Business Commons^™

Salivary Microrna As A Concussion Biomarker And The Implications For Athletic Trainers' Practices, Thomas Richard Campbell

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Many concussions are sustained globally each year; however, research suggests that a large number may go undiagnosed due to a reliance on subjective information from patients and limitations of current objective measures. Recently, efforts have been focused on identifying clinical biomarkers of concussions, including salivary microRNA (miRNA), to improve healthcare professionals’ concussion management practices. Even if salivary miRNA were shown to be a valid and reliable measure for managing concussions, healthcare professionals, such as athletic trainers (ATs), must be familiar with the tool and have positive attitudes toward the implementation into clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was …

Medical Specialty Camps: A Holistic Approach To Assist In The Management Of Diabetes, Takeyra Monique Collins

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

From toddlers to adolescents, poor medical regimen and adherence occurs as youth face adversities caused by type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This inquiry-based research sought to explore the process of promoting resilience to attain personal diabetes management through outcome-focused programming. This dissertation was structured in a three-paper format to highlight three sectors of a medical specialty camp to identify the significance of building resilience among youth with T1DM, incorporating family support, and providing service-learning opportunities for students. The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts associated with campers’ resilience from pre- to post-camp based on their participation in …

An Examination Of Athletic Directors' Perceptions Of The Utilization Of Athletic Trainers In The Secondary School Setting, Stephanie H. Clines

Health Services Research Dissertations

Many secondary school athletes are lacking appropriate medical care during sport participation. Athletic trainers (ATs) are qualified healthcare professionals that can fill this need. Barriers to hiring ATs within this setting have been identified, however important information from administrators is lacking on why secondary schools choose to utilize ATs. Understanding this decision making process has the potential to guide future strategies to increase the number of secondary schools that employ ATs and improve retention of athletic training positions within the secondary school setting.

Our objective was to explore athletic directors’ perceptions of the roles and services provided by ATs working …

The Value Of Integrated Information Systems For U.S. General Hospitals, Liuliu Fu

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Each year, huge investments into healthcare information systems (HIS) are being made all over the world. Despite the enormous cost for the hospitals, the overall benefits and costs of the healthcare information systems have not been deeply assessed. In recent years, much previous research has investigated the link between the implementation of Information Systems and the performance of organizations. Although the value of Healthcare Information System or Healthcare Information Technology (HIS/HIT) has been found in many studies, some questions remain unclear. Do HIS/HIT systems influence different hospitals the same way? How to understand and explain the mechanism that HIS/HIT improves …

Assessing The Impact Of Electronic Health Record Systems Implementation On Hospital Patient Perceptions Of Care, Katherine Sofia Palacio Salgar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The delivery of health care services has been impacted by advances in Knowledge Management Information Systems (KMIS) and Information Technology (IT). The literature reveals that Electronic Health Records Systems (EHRs) are a comprehensive KMIS. There is a wide recognition in the body of knowledge that demonstrates the potential of EHRs to transform all aspects of health care services and, in consequence, the performance of Health Care Delivery Organizations (HCDO). Authors of published research also agree that there is a need for more empirical contributions that demonstrate the impact of EHRs upon HCDO. It is argued that in most cases, studies …

Shared Leadership In Six Sigma Teams From The North Shore-Lij Health System, Brian J. Galli

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The main goal of the research was to identify the relationships that the internal research team environment and external coaching variables had with the degree of shared leadership in the context of Six Sigma teams from the North Shore LIJ Health System. Furthermore, the research ascertained the relationships that these variables had with two performance metrics: a team's ability to complete project deliverables and satisfy customer's requirements. This research also sought to understand additional factors that affected the five variables.

The research found that while shared leadership did not positively change as a team progressed through the phases of the …

The Factors Behind A Successful Implementation Of Electronic Health Records Systems, Anjee Gorkhali

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research explores the role that budget for Information System (IS) and technical expertise of healthcare service provider staff play on the successful leap from a partial to exhaustive implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) Systems. Technical expertise in Information Systems might not be easily measurable directly, but there are a number of indicators that could be used as a proxy, such as: Information System (IS) Department Budget, number of IS staff and the extent of technical trainings provided by the IS department to the clinical staff. This research study hypothesizes that quality technical trainings conducted by an IS department …

Measurement Of Perceived Service Quality Of Selected Dental Specialists, David P. Paul Iii

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Although consumers find it difficult to evaluate the quality of healthcare services in general and dental services in particular, they do make such evaluations. The most widely accepted measurement scale for service quality is SERVQUAL (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1988). A more parsimonious alternative to SERVQUAL, SERVPERF, has also been developed (Cronin and Taylor 1992). Previous research comparing these two scales in the setting of adult patients of general dentists concluded that SERVPERF accounts for significantly more of the variance in perceived service quality than does SERVQUAL (McAlexander, Kaldenberg and Koenig 1994). This dissertation extends this line of research to …

The Effects Of Risk Management Program Implementation On Worker Safety Knowledge, John C. Donnelly

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of the implementation of a risk management program tool on worker safety knowledge in a composite building material fabrication facility whose workers suffered from an increasingly high injury (incidence) rate in recent years. Risk assessment codes (RACs) and job safety analyses (JSAs) were the primary tools used to introduce workers to the concept of risk. Because employee involvement is a crucial element in JSA development. employee input was frequently solicited throughout JSA development.

The study instrument consisted of a pre-test and post-test survey, to which an experimental and control group were subjected. The instrument was …

A Cipp Evaluation Of The Administrative Associate Training Program Through Sentara, Patricia A. Criswell

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Hospitals are facing change in today's environment. In order to meet these growing challenges, they are responding by providing value added services. Value added services have been defined as reducing inefficiencies and improving quality and service. Operational restructuring in the form of a new concept called patient-focused care has become the paradigm shift and structural revamping at several hospitals across the nation. Sentara Hospitals have adopted this program to improve the clinical and service quality delivered to the patient. An integral component of this new approach is the multiskilling of staff to reduce duplication, inefficiencies, and improve the quality provided …

A Comparative Analysis Of Pediatric And General Hospital Nurse Recruitment Practices, Rebecca Parsons Scott

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this study is a comparison of the National Association of Health Care Recruiter's annual recruitment survey with a duplicate survey that was sent to pediatriconly acute care hospitals. The goal was to determine differences between the recruitment and retention statistics found in all hospitals compared to those found in pediatriconly hospitals. Also, a major consideration was to find correlations among the variables in nurse recruitment and retention that might lead to a better understanding of what influences the recruitment budgeting process and how recruitment dollars might be spent most efficiently.

There was no significant difference found between …

Head Nurse Leadership Behavior And Head Nurse And Staff Nurse Job Satisfaction And Burnout In The Intensive Care Setting, Dianne Vick Benton

Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between head nurse (HN) leadership behavior and head nurse and staff nurse (SN) job satisfaction and burnout in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The two target populations for this study were: ICU HNs and ICU SNs. A sample of 10 HNs and 65 SNs completed four questionnaires. This study was conducted in eight community hospitals ranging in bed size between 150 to 700. Four research questions were tested. Utilizing t-tests. a significant difference was found between ICU HNs' and SNs' perceptions of the HN leader behavior of high task - …

Productivity Measurement For Home Health Care Registered Nurses, Lazelle Emminizer Benefield

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to develop a productivity measurement applicable to home health registered nurses (RNs) by identifying and quantifying the knowledge and ability variables that define productive nurse practice.

A preliminary set of knowledge and ability variables was identified based on content analysis of interviews with local nurse managers and round I of a three round Delphi procedure, using a purposive sample of nurse managers from nationally preeminent agencies. A randomized national sample of 337 nurse managers was then surveyed to determine the relative value and rank of the knowledge and ability variables. These variables were refined …

Motivation And Job Satisfaction Of Direct Care Mental Health Practitioners In A Residential Treatment Center, Joann Zitt

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the general Job satisfaction level of direct care mental health employees and to determine any significant differences in Job satisfaction levels between fulltime and part-time employees. The sample consisted of 60 direct care mental health employees In a residential treatment center in Virginia. There were 28 respondents for a 47% response rate.

The 20 item Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Short Form> and a demographic questionnaire were the survey instruments used. Respondents were satisfied with 13 Instrument items and undecided about seven of the items. Statistically significant differences occurred in relation to demographic variables …

Preferred Provider Organizations: Developmental Indicators, Marcia Anne Guida

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine what factors, if any, led to the development of a preferred provider organization and if these factors were related to sponsorship. A survey instrument was developed and mailed to a random sampling of 90 existing preferred provider organizations' executive directors for their completion. A Two-Factor Contingency Table Analysis was compiled. Chi-square, and the Contingency factor, C, were computed and tested at the .05 level of significance. First and second preference analyses were done on the responses to developmental indicators. Mean percentages were tallied for: sponsorship, tax status, alternative delivery systems in the …