Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Community Health Worker Program: Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases In Children, Julia L. Newell

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity, asthma, and untreated mental health conditions, are three examples of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNDs) that pose a host of negative consequences later in life. Community health workers (CHWs) are in a unique position to address these negative health externalities by leveraging linguistic, cultural, and socioemotional connectedness within their communities.

Local Problem: Minority children in the Central Valley of California, face additional risk factors for the development of CNDs. CHWs working in this area require enhanced training on CNDs to improve their practice.

Methods: In partnership with Save the Children (STC), the University of San Francisco (USF) …

The Threat Of Hospital Wastewater: An Evidence-Based Call To Action, Ann P. Nguyen

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Introduction: Hospital wastewater carries a unique composition of pollutants, a burden that includes high chemical and biological residuals. These pollutants are discharged into sewage treatment plants and natural environments where they contaminate human water sources and larger ecosystems. Water treatment plants are not designed to treat the high loads of biomedical waste and persistent organic compounds found in hospital wastewater and therefore pollutants survive in conventionally treated water. Evidence of contaminated soil, municipal wastewater, surface water, ground water, and even drinking water have been demonstrated in studies conducted around the world highlighting the ubiquity of the problem. Hospital effluent as …

Oral Chemotherapy: Safe Handling In The Home, Cynthia Huff

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Background: According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2016), oral anticancer agents (OAC) are hazardous drugs (HD) and require the same safe handling interventions in the home setting as in controlled health care environments. The use of a safe handling checklist for OAC administration is a way nurses can provide safe handling education to patients and caregivers and assess for understanding and competency for critical tasks. Effective home management strategies outlining caregiver protections, proper storage, administration of OACs, spill clean-up, and waste disposal could reduce exposure risks to toxic agents.

Objective: To present a safe-handling checklist …

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In The Pediatric Population, Lorna Santiago

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

The incidence and prevalence of diabetes in youth in the United States is increasing. In particular, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is becoming more common in individuals younger than 20 years. Nurse practitioners and other primary care providers that see children should be knowledgeable about the condition and confident in participating in multidisciplinary management. Screening should begin at age 10 or at puberty, whichever comes first. Providers should screen all children who are overweight or obese or of Native American, African American, Latino, Asian American, or Pacific Islander race or ethnicity. Children of these ethnicities have a greater risk for …

Perinatal Anxiety And Depression During The Covid 19 Pandemic, Helen Xumin Chen, Nancy Selix, Marcianna Nosek

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak places perinatal women at higher risk of developing anxiety and depression. Uncertainty, fear, and confusion in medical, social, economic, occupational and political aspects of life in the US add to existing stressors that perinatal women experience. To optimize the quality of perinatal care during the pandemic, appropriate mental health interventions must be implemented to prevent and alleviate perinatal anxiety and depression and improve maternal and infant outcomes. Measures include increased screening, non-pharmacologic and/or pharmacologic interventions and the use of telehealth for care delivery.

Keywords: perinatal anxiety, perinatal depression, COVID-19, SARS CoV-2, maternal …

The Expansion And Evaluation Of Medication Assisted Treatment Services For An Underserved Rural Northern California Community, Carolyn Perrotti

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Problem: Widespread opioid misuse has led to the opioid epidemic that claims 130 deaths per day due to an opioid overdose (CDC, 2018). The opioid epidemic has plagued the United States for three decades and has been considered a public health emergency since 2017 (HHS, 2017). Rural communities are disproportionately affected by this problem and in 2014, the rate of opioid overdose deaths was 45% higher in rural communities (SAMHSA, 2018).

Context: Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is considered the most effective treatment for opioid dependence because it incorporates medication management and biopsychosocial supports (Jones et al., 2018). Retention in a MAT …

A Nurse Practitioner-Led Group Advance Care Planning Program In An Independent And Assisted Living Community, Alexander Bustos

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

It has been well documented that the majority of people want to spend their last days in the comfort of their own homes, free of pain, and off any dependent machine. , However, the majority of people have not documented these wishes or talked with their family or provider about end of life care (Hamel, Wu, & Brodie, 2017). The Patient Self Determination Act (PSDA), which took effect on December 1, 1991, was enacted to raise awareness and promote discussions between patients and providers about end of life (EOL) healthcare decisions. The primary care nurse practitioner is in a prime …

Increasing Rates Of Larc Uptake And Continuation Through Contraceptive Counseling: An Effective Approach For Women With Underutilization, Malia Johnson

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Unintended pregnancies in women with a substance use disorder are estimated to be nearly double that of the general population, of which negative health consequences are increased for both mother and neonate. Unintended pregnancies are preventable through the use of highly effective contraception that is less susceptible to the effects of typical versus perfect use. Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is ideal for this patient population. Therefore, a thorough literature review was performed to evaluate the role of contraceptive counseling on LARC uptake and continuation among women. The results indicated that contraceptive counseling does influence LARC uptake and continuation and it …

Childhood Obesity: Getting Back To The Basics, Fanny Powell

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Childhood obesity is an epidemic that affects the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015) states that over the past thirty years, the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than doubled in younger children and quadrupled in adolescents (CDC, 2015). Although obesity is a multifactorial health issue that is affected by genetics, metabolic factors, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle choices (Stanford, 2018), a majority of pediatric obesity is as a result of consuming more energy than the body utilizes. There are both immediate and long-term consequences of obesity that negatively affect a child’s health which may carry over …