Health and Medical Administration Commons^™

The Effect Of Focused Client Education On Case Management & Readmission Rates In Homeless Individuals With Co-Occurring Disorders Admitted To A Jail Diversion Program, Pallavi Rao, Mary Johnson

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Background: Individuals with both mental illness(es) (MI) and substance use disorder (SUD) occurring simultaneously are known as having co-occurring disorders (COD). The rates of COD found among homeless individuals (H-COD) are higher than in the general population. The presence of both conditions prevents H-COD individuals from overcoming their hardships and places them at a higher risk of being involved in the criminal justice system.

Local Problem: Jail diversion programs (JDPs) admit a high rate of H-COD clients nationally and locally at the project site in Knoxville (JDP-K). The Office on Homelessness reported about 80% of those admitted to JDP-K are …

Increasing Nurse Awareness Of A Breastfeeding And Substance Use Disorder Guideline To Improve Rates Of Breast Milk And Skin To Skin Usage: A Quality Improvement Initiative​, Makenna R. Black, Alexandria L. Tasket, Megan L. Young, Tracy L. Brewer

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) is related to opioid exposure in utero, and cases of NOWS have been increasing. In Tennessee in 2020, 824 newborns were born with NOWS. NOWS treatment involves pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment. Breastfeeding, a nonpharmacological treatment, decreases the need and length for pharmacological treatment, the length of stay, and NOWS symptoms. Skin-to-skin may also reduce symptoms of NOWS. This quality improvement (QI) project involved implementing an Opioid Use Disorder Toolkit from the Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) and specifically educating staff nurses in a Women and Infant’s Department in a regional medical center on …

Reducing The Stigma Of Nurses In Recovery: Substance Use Disorder And Alternative-To-Discipline Program Education For Nurses, Daniel Paul Del Toro, Pamela Hardesty

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Decades of previous studies suggest that approximately 10-15% of all actively licensed nurses in the United States may be impaired by or in recovery from alcohol or other drug addiction. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals are experiencing unprecedented amounts of stress, fatigue and emotional distress that when coupled with poor coping mechanisms and easily accessible addictive substances may result in an increased risk for developing substance use disorder. By providing education to nurses regarding substance use disorder (SUD) and alternative to discipline programs (ADP), previous studies have shown that the risk of nurses developing SUD can …

Utilization Of A Drug Use Screening Assessment: A Quantitative Study To Reduce Benzodiazepines In Inpatient Detoxification, Malerie Lazar Bolinsky, Mary Johnson, Sarah Devault

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

The use of benzodiazepines in the inpatient psychiatric setting is common for patients undergoing drug and alcohol detoxification but does not come without risks. Too high of a dose of benzodiazepines are often administered during detoxification when patients are not adequately assessed on admission. Current literature supports utilization of a screening tool for drug use can reduce unnecessary benzodiazepine use. This study implemented the Drug Use Screening Tool in a drug and alcohol detoxification unit of inpatient psychiatric hospital to evaluate severity of drug use on admission and established a statistically significant reduction in the use of as-needed benzodiazepines prescribe.