Posted on Wed, Dec 28, 2011
For all of the hours that health sciences researchers toil away in the labs, making discoveries that will enhance human health, it would be a waste to have that information be locked away in journals and poster sessions, wouldn't it? This is where health communicators come in - they are the liaison between the lab and the public. It is a health communicator's job to translate scientific discovery into actionable behaviors for the public. One of the most common ways to do this is through health campaigns, which are strategic efforts to influence a population’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors by increasing awareness of health threats or moving audiences to action in support of certain public health practice. Campaigns are launched with the intention of generating specific outcomes and/or effects across a relatively large number of individuals in a specific group (e.g., diabetics, young mothers). These campaigns are usually deployed within a specified period of time using an organized and predetermined set of communication activities, such as public service announcements, pamphlets, or viral videos.
In order to design an effective campaign that will speak to the intended audience in a way that is engaging, compelling, and relevant, campaign designers need to conduct extensive research on the target group prior to completing the campaign plan to understand what is important to the group, how they communicate, and how to best reach them.
Though extensive research and preparation can reduce the likelihood of unintended campaign effects, designers are not always able to anticipate and eliminate certain effects. There are eleven types of unintended effects that can occur through health campaigns:
- obfuscation
- dissonance
- epidemic of apprehension
- culpability
- desensitization
- opportunity cost
- social reproduction
- social norming
- enabling
- system activation
- boomerang (Cho & Salmon, 2007)
Bonus tidbit: the most famous PSA with unintended effects is the Partnership for a Drug-Free America's "This is your brain on drugs" commercial.
The best defense against these unintended effects is population research prior to and during the campaign development and deployment. Understanding the target population, including their social and cultural contexts, allows campaign designers to create messages and strategies that meet the group’s unique needs regarding health, information, and communication. Messages must be clear and simple, use accessible language and familiar images, and appeal to the population’s key beliefs, attitudes, values, and worldview. Designing messages by putting oneself in the target population’s mindset can help with creating an initial message. Eliciting help from members of that community will provide a second check for message relevance and congruity.
For more details on unintended effects and creating effective health campaigns that can withstand many unintended effects, click the button below to download our free white paper, "Creating Effective Health Campaigns: Engage, Compel, and Communicate the Intended Message."
Posted on Sat, Aug 20, 2011
In part four of our series on health sciences terms, we'll identify and define terms that are frequently used in practical applications of health sciences. Those who are involved in practical application may be social scientists, "hard" scientists who also engage in qualitative, observational analysis, or even health educators and advocates. According to my health sciences model, these professionals are often the Facilitators of research--those who are out in the wild working with the public.
Anyone in the health sciences industry may take a shot at practical, or let's say "hands on" applications. The terms in the post will familiarize you with some of the lingo used in this area of health sciences. As we've said throughout this series, this list of terms isn't exhaustive, and you may encounter other definitions. We hope that this list will help you along your way.
- Campaign - "a complete, planned course of action formulated to achieve defined objectives" (Web Finance, 2011)
- Global health - "the goal of improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide" and "health issues that concern many countries or are affected by transnational determinants, such as urbanization, or solutions, such as polio eradication" (Hunter & Ranji, 2009)
- Health behavior - "any activity undertaken by an individual, regardless of actual or perceived health status, for the purpose of promoting, protecting or maintaining health, whether or not such behavior is objectively effective towards that end" (WHO, 1998)
- Health communication - "a key strategy to inform the public about health concerns and to maintain important health issues on the public agenda; use of the mass and multimedia and other technological innovations to disseminate useful health information to the public, increases awareness of specific aspects of individual and collective health as well as importance of health in development" (WHO, 1998)
- Health literacy - "the cognitive and social skills which determine the motivation and ability of individuals to gain access to, understand and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health" (WHO, 1998)
- Health outcomes - "a change in the health status of an individual, group or population which is attributable to a planned intervention or series of interventions, regardless of whether such an intervention was intended to change health status" (WHO, 1998)
- Health promotion - "the art and science of helping people discover the synergies between their core passions and optimal health, enhancing their motivation to strive for optimal health, and supporting them in changing their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal health" (AJHP, 2011)
- Health status - "a description and/or measurement of the health of an individual or population at a particular point in time against identifiable standards, usually by reference to health indicators" (WHO, 1998)
- Intervention - "the act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modifying the outcome" "usually undertaken to help treat or cure a condition" (MedicineNet, 2004)
- Prevention – “anticipatory action taken to prevent the occurrence of an adverse health event or to minimize its effects after it has occurred. Prevention is fundamental to the field of public health and differentiates it from the field of medicine, which largely focuses on treatment” (OHD, 2011)
- Population health – “an approach to health that aims to improve the health of the entire population and to reduce health inequities among population groups. Population health is fundamental to the field of public health and differentiates it from the field of medicine, which largely focuses on the health of individuals” (OHD, 2011)
- Public health - "The approach to medicine that is concerned with the health of the community as a whole" (MedicineNet, 2011)
- Social action - "organized activity that seeks to improve human welfare, deepen civic culture and develop group life and commitment to others" (Infed, 2011)
- Social capital - "the degree of social cohesion which exists in communities; the processes between people which establish networks, norms, and social trust, and facilitate co-ordination and co- operation for mutual benefit" (WHO, 1998)
- Social marketing -"the application of commercial marketing concepts and tools to programs designed to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences where the primary objective is to improve the welfare of the target audiences and/or the society of which they are a part" (Anderson, 1994)
- Tailored information - information, such as health risks, that is tailored to the individual to speak to that specific person's needs, attitudes, and beliefs
- Targeted information - information, such as health risks, that is tailored to the group level to address that segment's needs, attitudes, and beliefs
If there are terms you've always wondered about or you have an even more useful definition than what I've provided here, please leave a comment and let us know. You may also find part one, health sciences terms, part two, health & safety terms, and part three, health information technology terms from this series helpful.
Posted on Thu, Aug 18, 2011
In part three of our series on defining common health sciences terms, we will concentrate on the health information technology (HIT) area of the industry. HIT is of growing concern to the Federal Government, patients, and providers. HIT includes technologies such as Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)--which have been a topic of discussion for a long time now--and more cutting-edge technology like mobile health (mHealth). As in parts one and two, this is not an exhaustive list of HIT terms, and there may be alternate definitions used in the industry. This list should give you a good start on learning what the HIT sector is all about.
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) - this act "promotes the adoption of health information technology systems that are intended to save money, reduce medical error and improve the quality of patient care" providing "an expansive framework for the adoption of HIT and also provides incentives for hospitals and physicians to adopt new systems" (Crowell Moring, 2009)
- Decision Support System - "computer tools or applications to assist physicians in clinical decisions by providing evidence-based knowledge in the context of patient-specific data" (NHIT, 2009)
- Electronic health ("eHealth") - "an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business, referring to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies; a state-of-mind, a way of thinking, an attitude, and a commitment for networked, global thinking, to improve health care locally, regionally, and worldwide by using information and communication technology" (Eysenbach, 2001)
- Electronic Health Record (EHR) - "a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting; patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports" (HIMSS, 2011)
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR) - "an application environment composed of the clinical data...used by healthcare practitioners to document, monitor and manage care delivery within the [organization]; and is owned by the [organization]" (Garets & Davis, 2005)
- Health Information Exchange (HIE) - "the electronic movement of health-related information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards" (Fitzgerald, 2008)
- Health Information Management (HIM) – "focuses on improving the quality of healthcare by ensuring that the best information is available to make any health care decision" (NHIT, 2009)
- Health Information Organization - "an organization that oversees and governs the exchange of health-related information among organizations according to nationally recognized standards" (Fitzgerald, 2008)
- Health information technology (HIT) - "the area of IT involving the design, development, creation, use and maintenance of information systems for the healthcare industry" (Search HealthIT, 2009)
- Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act - this was "enacted as part of the ARRA...to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology" (HHS, 2011)
- HIPAA - This "Privacy Rule provides federal protections for personal health information held by covered entities and gives patients an array of rights with respect to that information" (HHS, 2011)
- Meaningful use - "the potential stage 2 measures from the public on a draft document of preliminary recommendations" "that providers must meet to qualify for the bonus payments" from the government for EHR systems (HHS, 2011)
- Mobile health ("mHealth") - "emerging mobile communications and network technologies for healthcare" (mHealth Insight, 2010)
- Personal Health Record (PHR) - "a universally accessible, layperson comprehensible, lifelong tool for managing relevant health information, promoting health maintenance and assisting with chronic disease management via an interactive, common data set of electronic health information and e-health tools" (HIMSS, 2007)
- Telehealth – “the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health administration” (NHIT, 2009)
- Telemedicine – “the delivery of health care from a distance using electronic information and technology such as computers, cameras, videoconferencing, the Internet, satellite, and wireless communications” (NHIT, 2009)
If there are terms you've always wondered about or you have an even more useful definition than what I've provided here, please leave a comment and let us know. You may also find part one, health sciences terms and part two, health & safety terms from this series helpful.
Posted on Tue, Aug 16, 2011
In part two of our series on defining common health sciences terms, we will concentrate on the health and safety side of the industry. Health and safety encompasses areas from biosafety to ergonomics, and everything in between that makes an organization's researchers safe and healthy on the job. As in part one, this is not an exhaustive list of health and safety terms, and there may be alternate definitions used in the industry. However, you will have a good basis and be conversant in health and safety speak with this list.
- Air-Purifying Respirator - "a respirator with an air-purifying filter, cartridge, or canister that removes specific air contaminants by passing ambient air through the air-purifying element" (EHSO, 2011)
- Biological safety cabinet (BSC) - "a HEPA-filtering enclosure used to contain a biological hazard, protecting the operator and the environment" (Lab Safety Supply, 2011)
- Biosafety Level (BSL or BL) - A description of the degree of physical containment being employed to confine organisms containing recombinant DNA molecules and to reduce the potential for exposure of laboratory workers, persons outside of the laboratory, and the environment. In Appendix G of the NIH Guidelines, these are graded from BL-1 (the least stringent) to BL-4 (the most stringent)" (DePaul, 2010)
- Biosecurity - "security from transmission of infectious diseases, parasites and pests" (Farlex, 2011)
- Biosurety - "an integrated approach to the management of potentially hazardous biological materials and agents" (DOE, 2006)
- Chemical fume hood -"Chemical fume hoods are used to protect workers from exposure to volatile chemicals. Neither the intake or exhaust air is HEPA filtered" (UMN, 2010)
- Confined spaces - spaces "large enough for an employee to enter fully and perform assigned work; not designed for continuous occupancy by the employee; and have a limited or restricted means of entry or exit" (OSU, 2011)
- Demand Respirator - "an atmosphere-supplying respirator that admits breathing air to the facepiece only when a negative pressure is created inside the face piece by inhalation" (EHSO, 2011)
- Disposable Respirators - "a respirator that is discarded after the end of its recommended period of use, after excessive resistance or physical damage, or when odor breakthrough or other warning indicators render the respirator unsuitable for further use" (EHSO, 2011)
- Emergency Respirator Use Situation - "a situation that requires the use of respirators due to the unplanned generation of a hazardous atmosphere (often of unknown composition) caused by an accident, mechanical failure, or other means and that requires evacuation of personnel or immediate entry for rescue or corrective action" (EHSO, 2011)
- Ergonomics - "the application of the human biological sciences in conjunction with the engineering sciences to the worker and his working environment, so as to obtain maximum satisfaction for the worker which at the same time enhances productivity" (Agius, 2000)
- Fit Test: Means the use of a protocol to qualitatively or quantitatively evaluate the fit of a respirator on an individual. (See also Qualitative fit test QLFT and Quantitative fit test QNFT.) (EHSO, 2011)
- Hazardous materials - "any substance or material could adversely affect the safety of the public, handlers or carriers during transportation" (NEU, 2011)
- HEPA filter - "High efficiency particulate air filter designed to remove particles, including microorganisms, from the air. HEPA filters are effective at trapping particulates and infectious agents, but not at capturing volatile chemicals or gas" (UMN, 2010)
- Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) - "acute respiratory exposure that poses an immediate threat of loss of life, immediate or delayed irreversible adverse effects on health, or acute eye exposure that would prevent escape from a hazardous atmosphere" (EHSO, 2011)
- Industrial hygiene - the "science and art devoted to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of those workplace environmental factors which may cause sickness, impaired health and well-being, or significant discomfort and inefficiency among workers or among citizens of the community" (Johns Hopkins, 2006)
- Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) - "a document that contains information on the potential health effects of exposure to chemicals, or other potentially dangerous substances, and on safe working procedures when handling chemical products" (Translink, 2011)
- Occupational medicine - "the branch of clinical medicine most active in the field of Occupational Health; its principal role is the provision of health advice to organizations and individuals to ensure that the highest standards of health and safety at work can be achieved and maintained" (FOM, 2011)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - an governmental organization in the Department of Labor created "to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance" (OSHA, 2011)
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) - " Specialized clothing or equipment worn by employees for protection against health and safety hazards. Personal protective equipment is designed to protect many parts of the body, i.e., eyes, head, face, hands, feet, and ears" (Free Training, 2011)
- Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR) - "an air-purifying respirator that uses a blower to force the ambient air through air-purifying elements to the inlet covering"(EHSO, 2011)
If there are terms you've always wondered about or you have an even more useful definition than what I've provided here, please leave a comment and let us know. You may also find part one of this series, general industry terms, helpful.
Posted on Tue, Aug 16, 2011
Over the last few months, I've collected a group of RSS feeds and bookmarks that are full of excellent sources for health sciences industry news. The sources are varied, that's for sure, but they all give a slightly different perspective of the big news, current issues, and advancements in the health sciences industry, including biomedical research, clinical research, healthcare, lab safety, biotech, and health and wellness topics. Most of these resources provide RSS feeds or email subscriptions, but some require you to simply be loyal enough to check back every so often. I hope you enjoy these blogs and websites as much as I do.
Science Daily Health and Medicine News
Genome Web Daily News
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research News
BioSpace Collaborative Academic/Biomedical Research News & Jobs
Biomedical Beat (NIGMS)
Texas Biomedical Research Institute News and Publications
UCSC Santa Cruz Biomedical Research News
SciCentral Health Science News
Journal Watch News from Medical Journals
News-Medical Medical Research News
News from Mayo Clinic
CDC News
Medscape News, Perspectives, and Full-Text Journal Articles
Biotechnology News Today Biosafety News
Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI) News
American Chemical Society Lab Safety News
Science in the Triangle
Duke Research Blog
Emory Research News
Beaker's Blog
FierceBiotech
FierceHealthcare
NIH Research Matters
Scope - Stanford School of Medicine
There's a boatload of resources on our Community Resources page, if you're interested in finding more great reads. We consistently update our lists of resources for general workplace safety, biosafety, select agents, general research, occupational medicine, health sciences organizations, medical reference, laboratory safety, and health sciences industry news. If you have any suggestions for industry news or other health sciences resources, please leave them in the comments.
Posted on Mon, Aug 15, 2011
In an industry that is inherently interdisciplinary and dynamic, it can be confusing to keep up with the different terms that are frequently tossed around. This post is part one in a multi-part series on defining industry terms. Here, we will concentrate on the basics of health sciences. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of terms and definitions--and definitions are even disputed in the industry--but I hope to give you a place to start from for understanding the health sciences industry.
- Bioinformatics - "research, development, or application of computational tools and approaches for expanding the use of biological, medical, behavioral or health data, including those to acquire, store, organize, archive, analyze, or visualize such data" (rouchka, 2011)
- Biological safety officer - "an individual appointed by an institution to oversee management of biosafety risks. The NIH Guidelines require that a BSO be appointed when the institution is engaged in large-scale research or production activities, or in research requiring containment at BL-3 or BL-4. The duties of the BSO are described in section IV-B-3 of the NIH Guidelines" (DePaul, 2010)
- Biomedical engineering - the integration of "physical, chemical, mathematical, and computational sciences and engineering principles to study biology, medicine, behavior and health; advancing fundamental concepts, creating knowledge from the molecular to the organ systems levels, and developing innovative biologies, materials, processes, implants, devices, and informatics approaches for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, for patient rehabilitation, and for improving health" (MacLeod, 2011)
- Biomedical research - "Biomedical research comprises: (1) the study of specific diseases and conditions (mental or physical), including detection, cause, prophylaxis, treatment and rehabilitation of persons; (2) - the design of methods, drugs and devices used to diagnose, support and maintain the individual during and after treatment for specific diseases or conditions; and (3) the scientific investigation required to understand the underlying life processes which affect disease and human well-being, including such areas as cellular and molecular bases of diseases, genetics, immunology) " (OECD, 2006)
- Biotechnology ("biotech") - "The application of science and technology to living organisms, as well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or non-living materials for the production of knowledge, goods and services" (OECD, 2006)
- Clinical research - "research that either directly involves a particular person or group of people or uses materials from humans, such as their behavior or samples of their tissue, that can be linked to a particular living person" (NICHD, 2011)
- Clinical trial - a type of clinical research; "research that involves a researcher or researchers who directly observe a person or people, and/or who collect data to answer a scientific or medical question about the safety or potential benefit of an intervention such as a medication, device, teaching concept, training method, or behavioral change. There are several definitions of clinical trial, some of which are explained below" (NICHD, 2011)
- Computational biology - "The development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavioral, and social systems" (rouchka, 2011)
- Contract research organization (CRO) - "an organization (commercial, academic, or other) contracted by the sponsor to perform one or more, of a sponsor's trial-related duties and functions" (International Biopharmaceutical Association, 2004)
- Epidemiology - "the study of the distribution and determinants of health-states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems" (WHO, 1998)
- Fellowship - "a grant given to a person to pay for study or training or to allow payment for work on a special project. It provides a stipend and in some cases the miscellaneous expenses involved in the study, training, or project" (Farlex, 2011)
- Gene therapy - "Delivery of exogenous genetic material (DNA or RNA) to somatic cells for the purpose of modifying those cell" (Cornell, 2007)
- Grant - a financial contribution provided by the government or other organization for a specific purpose
- Health sciences - the multiple disciplines that deal with issues of human and animal health, including “biomedical, psychosocial, organizational, and societal aspects of health, disease and health care" (University of Twente, 2010)
- Healthcare provider (HCP) - "persons who provide healthcare as part of their job responsibilities or a person or organization who is licensed to supply health care" (dict.md, 2011)
- Human pathogen - "a species infectious to and capable of causing disease in humans under natural transmission conditions" (CDC, 2005)
- Human subject - "a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research (1) Data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or (2) Identifiable private information" (HHS, 2010)
- Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) - in general, an IBC "reviews and approves all research and teaching activities involving the use of biohazardous agents" at the organization (Cornell, 2007)
- NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines) - "A document created in 1976 that outlines principles for the safe conduct of research employing recombinant DNA technology" (DePaul, 2010)
- Non-human primate (NHP) - "any nonhuman member of the highest order of mammals including prosimians, monkeys, and apes" (US Legal, 2011)
- Post-doc - "a scholar or researcher who is involved in academic study beyond the level of a doctoral degree" (Farlex, 2011)
- Principal Investigator (PI) - the researcher who "has absolute responsibility for the overall conduct of a sponsored project, including all technical, programmatic, financial, compliance and administrative aspects; responsible for controlling the technical direction and academic quality of the project, and will ensure that a sponsored project is carried out in compliance with the terms" (Drexel, 2011)
- Protocol/registration - "a document describing the procedures of a research study, in a form that can be evaluated by the local Institutional Review Board" (Sinauer Associates, 2011)
- Recombinant DNA (rDNA) - "molecules which are constructed outside living cells by joining natural or synthetic DNA segments to DNA molecules that can replicate in a living cell" (Cornell, 2007)
- Select agent - "biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety" (CDC, 2011)
If there are terms you've always wondered about or you have an even more useful definition than what I've provided here, please leave a comment and let us know.
Posted on Fri, Aug 12, 2011
From high school science labs to the largest biomedical research institutions, laboratory safety is of critical importance to not only the researchers' well being, but to the integrity of the experiments. I asked the HealthRx staff to contribute their favorite bookmarked lab safety websites so we could share them with you.
Laboratory Safety institute (LSI)
Report-LAI
OSHA Laboratory Safety
Decontamination and Sterilization
UCR Environmental Health & Safety Program
University of Oregon Environmental Health & Safety
UVM Environmental Safety
UW Office of Safety and Loss Prevention
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Center for Environmental Health and Safety (CEHS)
Notre Dame Laboratory Safety
LSI Safety and Related Acronym List
LSI Safety FAQs
Duke Occupational & Environmental Safety Office
NIU Laboratory Safety Guidelines
UVA Environmental Health & Safety (EHS)
The NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals (1995)
Flinn Scientific General Laboratory Safety
Flinn Scientific Laboratory Chemical Safety
Flinn Scientific Eye and Eyewear Safety
Flinn Scientific Laboratory Safety Courses
You can find more resources on our Community Resources page. There, you can find resources for general workplace safety, biosafety, select agents, general research, occupational medicine, health sciences organizations, medical reference, and industry news. These are updated on a regular basis, so check back frequently. If you have any suggestions for great lab safety or other health sciences resources, please leave them in the comments.
Posted on Wed, Aug 10, 2011
We are always scouring the internet and prodding our customers to get the best and latest biosafety resources. The internet is full of wonderful information, yet it is time consuming to dig through it to find what is useful to you. In an attempt to get you started and save you a little time, here are some of our favorite online biosafety resources:
Institutional Biosafety Committees (OBA Resources)
NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA)
Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)
CDC Biosafety Training Courses
WHO International Health Regulations (IHR)
CDC Biological Risk Assessment Worksheet
Applied Biosafety, the Journal of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA)
American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) Training Tools
CDC Guidelines for Laboratory Biosafety Competency
International Federation of Biosafety Associations
Public Health Agency of Canada Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines
EPA Hazardous Wastes Guidance
Public Health Agency of Canada Pathogen Safety Data Sheets (PSDSs)
MSDS Links from McMaster University
If you like these, you can find more resources on our Community Resources page. There, you can find resources for general workplace safety, laboratory safety, select agents, general research, occupational medicine, health sciences organizations, medical reference, and industry news. We freshen these up on a regular basis, so check back frequently. If you have any suggestions for great biosafety or other health sciences resources, please leave them in the comments.