Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Implementation Of An Anxiety Screening And Treatment Protocol In Primary Care, Danielle E. Garcia

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Anxiety is a prevalent problem frequently presenting in the primary care setting in the United States. The lack of routine anxiety screening and evidence-based treatment protocols in the adult primary care setting causes physical, social, and economic consequences.

Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) evidence-based practice (EBP) quality improvement project was to implement an EBP anxiety screening and treatment protocol for adults in a primary care clinic to increase early identification and improve management of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Theoretical Framework: W. Edwards Deming’s Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle framework was utilized for this project. The PDSA …

Critical Care Nurses’ Perceptions Of Safety Related To Using Complex Medical Devices In Daily Nursing Practice, Violet Rhagnanan-Kramer

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America. Over 10,000 medical errors occur daily, with an estimated financial impact of preventable mistakes is 20 billion dollars annually. Increasing the use of multifarious sophisticated medical technologies in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) poses a risk of medical errors and unintentional harm to patients. However, limited empirical evidence exists regarding ICU nurses’ perspectives.

Purpose: This study aimed to elucidate ICU nurses’ perceptions of their use of complex medical devices.

Framework: The Conceptual Model for Technology, Nursing, and Patient Safety provide the framework for this study.

Sample: Using purposive, …

The Lived Experience Of Novice Senior Nurse Leaders During Organizational Role Transitions, Sharon Kauffman

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The qualitative interpretive phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of novice senior nurse leaders, who have transitioned to new organizational roles within a single healthcare organization in the Southeast United States. Senior nurse leaders have complex responsibilities but may not have training adequate to lead masterfully at new organizational levels. This phenomenon is poorly understood. Senior nurse leaders who do not develop the appropriate interpersonal skills and systems thinking may experience a sense of role insufficiency. Yet, strong leadership among senior nurses is vital to the successful performance of healthcare organizations, given the current landscape of change and the rapidity …

Decreasing Nurses’ Stress In The Emergency Room Utilizing Mindfulness Meditation, Andrea L. Entus

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Emergency Room (ER) nurses are challenged both physically and emotionally, and are repeatedly exposed to severe occupational stress (d'Ettorre & Greco, 2016; Duffy et al., 2015). For example, some stressors are demands from patients and physicians, long hours, complex diagnoses, and a fast pace (Hunsaker et al., 2015). A considerable number of nurses experience work-related interpersonal conflict, secondary traumatic stress, and other stress disorders, which negatively affects the quality of patient care they deliver (Westphal et al., 2015). Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a mindfulness meditation intervention to decrease emergency room nurses’ stress. …

Identifying Attitudes And Knowledge Deficits Regarding Constipation In The Neurosurgical Patient: A Quality Improvement Project, Denise Trestyn Diaz

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Constipation is a common problem in hospitalized patients worldwide. The providers’ lack of knowledge of the complications that can occur from constipation lead to increased discomfort and increased healthcare costs. Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice education intervention was to improve neurosurgical health providers’ knowledge and attitudes on constipation prevention in neurosurgical patients. Theoretical Framework: Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory was used to guide this project. Methods: A pre- and post-test survey design guided this project. The physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses completed a pre-test and post-test survey on prevention of constipation in the neurosurgical patient before and after the …

Enacting Narrative Pedagogy: The Lived Experience Of Prelicensure Baccalaureate Nursing Faculty, Suzanne Wurster

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background. Prelicensure baccalaureate nursing faculty manage up to five generations in the classroom. Each generation has its own unique educational needs and learning styles, which present pedagogical challenges for nursing faculty. Students need to be prepared to provide care for complex patients in a changing healthcare environment. Research-based pedagogies, such as narrative pedagogy, enable faculty to use teaching and learning approaches in which students can translate knowledge acquired in the classroom to their clinical practice. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experience of prelicensure nursing faculty as they implemented narrative pedagogy in the classroom or …

Examining Factors Associated With Failure To Fail In The Clinical Setting, Dee A. Adkins

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Clinical nursing faculties struggle to assign failing grades to underperforming students in the clinical setting; this is known as failure to fail. Qualitative literature has revealed common factors for failure to fail; however, quantitative studies are required to determine the extent to which those factors affect the faculty’s decision-making process. The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between face-implicating factors and the faculty’s likelihood of failing students in the clinical setting who do not meet the passing criteria. What is the relationship between face-implicating factors and the nursing faculty’s likelihood of passing students in the clinical setting …

The Lived Experiences Of Thriving Nursing Students, Nicole M. Mentag

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As the demand for qualified nurses increases, nursing education is responsible for preparing students for healthcare challenges. Nursing education focuses on academic success measures, including licensure examination passage, graduation rates, and grade point average. Though these outcomes are important, they fail to capture the complexities of student success. Thriving, the conceptual framework for this study, is a phenomenon within higher education that expands on the traditional measures of success and integrates cognitive and psychological aspects of the college experience. This study utilized interpretive phenomenology to understand the meanings of the lived experiences of thriving undergraduate nursing students. Semi-structured interviews were …

Comparison Of Pre-Licensure Bsn Student Outcomes Between Team-Based And Traditional Learning Methods, Tressa Jane Pedroff

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: The increased complexity of healthcare systems requires nurses to have a different skillset, largely not provided in today’s nursing curricula. Team-based learning is one possible teaching strategy believed to increase nurses’ critical thinking and teamwork self-efficacy. Currently, there is insufficient objective data available that demonstrates improved academic performance and perceptions of teamwork skills in pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing students. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of team-based learning and traditional lecture-format teaching strategies among pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing students in a Foundations of Nursing Practice course. Theoretical Framework: Vygotsky’s social …