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| OBM Saturday Poster Session: Odd-Numbered Posters |
| Saturday, May 28, 2022 |
| 1:00 PM–2:00 PM |
| Exhibit Level; Exhibit Hall A |
| Chair: Kacie McGarry (Florida Institute of Technology) |
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| 71. Evaluation of behavioral skills training on Behavior Technicians adherence to COVID-19 protocols at an Applied Behavior Analysis clinic. |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| VICTOR XIMENEZ (UTSA), Leslie Neely (University of Texas at San Antonio) |
| Discussant: Kacie McGarry (Florida Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: The COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2020 and individuals with underlying medical conditions were at high risk of severe illness (Ahmad et al., 2021). Behaviors protecting against the spread of the COVID-19 include mask wearing, handwashing, and social distancing (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). The purpose of this presentation is to present the results of an evaluation conducted by the authors of a group training on clinician adherence to COVID-19 prevention protocols at an outpatient applied behavior analysis clinic. The group training consisting of verbal instruction, written instruction (checklist), written feedback via email, graphic feedback via email, and verbal feedback prior to the next session. The clinic managers also implemented reinforcement contingencies (e.g., t-shirt day) for reaching adherence (80% completion of checklist across three consecutive data collection sessions). The clinic implemented a staggered training for the shifts, which allowed the authors to evaluate the effects of the training through a multiple baseline design. Results indicate that all four shifts had low levels of adherence prior to the explicit training. All four shifts had low levels of adherence prior to the explicit training. All four shifts performed at least 80% of the performance checklist after three to five shifts. |
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| 73. An Evaluation of Multiple Interventions to Reduce the Frequency of Significant Medication Errors |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CHRISTOPHER JAMES HARGRAVE (The Arc Mercer), Timothy McKenna (The Arc Mercer), Steven Cook (The Arc Mercer), Michael Toland (The Arc Mercer), Jessica Shaw (The Arc Mercer) |
| Discussant: Kacie McGarry (Florida Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: Medication errors, a common issue in long-term care residential facilities, can lead to life-threatening harm (Pierson et al., 2007). This study builds on previous research in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) which has demonstrated that interventions such as pyramidal training (Haberlin et al., 2012) and group contingencies (Allison et al., 1993) can significantly impact employee behavior change. These interventions were applied at a community-based residential provider for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in an effort to reduce the frequency of medication errors. Data collected from 2012 through 2021 was used to identify significant errors amongst doses administered to 176 residents by approximately 550 direct support professionals. Significant medication errors included those in which an incorrect medication or dose was administered. Implementation of a positive punishment procedure as a standalone intervention was followed by the addition of a pyramidal system of training and later, a small group contingency program. Data analysis demonstrated that the standalone punishment procedure produced an immediate, albeit short-lived reduction in medication errors. However, a multicomponent system of interventions, which included those which are OBM-based, resulted in a 95.55% reduction in significant medication errors when compared to baseline. |
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| 75. Staff Safety While Conducting Functional Analyses |
| Area: OBM; Domain: Applied Research |
| BRODY CAVANAUGH (Kennedy Krieger Institute, University of Maryland - Baltimore County), Samantha Hardesty (Kennedy Krieger Institute), Mirela Cengher (UMBC) |
| Discussant: Kacie McGarry (Florida Institute of Technology) |
| Abstract: While many behavior analysts have adopted the functional analysis methodology (Iwata et al., 1982/1994), misconceptions regarding its safety still persist due to a lack of shared information regarding the use of safeguards during these assessments. Concerns regarding patient safety have been examined and found to be minimal (Kahng et al., 2015), but no known studies exist regarding the safety of the clinicians who conduct these sessions. In the current study, data were collected on staff injuries that occurred during functional analysis sessions on an inpatient severe behavioral unit over a 3-month time period. Specifically, clinicians recorded whether or not an injury occurred, the severity of the injury (IRS-S, Hardesty, 2020), the presence and type of personal protective equipment used, and the type of session conducted. Results found that staff injuries occurred infrequently, and were low in severity when they did occur. These preliminary findings suggest that safeguards and appropriate use of personal protective equipment may be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of staff injury in this setting. These findings, along with results from Kahng et al. (2015) and Hardesty (2020) suggest that functional analyses are safe to conduct with highly-trained individuals in a controlled environment. |
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