Joan R. Bloom

Bio: Joan R. Bloom is an academic researcher from University of California, Berkeley. The author has contributed to research in topics: Breast cancer & Capitation. The author has an hindex of 38, co-authored 110 publications receiving 7235 citations. Previous affiliations of Joan R. Bloom include Cancer Prevention Institute of California & University of California.

Factors Affecting the Use of Screening Mammography among

Abstract: Our objective was to determine the influence of health consciousness in the utilization of mammography in asymptomatic African American women. The sample consisted of 670 women who participated in a household interview in two cities. Logistic regression was used to determine the independent effects of health consciousness, holding constant other factors believed to be related to mammography utilization. Health insurance, income below the poverty line, and an annual physical were not significant predictors. The single most important predidor of having a mammogram was the regular practice of breast selfexamination; the group of women who practiced selfexamination was almost twice as likely to have a mammogram.

The Effect of the Social Organization of Work on Voluntary Tunover of Hospital Nurses in the United States

Abstract: In light of current concerns over nursing shortages and productivity, turnover among hospital nurses in the United States has assumed renewed importance as a managerial issue. This study examines the thesis that the social organization of work in hospitals is an importnt determinate of voluntary turnover among among registered nurses. This perspective differed from previous work in this area in that both turnover and its determinants are conceptualized at the organizational rather than individual level, thus opening the way for adminisrtative intervention to reduce turnover. The conceptual model is tested using multiple regression techniques on a sample of 435 hospitals. Results suggest that both organizational characteristics and enviromental conditions are important contributors to turnover.

Team care: solution for hospital oncology units?

Abstract: Team care promises improved patient care through improved coordination of existing hospital services, as well as continuity of care for the patient between the hospital and the home. Commitment to the team concept, however, calls for more than lip service.

The nurse practitioner and hypertension control: a pilot study.

Abstract: Hypertension is the major health problem affecting blacks today. Socioecological stress is implicated in areas in which excess mortality exists. The nurse practitioner, whose role has been established in providing medical treatment for hypertension, also has a role in alleviating social stressors. The objective in this study was to deter mine the nurse practitioner's effectiveness in reducing stress and whether stress reduction resulted in blood pressure re duction. The results indicate that the nurse practitioner's intervention was effective— when patients complied with her suggestions both socioecological stress and blood pressure were significantly reduced.

Organizational determinants of psychosocial treatment activity of providers in Va mental health facilities.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To identify the determinants of level and intensity of psychosocial treatment activity among staff who deliver services to the severely and mentally ill. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 769 treatment providers working in 77 units in 29 VA mental health facilities. Level of psychosocial care was measured as the number of patient contacts and total hours spent in psychosocial care over a 1 week period. Intensity of psychosocial care was measured as the average time per patient contact. We used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to examine the association between level and intensity of care and three categories of determinants - individual provider attributes, work characteristics and treatment setting characteristics. RESULTS: Providers' occupation is related to both the level and intensity of care. Providers with administrative responsibilities also have fewer patient contacts and lower intensity of such contacts. Providers who perceived their pay and benefits more positively had fewer patient contacts and less intensive patient contacts. Positive relationships with patients and providers were also associated with greater levels and intensity of psychosocial treatment activity among providers. Finally, statistically significant differences in psychosocial treatment activity among units were identified although such differences are not attributable to unit size, patient cohort severity or unit workload. CONCLUSIONS: Level and intensity of psychosocial treatment activity vary systematically by individual attributes of providers, characteristics of the work they perform and attributes of the treatment setting. These factors may provide the basis for designing interventions to modify provider behavior in a manner consistent with emerging financial pressures and treatment modalities for the seriously mentally ill.

Human aging: usual and successful

Abstract: Research in aging has emphasized average age-related losses and neglected the substantial heterogeneity of older persons. The effects of the aging process itself have been exaggerated, and the modifying effects of diet, exercise, personal habits, and psychosocial factors underestimated. Within the category of normal aging, a distinction can be made between usual aging, in which extrinsic factors heighten the effects of aging alone, and successful aging, in which extrinsic factors play a neutral or positive role. Research on the risks associated with usual aging and strategies to modify them should help elucidate how a transition from usual to successful aging can be facilitated.