Pediatric Nursing Commons^™

Pediatric Health Literacy, Morgan E. Sapper, Grace G. Lloyd

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Abstract

Background: Unless you are a healthcare provider or licensed healthcare professional, understanding the United States healthcare system and its accompanying medical jargon can be confusing and overwhelming to try to navigate. Even more difficult is comprehending what resources are available to specific populations and how to gain the most benefit from these offered resources. Limited health literacy skills have been identified as the largest barrier in identifying an individual’s health outcomes. Health affects every stage of life. The purpose of this paper is to analyze what health literacy implementations look like as well as the age and developmental stage …

Developing Training To Address Neonatal Nurse Knowledge, Practice, And Perceived Attitude For Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Rebekah Draper

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Abstract

Background: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is increasing in the United States as a result of increased opioid-use disorder among women of childbearing age. NAS affects three out of four babies who are exposed to chronic use of opioids during the mother’s pregnancy. Caring for infants with NAS is challenging. Researchers have identified a deficit of knowledge and skills, and have discovered judgmental attitude of nurses caring for babies with NAS. Globally, nurses caring for infants with NAS need education on current evidence-based practice to improve quality of care. The purpose of this project was to create an educational …

Improving Lead Screening In A Pediatric Practice: A Quality Improvement Project, Audrey Myers

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

Abstract

Background: Detectable lead levels in children’s blood have been associated with increased cognitive difficulties, attention deficits, and poorer academic performance. Children enrolled in Medicaid have higher rates of elevated blood lead levels, yet requirements to test all children at age 1 and 2 who are enrolled in Medicaid are not being met. Nationally, 34% of children enrolled in Medicaid do not undergo proper blood lead level screening. The aim of this project was to increase required blood lead level screening rates for children with Medicaid insurance at a private pediatric practice in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Methods: The …

Improving Breastfeeding In Rural Tanzania Using Bardach’S Policy Analysis Methodology, Katherine Skiff

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

Appropriate breastfeeding has the potential to have the broadest impact on childhood survival in children under five years (U5Y) compared to all other preventive interventions. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) recommend that all facilities providing maternal services and newborn care have a written policy addressing breastfeeding that is routinely disseminated to staff. Shirati hospital, in rural Tanzania, does not have a breastfeeding policy. Bardach’s 8-Fold Pathway for policy analysis methodology (adapted by Collins for health policy) was used to evaluate three promising breastfeeding policies to improve compliance with this recommendation. They include …

Using Social Narratives To Improve The Healthcare Experiences Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Margaret Spindel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience significant emotional stress when they visit a healthcare provider. The focus of this research project was to explore the use of social narratives to help reduce stress associated with this environment. Social narratives are short stories designed to walk a child through a potential situation that they will encounter, that they may not be familiar with, or that they are not currently handling properly. As part of an initial literature review, evidence for the need for additional intervention in the healthcare setting for children with ASD was established. Continuing literature review then …

Improving Nursing Adherence To Pediatric Pain Management Bundle Using The Pdsa Cycle, Stephen W. Lovern

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

Given the current standards, pediatric post-operative pain management can be a distressing outcome to the patient and family. Adequate management of post-op pain in this population is a challenge despite the availability of evidence-based interventions combined to form care bundles. Tonsillectomies are common procedures in the pediatric population and often include moderate to severe pain with ineffective pain relief. Inadequate pain management leads to unplanned admissions, longer post anesthesia care unit (PACU) stays, slower oral intake, and longer recovery periods. In this project, two interventions were tested using the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) model for rapid cycle improvements. The first intervention was …

Improving Provider Compliance Of The Naepp 2007 Asthma Guidelines Through The Electronic Health Record (Ehr) In A Pediatric Primary Care Practice, Tiffany L. Kidd

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Clinical Projects, 2016-2019

The Expert Panel Report -3 (EPR3) NAEPP 2007 evidence-based clinical asthma guidelines were developed to provide evidence-based high-quality patient care that leads to improved outcomes. A literature review showed that healthcare providers do not routinely follow the asthma guidelines. The purpose of this project was to develop and implement an evidence-based asthma electronic health record (EHR) template in a pediatric office to improve provider compliance to the guidelines resulting in improved outcomes for children with asthma. The study was conducted over a period of four months from January - April 2016. An EHR asthma protocol template and training for providers …

Adolescent Grief: The Nurse's Role In Promoting Healthy Coping Mechanisms And Preventing Future Hospitalizations, Erica C. Reighard

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Age and developmental stage directly influence the grieving individual's ability to understand and process death. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to developing negative coping skills such as substance abuse, self-destructive behaviors, and eating disorders. After a loss occurs, nurses can use their role as a caregiver who is neither a parent nor a peer to provide adolescents with an opportunity to express their grief. Nurses can educate grieving adolescents on the differences between positive and negative coping skills and can therefore reduce the number of future hospitalizations related to ineffective coping mechanisms.

Family And Child Development Education For Harrisonburg Adolescents, Mollie M. Moran, Jennifer E. Corser, Julia M. Glauber

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The pregnancy rate among 15- to 17-year-old women in Harrisonburg is double Virginia's state rate (Townsend, 2008). While meeting administers and guidance counselors of Harrisonburg High School we learned that Harrisonburg High School views this issue as one that cannot be addressed by teaching abstinence in their public school. They have found that because of cultural beliefs, abstinence is not an effective tool for preventing teenage pregnancy. Instead, HHS teaches their students about safe sexual practices and how to have a healthy pregnancy in the event they were to become pregnant. The high school offers a class called “Child and …