High‐need high‐cost (HNHC) patients are variously defined in the literature as the small subset of the population who account for the majority of US health care costs. Lack of consensus on the defining attributes of HNHC patients has challenged the effectiveness of interventions aimed to improve disease management and reduce costs. Guided by the Walker and Avant method of concept analysis, a literature review of 2 databases (PubMed and CINAHL) was conducted. Three main subgroups of HNHC patients were identified: adults with multiple chronic conditions and functional disability, the frail elderly, and patients under 65 years old with a disability or behavioral health condition. HNHC patients are categorized by a feedback loop of acute‐on‐chronic health conditions, preventable health service utilization, and fragmented care. Antecedents that predispose becoming a HNHC patient include challenges accessing timely care, low socioeconomic status, unmet support, and social factors such as isolation and inadequate.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the foundation of asthma management. However, ICS non-adherence is common. Black adults have lower ICS adherence than white adults, which likely contributes, in part, to the asthma disparities that Black adults experience. Objective: To explore how Black adults with uncontrolled asthma and their primary care providers communicated about ICS non-adherence and used shared decision-making to identify strategies to increase ICS use. Design: Eighty routine clinical visits for uncontrolled asthma were audio recorded and inductively analyzed using methods adapted from grounded theory methodology. Participants: Study participants included 80 Black adults (83% female) largely low-income (83% Medicaid) and their 10 primary care providers. The study settings were 2 Federally Qualified Health Centers. Key Results: Three overarching themes were identified: (1) ICS misuse and lack of knowledge; (2) external influences informed personal misconceptions about ICS; and (3) patient-provider communication to individualize plan of care. Conclusions: Reasons for ICS non-adherence in Black adults with uncontrolled asthma offer potential targets for interventions that facilitate enhanced adherence. Future research should include PCP training on strategies that support patient-centered care, such as communication, shared decision-making and patient engagement.

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Nurses are leaders in research, health policy, health care administration, and in the clinical care, they provide to individuals and communities every day. The National Academy of Medicine's 2010 Future of Nursing report (now their most downloaded ever) provided several recommendations to develop a cadre of nurse leaders prepared to lead and make health policy change. Four recommendations are of particular importance in encouraging nurses to advance their education and develop the skills necessary to lead change and advance health. Recommendation #2: Expand opportunities for nurses to lead and diffuse collaborative improvement efforts. Recommendation #5: Double the number of nurses with a doctorate by 2020. Recommendation #6: Ensure that nurses engage in lifelong learning. Recommendation #7: Prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health.

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