Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Family Behaviors As Unchanging Obstacles In End-Of-Life Care: 16-Year Comparative Data, Jasmine Burson Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Critical care nurses (CCNs) provide end-of-life (EOL) care for critically ill patients. CCNs face many obstacles while trying to provide quality EOL care. Some research has been published focusing on obstacles CCNs face while trying to provide quality EOL care; however, research focusing on family behavior obstacles is limited.Objective: To determine if magnitude scores (obstacle item size x obstacle item frequency of occurrence) have changed since previous magnitude score data were first gathered in 1999.Methods: A random geographically dispersed sample of 2,000 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) was surveyed. Responses from quantitative Likert- type items …

Knowledge And Attitudes Of Registered Nurses On Palliative Care, Amy Marpu

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

The purpose of this DNP scholarly project (SP) was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of registered nurses (RN) regarding palliative care (PC) before and after an educational presentation. This SP strived to answer these questions: What is the current knowledge in RNs of PC and end of life (EOL) patients before and after the education presentation? What is the anxiety level RNs feel regarding medication administration and symptom management in PC and EOL patients before and after the educational presentation?

A multimethodology, cross-sectional study design was used. The participants were currently enrolled in the RN-BSN program at PSU. These …

The Lived Experience Of Spiritual Well-Being Amongst Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia On Palliative Care Living At Home, Michael Baumgardner

Dissertations

Title. The Lived Experience of Spiritual Well-Being Amongst Informal Caregivers of Persons with Dementia on Palliative Care Living at Home.

Purpose.This study explored the lived experience of spiritual well-being amongst informal caregivers of a person with dementia who were living at home and enrolled in palliative care.

Background. Patients with dementia comprise the third leading diagnosis in palliative care patients and many receive informal care from family members. Palliative care improves quality of life in patients and their informal caregivers. However, little is known about spiritual well-being in the setting of caregiving of persons with dementia on palliative care. …

Interventions For Promoting Earlier Enrollment Into Hospice And Palliative Care Among Patients With A Terminal Illness, Jody K. Kampa

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Although research supports palliative care (PC) to improve symptoms and quality of life for patients with terminal illnesses, these services are underutilized. While 80% of people prefer to die at home, the majority still die in an acute care facility, sometimes receiving aggressive interventions that may increase suffering up until the very end of life. Earlier referral to PC or hospice care can improve symptom management and facilitate end-of-life (EOL) wishes. Purpose: The purpose of this critical review of literature was to identify barriers as well as evidenced-based interventions to promote earlier enrollment into hospice and PC among patients …

Increasing Hospice Nurses’ Knowledge And Improving Attitudes On Pain Assessment In Dementia Patients, Lyn Marie Peugeot

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Patients with dementia have difficulty articulating pain due to cognitive deficits incommunication, sensation, and overall physical decline due to the aging and disease process. Patients who have dementia are considered at-risk for uncontrolled pain due to under-assessment, under-treatment, or untreated pain. Current research notes gaps exist in pain assessment among nurses’ due to knowledgedeficits and attitudes on pain assessment for dementia patients. Barriers regarding the utilization of evidence-based behavioral pain assessment tools are related to nurses’ knowledge deficit and skills competency.

Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to increase hospice nurses’ knowledge and improve attitudes …

End-Of-Life Decision-Making In Patients With A Cardiac Device, Jessica Harman Thompson

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Heart failure (HF) is one of the top causes of mortality in the United States and globally. In order to combat the high mortality rates of this disease, medical technology, including internal cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), have become one of the most common treatments. Over the past 10 years the utilization of these cardiac devices has increased exponentially, which has created a new phenomenon of how we discuss death with patients who have one of these devices. The purpose of this dissertation is to increase understanding of the end-of-life decision making processes and current experiences …

An Evaluation Of A Pilot Inpatient Hospice Unit And The Impact It Has On End-Of-Life Care At An Academic Medical Center, Cynthia Minetree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

Background: Research shows that acute care hospitals with inpatient hospice units have an increase in hospice resource utilization and provide end-of-life care that is more aligned with patients’ end-of-life goals compared to hospitals that do not have inpatient hospice units.

Methods: A pilot six-bed General Inpatient (GIP) hospice unit was implemented at an acute care hospital, located in Washington, D.C., to provide hospice care for patients that were not able to transfer to another inpatient setting for hospice care. A six-month evaluation of the pilot GIP hospice unit was done to evaluate the feasibility of the unit and the impact …