Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Review Of Noninvasive Tools Used For Measuring Flexion Of The Lumbar Spine, Mary E. Johnson

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

The purpose of this study is to compare the reliability, validity, and ease of administration for various noninvasive tools used for measuring flexion of the lumbar spine. A synopsis of several clinical techniques is offered: Schober's technique, modified Schober, modified modified Schober, fingertip to floor, modified fingertip to floor, goniometer, single inclinometer, double inclinometer, and flexicurves. The results were variable for the different techniques with each having its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, the clinician can weigh the information presented when choosing a technique. It appears that a true gold standard has yet to be described. Therefore, it is …

Physical Therapy And Internal Derangement Of The Temporomandibular Joint, Kathy Johnson

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

In orthopedic literature, internal derangement is considered to be one of the main predisposing factors in the development of temporomandibular joint dysfunction and subsequent arthrosis. Internal derangement can be defined as the abnormal relationship of the articular disc to the condyle and consists of a multitude of disorders.

Physical therapy is well-recognized as an effective, conservative method of treatment for temporomandibular disorders. Early treatment to correct symptomatic internal derangement decreases the possibility of disc deformation and further joint degeneration. However, much of the physical therapy literature consists of uncontrolled case studies and focal clinical technique articles. For this reason, there …

Training Profiles Of Collegiate Swimmers: A Survey Of Ncaa Division I, Ii, And Iii Coaches About Their Male Freestyle Swimmers During The 1993-94 Swimming Season, Sean M. Cabbage

Masters Theses

The lack of information about how the majority of college swimming teams train encouraged the author to conduct the following study.

A cover letter and questionnaire, regarding training methods, were sent to all 377 NCAA men's swimming coaches (Division I, II, and III) in the United States, as listed in the 1993-94 NCAA Directory. Approximately 50 percent of all surveys were returned with an equal response rate from each of the respective divisions.

Questions regarded team division and size, the coaches experience level and recent training changes, months of peak training during the 1993-94 collegiate season, peak training volume and …

The Relationships Between Cognitive Appraisal, Coping And Physical Functioning In A Work Hardening Population, Linda Susan Townsend

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study explored the interactions of cognitive appraisal of pain, cognitive appraisal of function, pain coping strategies and physical functioning in a work hardening population. Using a retrospective design, the medical records of 85 subjects were reviewed for their responses on the following instruments: a 10 cm. Visual Analogue Scale (to measure appraisal of pain), the Spinal Function Sort (to measure appraisal of function); the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (to measure pain coping strategies); a series of objective measures of physical function; and several demographic questions. Pearson product moment correlation and simple regression were used to analyze data. Correlational analyses suggested …

Hiv Seroprevalence At A Baltimore Correctional Facility, Kamala Mallik

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Prison and jail inmates constitute a growing population at risk for HIV infection. Inmates are at high risk for HIV infection because of pre-incarceration drug use; 60% of prison and jail inmates reported using drugs regularly at some point in their lives and 27% to 41% of inmates have a history of injection drug use. The high concentration of drug users in correctional facilities offers unparalleled access to a population that is otherwise difficult to reach for public health surveillance and intervention.

The Baltimore City Correctional Facility HIV Serosurvey was conducted by the Baltimore City Health Department between June …

Localisation And Detection Of A Polymorphism In The Human Skeletal Beta-Tropomyosin Gene (Tpm2), Clive C.J. Hunt

Theses : Honours

Tropomyosin is one of the components of the thin filaments of muscle, binding to actin, and, together with troponin, regulating contraction in a calcium-dependent manner (Cho et al.,1990). There are at least four distinct tropomyosin genes in vertebrates and each may encode at least six different isoforms of tropomyosin by alternate splicing (Novy et al, 1993; MacLeod et al., 1988). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM1 has recently been localised to 15q22 (Eyre et al, 1994) and has been shown to be mutated in some cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (Thierfelder et al., 1994). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM3 has been recently localised …

Factors Influencing Consumer Choices In Graduate Nursing Education At Andrews University, Catherine Keith Turner

Dissertations

Problem. Universities and colleges are increasingly interested in marketing strategies in order to improve enrollment. Nursing programs have likewise become more conscious of the need to be more market-oriented. Knowing the factors that influence consumer choices in higher education can enhance marketing strategies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the factors related to marketing nursing graduate education that affect consumer choices in a particular program. Of special interest was the nursing student population in the Andrews University Graduate Nursing Program.

Method. From the literature and from focus groups of a sample of the student population, data …

Detecting Malingered Psychotic Symptoms With The Rorschach Projective Technique, Kristin M. Batchelder

Dissertations

Problem. Criminal defendants may be strongly motivated to avoid prosecution by appearing mentally ill, and the malingering of psychotic symptoms is of special concern in legal proceedings. Much research has been conducted to determine accurate methods to detect malingering. These include clinical interviews, structured personality tests, intelligence tests, and projective techniques. This present study investigated the ability of specific variables on the Rorschach Projective Technique to detect malingered protocols.

Method. The 83 subjects in this study were restricted to male pre-trial defendants in the Federal Judicial system who were placed into three categories by diagnosis: (1) malingering psychotic symptoms, (2) …

Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Acquired Immune Deficiency : Beliefs, Knowledge, And Behaviors Of High-School Students Attending Seventh-Day Adventist Academies, Deborah L. Gray

Dissertations

Problem. Few attempts have been conducted to assess knowledge of HIV/AIDS in the adolescent population attending Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools. This present study was to investigate the HIV/AIDS-related beliefs, HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, and HIV/AIDS-related behaviors of adolescents according to gender, grade level, ethnicity, geographical location, and religious affiliation.

Method. The subjects for this study were 1,292 9th- through 12th-grade students attending selected non-boarding Seventh-day Adventist academies representing three geographical regions of the United States and the Virgin Islands. The survey instrument utilized was the "AIDS Survey for Students" obtained from the U.S. Center for Disease Control. Chi-square analysis was used to …

Intact Families With A Multiple Sclerotic Parent: Social And Emotional Adjustment Of Parents And School-Age Children, Jean A. Mccutchan

Dissertations

Problem Statement. Research on children with a multiple sclerotic parent has been minimal and until recently focused only on negative aspects. This study investigated how families successfully cope with multiple sclerosis (MS) and how their school-age children are affected, positively or negatively.

Methodology. This research used the case study approach with intact Caucasian families, 10 where the mother was the patient and 3 families where the father was the patient. The 20 children were ages 5 through 19. Following a clinical interview, the family members responded to the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-II, the Family Hardiness Index and the …

Efficacy Of Addiction Treatment In A Correctional Setting For Female Offenders As Measured By The Addiction Severity Index, Paul Robert Wiese

Dissertations

Problem. This study was designed to determine to what extent improvement following treatment for addiction was evident, and if treatment seemed causative in that outcome, for incarcerated female addicts. This study also explored the question of which treatment modality seemed most effective-- an education-only group, a comprehensive long-term treatment group, or a waiting-list control group. -- Method. The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) furnished scores on seven psychosocial areas for subjects. Hypotheses were tested with paired t tests. The means of the pre- and post-tests for the three groups were compared, as well as between group mean scores. Second, a …

Collegiate Drug Use: Knowledge, Perceptions, And Behaviors, Scott Edward Joens

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

The Ability Of Children With Specific Language Impairment To Comprehend Contrastive Stress In Sentences, Nicole M. Vancleave

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Recently, researchers have studied the ability of children with specific language impairment to produce various prosodic cues, including contrastive stress (Ellis Weismer, 1992). However, there is a lack of information about the abilities of such children to comprehend this information. The purpose of the present study is to examine the capabilities of children with specific language impairment to comprehend contrastive stress in a variety of sentences.

Privacy And Property Versus Accuracy And Access: The Ethical Dilemma Of The Medical Record System, Melissa Pieper

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Although there may have been other issues that have not been addressed in this article for the medical record system alternatives, these are the most critical ones at this time. Both the smart card and the regional network technologies are feasible with respect to cost and technology. However, the implementation of each one means something very ethically different from the other. If a decision is made to employ either system, it should be made only after society decides whether privacy and property or accessibility and accuracy is more important.

Making an ethical decision will not be an easy task, yet …

The Prevalence Of Behavioural Risk Factors Associated With Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Ann M. Callaghan

Theses : Honours

Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS) is a major cause of death in the first year of life. In Western Australia (WA), two infants in every thousand live births die from SIDS each year. The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence in WA of three risk factors which have been associated with SIDS, namely prone lying, maternal smoking and lack of breast feeding. In addition the study sought to determine the significant influences that encourage change in infant care practices by parents. The study obtained information from child health nurses and midwives regarding the advice they provide on …

Issues That Concern Prison Officers About Hiv Positive Prisoners In Western Australia, David Francis Cain

Theses : Honours

In 1988 the Department of Corrective Services established an AIDS Standing Committee to draw up an HIV positive/AIDS policy. The Committee consists of ten members, two of whom are union members who represent the issues that concern 1,227 prison officers statewide. The Policy which was issued in 1989 medically isolated HIV positive prisoners from the mainstream prison population. The aim of this research is to identify and quantify the issues that concern prison officers about HIV positive prisoners in Western Australia. Such information will act as a medium through which these will be communicated to the AIDS Standing Committee. Structured …

Hearing Metaphor: A Study Of Clients' Use Of Language In A Family Therapy Situation, Christopher Allen Whynot

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Metaphor is defined as a central function of language by which different realms of experience are conjoined and which operates at the nexus of internal and social processes. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in an exploratory study of metaphor use by families in therapy. Significant differences were found in quantity of metaphor use along gender and generational axes. Content analysis also identified some suggestive differences with respect to issues of agency and imagery along lines of gender and parenting status. Categories nominated from the identified metaphors are also suggestive of the differential dilemmas faced by the clients. The study …

Radiosurgery For Malignant Brain Tumors, Michael Jino Yun

Theses and Dissertations

Radiosurgery using the Linear Accelerator or the Gamma Knife has proven to be an effective treatment modality for malignant brain tumors. In comparison to other treatments, radiosurgery can be performed on an outpatient basis and is noninvasive (Table 5). Due to the functional properties of radiosurgical devices, they are ideal for patients who are unable to undergo surgical removal of their brain tumors. The sharp dose drop—off beyond the tumor margin allows for high dosage tumor irradiation while sparing normal brain tissue. Many procedures that involve radiosurgery use it as a ”boost” therapy in conjunction with surgical resection and whole …

Social Support: The Experience Of Social Support By Acute-Care Psychiatric In-Patients, Patricia Van Katwyk

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This is an exploratory-descriptive study which assesses the social support experienced by acute-care, uncertified psychiatric in-patients. A focus group of in-patients was formed in a provincial psychiatric hospital. The group was co-facilitated by the researcher and a research assistant. The purpose of the focus group was to generate questions which were then used to create a questionnaire about social support. The focus group-generated questionnaire, along with the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, was given to 13 other acute-care in-patients at the same hospital. The data were coded and analyzed. By exploring the in-patients' experience of social support, this research project gives …

Nurses' Attitudes Toward Computerisation, John Crofts

Theses : Honours

Currently bedside nurses working in Perth public hospitals have little exposure to electronic information systems (EIS's). Over the next two years an EIS will be implemented into the 15 Perth public hospitals by the Health Department of W. A. Acceptance of any EIS by staff determines whether such systems will be used. Therefore in order to gain maximum benefit from an EIS, it has been strongly suggested that hospitals examine the attitudes of their nurses toward computerisation. 130 nurses at a Perth teaching hospital responded to a questionnaire, incorporating a tool designed by Strange and Brodt (1985), reported to be …

The Effect Of Facilitating Increased Involvement In Nursing Home Caregiving On Former Caregivers' Satisfaction With The Care Arrangement, Christine Toye

Theses : Honours

This study examined the effect of a programme that facilitated fanner caregivers' increased involvement with nursing home care giving on their satisfaction with the care provided for their relatives. It was guided by Ray's Adaptation Model of Nursing (Ray, 1984, 1989). The hypotheses stated that the programme would help former caregivers to adapt to the institutionalisation of their loved ones, as manifested by their increased satisfaction with aspects of the care arrangement (overall care, nursing care, relationships, and the environment). The convenience sample consisted of 31 former care givers of long term residents admitted to a metropolitan nursing home 1 …

The Self Reported Patterns Of Alcohol Consumption By Registered Nurses In Western Australia, K. Waters

Theses : Honours

The study of self reported patterns of alcohol consumption by Registered nurses in Western Australia is the first Australian study that attempts to quantify the amount of alcohol consumed by nurses. This study also examines the type of alcohol related problem that nurses most frequently experience, and investigates the relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and the demographic categories of age, gender, area of nursing practice and geographical location of residence. The conceptual framework that guides the study incorporates a model developed by Thorley, and considers factors related to the intrinsic properties of alcohol, the environment and the individual which contribute …

Factors Associated With Women's Decisions To Obtain Routine Cervical Cancer Screening In A Prepaid Health Care System, Vicki Debaca Dnsc

Dissertations

The focus of this research study was to explore the factors affecting women's decisions to participate in preventive cervical cancer screening using a conceptual model proposed by Cummings, Becker, and Maile (1980). This descriptive-comparative study investigated the effect between the components of this model (age, education level, race, general barriers, psychological barriers, evaluation of health care, threat of illness, knowledge, social network) and the outcome variable of intent to participate in cervical cancer screening examinations. This study also examined whether there were differences in the predictor variables between two groups of women: those that have had a recent Pap examination …

A Causal Model Of Hospital Volume, Structure And Process Indicators, And Surgical Outcomes, Myra Boles

Theses and Dissertations

This research developed and tested a conceptual model to explain why higher volumes of certain surgical procedures lead to better patient outcomes. The model incorporated hospital structural characteristics and process of care indicators to explain the volume-outcome relationship. The volume-outcome relationship was further examined longitudinally to determine stability over time and to substantiate the causality implied by the conceptual model.

A sample (n=1752) of acute-care, general hospitals was selected from hospitals that performed, in 1990, at least one surgical procedure on Medicare patients of the following: reduction of hip fracture, cholecystectomy, hip replacement, carotid endarterectomy, and pacemaker insertion. For the …

Senior Wellness Prescription, Theresa Schnabel James

Theses

The St. Joseph Health Center and St. Joseph Hospital West mission statement commissions the Hospital to be an advocate for, and agent of change in the community health-care system, and to provide a holistic health-care philosophy to the community. The Hospital's goal is to promote the health and well-being of the community by delivering effective institutional services.

Service to the community is at the philosophical core of St. Joseph Health Center and St. Joseph Hospital West. The Hospital will serve by becoming a leading provider of health-care. It will meet the needs of the patients and the community by providing …

Home Health Care, Tracy L. Kustermann

Theses

This thesis will focus on the level of understanding the public has concerning home health care and the utilization of its services.

Home health care is a rapidly growing field and is expanding to include more and more people in the United States. However, there are an alarming number of people who do not understand what home health care is and the services it provides.

With all the changes that might occur in the future concerning health care in the United States, it is important to recognize home health as a major and vital component within this system. Home health …

The Need For A Specialized Treatment Center For The Elderly Population In St. Charles County, Sandi Klein

Theses

A most recent trend in the field of psychiatric health care has been to provide services for the elderly on highly specialized "geropsychiatric units" located within the confines of a general hospital and operated as a new component of the psychiatric treatment divisions.

Four local hospitals were surveyed regarding their in-patient mental health services for the elderly. The goal was to identify where geropsychiatric services were currently being offered and if their services were located on a special geropsychiatric unit, specific only to those patients over 65 years of age. Each hospital was surveyed as to the types of staff …

An Overview Of Alternative Medicine: Past, Present, And Future, Pearl A. Guy

Theses

This thesis will discuss the role of alternative medicine in the United States. It will look at the history of various forms of medicine, the evolution of these practices, as well as their current role in our society.

With rising health care costs and the failure of mainstream medicine to cure diseases such as cancer and HIV, it becomes all the more important to look beyond the traditional system.

One in three people surveyed, reported using at least one form of unconventional medicine in 1990. This is a significant figure. There are very few studies currently available that focus on …

How To Reduce The Incidence Of Premature Births, And Their Associated Costs, Via A Fivefold Corporate Wellness Program, Carley Brunner Alves

Theses

This thesis will focus on the incidence of premature births and how to reduce the frequency and costs associated with premature delivery. The emphasis is towards the development of a wellness program within a corporation which will accomplish these objectives within its population of female employees.

Research has shown that many of these premature births could be prevented if five major factors were controlled through health education and lifestyle changes. The five risk factors that increase the possibility of delivering prematurely are: lack of exercise prior to pregnancy, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, increased stress levels, and use of harmful drugs, …

Speaking And Singing: How Speaking On One's Optimal Pitch Affects The Singing Voice, Cindy Hood

Honors Theses

The fields of vocal pedagogy and speech pathology are often thought to be completely separate entities. This misconception has existed for decades and continues to inhibit the vocal growth of the voice student. The student is not permitted to explore the benefits that could come from a combined application of the two fields of study. This is due to the fact that a large number of voice teachers refuse to acknowledge that the scientific study of speech pathology even remotely applies to the study of the ''singing" voice. Richard Miller ( 1986) states:

There is a breed of singing teacher …