Digital Commons Network^™

Implementation Of A Risk Stratification Foot Screening Tool At A Free Outpatient Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project, Joni-Kay Johnson

DNP Projects

Background: Foot conditions and disorders are prevalent concerns for the medically underserved population, that can manifest through chronic illnesses like diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and hypertension, especially if these conditions go undetected or unmanaged for periods of time. This population is faced with complex challenges and are at risk of illness due to inequities and disparities in access to health care services. They are known to suffer from poor health and can be reluctant to seek healthcare except in crisis. Walking is a common mode of transportation among underserved individuals and increased risks of physical injury, poor hygiene, and inadequate …

Improving Provider Ordered Annual Breast Cancer Screening In Primary Care, Alexis Manzella

DNP Projects

Significance and Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women throughout the United States. Specifically, the state of Connecticut has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the country. Multiple evidence-based organizations have developed specific guidelines for screening in clinical practice. These guidelines specify when a woman should be screened and how frequently. A project was put in place at a FQHC in Connecticut to increase the number of breast cancer screenings ordered, based on clinical guidelines. Evidence supported the use of provider education to increase the number of mammograms ordered (Marks,2022).

Purpose: Increase the number …

Non-Opioid Pharmacologic Agents In The Treatment Of Non-Cancer Chronic Pain In The Outpatient Setting, Diane Eannotti

DNP Projects

Opioid prescription related overdose deaths have increased substantially with evidence demonstrating only modest short-term benefits in chronic pain and thus represents the need to identify alternative treatments to opioids. A needs assessment performed for a federally qualified community health center revealed patients presently taking non-opioid pharmacologic agents in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) needed additional education in managing multiple non-opioid medications. A targeted approach at improving patient experience and population health supporting the quadruple aim was undertaken with this project.

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project consisted of performing medication management visits for 28 referred patients …

Health Technology In School-Based Health Centers: Supporting Continuous Care During Covid-19, Erin Sullivan, Anna Goddard, Paula Fields, Suzanne Mackey

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Children and adolescents in the United States face disparities by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, including unequal access to consistent and high-quality healthcare. School-based health centers (SBHCs) promote health equity by delivering primary, mental, and other health services directly to students in their schools. The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States resulted in schools and SBHCs closing their physical sites and pivoting to virtual service delivery. Methods: In the months immediately following school closures, school-based health center practitioners and sponsors participated in an online listening series to share how they used technology to creatively advertise services, engage with students, …

Reporting Of Harm In Randomized Controlled Trials Of Therapeutic Exercise For Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review, Johan Von Heideken, Sana Chowdhry, Joanna Borg, Khara James, Maura D. Iversen

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Objective: The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) recommends reporting adverse events (AEs) and dropouts (DOs) with their definitions. The purpose of this study was to identify how AEs and DOs were reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of therapeutic exercise for knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Data sources were the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PUBMED, and CINAHL. Databases were searched to identify RCTs of therapeutic exercise for Knee OA published from January 1, 1980, through July 23, 2020. Researchers independently extracted participant and intervention characteristics and determined whether a clear statement of and reasons for AEs and DOs existed. The primary …

Sacred Heart University Public Health Program Self-Study, Public Health, College Of Health Professions

News, Magazines and Reports

From the Introduction:

The public health program began in the fall, 2018. The public health program has only one degree offered, a master’s of public health (MPH) degree with a concentration in community health. The program was developed in response to an observed need. Specifically, Sacred Heart undergraduate students in both the Health Science and Exercise Science undergraduate programs were asking for an MPH program that they could matriculate into after graduating from their undergraduate studies. The current MPH program director, Dr. Anna Greer, was already working at SHU as a behavioral scientist within SHU’s Exercise Science program. Dr. Greer …

Using A Multifaceted Approach To Working With Children Who Have Differences In Sensory Processing And Integration, Stacey Reynolds, Tara J. Glennon, Karla Ausderau, Roxanna M. Bendixen, Heather Miller-Kuhaneck, Beth Pfeiffer, Renee Watling, Kimberly Wilkinson, Stefanie C. Bodison

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Pediatric occupational therapy practitioners frequently provide interventions for children with differences in sensory processing and integration. Confusion exists regarding how best to intervene with these children and about how to describe and document methods. Some practitioners hold the misconception that Ayres Sensory Integration intervention is the only approach that can and should be used with this population. The issue is that occupational therapy practitioners must treat the whole client in varied environments; to do so effectively, multiple approaches to intervention often are required. This article presents a framework for conceptualizing interventions for children with differences in sensory processing and integration …

Reflections (2015 Issue), College Of Health Professions

College of Health Professions Newsletters & Magazines

In the annual Reflections magazine, Dean Patricia Walker and the College of Health Sciences present some of the highlights and accomplishments in teaching, service and scholarship from the past year.

Factors Related To Academic Success Among Nursing Students: A Descriptive Correlational Research Study, Audrey M. Beauvais, Julie G. Stewart Dnp, Mph, Susan M. Denisco, John E. Beauvais

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background:The current rise in employment is improving forecasts for the future supply of registered nurses; however sizeable shortages are still projected. With the intention of improving academic success in nursing students, related factors need to be better understood.

Objectives: The purpose of the correlational study was to describe the relationship between emotional intelligence, psychological empowerment, resilience, spiritual well-being, and academic success in undergraduate and graduate nursing students.

Design/setting: A descriptive correlational design was utilized. The study was set in a private Catholic university.

Participants: There were 124 participants. There were 59% undergraduate and 41% graduate students.

Methods: Background data, in …

Improving Dental Visits For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders Through An Understanding Of Sensory Processing, Heather Miller Kuhaneck, Elizabeth Cipes Chisholm, Dmd

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

The increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests that dental practices will be seeing patients with this diagnosis more frequently. Although patients with ASD have similar dental needs to other patients, the symptoms of the disorder may influence the ability of dental practitioners to provide necessary care. Dental professionals may be unaware of the difficulties with sensory processing common to patients with ASD. However, awareness of sensory processing issues and knowledge of strategies to improve the sensory experience for individuals with ASD may improve dental visits for these patients and allow for enhanced dental care provision.

Service Learning In Higher Education Exercise Science Programs, Wendy Bjerke

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

Introduction: Service learning (SL) describes teaching methods that incorporate student service activities with specific learning objectives. SL has been applied to allied health higher education programs.

Purpose: To determine the applicability of SL to exercise science courses. SL data associated with an undergraduate course in exercise physiology serving a local fire department is examined.

The Hypothesis Of Apraxia Of Speech In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lawrence D. Shriberg, Rhea Paul, Lois M. Black, Jan P. Van Santen

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

In a sample of 46 children aged 4-7 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intelligible speech, there was no statistical support for the hypothesis of concomitant Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Perceptual and acoustic measures of participants' speech, prosody, and voice were compared with data from 40 typically-developing children, 13 preschool children with Speech Delay, and 15 participants aged 5-49 years with CAS in neurogenetic disorders. Speech Delay and Speech Errors, respectively, were modestly and substantially more prevalent in participants with ASD than reported population estimates. Double dissociations in speech, prosody, and voice impairments in ASD were interpreted as …

Addressing The Fertility Needs Of Hiv-Seropositive Males, Brian A. Levine, Sahadat K. Nurudeen, Jennifer T. Gosselin, Mark V. Sauer

Psychology Faculty Publications

An increasing number of serodiscordant couples are utilizing advanced reproductive technologies to address their reproductive needs. Recent literature has demonstrated that it is not only technically possible but also safe to utilize sperm-washing techniques to allow for the creation of embryos, thereby preventing both horizontal and vertical transmission of HIV. This article addresses the strengths and weakness of various reproductive techniques and discusses our experience at Columbia University (NY, USA), the location of the largest HIV-focused fertility program in the USA.

Hiv: Make The Diagnosis And Take The Next Step, Julie G. Stewart, Amy R. Weinberg

Nursing Faculty Publications

With the CDC urging screening for all willing patients, providers will be testing and managing a growing number of HIV-positive individuals.

The CDC estimates that with more than 40,000 new infections annually, more than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV-and 24% to 27% may not be aware of their infection status.1 Studies have shown that HIV is often diagnosed late in the disease process, when the individual has already developed AIDS, which typically occurs 8 to 11 years after HIV infection.2 Research also points to missed opportunities to offer HIV testing and diagnose the infection …

Parents Ask: Am I Risking Autism If I Vaccinate My Children?, Rhea Paul

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

There is no evidence that autism is caused by any vaccine or any additive or preservative ever used in one. There have been large, well-controlled studies done all over the Western world that have confirmed this finding over and over again. There is no reason for any parent to deny a child the crucial protection today’s vaccines offer out of misguided fear that doing so would increase the risk for autism.

Academic Medicine As A Bridge To Peace: Building Arab And Israeli Cooperation, Abi Sriharan, Ziad Abdeen, Dennis Bojrab, Shurkri David, Ziad Elnasser, Tim Patterson, Robert J. Shprintzen, Harvey Skinner, Yehudah Roth, Arnold Noyek

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Can you imagine Canadian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian medical students singing, volunteering, and working together to develop programs to address issues related to global pediatric emergency medicine? Such a program was first held in Toronto in 2003 and continues annually. Can you imagine Canadians, Israelis, Jordanians, and Palestinians jointly teaching and developing solutions, via video teleconference, to address behavioral neurological problems affecting elderly populations? Such an initiative began in 2006 and continues to expand today. Can you imagine senior Jordanian and Israeli ear surgeons operating together, successfully carrying out pioneering cochlear implant surgery on deaf infants, on Jordanian national television? …

Autism In A 15-Month-Old Child, Ami Klin, Katarzyna Chawarska, Rhea Paul, Emily Rubin, L. Weisner, Fred Volkmar

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Autism is a developmental disorder marked by severe deficits in reciprocal social interaction, communication, and imagination as well as repetitive and restricted patterns of interests and behavior. Klin et al describe the findings of an interdisciplinary developmental disabilities evaluation of a 15-month-old girl with autism.

Sjogren’S Syndrome: Recognizing And Treating An Autoimmune Disease, Susan M. Denisco, Linda Ferro

Nursing Faculty Publications

Sjogren's syndrome, one of the most common autoimmune diseases, is characterized by cell-mediated lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, particularly the salivary and lacrimal glands. It receives little attention in the literature, and frequently goes unrecognized until progressive changes are apparent. This article aids nurse practitioners in diagnosing the disorder in its earliest stages and in initiating proper treatment.

Speech And Prosody Characteristics Of Adolescents And Adults With High-Functioning Autism And Asperger Syndrome, Lawrence D. Shriberg, Rhea Paul, Jane Mcsweeny, Ami Klin, Donald Cohen, Fred Volkmar

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Speech and prosody-voice profiles for 15 male speakers with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and 15 male speakers with Asperger syndrome (AS) were compared to one another and to profiles for 53 typically developing male speakers in the same 10- to 50-years age range. Compared to the typically developing speakers, significantly more participants in both the HFA and AS groups had residual articulation distortion errors, uncodable utterances due to discourse constraints, and utterances coded as inappropriate in the domains of phrasing, stress, and resonance. Speakers with AS were significantly more voluble than speakers with HFA, but otherwise there were few statistically significant …

Maximixing Clinical Education Options In Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy, Beverly D. Fein

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to present a series of suggestions for increasing cardiopulmonary content in clinical education experiences. This article offers strategies for maximizing cardiopulmonary clinical education experiences of physical therapy students in order to better prepare them to function in the changing clinical environment. Specific strategies addressed include: 1) enhancing student selfdirectedness; 2) integrating cardiopulmonary content into management of patients with a variety of diagnoses; and 3) use of resources for student and staff development. A series of guiding questions to facilitate student learning in the area of cardiopulmonary physical therapy is provided. Alternative models for full …

Associations Between Phonology And Syntax In Speech-Delayed Children, Rhea Paul, Lawrence D. Shriberg

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Interactions between phonology and syntax are inspected in continuous speech samples from 30 speech-delayed children. Two types of interactions are examined: The co-occurrence of speech and language delay and the effects of phonological reduction on the realization of phonetically complex morphophonemes. Four possible patterns of association between the phonological and syntactic systems are outlined, and subjects are assigned to these patterns based on their phonological and syntactic performance. Results indicate that two-thirds of the subjects display evidence of overall syntactic delay, whereas half show some limitation in the use of phonetically complex morphophonemes, their performance in that area being below …