Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing Commons^™

Furry Friends & Brighter Futures: Enhancing The Life Skills Of Toddlers With Autism Through Animal Assisted Therapy, Abigail Rosales Tolentino

Nursing | Senior Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses a broad spectrum of challenges that impact social interaction, communication, and behavior. While Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) stands as a common therapeutic approach, there is a growing recognition of the need for personalized interventions. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) emerges as a promising avenue for enhancing social interactions. This study focuses on the utilization of dogs in AAT for toddlers aged 12 to 36 months with confirmed ASD diagnoses. The experimental group will undergo a combined intervention involving standard ABA therapy alongside weekly AAT sessions, whereas the control group will receive standard ABA therapy alone. Pre- …

Pediatric Obesity In Primary Care, Lynne C. Liggins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this evidence-based quantitative quasi-experimental research was to compare if providing the parents with information on the health risk associated with childhood obesity would cause the parents to make healthier food choices and encourage their children to be involved in a full hour of physical activity a day. Participants included parents and pediatric and adolescent children 5 to 18 years of age at a solo practice primary care office in a large city in Southern, California, which specializes in treating pediatric and adolescent patients. A pre- and postquantitative intervention design were used and analyzed using the paired t …

Medically Accurate Evidence-Based Sex Education And Abstinence-Only Sex Education: Impact On Teen Pregnancies In The United States, Nicole Chiu

Nursing | Senior Theses

The U.S. has funded abstinence-only programs to combat pregnancy rates for a long time. With numerous factors contributing to teen pregnancies, there have been a lot of ways that people have decided to try to decrease the number of teen pregnancies. For example, schools have either decided that they intend to fully educate their teenage students using medically accurate evidence-based sex education or come from a more conservative approach and give abstinence-only education. The objective of this investigation is to identify whether evidence-based sex education or abstinence-only sex education is more effective at combating teen pregnancy and abortion rates. This …

The Effects Of Loud Nicu Environments On Premature Infants And Interventions To Help Minimize Noise, Elsy Gramajo

Nursing | Senior Theses

Noise in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) often exceeds recommended safe noise levels and has been found to have negative effects on premature infants and their health. Some of these effects can be changes in their heart rate, respiratory rate, and sleep patterns. In addition, negative effects, such as hearing loss, can cause permanent damage that impact children's long-term development. A preterm infant is an infant born before 37 weeks’ gestation. Being born prematurely comes with its own problems and many risks. Attempting to survive in an environment that causes more stress is not healing. Understanding the effects of …

Knowledge & Attitudes Towards Pediatric Pain With Needle-Based Procedures In The Emergency Department Setting, Charlstyn Paige Brown

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: By the time a child enters kindergarten, they may have faced as many as thirty-three vaccine-related injections. Throughout these experiences, parents and patients associated pain and fear regarding the administration of multiple vaccines concurrently to a child has played a role in vaccine hesitancy and refusal. Parents and patients experience associated fear and pain regarding the administration of multiple concurrent scheduled vaccines, thus leading to vaccination hesitancy and refusal. In addition to scheduled immunizations, there is also the possibility of unexpected needle-based procedures taking place when emergencies arise. The purpose of the study is to explore the current …

A Process Evaluation On The Health Care Transition Process For Youth With Osteogenesis Imperfecta With Special Health Care Needs, Janet Amirkhanian

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

With medical, surgical, and technological advances, children with childhood diseases with special health care needs (SHCNs) are surviving and living into adulthood (Cohen et al., 2014). Health care transition (HCT) should be a process through which youth are expected to achieve the skills necessary to manage their health as adults (Sawicki et al., 2017). HCT should be a purposeful, organized, and coordinated process involving the youth, family, and health care team (Stringer et al., 2015; Gabriel et al., 2017; White et al., 2018). Evidence supports that adolescents and young adults with SHCNs are often unprepared for transition (Jensen et al., …

The Relationship Between Urban Green Space Perception And Use Within The Adolescent Population: A Focused Ethnography, Rachel Lyons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Greenspace is beneficial for improving adolescent mental health, yet we still do not understand the connection between the built environment and subjective mental wellbeing. We also lack understanding of how this population uses greenspace and how they feel when in it. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was threefold: to understand why adolescents use greenspace, to identify how they use greenspace, and to explore how they feel when they are in greenspace. Methods: participated in a focused ethnography that utilized auto photography for photo elicitation. Braun and Clark's (2006), six phases of thematic analysis were used to guide …

Childhood And Adolescent Obesity: Related Comorbidities And Interventions, Jasmine Wong

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background

The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States has steadily risen over the years and has become a public health concern. Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. Obese children and adolescents are at risk for poor health and poor quality of life. Furthermore, there are numerous comorbidities associated with childhood and adolescent obesity. While some of the associated diseases are acute, others can become chronic and result in lifelong conditions.

Objective

The purpose of the present thesis is to explore …

Implementation Of Infant Driven Feeding™ In A Level Ii Nicu, Kelly Gardner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

In the United States, currently, 1 in 10 babies are born premature. Due to the immaturity of their neurological, gastrointestinal, and cardio-respiratory functions, preterm infants can experience the inability to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing that is essential to oral feed. Cue-based oral feeding methods are designed to give the caregiver the ability to recognize signs of readiness and respond appropriately to the infant cues to adjust the manner in which feeding intervention is performed to match the infant’s current state of physiologic tolerance. The Infant Driven Feeding™ program incorporates scales to assess readiness and quality of the oral feeding, …

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 …

Associations Between Postpartum Depression And Child Overweight And Obesity: Mediating Effect Of Maternal Feeding Behaviors And Beliefs, Michelle Harrison

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Purpose. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental condition that significantly affects 10% to 25% of women within the first year after the birth of their child. The mother-infant relationship is key to child growth. Previous studies have shown that PPD has a detrimental effect on children’s physical and psychological well-being as it affects the child through the mother’s parenting behavior. Depressed mothers show a lack of engagement with their children, which could extend to feeding practices influencing weight gain. The prevalence and severity of childhood overweight and obesity is a global public health problem. An increase in weight gain in …

Prenatal Education For Black Mothers And Their Support Persons As An Intervention For Improving Initiation Of Breastfeeding, Sandra King

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: The benefits of breastfeeding are commonly known; however, the rates of exclusive breastfeeding among the Black community are less than those of other ethnic groups. Providing breastmilk or formula to an infant is an individual decision. Influential factors such as cultural background, employment status, socioeconomic status, level of education, and availability of support from family members and health care providers correlate with the method a mother chooses to feed her infant. Increasing breastfeeding initiation immediately after birth is a necessary precedent for uptake in the exclusivity of breastfeeding.

Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice project aims to improve prenatal …

Tiered Centralized Education In The Transition-To-Practice Program To Improve Nurses' Level Of Confidence On Nursing Sensitive Indicators Outcomes, Froiland Agana Ascaño

Doctoral Projects

A tiered Centralized Education in the Transition-to-Practice (TTP) Program is crucial to improving nurses' Level of Confidence on nursing-sensitive quality indicators. The benefits of a structured orientation program taught by trained content experts are evident in the literature. In addition, training transition-to-practice RNs during onboarding with training and assessment sessions throughout the orientation program to increase frequency provides skills acquisition. This study examined the impact of a house-wide education program on the nurses' confidence levels of CLABSI prevention, a measured nursing-sensitive quality indicator. This quasi-experimental quality improvement study measured the confidence and comfort levels of transition-to-practice RNs and identified that …

First Generation Filipino Children And The Risk Of Childhood Obesity: Influence Of Screen Time, Krystal Joy Joy Ragasa

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Obesity is an epidemic in the United States and among all Asian subgroups, Filipinos are particularly at a much higher risk. Obesity raises the risk of acquiring other health complications, especially for those who develop obesity at a younger age. Research has shown that children who engage in higher levels of screen time are more likely to become obese, resulting in screen time restrictions and recommendations. Additionally, rates of obesity are higher in immigrants. There is a gap in the explanation of screen time’s effect on childhood obesity for first generation Filipino children.

Aim: The purpose of the proposed …

Visitor Restrictions And Patient- And Family-Centered Care In Pediatric Nursing, Carney Morrow

Nursing | Senior Theses

This research proposal will explore the impacts of visiting restrictions on the ability of pediatric nurses to provide patient- and family-centered care (PFCC). Literature evaluated will pertain to the benefits of PFCC for patients, families, and staff in terms of both emotional and physical outcomes, as well as the impacts of recent visitor restrictions, largely implemented due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of this study is to determine the current perceptions of pediatric nurses on their ability to provide PFCC to patients, and how this has changed before and after visitation restrictions were put into place. The proposed study …

Caregiver Satisfaction Of Telehealth Initiatives For Developmental Surveillance And Evaluation In Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aashiyana Patel

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

PURPOSE: To examine parental satisfaction of a telehealth program aimed to improve the identification and diagnosis of pediatric ASD in Northwest Arkansas.

DESIGN/METHODS: caregivers referred to the Access for Autism clinic received a satisfaction survey regarding the telehealth practices the clinic employs. This 5-point Likert scale survey was designed to measure six different constructs associated with telehealth satisfaction: assurance, empathy, reliability, responsiveness, usability, and patient satisfaction

CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth is a suitable alternative to attending medical appointments. The key finding indicated that 40% of caregivers believed the level of care received to be equal in telehealth and in-person appointments.

Tiny Tusks Internship: Barriers To Breastfeeding Surrounding Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Brianna Purser, Quinn Owen

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

It is known that breastfeeding is beneficial to mothers and their children, and it is recommended that mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of their infant's life. Despite this, in the United States only 1 in 4 infants is exclusively breastfed for the first six months. After being an intern for Tiny Tusks Breastfeeding and Infant Support, a program designed to facilitate and educate about breastfeeding, we have seen firsthand the barriers to breastfeeding. The goal of this literature review was to investigate barriers to breastfeeding specifically surrounding neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and how to address those …

Alleviation Of Atopic Dermatitis Symptoms By Implementation Of Standard And Alternative Treatments, Nika Sayvongsa

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a chronic dermatological disease caused by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. This is a common condition that is primarily diagnosed among children, but can persist throughout adulthood. Twenty peer-reviewed articles are analyzed in this expanded literature review. Various methods were implemented throughout these studies, including randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and single-blind studies; all of the studies shared the objective of evaluating AD alleviation with the use of either standard treatment modalities or alternative/ complementary therapies.

The Relationships Between And Among Parental Perceptions Of Family-Centered Care, Parental Beliefs, And Parental Stress In The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Kelly Keefe-Marcoux

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Children hospitalized for critical care require increasingly complex and technical care, which can be very stressful for parents. Awareness of the importance of parents’ role while their child is receiving critical care is vital to deliver care within a family-centered philosophy that is mutually beneficial to parents and nurses. This descriptive correlational study examined the relationships between and among parental perception of Family-Centered Care (FCC) nursing practices, parental beliefs regarding their role and their hospitalized child, and parental stress during their child’s admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). This study utilized the Family-Centered Care theoretical framework to examine …

Infant Car Seat Safety Education And Confidence Measure For Maternal-Child Nursing Students, Mariah A. Arnett

Honors College Theses

Studies have shown that nursing students experience a greater-than-normal amount of anxiety and decreased clinical confidence when in settings involving infants and children, which is said to have a negative impact on the learning experience (Lassche, 2013; Moscaritolo, 2009). Patient education is a vital aspect of nursing, but one that the student nurse may not feel comfortable taking part in, either because of their lack of nursing experience or because of a lack of experience with infants and infant safety (Potter, 2020; Lassche, 2013). This project attempts to assess for a change in clinical confidence after providing a subject specific …

Adolescent Mothers And Kangaroo Mother Care: A Scoping Review, Genna K. Rivers, Robin B. Dail Phd, Rn, Faan, Robin Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc

Senior Theses

Kangaroo mother care (KMC), the practice in which mothers hold their infants skin-to-skin against their bare chest, can increase bonding and attachment between mothers and their infants. However, there is not much research on the benefits of KMC within the adolescent or teen mother population (13-19 years old). The purpose of this scoping review was to identify how common KMC is within the teen mother population, determine how KMC varies based on social determinants of health and race/ethnicity within the adolescent mother population, and how KMC impacts adolescent mothers’ maternal attachment and bonding with their infants. PubMed and CINAHL databases …

The Vermont Safe Infant Sleep Project: Evaluation Of An Online Learning Module, Brigid Meehan-Brese, Jean Pelski Phd, Aprn, Nnp-Bc

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

The Vermont Safe Infant Sleep Project: Evaluation of an Online Learning Module

Brigid J. Meehan-Brese DNPc, RN

Rosemary Dale Ed.D, APRN, Julie Parent MSW, and Jean Pelski PhD, APRN, NNP-BC

Abstract

Background: In the United States, sudden unintended infant death syndrome (SUIDS) is a leading cause of infant mortality. Accidental suffocation, and strangulation in bed (ASSB) deaths are the third leading cause of postnatal deaths (CDC, 2021). The Vermont Safe Infant Sleep Project is a collaborative effort focused on standardizing evidence-based practice recommendations for nurses to support safe infant sleep practices. An online learning module for registered nurses was developed …

Best Practices For The Prevention And Treatment Of Microcytic Hypochromic Anemia In Infancy, Janelle Paredes

Nursing | Senior Theses

Background: Microcytic hypochromic anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. This type of anemia is commonly found during infancy due to the lack of iron-fortified foods after six months of age. The effects linked to this deficiency can cause developmental delays and behavioral disturbances in infants if not treated immediately. Therefore, it is important for nurses to find the best practices to prevent microcytic hypochromic anemia to decrease its prevalence in infancy.

Objective: To find the best nursing practices for the prevention and treatment of microcytic hypochromic anemia in infancy.

Methods: This research will utilize …

Improving Antibiotic Administration Timing In Neonatal Early-Onset Sepsis, Donia B. Bass

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Abstract

Neonatal early onset sepsis (EOS) remains one of the most common causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Neonates requiring evaluation and treatment for suspected EOS inconsistently receive antibiotics within one hour of decision to treat as recommended in the 2012 neonatal sepsis guidelines by the National Institutes for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). A mixed method quality improvement initiative was employed in a level three NICU, applying a standardized admission process to mitigate systems flaws impacting delay of first dose antibiotic. A nursing sepsis education module was provided, and the novel SAM admission prioritization tool was developed to guide …

The Resilience Vaccine, Sara Horton-Deutch T. Duffy

Master's Projects and Capstones

Healthcare workers have been working in unprecedented circumstances since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caregivers have been taxed with burnout. A large healthcare organization’s 26-bed, medical-surgical, telemetry, COVID-19 overflow unit was significantly impacted. Many healthcare organizations have adopted advocacy for attaining joy in work as an extra dimension of the Institute for Health Improvement’s Triple Aim. Adding this fourth aim supports averting caregiver burnout (CBO) while promoting joy in work.

This quality improvement project examined nurse leaders’ interventions that address CBO, promote healthy work environments, and promote joy in work. From June through August 2021, an 8-week resilience program …

The Opioid Crisis: Evaluating Current Practices And Outcomes For Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Deborah A. Mendoza

Nursing | Senior Theses

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in the infant are severe symptoms from opioid exposure in utero. These symptoms include: “central nervous system irritability, autonomic over-reactivity, and gastrointestinal tract dysfunction” (Ko et al., 2016). The treatment for NAS can be a combination of drug therapy and non-pharmacological interventions, but a standardized treatment is lacking. A review of this literature aims to evaluate the available interventions that lead to decreased symptom severity, reduction of length of hospital stay, and a reduction in the use of drug therapy. As a result of the literature review, the nurse researcher supports the standardization of treatment and …

Stress As A Contributing Factor For Pediatric Obesity: Literature Review And Internship Experience, Jessica Handley

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article is an examination of how stress drives diet and physical activity behaviors that contribute to pediatric obesity in the United States. An increasing rate of childhood obesity is being reported in the United States and therefore a multitude of studies and reviews have been conducted on the topic. This review of the literature systematically analyzes how stress, diet, and physical activity behaviors contribute to this rising rate of pediatric obesity. An analysis of the chosen articles for review indicates that stress and its counterpart (resilience) tend to be driving forces in how American children and adolescents participate in …

The Influence Of Gender Bias On Male Nurses And Nursing Students In The Obstetric, Maternal, And Pediatric Nursing Profession., Julian Alvarez

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This literature review analyzes if gender bias influences the disproportionate number of male nurses and male nursing students in the pediatric, maternal, and obstetric nursing fields as compared to nursing as a whole. PubMed and CINAHL databases were utilized to find 15 research articles focused on the experiences of male nurses and male nursing students. These articles were compared amongst each other to find common themes of the male experience in the nursing fields of pediatrics, maternity, and obstetrics. The three common themes found were 1) Men tend to encounter situations where their professionalism will be monitored more closely when …

Implementing 2nd Milk’S Use Of The World Health Organization Standardized Growth Charts To Better Track The Growth And Development Of The Malnourished And Orphaned Infants In Their Supplemental Nutrition Program In Malawi, Allie Wycoff

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article considers the history and implications of the World Health Organization (WHO) standardized growth charts as well as the significant impact that growth chart utilization may have on 2^ndMilk’s ability to understand and track the nutritional status of the malnourished orphaned infants in their formula program. Specifically, this literature review examines whether or not the WHO growth charts are a meaningful tool for 2^ndMilk to adopt into their monthly baby assessments. The WHO growth charts are calibrated to express an accepted international “norm” for what an adequately nourished child looks like. In a recent service-learning …

Nicu Experiences Of Adoptive Parents & Desired Preparation, Catherine J. Howe

MSU Graduate Theses

Parents who have newborns admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) have multiple experiences and emotions. Additional social and emotional layers are experienced by adoptive couples when the infant they wish to adopt needs specialized care. This research study was completed to find out what adoptive parents experience in the NICU and what preparation would have been helpful. The method included semi-structured, open-ended interviews with seven couples who adopted a newborn at a Midwestern adoption agency within the past three years and had a NICU experience. The results described adoptive couples’ experiences on the unit, bonding and attachment, fears …