Esp In Nursing: Building Communicative Competence For Internationally-Educated Nurses, Sami Vuong

Master's Projects and Capstones

The nursing shortage in the United States has been an ongoing issue due to nursing burnout and retirement. Together with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has further exhausted the healthcare system’s resources and healthcare providers. In order to sustain the healthcare system in society, a large number of internationally educated nurses (IENs) have been transferred to work in the United States. As a result of different nursing practices, cultures, and communication styles, many IENs experience language and cultural barriers at work. Difficulty in communication influences the quality of patient care provided, which can lead to negative health outcomes for patients and …

Frailty Determination And Responsiveness In Left Ventricular Assist Devices, Sarah Schroeder

Theses & Dissertations

Frailty, the state of being vulnerable with susceptibility to decreased age-related physical reserve, is found in 56-79% of adults with end-stage HF receiving durable left ventricular assist device (dLVAD) therapy. Frailty increases risk of adverse events, including increased mortality in the dLVAD population, but less is known about depression, quality of life (QOL), cognition and frailty responsiveness. Therefore, we aimed to describe and compare frailty (5-Meter Walk Test, 5MWT), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9), quality of life (EQ5D Visual Analog Scale, EQ-5D VAS) and cognition (Trailmaking B) from pre- to 12-months post-dLVAD We also compared demographics, clinical characteristics, and post-dLVAD …

Delirium And Staff Injury, John Olague Jr

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: From April 2021 to January 2022 there were 17 cases of reported patient aggression and staff injury due to patients in the hyperactive state of delirium. In a stroke/tele unit, diagnosis of delirium was delayed due to subjective assessment from the confusion assessment method (CAM) tool. This delay allowed patients to reach the hyperactive state of delirium which poses a threat to patient and staff safety. An objective form of assessment for delirium was needed on this stroke/tele unit.

Context: Through a microsystem assessment and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, stakeholders in this performance improvement plan …

Improving Nursing Staff Knowledge For Management Of Geriatric Patients With Confusion In The Emergency Department, Kareem G. Carter

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Staff knowledge of effective management of confusion in geriatric patients (>65yo) may be limited and inconsistent with the current goal of establishing a geriatric-friendly Emergency Department (ED) Model of Care. Suboptimal management of this patient population can result in prolonged ED stays, which increases the cost to the hospital and the patient (Han & Wilber, 2013).

Context: An Emergency Department at a large Bay Area urban hospital hopes to obtain Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) through the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

Interventions: Create a simplified checklist for nursing staff using mnemonic devices to …

Factors Impacting Organ Transplant Outcomes, Katelyn Grubich

Nursing | Senior Theses

Organ transplants are crucial to the survival of those on the receiving end. With medicine advancing, so has transplantation. Health care providers are becoming more aware of the strategies necessary to prolong the transplanted organ and how to obtain better outcomes. Heart, lungs, kidney, liver, pancreas, and some where more than one organ are involved, are the types of organ transplants performed.

Providing patients information will allow them to be a part of their treatment and can help to ease their anxiety knowing what is being performed and what can be expected. Health care providers must ensure that patients and …

Development Of A Fall Prevention Bundle With Evidence-Based Tools For Hospitalized Adults, Kelly A. Tirone

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem

One million hospitalized people fall annually in the United States, and up to a third are preventable.

Context

Data from an acute care hospital show one medical-surgical unit reported eight patient falls in 2021, two causing major harm that reached sentinel event criteria.

Interventions

A Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) leveraged the unique CNL skill set and characteristics of Human-Centered Leadership to engage in horizontal leadership, injury prevention, and team coordination through authentic human connection. The team leveraged documentation for improved fall risk communication. Unavoidable disruptions hindered other planned interventions.

Measures

Outcome measures observe for total fall count and the …

Myasthenia Gravis, Rebecca Wheeler

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Myasthenia gravis (MG), a neuromuscular and autoimmune disorder, is not completely understood by clinicians and scientists. The primary cause is thought to be anti-Acetylcholine receptor antibodies that attack the neuromuscular junction, causing destruction of post-synaptic junctional folds and blockade of the receptor. This causes frequent weakness and fatigability of voluntary muscles, making activities of daily living difficult for those living with MG. Although it is not an incredibly prevalent disease, the incidence is increasing in the United States due to better testing and diagnosis. Treatments are available, including cholinesterase inhibitors that raise the concentration of Acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction …

An Evidence--Based Intervention: Use Of Visual Aids For Patient Education During Bedside Team Rounding, Kristin Clifford, Shay Gruber

Nursing DNP Projects

Abstract Purpose: To increase patient health literacy and satisfaction in hospitalized adult medical-surgical patients through an evidence-based provider intervention (advanced practice providers, APPs, or physicians, MDs) adding visual aids to current verbal patient education methods during daily bedside team rounding (BTR).

Strength of Evidence: A literature review resulted in 15 studies meeting inclusion criteria including two meta-analyses, three randomized control trials, two quasi-experimental studies, five systematic reviews, two descriptive studies, and one clinical practice guideline. Evidence revealed the addition of visual information to verbal and written education methods significantly improves patient knowledge, understanding, and recall of health information and increases …

Prevention Of Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infection (Clabsi) In Adult Icu Patients, Salima Allahbachayo

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) account for most hospital-associated preventable infections in the United States and globally. Implementation of a multifaceted approach including evidence-based CLABSI bundle care has shown to prevent this infection in patients with a central line.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was that in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients, how does the use of central line bundle care compared to central line care without bundle decrease central line-associated bloodstream infections within eight weeks?

Evidence: The evidence from a rigorous literature review showed that using a central line bundle …