Melissa O'Connor

Education:

• PhD, University of Pennsylvania
• MBA, Eastern University
• BSN, Thomas Jefferson University
• Diploma, Lankenau Hospital School of Nursing
• Certificate in Applied Health Informatics, Johns Hopkins University
• Certificate in Teaching, University of Pennsylvania

Research:

• Skilled Home Health
• Artificial Intelligence/Home Health Clinical Decision Support
• Vulnerable Older Adults Living in the Community
• Care Transitions
• Community Partnerships

Area of Expertise:

• Skilled home health
• Transitions in Care
• Community-Dwelling Older Adults
• Home Health Decision Support
• Geriatric nursing issues
• Telehealth

Publications:

• O'Connor, M., Moriarty, H., Schneider, A., Dowdell, E. B., & Bowles, K. H. (2021). Patients' and caregivers' perspectives in determining discharge readiness from home health. Geriatric Nursing, 41, 151-158
• O'Connor, M., and Bowles, K. H. (2021). Telehealth and mHealth. Research in Nursing and Health, Telehealth/mHealth Special Issue, 44(1), 3-4.
• Sockolow, P., Bowles, K. H., Topaz, M., Koru, G., Helleso, R., O'Connor, M., Bass, E. J. (2021). The time is now: informatics research opportunities in home health care. Applied Clinical Informatics, 12, 100-106.
• Ellis, D. M., Hickey, S., McLaughlin, C., Kim, L., Puleo, M., Becker, M., Felgoise, S. H., Reddy, T., Markey, D., Prieto, P., O'Connor, M., Bernhardt P.W. (in press). The impact of simulation on perceived comfort and competency to work in interprofessional teams. Nursing Education Perspectives.
• Wittenberg, G., McKay, M. A., O'Connor, M. (epub ahead of print). Exploring the association between multimorbidity and cognitive impairment in older adults living in the community: A review of the literature. Home Health Care Management and Practice.
• Bowles, K., McDonald, M., Barron, Y., Kennedy, E., O'Connor, M., Mikkelsen, M. (2020). Surviving COVID-19 after hospital discharge: Symptom, functional, and adverse outcomes of home health recipients. Annals of Internal Medicine. doi: 10.7326/M20-5206
• Somsiri, V., Asdornwised, U., O'Connor, M., Suwanugsorn, S., Chansatitporn, N. (2020). Effects of the transitional telehealth program on functional status, rehospitalization, and satisfaction with care in patients with heart failure. Home Health Care Management and Practice.
• Lo, Y., Lynch, S., Urbanowicza, R. J., Olson, R. S., Ritter, A. Z., Whitehouse, C. R., O'Connor, M., Keim, S. K., McDonald, M., Moore, J. H., Bowles, K. H. (2019). Using Machine Learning on Home Health Care Assessments to Predict Fall Risk. Studies in Health Technology Information, 264. 2019 Aug 21; 684-688. doi: 10.3233/SHTI190310. PubMed PMID: 31438011.
• Chase, J.D., Russell, D., Huang, L., Hanlon, A., O'Connor, M., Bowles, K.H. (2019). Relationships between race/ethnicity and health care utilization among older post-acute home health care patients. Journal of the Applied Gerontology.
• Ellis, D. M., Hickey, S., Vernon, G., Doyle, A., Galvin, M., Prieto, P., O'Connor, M. (2019). Medication Safety of Patients with Parkinson's Disease During Care Transitions: Educating Nursing Students. Nursing Education Perspectives, 40(6): E22-E24. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000532
• Chase, J.D., Huang, L., Russell, D., Hanlon, A., O'Connor, M., Robinson, K.M., Bowles, K. H. (2018). Racial/ethnic disparities in disability outcomes among post-acute home care patients. Journal in Aging and Health.
• Ellis, D. M., Meakim, C., Prieto, P., & O'Connor, M. (2018). Transitional care experience in home health: Exposing students to care transitions through scenarios and simulation. Nursing Education Perspectives,39(1), 48-50. doi: 10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000148
• Astrup, C., & O'Connor, M. (2018). Fuel for life: A literature review of nutrition education and assessment among older adults living at home. Home Health Care Management and Practice, 30(2), 61-69.
• O'Connor, M., Hanlon, A. L., Mauer, E., Meghani, S., Masterson-Creber, R., Marcantonio, S., Coburn, K., Van Cleave, J., Davitt, J., Riegel, B., Bowles, K. H., Keim, S., Greenberg, S. A., Sefcik, J. S., Topaz, M., Kong, D., Naylor, M. D. (2017). Identifying distinct risk profiles to predict adverse events among community-dwelling older adults. Geriatric Nursing,38(6), 510-519.
• Lee, T., & O'Connor, M. (2017). The Home Health Groupings Model: Should Historical Practice Shape Future Payment? Home Health Care Management and Practice, 29(2), 126-129.
• O'Connor, M., Moriarty, H., Madden-Baer, R., & Bowles, K. H. (2016). Identifying critical factors in determining readiness from skilled home health: An interprofessional perspective. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 9(6), 269-277. PMID: 27855240
• O'Connor, M., Asdornwised, U., Dempsey, M. L., Huffenberger, A., Jost, S., Flynn, D., & Norris, A. (2016). H3IT Special Topic: Using telehealth to reduce all-cause 30-day hospital readmissions among heart failure patients receiving skilled home health services. Applied Clinical Informatics, 7(2): 238-247.
• O'Connor, M., Hanlon, A., Naylor, M. D. & Bowles, K. H. (2015). The impact of home health length of stay and number of skilled nursing visits on hospitalization among Medicare-reimbursed skilled home health beneficiaries. Research in Nursing and Health, 38(4), 257-267.
• O'Connor, M., Murtaugh, C. M., Shah, S., Barron-Vaya, Y., Bowles, K. H., Peng, T. R., Zhu, C. W., Feldman, P. H. (2015). Patient characteristics predicting readmission among individuals hospitalized for heart failure. Medical Care Research and Review.
• O'Connor, M., Arcamone, A., Amorim, F., Hoban, M. B., Boyd, R. M., Fowler, L., Marcelli, T., Smith, J., Nassar, K., & Fitzpatrick, L. M. (2016). Innovations in gerontological nursing education: Exposing baccalaureate nursing students to transitional care. Home Healthcare Now, 34(9), 491-499. PMID: 27677063
• Van Cleave, J. H., Szanton, S. L., Shillam, C., Rose, K., Rao, A. D., Perez, A., O'Connor, M., Klimmek, R., Buron, B., Boltz, M., Bellot, J., & Batchelor-Murphy, M. (2015). Hartford Gerontological Nursing Leaders: From funding initiative to national organization. Journal of Professional Nursing.
• Toles, M., Moriarty, H., Coburn, K., Marcantonio, S., Hanlon, A., Mauer, E., Fisher, P., O'Connor, M., Ulrich, C., & Naylor, M. D. (2015). Managing chronic illness: Nursing contact and participant enrollment in a Medicare care coordination demonstration program. Journal of Applied Gerontology.
• O'Connor, M., Bowles, K. H., Feldman, P. H., St. Pierre, M., Jarrin, O., Shah, S., & Murtaugh, C. (2014). Frontloading and intensity of skilled home health visits: A state of the science. Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 33(3); p. 159-175.
• O'Connor, M., Hanlon, A. L., & Bowles, K. H. (2014). Impact of frontloading of skilled nursing visits on the incidence of 30-day hospital readmission. Geriatric Nursing, 35; p. S37-S44.
• Naylor, M. D., Hirschman, K. B., O'Connor, M., Barg, R., & Pauly, M. V. (2013). Engaging older adults in their transitional care: What more needs to be done? Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research, 2(5); p. 1-12.
• Bellot, J., Carthron, D. L., O'Connor, M., Rose, K., Shillam, C., Van Cleave, J., & Vogelsmeier, A. (2013). Advancing the future of nursing: A report by the building academic geriatric nursing capacity (BAGNC) alumni policy and leadership committee. Nursing Outlook, 61; p. 55-57.