Other Nursing Commons^™

Tools To Increase Compliance And Decrease Mortality Due To Sepsis, Cody F. Carr

Doctoral Projects

Severe sepsis is a leading cause of death in the United States and is the most common cause of death among critically ill patients in non-coronary intensive care units (Mayr, Yende, & Angus, 2014). The incidence of severe sepsis is estimated to be 300 cases per 100,000 population and cost an estimated $14 billion in the United States (Mayr et al., 2014). This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project focused on identifying an early-assessment tool to identify sepsis and increase compliance when using the tool. Identifying sepsis early is important in starting a treatment plan to prevent morbidity and mortality. …

Nurse Expectations As Compared To Perceived Reality, Kathryn Mckelvy

Dissertations

Burnout and turnover in nursing have been well documented in nursing literature, but little is known about a nurse’s expectations of the profession compared to their perceived reality of the profession. Do these expectations meet the reality of the workplace, and does this cause the nurse to make a career change? What factors influence a nurse to leave the profession, job-hop, or return to school to further their education? The rate of nurse turnover is an ongoing issue with a lack of research regarding the foundation of nurse expectations compared to the realities of the profession.

The purpose of this …

Self-Care Vs. Self-Sacrifice In Medical-Surgical Nursing Culture: A Critical Ethnography, Elise Jordan Juergens

Dissertations

The critical ethnography research examines need prioritization culture among medical-surgical nurses. Grove, Burns, and Gray (2013) define the problem statement as an explicit identification of the research need. Literature search yields scarce ethnographic research on the nursing population as a culture-sharing group, and no qualitative research exists regarding medical-surgical nurses’ self-need prioritization. The purpose of this critical ethnography is to observe medical-surgical nursing culture, related to personal need prioritization, as reflected by behavior and dialogue.

Qualitative research methodology is appropriate where statistical data is not. Research motivation involves seeking insight and sociocultural understanding. Critical ethnography is the chosen qualitative research …

Developing Cultural Competency In Anesthesia Through Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Emma To

Doctoral Projects

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are the main anesthesia providers in over 70% of rural hospitals providing anesthesia. Each year, over 2,000 student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) graduate and continue as licensed CRNAs. This Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP) project emphasizes the importance of developing culturally competent providers in anesthesia by promoting early outreach in cultural competence education of SRNAs. Cultural competence is described as possessing characteristics of congruent attitudes, awareness, and conduct that provides and enables effective skills in cross-cultural encounters. Encompassing cultural competency education early in the SRNAs profession may provide valuable lifelong cultural skills that will benefit …

Analysis Of Current Practices For Measuring Endotracheal Cuff Pressures, Myisha Jessie Dixon

Doctoral Projects

The current practice for the measurement of endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff pressure intraoperatively is subjective, potentially leading to negative consequences for patients. The purpose of this best practice project was to examine and synthesize the current evidence-based literature on measuring ETT cuff pressure and developed a policy recommendation for measuring ETT cuff pressure in the intraoperative setting by anesthesia providers. The ACE star model of knowledge transformation guided this best practice project. An extensive literature review was performed to evaluate and synthesize the current evidence-based research that can be used to develop the policy on measuring endotracheal tube cuff pressure. …

Laryngeal Mask Airway: A Postoperative Sore Throat Clinical Practice Guideline, Logan Williams

Doctoral Projects

One of the most common and preventable complications experienced by patients undergoing general anesthesia is a postoperative sore throat (POST). Up to 70% of patients who receive a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) during anesthesia suffer from POST. Despite its regular occurrence and designation as a minor complication, POST has proven to be a distressing complication for patients afflicted. Consequently, a perceived minor complication can, in fact, play a major role in a patient’s perception of their care, the skill of their anesthesia provider, and their overall satisfaction with their experience.

Evidence shows that inflation of LMA cuffs beyond the recommended …

Utilizing The Stop-Bang Questionnaire As A Preoperative Assessment Tool In Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Procedures, Emily Randle

Doctoral Projects

In the world of anesthesia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause a conglomeration of post-operative complications. One of the best ways to avoid these complications is to alter one’s anesthetic to accommodate the needs of a patient with OSA. The current issue with altering one’s anesthetic is that a majority of patients with OSA still remain undiagnosed. My project that will showcase just how many patients have undiagnosed OSA.

The goal of this project was to recognize how many patients were at moderate to high risk for OSA. I did this by providing an in-service on OSA and the STOP-Bang …

Best Practice Policy: Utilizing A Standardized Handoff Tool Postoperatively In An Intensive Care Unit For Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery, Alexandra Bradley

Doctoral Projects

Communication is a key aspect of care in the health care setting. Handoff communication occurs between medical provider’s numerous times a day. Each patient handoff performed has the potential for ineffective communication, leading to poor patient outcomes. The Joint Commission has recognized handoff communication as one of the main causes of sentinel events, or unexpected events that results in patient harm or death, in the health care setting (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health care Organizations [JCAHO], 2012). The Joint Commissions National Patient Safety Goal requires “a standardized approach” for provider handoffs. The introduction of a checklist or handoff tool …