Digital Commons Network^™

Editorial Comment: What Influences The Use Of Administrative Evidence-Based Practices In Local Health Departments?, Christopher M. Maylahn

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

In 2012, Frontiers published an article by Allen et al. about identifying administrative and management practices that make up an evidence-based local health department.¹ They recommended that local health departments (LHDs) consider using such practices to implement sustained evidence-based policies, programs, and interventions. Strategies that should be given ‘high priority’ for implementation were highlighted. My accompanying editorial² acknowledged the value of this practical advice to LHDs in optimizing their performance and achieving desired health outcomes.

Substance Abuse Prevention In American Indian And Alaska Native Communities: Exploration Of Guiding Theoretical Underpinnings And Theoretical Fit In Practice, Margaret L. Walsh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify ways Indigenous theoretical perspectives may guide current and future substance abuse prevention programs. As the majority of current theories guiding substance abuse prevention programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities stem from Western ideologies and lack Indigenous perspectives, there is a paucity of research on theoretical underpinnings for Indigenous perspectives in AI/AN communities and their potential role in substance abuse prevention programming. It is well known that when programs are theoretically connected to the communities in which they are implemented, they are more likely to be accepted, accurately measured, and sustained …

Designing A Sustainable And Transferable Inventory Management System For Small Healthcare Facilities, Shree Frazier

Open Access Theses

Managing the costs of supplies within healthcare facilities has been a task that has plagued the health industry for many years. Many facilities are accustomed to using a par system approach. This involves bringing an inventory item to an amount sufficient for daily operation. This method often requires daily inspection by a healthcare worker, which reduces his/her time spent performing value added tasks. Employees at small healthcare facilities have multiple responsibilities, therefore they cannot afford to spend much time on inventory management. A proposed approach is the Kanban method, which allows for strict monitoring of inventory items without the need …

A Business Case For Tele-Intensive Care Units, Alberto Coustasse, Stacie Deslich, Deanna Bailey, Alesia Hairston, David Paul

Management Faculty Research

Objectives: A tele-intensive care unit (tele-ICU) uses telemedicine in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting, applying technology to provide care to critically ill patients by off-site clinical resources. The purpose of this review was to examine the implementation, adoption, and utilization of tele-ICU systems by hospitals to determine their efficiency and efficacy as identified by cost savings and patient outcomes.

Methods: This literature review examined a large number of studies of implementa­tion of tele-ICU systems in hospitals.

Results: The evidence supporting cost savings was mixed. Implementation of a tele- ICU system was associated with cost savings, shorter lengths of stay, …

Health Advocacy Intervention For Youth : A Case Study Of Metro Youth Advocates., Tiffany Monyhan, Sasha Belenky, Kristi Mcclary King

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Study Of User Resistance In Healthcare It, Madison Ngafeeson, Vishal Midha

Journal Articles

The US healthcare system is clearly experiencing a major transition. By 2015, the healthcare sector is expected to have migrated from a paper record system to a completely electronic health record (EHR) system. The adoption and use of these systems are expected to increase legibility, reduce costs, limit medical errors and improve the overall quality of healthcare. Hence, the US government is investing $70 billion over a 10-year period to facilitate the transition to an electronic system. However, early reports show that physicians and nurses among other health professionals continue to resist the full use of the system. This paper …

Samhsa's Concept Of Trauma And Guidance For A Trauma-Informed Approach, U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services

Rebuilding the Launchpad: Serving Students During Covid Resource Library

Trauma is a widespread, harmful and costly public health problem. It occurs as a result of violence, abuse, neglect, loss, disaster, war and other emotionally harmful experiences. Trauma has no boundaries with regard to age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, geography or sexual orientation. It is an almost universal experience of people with mental and substance use disorders. The need to address trauma is increasingly viewed as an important component of effective behavioral health service delivery. Additionally, it has become evident that addressing trauma requires a multi-pronged, multi-agency public health approach inclusive of public education and awareness, prevention and early …

Developing An Action Learning Community Advocacy/Leadership Training Program For Community Health Workers And Their Agencies To Reduce Health Disparities In Arizona Border Communities, Kenneth A. Schachter Md, Mba, Maia Ingram Mph, Laurel Jacobs Drph, Mph, Hannah Hafter Mph, Jill Guernsey De Zapien Ba, Scott Carvajal Phd, Mph

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Community health workers (CHWs) make unique and important contributions to society. They serve as patient advocates, educators, and navigators in our health care system and a growing body of research indicates that they play an important role in the effective delivery of prevention and treatment services in underserved communities. CHWs also serve as informal community leaders and advocates for organizational and community change, providing valuable insiders' insights about health promotion and the interrelatedness of individuals, their community, its institutions, and the surrounding environment. Accion Para La Salud or Action for Health (Accion) is a CDC-funded community based participatory research (CBPR) …

Organizational Restructuring And The Process Of Image Making: An Arts-Based Inquiry Of The Image Making Experiences Provided For The Delegates Of A Religious Congregation Involved In Restructuring, Donna L. Gibbs

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examines the impact image-making experiences had on the leadership restructuring of a women’s religious congregation. Six Catholic women religious ranging in ages 65-85 participated in an arts-based workshop informed by art therapy theories to explore the meaning of making art during their Province Chapter meetings in which leadership restructuring was on the agenda. In addition, 42 of the 80 Province Chapter delegates responded to a survey about their experience. The data collected includes the survey, the workshop process, the images made by the six participants, their verbal sharing about their image, and their written reflections. Five common …

Patient Safety Culture And High Reliability Organizations, Jared D. Padgett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A 1999 evaluation of case studies performed by staff from the Institute of Medicine found that between 40,000 and 98,000 patients died from preventable errors, while 43,598 individuals died in car accidents that year. A 2011 report increased that estimate nearly 10 times. Widespread preventable patient harm still occurs despite an increase in healthcare regulations. High-reliability organization theory has contributed to improved safety and may potentially reverse this trend. This explorative single case study explored how the perceptions and experiences of nursing and respiratory staff affected the successful transition of a healthcare organization into a reliability-seeking organization. Fourteen participants from …

Integrating Addiction Treatment Into Primary Care Using Mobile Health Technology: Protocol For An Implementation Research Study, Andrew R. Quanbeck, David H. Gustafson, Lisa A. Marsch, Fiona Mctavish

Dartmouth Scholarship

Healthcare reform in the United States is encouraging Federally Qualified Health Centers and other primary-care practices to integrate treatment for addiction and other behavioral health conditions into their practices. The potential of mobile health technologies to manage addiction and comorbidities such as HIV in these settings is substantial but largely untested. This paper describes a protocol to evaluate the implementation of an E-Health integrated communication technology delivered via mobile phones, called Seva, into primary-care settings. Seva is an evidence-based system of addiction treatment and recovery support for patients and real-time caseload monitoring for clinicians.

Design And Implementation Of A Sustainable, University-Based, Emergency Medical Response Service, Octavia A. Mandel Struve

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Collegiate-based emergency medical services (EMS), designed primarily to provide pre-hospital basic life support and emergency services, are venues by which nurses and other healthcare professionals, with an understanding of community health and social network issues, can maximize health promotion objectives for university and college campus communities. These EMS systems also provide vital support to city and county emergency services and promote positive community relationships with neighboring areas. They can provide excellent opportunities for students to develop critical skills for success in the healthcare and business world. The sustainability and vibrancy of collegiate-based EMS systems are primarily related to impact, benefit …

Influence Of A Palliative Care Protocol On Nurses' Perceived Barriers To Palliative Care And Moral Distress, Christina Cavinder

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

The World Health Organization (2013) states palliative care for children should begin at diagnosis which may even occur prenatally. Neonatal palliative care is variable due to the high technological, curative environment in the newborn intensive care unit, and the uncertain prognoses of infants born at the edge of viability. The purpose of this EBP project was to determine the influence of establishing a neonatal palliative care protocol on nurses’ perceived barriers to palliative care and moral distress. Corley’s Moral Distress theory and Stetler’s Model were used as guides for the framework of the project. The protocol, based on guidelines supported …

Nurses' Perceptions Of Structural Empowerment: A Practice Review Process Pilot, Andrea M. Lee-Riggins

Doctoral Projects

Nurses are professionally and morally obliged to monitor and evaluate nursing practice via active participation in review mechanisms that are designed to promote patient safety and care delivery, thereby improving patient care quality (American Nurses Association [ANA], 1988, 2001, 2004; O'Rourke, 2006). The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to develop, pilot, and evaluate a nurse practice review process with frontline nurses within Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital (FHSH), a small specialty hospital, affiliated with Community Medical Centers (CMC) in Fresno, California. A nurse practice algorithm was subsequently developed and structural empowerment was assessed with the …

The Effect Of Patient Reminders On Osteoporosis Screenings, Billie-Ann Black

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Osteoporosis is characterized by reduction of bone mass and compromised bone strength, resulting in an increased fracture risk. Since a reduction of bone mass has been shown to be predictive of future fracture risk, prevention strategies target screening those patients at risk for decreased bone mass by using bone mineral density (BMD) dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Current national guidelines recommend that all women 65 years and older undergo BMD testing using central DXA every two years. Despite these recommendations, women age 65 years and older still do not participate in this screening. Greater rates of osteoporosis screening could …

The Effects Of Education On Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge, Lauren A. Ostrowski-Winkler

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for adults in the United States. The three main risk factors for the development of CVD include hypertension, high cholesterol, and tobacco use; these factors are largely prevented or reduced through lifestyle modifications. Researchers indicate that knowledge of CVD mortality has been linked with individual action to reduce one’s CVD risk. Researchers have also indicated that segments of our underserved society, particularly those with the highest CVD mortality rates, are also the least knowledgeable about CVD and their own personal risk. These risk factors were a concern within the …

2014 April 22 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Psycap And The Impact On The Development Of Intercultural Sensitivity Of Healthcare Educators: A Mixed Methods Study, Helen A. S. Fagan

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the intercultural sensitivity development process of faculty and staff at a health sciences college in the Midwest. In the quantitative phase, this study investigated changes in intercultural sensitivity over a three year period, along with the relationship between developmental level of intercultural sensitivity (as measured by Intercultural Development Inventory [IDI] [Hammer, Bennett, & Wiseman, 2003]) of participants and Psychological Capital (PsyCap, a multidimensional construct consisting of hope, efficacy, resiliency, and optimism [Luthans, Youssef, & Avolio, 2007]). In the qualitative phase (Case Study) data collection and analysis further explored …

Factors That Influence Student Selection Of Educational Leadership Master’S Programs At Regional Universities, Pam Winn, Lesley F. Leach, Susan Erwin, Liza Benedict

Administrative Issues Journal

Graduate enrollment numbers in Educational Leadership programs have dwindled at many public higher education institutions. At the same time, for-profit institutions and institutions with private marketing partnerships have experienced increasingly greater enrollments. Many public institutions are reevaluating their marketing and recruiting strategies as they struggle to compete for students. Central to any marketing strategy is knowledge of the needs and wants of consumers; in the case of higher education, the consumers are students. This study sought to determine the needs and wants of Master’s-level Educational Leadership students by investigating the factors that influenced students’ selections of programs as well as …

Breakthrough Series Collaborative To Support Trauma-Informed Practice In Early Care & Education, Anne Douglass

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

This study investigated the use of a Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) to promote the adoption of trauma-informed practices in urban early care & education (ECE) programs. Through this BSC, ECE programs implement new practices to promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and prevent trauma exposure; protect children exposed to trauma, help children heal, and support family protective factors that help children thrive.

Why Hospital Improvement Efforts Fail: A View From The Front Line., Paul D. Longenecker, Clinton O. Longenecker

Health and Sport Sciences Faculty Scholarship

In the 21st century, healthcare executives are facing changes of unprecedented magnitude in virtually every area, affecting their ability to compete. That hindrance brings with it a greater need for rapid and effective organizational change and improvement. Yet changes in the U.S. healthcare delivery system have historically been criticized as slow and less than effective in responding to the changes necessary for rapid performance improvement. To that end, the purpose of this applied research study was to help healthcare executives better understand the barriers to effective organizational change and improvement from the perspective of frontline leaders. Focus groups were conducted …

Fostering Dental Faculty Collaboration With An Evidence-Based Decision Making Model Designed For Curricular Change, Gary L. Stafford

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

This article introduces an innovative decision making model for adapting evidence-based practice to the specific needs of a department in a dental school. The design encourages suggestions for curricular change directly from the faculty members, while providing a mechanism that allows them to actively participate in the process through the use of evidence-based principles and practice. The nucleus of this model is an Advisory Council comprised of nine full-time departmental faculty members who, when charged, act as independent task force leaders who recruit other faculty members and lead small teams that investigate suggestions for curricular change. Following an accelerated investigative …

A Community Of Practice: Librarians In A Biomedical Research Network, Danielle P. De Jager-Loftus, David Midyette, Barbara Harvey

Scholarly Papers and Articles

Providing library and reference services within a biomedical research community presents special challenges for librarians, especially those in historically lower-funded states. These challenges can include understanding needs, defining and communicating the library’s role, building relationships, and developing and maintaining general and subject specific knowledge. This article describes a biomedical research network and the work of health sciences librarians at the lead intensive research institution with librarians from primarily undergraduate institutions and tribal colleges and universities. Applying the concept of a “community of practice” to a collaborative effort suggests how librarians can work together to provide effective reference services to researchers …

Utilization Review Software: The Impact On Productivity And Structural Empowerment In Case Management Nurses In An Acute Care Setting, Kimberly Frazier

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) seeks to achieve cost control by implementing aggressive cost containment mechanisms for an exploding Medicare population. One such mechanism is utilization review, which is employed to limit reimbursement of medical care that is determined to not be medically necessary. The CMS Conditions of Participation mandate that all hospitals determine whether a patient qualifies for an Inpatient or Observation stay. Utilization Review Specialist (UR) nurses were given the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire II (CWEQ-II), Organizational Relationship Scale II (ORS-II), and the Job Activity Scale II (JAS II), six months after McKesson InterQual software …

Palliative Care In The Icu: Relief Of Pain, Dyspnea, And Thirst-A Report From The Ipal-Icu Advisory Board, K. Puntillo, J. E. Nelson, D. Weissman, R. Curtis, S. Weiss, J. Frontera, M. Gabriel, R. Hays, D. Lustbader, M. Campbell, +6 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

Purpose: Pain, dyspnea, and thirst are three of the most prevalent, intense, and distressing symptoms of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. In this report, the interdisciplinary Advisory Board of the Improving Palliative Care in the ICU(IPAL-ICU) Project brings together expertise in both critical care and palliative care along with current information to address challenges in assessment and management. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of literature focusing on intensive care and palliative care research related to palliation of pain, dyspnea, and thirst. Results: Evidence-based methods to assess pain are the enlarged 0-10 Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for ICU patients able …

Impact Of Nurse Managers' Leadership Styles On Staff Nurses' Intent To Turnover, Joseph Warren L. Perez

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Nurse Managers have the unenviable responsibility of ensuring that nursing staff are engaged and perform their duties to the best of their abilities. Maintaining an environment conducive to maximizing nurses' potentials resulting in retention may be a by-product of an effective leadership style. The purpose of this study was to determine whether nurse managers' leadership styles have an impact on nurses' intent to turnover. Nurse Managers with more than one year of management experience were asked to complete the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X). The 45-item questionnaire rates the participant's leadership style based on the answers provided. Results were then compared …

Improvement Of Standardized Documentation Of Patients With Copd In An Acute Care Setting, Kimberly Biery

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Projects

The purpose of this project was to improve patient clinical outcomes of average length of stay, mortality rate, and readmission within 30 days by increasing health care provider order set usage and documentation as it relates to patients with a primary diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Epic ™ computer based clinical documentation by healthcare providers at The Christ Hospital (TCH) was inconsistent. The PICOT question developed was: in the COPD population of an acute care hospital, how does standardized electronic COPD process measure documentation and order set usage compared to no COPD process measure documentation and order set …

Healthcare Information Systems: Opportunities And Challenges, Madison Ngafeeson

Book Sections/Chapters

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Merger/Acquisitions In A Nonprofit Addiction Treatment Hospital, Courtney C. Mcshay

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This quantitative pilot study examined the quality of life of palliative care patients as perceived by the patient and their caregiver. Patients with palliative care consults at The University of Colorado and The Medical Center of Aurora were asked to participate in this study. The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire survey tool was selected to measure the patient's quality of life due to its validity and reliability in measuring quality of life in the palliative care patient population. The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire consists of five distinct subscales: physical well-being, physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, existential well-being, and support. Sixteen …

The Impact Of Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Practice Model In A Long Term Acute Care Hospital, Michele L. Marshall

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Projects

Inadequate and delayed implementation of current evidence into practice has contributed to medical errors, safety issues and patient deaths. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has challenged the healthcare profession to achieve 90% of integration of current evidence into practice by 2020. The purpose of this doctoral project was to implement an evidence-based practice (EBP) model in a long-term acute care hospital as they began their journey in pursuit of Magnet recognition. Implementation of an EBP model, the Advancing Research and Clinical practice through close Collaboration (ARCC) model, involved conducting an initial organizational assessment of staff to understand the staff’s beliefs, …