Preview
Creation Date
2017
Description
Megan Kenney, 2017 second place winner.
Major
Kinesiology
Title of Entry
Patient Activation Among Diverse Populations: A Systematic Review
Supporting Faculty
Dr. Elizabeth DeBaets
Research Description
Ms. Kenney created a literature review of the current research on patient activation among diverse populations. She gathered 62 research articles, most of which were published since 2007. With the data amassed during this review of the literature, Ms. Kenney explored the connection between patient knowledge and confidence in managing their health care and positive health outcomes. Based on her work, she posits that emphasizing patient activation can lead to a more sustainable health care system in the future.
Essay on the Research Process and Use of the Library
Ms. Kenney focused on using EBSCO’s Discover! search engine to gather her articles. By placing her initial search term “patient activation” in quotation marks, she ensured that the results included those words in that order. During the research process, Ms. Kenney searched the references of the articles retrieved in her initial search to find additional data. She included two landmark articles in her review and kept her focus on other articles that employed the same system of measurement. Ms. Kenney’s literature review consolidated the current data for use by future researchers, and she has learned much about the role of the author as an analytical entity.