Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Chaos Is Not Rational: Nursing Leadership And Intuition In Disaster Preparedness And Response, Sarah Banks

Dissertations

Nurses are looked upon as leaders in disaster preparedness and response. Charged with making life-altering decisions, experienced nurse leaders utilize analytical and intuitive strategies to manage crisis situations. Rarely recognized by upper-level management and educational institutions, intuition is our natural ability to know something without any evidence or validation. Intuition allows us to make decisions in ever-changing circumstances when solutions are not obvious. Though difficult to explain, intuition is a powerful skill that gives nurse leaders the confidence needed to make decisions based on their previous experience. Experienced nurse leaders utilize intuition to arrive at a solution without conscious awareness …

The Knowledge And Attitudes Of Oncology Nurses On Advance Directives, Bailey Nettles

Dissertations

Advances in healthcare technology has changed how healthcare professionals care for patients, increasing the importance of Advance Directives (ADs). ADs are legal documents describing patient end-of-life care wishes. Despite the usefulness of ADs, particularly in oncology settings, most patients do not have one.

This qualitative content analysis study examined knowledge and attitudes of ADs among oncology nurses to obtain a better understanding of ADs. Literature on ADs and nurses is dominated by quantitative research. This study addresses knowledge gaps best filled by qualitative methods.

Ten experienced oncology nurses answered eleven open-ended questions using online video conference interviews. The eleven questions …

Mississippi Registered Nurse Perceptions When Communicating With Limited-English-Speaking And Non-English-Speaking Patients, Mary Pipper Widdig

Dissertations

Communication serves as the foundation for safe and effective healthcare practice. Effective nurse-patient communication is the cornerstone of the nurse-patient relationship and is vital for the delivery of safe and effective healthcare. Research has shown patients who are communication impaired are at a greater risk of medical error and poorer health outcomes. A review of the literature revealed various nurse perceptions of barriers when providing care for limited-English-speaking patients and non-English-speaking patients. LEP and NEP patients also identified similar perceived barriers when receiving care. Both nurses and patients revealed a distrust for interpreters and interpreter services. The literature review revealed …

Hospital Practices Related To Breastfeeding In Mississippi: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Amir Alakaam

Dissertations

Mississippi continues to have one of the lowest rates and the weakest support in respect to breastfeeding in the nation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014a). Hospital practices supporting breastfeeding such as the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (TSSB) can dramatically increase breastfeeding rates and duration (Rosenberg, Stull, Adler, Kasehagen, & Crivelli-Kovach, 2008). The aim of this study was to explore breastfeeding practices in Mississippi hospitals based on two levels of the Socio-Ecological Model: the organizational level (phase I) examined the hospital practices based on the level of implementation of the TSSB; the individual level (phase II) examined knowledge …

Assessing Mississippians’ Preparedness For Disasters Using The Citizen Corps National Survey 2009, Carl Huston Mangum Ii

Dissertations

Disaster preparedness, a shared responsibility of all citizens and disaster agencies, is the most critical component in minimizing risk and damage from disaster. Mississippi has been affected by some of the most devastating disasters in American history, both in terms of physical destruction and human life. The purpose of this study was to assess Mississippians’ disaster preparedness by replicating The 2009 Citizen Corps National Survey (CCNS). The 65 question 2009 CCNS was slightly modified to survey 678 randomly selected Mississippians about the Citizen Corps Personal Disaster Preparedness Model: Demographics, Volunteering, Drills/Exercises, Community Plan, Household Plan, Disaster Supplies, Prevention, Self-efficacy, Reliance, …

A Study To Determine Factors That Inhibit Compliance With Engaging In Recommended Papanicoaou Smear Screenings In African American Women, Valecia Gail Carter-Vaughn

Dissertations

Papanicolaou (Pap) smear screenings help to detect abnormal cervical cells in the cervix. African American women are usually diagnosed in the later stages of cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to determine factors that inhibit compliance with Pap smear screening in African American women.

Ninety-three African American women ages 18 or older, attending an urban health clinic participated in this descriptive design study to answer three research questions: 1) What factors inhibit compliance with recommended Pap smear screening in African American women age 18 or older? 2) Is there a difference between participants who attended the mobile clinic …