Digital Commons Network^™

The Federal Government Must Revise Public Housing Policies To Protect Vulnerable Populations From Evictions, Caroline Grabowski

Population Health Research Brief Series

Over 100,000 Americans are now dying from drug overdoses annually, signifying that the goal of the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act (ADAA) to end illicit drug use has not been achieved. What’s more, numerous statutes within the ADAA have created or worsened housing instability among people who use drugs and their families. This is because the ADAA allows public housing officials to use their own discretion when determining evictions and lease refusals and has disproportionately harmed individuals in public housing who did not participate in the drug-related activities that led to their eviction. This brief describes how the ADAA negatively affects …

Using Mindfulness In Nursing Burnout. An Integrative Review., April Day Branham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this integrative review is to evaluate if mindfulness is effective in decreasing nursing burnout. Nursing burnout has negatively affected the nursing profession for many years, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears to be worse. Mindfulness is a practice that has been used for decades, however, it is gaining more attention in the nursing realm. Mindfulness consists of being present in a moment without judgment. It can consist of individual exercises that are completed using an instructor in person, in an application on a smartphone or computer, or yoga-based mindful activities. A preliminary literature review was completed …

Attitudes Toward The Amish Held By Nursing And Social Work Students At A Midwestern University, Lora Wyss, Rosanna Hess

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

As Amish populations increase and move across North America, the likelihood grows that healthcare professionals will come into contact with them. No studies have been conducted to examine contact frequency with or attitudes of healthcare providers toward the Amish. The aims of this study were to examine attitudes toward the Amish among nursing and social work students attending a Christian liberal arts university in a Midwestern state, and, to determine the relationship between students’ cultural awareness, their knowledge of the Amish, their contact with the Amish, and their attitudes toward the Amish. The participants were anonymously surveyed using the Revised …

Health And Healthcare Among The Plain Anabaptist People, Rosanna Hess, Braxton Mitchell

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

This issue of the Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies (JAPAS) marks the eleventh year of publication of this journal, the flagship journal of the Amish & Plain Anabaptist Studies Association (APASA). In the past we have devoted entire issues to specific topics, including Beachy Amish-Mennonite churches [2017 5(1)], past and future directions of Amish studies [2017 5(2)], Ohio Amish schisms [2019 7(2)], gender-focused research [2020 8(2)], agriculture and the environment [2021 9(2)], and the plain people at midcentury [2023 11(1)]. In addition, the 2018 6(2) issue included a special section on health among the Amish. This …

Cross-Cultural Dyads In The Psychotherapy Room, Sebastian Del Corral Winder, Katrina Spontak, Mixalis Poulakis

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Therapeutic outcome is often impacted by the psychotherapeutic relationship throughout treatment. These outcomes are mediated by the client’s belief in the psychotherapist’s trust, comfort, and competency while navigating mental health concerns. Cultural differences can impact a client’s perspective on all three factors and thus impact the psychotherapeutic relationship and success of treatment. The Accent Prestige Theory has noted that individuals who speak English with a Latin American Spanish accent are perceived as less competent, friendly, and trustworthy by White individuals in the United States. While this theory has been examined in select contexts, there is no previous work related to …

Physical Therapy Professionals’ Opioid Knowledge And Attitudes In A Midwestern State: A Cross Sectional Survey, Steven G. Kinney, John D. Kiesel

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: To determine perspectives towards opioid use, knowledge on managing an opioid overdose, and awareness towards individuals who use opioids of Indiana physical therapy (PT) professionals. Methods: An online questionnaire was disseminated to PT professionals in Indiana from various practice settings. This questionnaire included two standardized measures, the Opioid Overdose Knowledge Scale (OOKS) and the Opioid Overdose Attitude Scale (OOAS). An additional 12 questions regarding the role of PT and other groups in the opioid crisis as well as opioid education were included. These questions were developed by discussion between investigators as well as feedback from another rehabilitation professional. Descriptive …

An Evaluation Of A Student Allied Health Professions’ Social Prescribing Scheme, Kirstie A. Goodchild, Anya De Iongh

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Social prescribing is a core part of healthcare policy within the NHS and requires support and contributions from all healthcare professionals, including Allied Healthcare Professionals (AHPs). The well-established medical student-led social prescribing student champion scheme (SPSCS) has been expanded to include AHPs, and AHP champions were recruited to deliver peer-led activities focused on social prescribing. This article aimed to evaluate the impact of the scheme's expansion on AHP students. Method: Fourteen AHP champions ran 21 activities that reached 524 students. Those participating in the champion-led activities were asked to complete pre- and post-session surveys to capture the impact of …

A Work Readiness Scale For Allied Health Graduates, Vidya Lawton, Emre Ilhan, Verity Pacey, Taryn M. Jones, Arlene Walker, Catherine M. Dean

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The transition for allied health graduates from university to the workforce has been perceived to be difficult and overwhelming, leading to early attrition within healthcare professions. Work readiness is a crucial aspect of successful transition to the workforce, however, the elements of work readiness are not clearly defined. The purpose of this project was to refine the measurement of work-readiness in allied health graduates. Method: A 62-item Work Readiness Scale for Allied Health Professionals (WRS-AH), based on a work readiness scale for a generic population of graduates, was validated and refined using an exploratory factor analysis. Results …

A Model For Teaching Financial Literacy In A Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program Using The Five Stages Of Career Development, Madeline Ratoza, Rupal Patel, Fabian Bizama, F Scott Feil

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The cost of higher education programs across allied health disciplines have increased substantially in recent years while salaries have remained relatively stagnant. The result of which is an increase in debt burden for graduates of allied health professional programs. One possible intervention to improve the experience of graduates is to improve financial literacy; however, research on the effectiveness of financial literacy education in higher education is scant. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the effectiveness of a financial literacy and career planning seminar in a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Specifically, this study aimed to …

Mindfulness Based Self Care Toolkit For Psychiatric Healthcare Staff, Harkirat Kaur Bajwa

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Background: Healthcare personnel (HCP) are at high risk of stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue (CF). Up to 50% of physicians and 33% of nurses experience burnout in the United States. Higher rates of burnout were noted during the recent SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic due to the increased need for mental health services among patients and HCP.

Problem: Stress, burnout, and CF are associated with increased medical errors, poor patient safety, and higher staff turnover rates. One-third of nurses report they intend to leave the profession because of burnout which contributes to financial burden for hospitals. A higher nurse turnover rate …

Beyond The Physical Wounds: A Proactive Approach To Mental Health Recovery After A Traumatic Injury, Christine Mcgahey

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Beyond the Physical Wounds: A Proactive Approach to Mental Health Recovery After a Traumatic Injury

Background: Every year, millions of Americans incur a life-threatening traumatic event and are admitted to trauma centers to treat their acute physical injuries. While traumatic injury is closely associated with developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), patients are rarely evaluated for PTSD risk or educated about long-term psychological sequelae.

Local Problem: The predictive value of early screening to quantify PTSD risk in trauma patients is well documented in the literature. However, in a 241-bed Level II Trauma acute care hospital, there was no protocol to evaluate …

Supporting Mental Health In Children By Providing Basic Skills And Knowledge Of Mental Health To Middle-School Teachers, Mariaelena Falcon

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background: Mental health first aid training in middle school is an effective way to help teachers gain the necessary knowledge and confidence needed to support students with mental health distress and provide early interventions.

Local Problem: Lack of mental health training may result in teachers facing challenges in identifying and addressing mental health issues among their students. Specific problems resulting from this include limited awareness, insufficient skills, and strategies to effectively communicate and engage with students in mental health distress, and stigma surrounding mental health may make teachers uncomfortable discussing mental health.

Methods: The project will take place at Harper …

Improving Intimate Partner Violence Screening In A Women’S Health Practice Through Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Screening Tool, Jasmine Weber

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement intimate partner violence screening in an outpatient women’s health clinic with no prior screening process in place. Current recommendations are to screen all reproductive age women for intimate partner violence 6 . During a three-month period 170 patients out of 260 eligible patients were screened using the HARK screening tool, 7 of those patients screened positive and were offered referrals to social work. While universal IPV screening was not achieved, a screening rate of 64% is a remarkable improvement from an apparent absence of screening prior to project implementation.

Implementing A Standard Work Process For Food Insecurity Screening, Referral, And Connection Tracking In A Safety-Net Clinic, Aisha Keplinger

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

Social determinants of health (SDOH) screening and referral programs are crucial to achieving health equity, fundamental to providing the best care, and are critical to the United States’ pursuit of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Triple Aim (Berwick et al., 2008). Employing the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, a systematic screening and referral program was implemented at a safety-net clinic to increase SDOH screening and referral rates, and to identify the number of patients who connect with community resources. The program was guided by the IHI Triple Aim framework and evaluated using the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Six Aims of Healthcare Quality …

The Overture! Then Is Here-And-Now: Hindsight Is Twenty, Twenty?, Elena Kydd

Music Therapy Theses

My existence and presence as a Black woman and graduate scholar in music therapy have allowed me to share my experience of racial trauma and oppression in the hallways of GCSU’s music therapy program. Autoethnography is the method I use to write my thesis on the relationships between Blackness, pedagogy, and music therapy. Thus, I perform an evocative autoethnographic study that allows me to share my personal experience of racial trauma and oppression within the culture of music therapy and to critique the larger social structures of whiteness that disenfranchise and dominate me and other Black student music therapists (SMTs). …

Evaluation Of A Community Based Teaching Hospital’S Geriatric Emergency Medicine Initiative, Josette Hartnett, Isabel Muronzi-Belfon, Suzanne J. Rose

Journal of Geriatric Emergency Medicine

INTRODUCTION: To accommodate the complex healthcare needs of the rising geriatric population, Stamford Hospital’s (SH) emergency department (ED) began a Geriatric Emergency Medicine Initiative (GEMI) in 2018 to improve our ED environment, practices, and focused assessments for our community-dwelling older adults.

METHODS: This retrospective program evaluation describes SH’s novel ED processes for at-risk older adults and compares GEMI and non-GEMI assessed patient outcomes using aggregate frequencies on throughput metrics such as length of stay (LOS), 72 hour and 30-day re-admission rates, and other outcomes of interest. Chi-square tests and group t-tests were used for all analyses with a p-value of …

The Development And Evaluation Of Nurse-Created Video Modules To Encourage Healthy Behaviors Among Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (Pcos), Rebecca Akers

Doctoral Projects

Problem Statement: Women with PCOS have a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity, a problem that is directly linked with many of the symptoms and long-term health problems experienced by these individuals. Research studies indicate that lifestyle modifications, including dietary changes and increased physical activity aimed at promoting weight loss, are often the initial approach to treatment, but many women fail to adopt those health-promoting behaviors, which may be due to insufficient teaching and support provided by healthcare professionals.

Purpose: Utilize Pender’s Health Promotion Model to develop and evaluate a set of educational video modules focused on encouraging women with …

Predicting Factors Of Health-Related Quality Of Life Among End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Receiving Hemodialysis At A Tertiary Level Hospital In Nepal., Jyoti Gahatraj, Poolsuk Janepanish Visudtibhan, Tiraporn Junda, Nipaporn Butsing

Journal of Health Research

Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) puts tremendous burdens upon affected patients and their support persons in Nepal. The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Nepalese persons with hemodialysis-dependent ESRD is not well understood. This study aimed to examine HRQoL and its predicting factors among persons undergoing hemodialysis in Nepal.

Methods: A purposive sampling was applied to recruit 106 persons with ESRD receiving hemodialysis at a tertiary hospital in Nepal between October and December 2021. The structured questionnaires included personal information, the World Health Organization Quality of Life instruments (WHOQOL-BREF), the fatigue assessment scale (FAS), the Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS), …

What We Know About School-Based Health Centers: Literature On Outcomes, Cost Impact, Implementation, And Sustainability, Michelle R. Coble, Valerie F. Mcdaniel

Pacific Journal of Health

Many children lack access to adequate healthcare in the United States. School Based Health Centers (SBHC) are a useful resource for accessing those needed services. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the available research for the strengths of SBHCs with improving health outcomes and health equity, cost impact of SBHCs, and best practices for implementing and sustaining an SBHC. The focus of this study was on reviewing the current literature on the impact of SBHCs on improving health equity, health outcomes, cost impact, and to establish best practices for implementing and sustaining an SBHC. Although the current literature …

Developing A Blueprint For Health Equity Programs And Investigating Interventions And Metrics, Belita Strudwick

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Racial and ethnic minority groups and rural and low-income populations are examples of populations who continue to experience health disparities despite policy mandates to eliminate them. This doctoral project will provide a foundational blueprint to aid health plans in addressing and improving health equity internally and with external stakeholders. The blueprint will be based on research comparing the robust health equity initiatives of four states to the NCQA national guidelines. The barriers to achieving and recommendations for advancing the field of health equity by implementing and analyzing policies and data that target health disparities through improved access to quality care …

Benchmark Study Of Early Palliative Care In End-Stage Liver Disease, Pebble Ward

MSN Capstone Projects

Patients with ESLD in general have high rates of healthcare utilization, resulting in more than 250,000 hospitalizations at $9.8 billion annually in the United States (Ufere et al., 2019). Liver disease is a rising cause of death worldwide, affecting younger people, but palliative care is largely absent for these patients (Kimball et al. 2018). Early readmissions are common for patients with ESLD and in the U.S. alone, over 25% of patients are readmitted within 30 days of their initial diagnosis, rates that now exceed those seen for patients with CHF and COPD (Ufere et al. 2019). Evidence shows that early …

Palliative Care And Quality Of Life Improvement: A Benchmark Study, Rebecca Daniels

MSN Capstone Projects

This project provides an overview of the standard and regular implementation of palliative care versus early implementation of palliative care in patients with chronic or terminal illnesses. Palliative care is an essential component of healthcare that focuses on improving the quality of life and providing support to patients through holistic elements to patients and their families facing chronic and terminal illnesses. With evidence-based research, many articles have been published with implementation of early palliative care showing improvement in patient and even caregiver quality of life. This project includes evidence gathered from mixed methods of systematic review of existing literature, randomized …

Poetic Representations Of Covid-19 Narratives: An Exploration Of Emotional Experiences During The Pandemic, Isha Harshe, Lindy Davidson

The Qualitative Report

In pivotal moments of history like the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to attend to and preserve the stories of different people experiencing the same phenomenon in their own ways. This project analyzed the public’s emotional experiences during the pandemic using methods of narrative and poetic inquiry. After reading 105 entries from the Pandemic Journaling Project, an online platform where people anonymously published journal entries reflecting on their pandemic experiences, narratives were categorized based on ten prominent emotional themes: anger, anxiety, fatigue, fear, loneliness, longing, loss, loss of control, stress, and uncertainty. Found poems were constructed for each emotion …

From Life To Life: Transitioning To Freedom After 45 Years Of Incarceration- A Single Subject Case Study, James O. Mackey, Lindsay Gietzen

Pacific Journal of Health

This case study delves into the complex process of reintegrating an elderly parolee who recently emerged from a 45-year-long incarceration within California's state prisons. The research explores this unique individual's reentry experiences and compares them with those of parolees of average age and sentence length. Factors such as family support, educational background, criminal history, health, social support, employment, access to age-appropriate resources, and recidivism rates are meticulously examined to provide valuable insights into the successful reintegration of elderly individuals back into society.

Veterans In Crisis: Identifying And Reducing Suicide, David C. Cole, Natalie A. Perkins, Lindsay Gietzen, Zohair Hussain, Dione M. Cole

Pacific Journal of Health

The base of this Integrative Review is built on the foundation of information from research by Ramchand (2021), “Veterans are committing suicide at a rate twice the non-veteran.” (p.2) and “From 2005 to 2018 the suicide rate went from 20% to 32%” in the veteran population. (p.3). According to Ahmedani et al. (2019), “The majority of persons committing suicide (71.2%) had received health care in the 180 days prior to their death.” (p.6). This review analyzed and organized the findings to spotlight 4 common themes that lead to a better understanding of best practices. Eligibility criteria started with the PICOT …

Navigating Professional Paradigms: Transactional Sex, Behavior Change, And Structural Responses In Uganda, Shelley K. White, Hugo A. Kamya

Journal of Social Work in the Global Community

Professional paradigms within social work and related social service fields have been critiqued for being behaviorally focused, thereby obscuring and perhaps excusing structural determinants of health and well-being. Recent initiatives in international social work have aimed to align theory, practice, education, and research with sustainable development, reflecting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to address structural determinants. Our qualitative research examined responses to transactional sex among Ugandan youth through in-depth interviews with 23 professionals working in social services with youth who were vulnerable to HIV. Through thematic content analysis, using deductive and inductive analysis, we examined the demographics …

A Systematic Review Of The Effect Of Family-Centered Education On The Physical And Mental Health Of Middle Eastern Refugee Women, Holly Keylada, Debora Merheb, Emilia Folkerts, Julia Nix, Khloe Blakey, Kimberly Landrum, Cheryl Swanson

Anna Vaughn School of Nursing Undergraduate Work

Refugee women from the Middle East are underrepresented in research and meeting their physical and mental health needs remains a significant challenge for healthcare workers in countries of resettlement. In this systematic research review, we synthesize family- centered interventions to address mental, menstrual, and reproductive health within this population. Twenty-one relevant studies were identified, showing the benefits of providing culturally sensitive family-centered education through the integration of educational interventions focused on community outreaches, interpersonal relations, school-based education, social networks, and more. However, there is still a need for high-quality mental, reproductive, and menstrual intervention studies within resettled refugees from the …

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

About The Mcnair Scholars Program, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Swimming Together Upstream: How To Align Mlp Services With U.S. Healthcare Delivery, William M. Sage, Keegan D. Warren

Faculty Scholarship

Medical-legal partnership (MLP) embeds attorneys and paralegals into care delivery to help clinicians address root causes of health inequities. Notwithstanding decades of favorable outcomes, MLP is not as well-known as might be expected. In this essay, the authors explore ways in which strategic alignment of legal services with healthcare services in terms of professionalism, information collection and sharing, and financing might help the MLP movement become a more widespread, sustainable model for holistic care delivery.