE & APHN Conference yielded several opportunities for public health professionals and faculty to gain access to the eTHRIVE modules and innovative work that has been accomplished over the past two years. Attendees were very receptive to the use of a site-based telehealth model, utilizing the public health nursing modules in their curriculum and public health organizations, and finding innovative solutions to public health clinical opportunities in the nursing curriculum,” said Meghan Parson, eTHRIVE project manager.
The second opportunity was at the INACSL Conference in Providence, Rhode Island June 14-17, 2023. Susan Hebert and Ricco Summeour from the eTHRIVE Technology and Simulation leaders presented, “Opening the Digital Front Door for Greater Health Equity and Access to Care.” Ricco Summeour stated, “…the INACSL23 Conference was a great and new experience. It allowed me the opportunity to speak with many healthcare professionals about how we were able to improve access to care through Telehealth. The conference allowed me the platform to present this amazing collaboration from two impactful organizations, the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corp., and the University Tennessee Knoxville College of Nursing that brought forth an innovative ideal that will help thousands with the potential of hundreds of thousands through Telehealth. I have attended several conferences prior to the INACSL23 Conference; however, it amazed me seeing the multitude of healthcare professionals from different paths of nursing attending the conference. The honor of having the opportunity to speak with them about the innovative way technology through Telehealth can be used to help people was not lost on me. I have a servant’s hearts and meeting other heart servants excited to take this collaborative idea back to their respective places was humbling. A host of attendees took the literature that accompanied the poster with the intention of using this idea in a way that can help their communities.”
The final June opportunity was through an international platform at the Neuman Systems Model Symposium in the Netherlands. This opportunity was initiated by Dr. DeLyndia Green-Laughlin, a trustee of the Neuman Systems Model and subject matter expert for the content in the eTHRIVE Hypertension and Diabetes: The Importance of Social Assessment. Dr. Green-Laughlin shared about the eTHRIVE grant highlighting the innovative incorporation of theory into practice through the public health modules. Dr. Green-Laughlin stated, “The Neuman Systems Model (NSM) was the Conceptual Theoretical Framework used as the lens to assess the individual in a patient assessment in the student/professional modules of the eTHRIVE project. The NSM is applicable to individuals, communities, groups, and it can also be defined as a social issue (Neuman and Fawcett, 2011). Social determinants of health impact individuals, groups, and communities which increases the risk for poor health outcomes and very often early mortality rates for marginalized groups. We must get to the root cause of the issue by approaching our assessment by looking at the spiritual, developmental, psychological, sociocultural, – and not only the physiological variable that usually is the outcome of those variables not addressed. Within the NSM prevention is intervention; however, we must ask the right questions to elicit from the client/group their perception of what Dr. Neuman (2011) describes as the created environment particularly those variables of psychological and sociocultural as it relates to their perception of their health and wellness. As a result, this will empower nurses and other members of the integrated healthcare team to keep our assessments and interventions patient-centered so that we can work towards optimal outcomes for all members of society. The use of the model was presented at the 19th International Biennial Neuman Systems Model Symposium Friday, June 23, 2023, held in Utrecht, The Netherlands and online. This was an amazing and rewarding opportunity to present the use of the model for the eTHRIVE project –Empowering and Transforming public nursing education and practice for Rural underserved areas to Improve care using Virtual-based simulation and Experiential strategies. This project was timely since these modules were available during the COVID-19 lockdown. Being consulted to work on this was an honor.”
Neuman, B., & Fawcett, J. (2011). The Neuman systems model (5th ed.).
Upper Saddle River