Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Home Invasive Mechanical Ventilation Users Quality Of Life: Is Response Shift Supported?, Casey Faigle

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

The use of home invasive mechanical ventilation (HIMV) has risen over the past ten years due to improved health outcomes, transitioning more complex care to the home, and evidence supports the benefits of this therapy. In order to plan care for this population, it is important to understand issues that affect an individual’s quality of life (QoL). Previous research provided mixed results, limited guidance of factors that affect QoL, and lacked a theoretical framework that lends questions to validity.

The first manuscript, Home Invasive Mechanical Ventilation Users’ Quality of Life: A Review of Literature, provides a literature review of available …

Women's Quality Of Life After Leaving An Abusive Relationship: The Effects Of Past And Ongoing Intimate Partner Violence, Mastery And Social Support, Diana Jaradat

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is considered a major stressor that threatens the lives of women globally. Although qualitative research suggests that IPV has substantial negative effects on women’s quality of life, few quantitative studies have examined the quality of life of women who have experienced IPV due, in part, to the lack of an appropriate, brief measure of QOL. Consequently, little is known about the contextual process by which IPV experiences affect women’s quality of life (QOL) after leaving an abusive relationship. Mastery and social support are two important resources that women may use to deal with IPV but whether …

The Effect Of My Health Companion© On Self-Management And Quality Of Life In Persons With End Stage Renal Disease: A Multiple Case Study Approach, Julie D. Leming

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is the fifth and final stage of chronic kidney disease. Persons with ESRD face significant challenges to quality of life when undergoing renal replacement therapy with hemodialysis. Complex medical regimens accompanied by severe physical discomforts related to both ESRD and dialysis can take a serious emotional toll. Two manuscripts presented in this dissertation portfolio explore the issues facing this population. First, a comparative concept analysis explores three potential psychosocial responses for which nurses are uniquely positioned to intervene. A second manuscript details a multiple-case study with embedded units of analysis that aimed to test the …

The Impact Of Advance Directives On The Intensity Of Care Received In The Acute Care Setting In Older Adults, Marsha Helen Tyacke

Dissertations (1934 -)

The proportion of older adults in the U.S. is rapidly increasing. One-third of Medicare expenditures occur in the final year of life, with nearly half resulting from acute exacerbations of chronic, progressive diseases(Riley & Lubitz, 2010). Older adults prefer comfort over life-sustaining care, and decreased intensity of care is associated with improved quality of life at the end-of-life (EOL). Advance directives (ADs) have been proposed as mechanisms to improve congruence between patient wishes and EOL care; however, the impact of ADs on care delivered in the acute care setting at the EOL for this population is unclear. A retrospective, correlation …

Preoperative Activity Level And Outcomes In Older Adult Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Pilot Study, Don Howard Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTPreoperative Activity Level and Outcomes in Older ¨Adult Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Pilot StudyDon Howard Sorensen Jr.College of Nursing, BYUMaster of SciencePurpose: To assess the relationship between preoperative physical activity levels and health related quality of life on intra- and post-hospital outcomes following scheduled cardiothoracic surgery in older adults.Rationale/Background: Adults age 50 and older tend to accumulate more sedentary time and are less physically active. Sedentary behavior is linked with early morbidity and death and may predispose patients to postoperative complications. Preoperative activity levels and its relationship to surgical outcomes is an underexplored area. Insight on this topic could influence …

Effects Of Palliative Care On Quality Of Life For People With Dementia And Their Informal Caregivers, Sara S. Martin

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Dementia is a leading cause of debility and dependence and its incidence is increasing exponentially as the global population ages. Despite the terminal nature of dementia, the end-of-life process is often poorly recognized due to a prolonged decline and cognitive deficits. As a result, people with dementia may be subject to health care interventions that have questionable efficacy and may not align with their wishes. Palliative care, a plan of care that prioritizes comfort, is becoming more widely utilized for patients with chronic illnesses such as dementia. Purpose: The purpose of this critical review of the literature is to …

Gender-Specific Facilitators And Barriers To Health-Related Quality Of Life In Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: A Mixed Methods Study, Leigh Ann Bray

All ETDs from UAB

BACKGROUND: With the life expectancy of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) doubling over the last two decades, it is critical that healthcare providers address both quantity and quality of life. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) encompasses physical, social, psychological, and functional aspects of daily living and how CF impacts each one. Women with CF consistently report having an overall poorer quality of life across international studies, but the cause of the gender difference is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in HRQoL and then build upon those results to better understand gender-specific facilitators and barriers …