Digital Commons Network^™

The Efficacy Of The Role Of Therapeutic Play In Alleviating Pain Or Anxiety In Pediatric Cancer Patients, Savannah B. Duke

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic play in alleviating pain or anxiety in the pediatric cancer patient.

Background: Therapeutic play is an intervention often incorporated within the care of pediatric cancer patients and children with other disease processes to promote well-being. Even though play therapy is supported by research, nurses have the option to implement nursing care interventions in a play-like manner. Therapeutic play is an individualized technique that provides an intentional opportunity for children to express their emotional responses in a controlled environment.

Method: The databases used in this search included CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, ERIC, and Education …

Intractable Pediatric Epilepsy And Dietary Therapies: A Meta-Analysis Of Trials For Seizure Reduction, Victor Figueira M Dantas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Objective: to compare dietary treatments and their effectiveness in reducing seizures through a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials Methods: Using the PRISMA Method, the Primo database was searched to find peer-reviewed articles where researchers compared one treatment against another. The treatments of choice present in all studies are the Ketogenic Diet and the Modified Atkins Diet. Due to the nature of the experiments, the Ketogenic Diet was considered the control, as it was coined first. Results: Of the 450 articles identified, 378 met the primary peer review threshold and 190 were classified as Open Access. Eight met eligibility …

Playing Music As A Nursing Intervention To Reduce Distress In Neonatal And Pediatric Acute Care Patients: A Literature Review, Seren E. Özoğlu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Pediatric and neonatal patients are especially vulnerable to suffering from distress. This literature review identifies research which applies passive music listening to distressed neonatal and pediatric acute care patients. Databases searched to find relevant studies include CINAHL plus with full text, MEDLINE, Alt HealthWatch, APA PsycArticles, and APA PsycInfo from EBSCOhost. Six studies were identified to meet search criteria. The studies that supported music listening with the neonatal and pediatric populations had a positive effect in reducing distress levels. Additional research is warranted to further validate these findings. Music listening with neonatal and pediatric patients is a simple, cost-effective intervention …

Pediatric Misscare Survey To Fill In The Gaps, Molly S. Baker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Missed nursing care, according to Kalisch and Williams, is nursing care that is not completed to the highest quality of care, leading to an increase in hospital costs and poor patient outcomes. Missed nursing care can occur with any patient population; however, a survey by Kasich called the MISSCARE Survey has only been used in the adult and neonatal populations. Pediatric patients are a diverse and complex subset of the population, differing greatly from the adult and neonatal populations, thus identifying a need for a focused pediatric survey to effectively study missed nursing care in the pediatric setting. The purpose …

Mental Health Interventions For Adolescent Cancer Patients, Kelsey A. Faherty

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: According to the National Cancer Institute (2017) approximately 15,270 individuals’ ages 0 to 19 years would be diagnosed with cancer in 2017. Although pediatric cancer survival rates continue to rise, there are high rates of anxiety, fear, and depression amongst this population. The purpose of this literature review was to explore mental health interventions for adolescent cancer patients.

Methodology: A total of 165 articles were found in a literature search. Databases used include: CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Clinical Answers, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. As results were further narrowed based on relevance and …

The Effects Of Wearable Fitness Devices On Pediatric Obesity: An Integrative Literature Review, Kevin Sabina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Childhood obesity is a foremost concern throughout the health care community. Approximately 17.6% of the pediatric population meet the criteria for obesity, which can lead to health disparities later in life, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Emerging mobile and wearable lifestyle tracking devices can be a viable solution to the challenging problem of childhood obesity through behavior changes, feasibility, and adherence. The purpose of this literature review was to determine the effect that mobile and wearable activity tracking devices have on the obese pediatric population. A centralized review of the literature was conducted using various …

Exploring Barriers And Consequences Related To Nurses Reporting Child Abuse, Asmita Devkota

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Child abuse is a pervasive and serious problem in the United States. Over 3 million children are the victims of some kind of physical assault by adults. Due to their prolonged contact with children and opportunity to report, nurses should be trained to accurately assess, identify, and manage cases of child abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine student’s experiences with Child Protective Services, and explore their confidence and attitudes related to identifying and reporting child abuse. Factors associated with non-reporting were identified.

Methodology: This was an exploratory, descriptive study. Students enrolled in the online …

Behavioral Interventions Versus Pharmaceutical Interventions To Reduce Preoperative Anxiety In School Aged Children, Jennifer J. Cline

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Surgical procedures that require general anesthesia can be stressful and create needless anxiety for school-age children. Interventions aimed at reducing preoperative anxiety can improve cooperation and enhance postoperative outcomes by lowering anxiety levels prior to induction of general anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of behavioral interventions versus drug therapy in reducing pre-operative anxiety in children. The secondary purpose was to compare methods used to integrate anxiety reduction interventions into pre-operative care and to evaluate the most widely used and effective strategy for clinical practice. A literature review exploring behavioral based stress reduction interventions and …

Participant's Perception Of Realism And Pediatric Pain Assessment Utilizing A Virtual Patient: A Pilot Study, Alexandra Carson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The use of simulation in curriculum affords students with the opportunity to enhance clinical skills in a safe environment. However, certain aspects of patient assessment are difficult to reproduce in current simulators, such as changes in facial expressions. Facial expressions are of particular importance when assessing for the presence and severity of pain in the pediatric population. Inconsistencies found in accurate identification of pain suggest the necessity of improved pain assessment training. This study evaluated nursing student’s perceptions of a virtual patient designed to realistically display varying levels of pain in the pediatric patient. Additional purposes of this study were …