Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Administrative Barriers To Compliance With The 2010 Ncaa Policy On Concussion Management, Tyler Norman

Dissertations

Concussions and concussion management in sport have become a polarizing public health issue. The best concussion assessment practices and “return-to-play” guidelines have been debated in both the scientific arena and in the media. At risk is the health of the athletes when proper diagnosis and treatment are not accurate for this potentially devastating injury.

Recent research estimates that approximately 1.6 – 3.8 million sport-related concussions occur each year in the United States (Brady, 2011), which can lead to chronic disease, swelling of the brain, cognitive impairment, chronic headaches, mood disorders, depression, blurred vision, double vision, cranial hemorrhaging and death if …

Concussion In Student Athletes: Prevention, Assessment, And Recovery, Miriam A. Carroll-Alfano

Dissertations

The research presented in this study examines concussion among athletes from the perspectives of prevention, assessment, and recovery. The first study examines concussion education for high school athletes by surveying 157 collegiate athletes, who primarily attended high school in Illinois and Indiana, about the previous concussion education, including whether they received mandated education, the methods and providers of education, and their ability to name a variety of concussion symptoms. This study finds that despite legislative mandates in these states, 20% of student-athletes continue to report not receiving concussion education in high school, with females more likely to report not receiving …

Eye Examination:Satisfying A Quality Care Measure In Diabetes, Meera Shekar

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a microvascular complication occurs in patients with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM). A known risk of increased visual impairment associated with DM occurs in patients when the glycosylated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) increases over 7.0%. Therefore, an annual retinal assessment as a quality care measure in diabetes management is necessary. The conducted study aimed to evaluate the documentation of an annual eye exam in all patients with DM in a private family practice clinic and to investigate any possible association between HbA1c level.

Method: This quality improvement study included a retrospective medical record review in …

Training Pediatric Primary Care Providers In Behavior Management Strategies, Kate Burger

Dissertations

Childhood mental health disorders are a significant public health concern in the United States. It is estimated that every year 13 to 20% of children living in the United States experience a mental health disorder (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2009). Despite the clear need for mental health care, less than half (45.6%) of children with one or more emotional, behavioral, or developmental conditions receive treatment from a mental health professional (The National Survey of Children's Health, 2007). There is growing evidence that integrating mental health services into pediatric primary care can result in increased treatment access as …

Beta-Testing Of An Interactive Multimedia Computer Program Of Exposure Therapy For Ptsd, Marie C. Barrett

Dissertations

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) results in significant impairment for the individual and substantial costs to society. Research indicates that cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment for PTSD and that among CBT treatments, exposure therapy is the treatment technique with the strongest evidence to recommend it for PTSD treatment. Computerized programs that deliver evidenced-based treatments offer a potential solution to barriers that prevent individuals from accessing and completing treatment. The present study evaluates the clinical and practical functionality of a computer-based program designed for the treatment of PTSD. Results indicate that completion of the program is associated with …

Primary Care Physician Delivered Brief Behavioral Intervention For Adult Obesity And Associated Health Conditions, Julia C. Huston

Dissertations

Obesity is a chronic health condition with prevalence rates that have continued to rise steadily over the past 30 years to the point that it has now been declared a global epidemic and a serious public health concern. Obesity is associated with significant physical and economic costs, primarily resulting from co-occurring health conditions that increase the risk of morbidity including type II diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, coronary heart disease, and respiratory problems. Despite the dissemination of several obesity treatments, including pharmacotherapy, lifestyle modification, and bariatric surgery, the prevalence and severity of obesity continues to rise. Federal guidelines recommend the use …

Incidence Of Head Injury Among Synchronized Skaters: Rates, Risks, And Behaviors, Gretchen L. Mohney

Dissertations

Data regarding risk and rates for head injury and concussion specific to the sport of synchronized skating is absent from literature. This study investigated the rate and risk for head injury and concussion as a function of team level, identified behaviors to include education, neurocognitive baseline screening and protective equipment utilization, and the implementation of return to sport protocols.

An anonymous cross-sectional survey was implemented at the 2018 U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. Participants were female members of a qualifying team, ages 13 and older, at the intermediate participation level and higher. The survey response rate was 42% (520/1232). Among the …

Prophylactic Antibiotic Use In Female Patients With Pelvic Floor Reconstructive Surgery: A Retrospective Comparative Effectiveness Study, Courtney E. Turnbough

Dissertations

Problem: The purpose of this project was to determine the most effective prophylactic antibiotic to decrease the number of patients who have urinary tract infections (UTIs) after pelvic floor reconstructive surgery in a gynecological reconstructive surgery practice.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review from 2015-2017 that included 732 subjects from a single practice. All patients underwent pelvic floor reconstructive surgery, with or without a midurethral sling placed. Patients also had a catheter and vaginal packing postoperatively. Patients who had a culture-proven UTI within the six-week postoperative period were noted.

Results: There were less UTIs (χ2 = 12.119, df = …

Preparing Nursing Students To Respond To Disasters: Faculty Perspectives, Melissa Jayne Freshwater

Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored emergency preparedness and disaster response in the concept-based learning curriculum adopted by the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) in 2016. The concept-based curriculum employs active learning in lieu of the traditional lecture-style teaching methods.

This study addressed the problem that educators may be unfamiliar with this content and are unsure how to present this material to students. The purpose of this study was to gain insight on teaching methodologies, to better prepare nursing students on this content.

Kolb’s 1984 Experiential Learning Theory was the framework that parallels closely with this curriculum. Kolb emphasizes four stages …

Genomic And Cellular Studies Establish The Pathogenesis And Cellular Mechanisms Of Disease-Causing Mutations In Families With Autosomal Recessive Disorders, Nesreen Khalid Ahmad Al Jezawi

Dissertations

The majority of the reported genetic disorders in the UAE population are of the autosomal recessive type, which is mainly due to high rates of consanguinity within the UAE national population, and within a significant proportion of other UAE expatriate communities; such as Arabs and Pakistanis. It is estimated that more than 50% of all marriages among Emiratis occur between biologically related couples, with first cousin marriages being the highest. That could be attributed to sociocultural values in the region. Successful management of genetic diseases can be achieved by the implementation of effective preventative programs that could help reduce the …

Divergent Pro-Leukemic Effects Of Myd88 And Ticam-1/Trif Mediated Toll-Like Receptor Signaling, Joseph Michael Cannova

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to determine the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a hematopoietic malignancy that predominately affects the elderly. The median age of AML diagnosis is 67 years old. The standard of care of AML is treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy, which elderly patients are often unable to tolerate. To identify novel pathways as potential targets for treatment, a microarray on AML primary patient samples was performed to determine the expression of key inflammatory genes. This microarray, and other published datasets, showed that TLR are overexpressed in myelomonocytic (M4) and …