Digital Commons Network^™

Self Reported Pain Diary For Assessment Of Chronic Pain In The Communicative, Cognitively Intact Nursing Home Resident, Kathy K. Hager

DNP Projects

This paper describes a clinical project using a self-reported pain diary for the assessment of chronic pain in the communicative, cognitively-intact nursing home resident. There are estimates of chronic pain among nursing home residents that range from 4 – 83%. The goal of this clinical project was to evaluate a chronic pain diary in relation to its effectiveness and efficiency in accurately assessing pain among nursing home residents. Assessment has been identified as a major barrier in the control of chronic pain, and the self-report is accepted as the most reliable measure of a person’s pain. The self-reported pain diary’s …

A Comparison Of Nurses' Clinical Judgement And The Short Form-Mini Nutritional Assessment Tool In Assessing The Nutritional Status Of Older Patients In An Acute Clinical Setting, Roger Shreeve

Theses : Honours

Decreased nutritional status of older hospitalised patients has been identified as a significant problem. The prevalence of malnutrition in older people has been reported to be between 17% and 65% in acute hospital settings. This has led to the recognition of a need for a valid instrument to adequately assess nutritional status. Tools developed to date still require much time and expertise to implement, limiting their use within the practical setting. Nurses are in an ideal position to conduct nutritional assessments. They possess clinical knowledge which can be utilised to provide individualised and timely assessment. To. date, the literature does …

Linking Nursing Workload And Performance Indicators In Ambulatory Care, Karen F. Griffin Msn, Rn, Cnaa, Beth Ann Swan Phd, Crnp, Faan

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

More and more ambulatory care organizations are using nursing report cards to monitor and evaluate the quality and effectiveness of nursing care in the ambulatory setting.

Nurse staffing levels is usually one of the items included in a nursing report card and the one most scrutinized by ambulatory care administrators.

One strategy employed by the nursing leadership at the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System to justify nurse staffing levels is linking administrative staffing monitors with nurse-sensitive outcomes via workload and performance indicators.

Through this approach, nurse leaders are able to justify nurse staffing level changes, needed technology changes, process improvements, …

Towards Health Informatics 2.0: Blogs, Podcasts And Web 2.0 Applications In Nursing And Health Informatics Education And Professional Collaboration, Peter J. Murray, Margaret M. Hansen Edd, Msn, Rn

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

Health professionals and students are expected to be proficient in basic information technology so as to mitigate error, communicate effectively, manage information and collaborate with peers. Web 2.0 applications such as blogs, podcasts and wikis are social networking tools that may enhance health professionals' development of such skills. As Web 2.0 application use by health professionals is in its infancy, the purpose of this paper is to present examples of the use of such tools that hold potential for online and mobile information dissemination, knowledge building in education, and professional collaboration. Examples based in a collaborative model of virtual conference …

Podcasting And Mp3 Players: Emerging Education Technologies, Margaret M. Hansen Edd, Msn, Rn

Nursing and Health Professions Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Criminal Justice Response To Elder Abuse In Nursing Homes: A Routine Activities Perspective, Brian K. Payne, Randy R. Gainey

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Politicians and researchers have begun to pay more attention to elder abuse in recent times. Most of the research on elder abuse has focused on cases of abuse perpetrated by family members, treating the phenomenon as a social problem, but it is increasingly being conceptualized as a crime problem. The current study examines elder abuse in nursing homes from a criminological perspective. Using routine activities theory as a guide, particular attention is given to the criminal justice system's response to abusive activities committed by nursing home employees. In all, 801 cases of abuse investigated by Medicaid Fraud Control Units are …

Barriers And Facilitators To Prenatal Care For Pregnant Latina Women In Cobb County, Georgia, Carol Holtz, Annette Bairan

Faculty Articles

This research study seeks to identify factors that serve as barriers and/or facilitators to prenatal care for Latina women and to provide data to assist health care providers, health care agencies, and policy makers in developing programs that maximize access to prenatal care for Latina women. In addition, other groups may also find this data useful, such as scholars in Latin American studies, immigration, cultural diversity, minority health care, and health care in general. The research questions consist of the following: (1) What do indigent pregnant (or recently delivered) Latina women believe about prenatal care? (2) What are the barriers …

The Flame, Winter 2005-2006, Mennonite College Of Nursing

The Flame (1985-present)

The Flame is a newsletter of Illinois State University's Mennonite College of Nursing

A Survey Of Foreign-Educated Nurses: Workforce Experience, Melissa Giegerich

Honors Projects

The United States (US) is currently undergoing a nursing shortage. As a result, many health care agencies in the US and around the world are turning to nurses educated in other countries to fill vacant positions. Despite the increased utilization of foreign-educated nurses, there is a lack of understanding of how these nurses transition into the US workforce. This study describes foreign-educated nurses who work in Illinois and the factors that affected their transition into the US professional nursing workforce. By focusing on nurses who were educated abroad and work in Illinois, this study will help Illinois nurses and Illinois …

Integrating Disaster Preparedness Into A Community Health Nursing Course: One School's Experience, Mary Ireland, Emma Kontzamanis, Chantal Michel

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Other People's Country: A Memoir; And, Developing A Trustworthy Narrator: An Essay, Maureen Helen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis comprises two interrelated sections. The first section is a substantial piece of creative writing, which l have cailed 'Other People's Country: A Memoir, in the genre of travel memoir, and an essay. The memoir borrows techniques from fiction, drama and poetry to tell a story of a middle-aged, middle-class city nurse, who travels to a remote settlement at the edge of the Western Desert of Western Australia to provide health care for a fluctuating population of around 400 people, for whom English is a third or fourth language.

Writing that includes stories about vulnerable people from another culture, …

Enrolled Nurses' Attitudes, Subjective Norms, Intentions And Behaviour Related To Independent Medication Administration, Donna Sayers

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive research study was to investigate Enrolled Nurses' attitudes, intentions and behaviour in relation to independent medication administration (IMA). This research was necessary as a significant number of Enrolled Nurses (ENs) are now able to administer medications up to Schedule Four level, without supervision when they have completed a medication administration programme (MAP). This change in the scope of practice for the EN will eventually be introduced nationally as recommended by the National Review of Nursing Education (2002). Anecdotal reports suggest that IMA is causing concern for the EN but little or no research has …

Controlling Involvement To Promote Confidence In Palliative Care Decisions - A Grounded Theory From The Patient's Perspective, Susan F. Lee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Decision making in the context of palliative care is particularly complex given the unpredictable illness trajectories experienced by patients and the number of individuals who may be part of the decision making process. This grounded theory study explored and described from the perspective of patients with advanced illness, their experiences of making care decisions. A review of literature at the commencement of the study indicated that there was a lack of evidence to support the best way of ascertaining patient's preferences for involvement in decisions in a palliative care context and almost no research to guide clinicians about the involvement …

Creating Technology-Enhanced Practice: A University-Home Care-Corporate Alliance, Patricia Flatley Brennan, Laura Burke, Gail Casper, Margaret Sebern, Carolyn Krause, Susan Kossman, Delores Severtson, Judy Murphy

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Insuring full benefit of consumer health informatics innovations requires integrating the technology into nursing practice, yet many valuable innovations are developed in research projects and never reach full integration. To avoid this outcome, a team of researchers partnered with a home care agency’s staff and patients and their corporate parent’s Information Systems and Research group to create a Technology-Enhanced Practice (TEP) designed to enhance care of home bound patients and their family care givers. The technology core of TEP, the HeartCare2 web site, was built in a collaborative process and deployed within the existing patient portal of the clinical partner. …

Being Whole: Aligning Personhoods To Achieve Successful Childbirth With A History Of Childhood Sexual Abuse During Perinatal Services, Karla Kendall Richmond Phd, Msn, Rnc, Cns

Dissertations

Being a pregnant female is a temporary condition. A woman with a history of childhood sexual abuse aligns the personhoods of child victim, adult survivor and pregnant female to achieve a successful pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum experience. Female survivors desire to be recognized and function as whole being during the perinatal experience. It is estimated that 15 to 32 percent of females prior to the age of eighteen have unwanted sexual contact. Female survivors carry this history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with them throughout their lives which may involve childbirth. There are many long-term psychological consequences that can …

Evaluation Of An Oral Health Training Program For School Nurses, Linda Drengler

Master's Projects

Pediatric dental disease is a silent epidemic (Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 2002). Dental decay is commonly unrecognized and under-treated, and can affect children's growth and development as well as their ability to perform in school. Effective interventions to prevent dental decay include water fluoridation, dental sealants, pediatric dental screenings, and dental health education programs. This pre-experimental design study evaluated the effectiveness of an oral health training program for school nurses. This training program was designed based on the First 5 California <;>ral Health Training Program (2003). A non-randomized sample of fourteen (N=l4) school nurses participated in the …

Perceptions Of High Risk Behaviors Among Culturally Diverse Adolescents And The Role Of Parental Influence And Parent Communication, Sharlene E. Junio

Master's Projects

Eighty seven ethnically diverse 9th and 1oth graders from an urban high school in Northern California were studied. Students were mostly female, between 14 and 16 years of age, and reported to be mostly Asian and Filipino. Students completed an 18-item Likert scale questionnaire requesting information about their overall relationship with their parents and their communication with their parents about drugs, sex, alcohol, birth control, and personal problems. Results of this study showed that participants rated their overall relationship with their parents as "good" or "very good." Despite this, communication was lacking among parents and adolescents in all topics of …

Evaluation Of An Oral Health Training Program For School Nurses, Kelley Haines-Kolostian

Master's Projects

Pediatric dental disease is a silent epidemic (Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 2002). Dental decay is commonly unrecognized and under-treated. Dental disease can affect children's growth and development as well as their ability to perform in school. Effective interventions to prevent dental decay include water fluoridation, dental sealants, pediatric dental screenings, and dental health education programs. This pre-experimental design study evaluated the effectiveness of an oral health training program for school nurses. This training program was designed based on the First 5 California Oral Health Training Program, First Smiles (First Smiles Program of California, 2003). The presentation was …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A Diabetes Managment Training Program For Unlicensed Assistive Personnel In Schools, Elaine M. Gomer

Master's Projects

This study evaluated the diabetes management-training program for unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). The purpose of the program was to prepare UAP to recognize and respond to the health care needs of students diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Twenty UAP participated. Teaching strategies were based on Albert Bandura' s social learning theory~ Two instruments were administered before and after the program. One was a 1 0-question survey addressing self-efficacy; the other was a 10 question multiple-choice test measuring knowledge of diabetes. Results of paired t tests indicate consistent and significant improvement in both perceptions of self-efficacy and knowledge (p < .05). This program provides a framework for school nurses training UAP that assist in the health care of students with diabetes. It is important that school nurses capitalize on the contribution that informed confident UAP might contribute to the provision of safe quality care to students with diabetes.

Nurse's Perceptions Of Causes Of Medication Errors And Barriers To Reporting, Virginia M. Ulanimo

Master's Projects

Objective: To describe medical-surgical nurses' perceptions of frequent causes of medication errors, of what constitutes a medication error, and of what are the barriers and empowerments to reporting. The study also explored the nurses' perceptions of the effect of physician order entry (POE) and barcode medication administration (BCMA) on medication errors. Background: Causes of medication errors have been investigated by numerous researchers in an attempt to determine safe medication administration process. Information technology (IT) systems enhance patient safety. No published studies were found on nurses' perceptions of medication errors in a setting with IT systems in place. Method: A descriptive …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Shared Care Instrument In A Sample Of Home Health Care Family Dyads, Margaret Sebern

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Researchers have studied negative effects of caregiving on a family caregiver; however, less is known about positive aspects of exchanging assistance for both members of a family caregiving dyad. In a previous naturalistic inquiry the author indentified a basis for studying caregiving interactions was a construct called shared care. The three components of shared care identified in the naturalistic inquiry were communication, decision making, and reciprocity. The Shared Care Instrument (SCI) was developed to measure the construct. The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the SCI, and to assess its construct and criterion-related validity. A …

Ua61/1 Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes, Wku Nursing

WKU Administration Documents

Minutes of the WKU Nursing Advisory Committee meeting.

Psychosocial Responses By Adolescent Male Victims To Peer Bullying, Karin Eve Reuter-Rice Phd

Dissertations

Bullying remains a pervasive problem in most schools throughout the nation. Peer-bullied victims report higher levels of depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and concerns regarding their safety in school. Reactions of victims to peer bullying have been extreme, as in the cases of the rampage school shooters. Primarily, current research has not focused on the high school adolescent, although most school shooters arise from that age group. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial responses by adolescent male victims to peer bullying. Research questions addressed the frequency and severity of peer-victimization, distress, anxiety, and their perception of …

Nursing Education And Service Collaboration: Making A Difference In The Clinical Learning Environment, Sheri P. Palmer, Amy Harmer Cox, Lynn Clark Callister, Vickie Johnsen, Geraldine Matsumura

Faculty Publications

This article focuses on innovative collaborative steps that were identified in recent research conducted by these authors on the relationship between academia and service. These steps are currently being implemented in the hope of improving the important role that the critical environment plays in student nurses' education. Few factors in nursing education are as important as the clinical environment in which students do their training. This article elaborates on these steps and offers practical suggestions for improving the relationship between academia and service.

Nurses Alumni Association Bulletin, Fall 2005, Paula Levine, Elizabeth K. Prisnock, Sally H. Wagner, John J. Wagner

Nursing Alumni Bulletins

2005 - 2006 Meeting Date Calendar

2006 Annual Luncheon & Meeting Notice

Officers, Committee Chairs, Satellite and Volunteers

Bulletin Publication Committee

The President's Message

Treasurer's Report

Resume of Minutes

Office News

Committee Reports

• Relief Trust Fund
• Satellite - Harrisburg Satellite Area
• Bulletin
• Scholarship
• Nominating
• Social
• Development

Annual Giving

Janet C. Hindson Award Recipients and Nominees

Janet C. Hindson Award Qualifications

Quotes from Janet C. Hindson's Recipients Letters

Quotes from Letters on Nursing at Jefferson

Biography of Lenora Schwartz, '66

News About Graduates

Memories

Odds & Ends

How I got my Education

U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps

Normandy Nightingales Weathered War's Worst …

Experts Recommend Strategies For Strengthening The Use Of Advanced Practice Nurses In Nursing Homes., Mathy Mezey, Sarah Greene Burger, Harrison G Bloom, Alice Bonner, Mary Bourbonniere, Barbara Bowers, Jeffrey B Burl, Elizabeth Capezuti, Diane Carter, Jacob Dimant, Sarah A Jerro, Susan C Reinhard, Marilyn Ter Maat

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

In 2003, The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University Division of Nursing, convened an expert panel to explore the potential for developing recommendations for the caseloads of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in nursing homes and to provide substantive and detailed strategies to strengthen the use of APNs in nursing homes. The panel, consisting of nationally recognized experts in geriatric practice, education, research, public policy, and long-term care, developed six recommendations related to caseloads for APNs in nursing homes. The recommendations address educational preparation of APNs; average reimbursable APN visits per day; factors affecting APNs caseload …

Shared Care, Elder And Family Member Skills Used To Manage Burden, Margaret Sebern

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Aim. The aim of this paper is to further develop the construct of Shared Care by comparing and contrasting it to related research, and to show how the construct can be used to guide research and practice.

Background. While researchers have identified negative outcomes for family caregivers caused by providing care, less is known about positive aspects of family care for both members of a family dyad. Understanding family care relationships is important to nurses because family participation in the care of chronically ill elders is necessary to achieve optimal outcomes from nursing interventions. A previous naturalistic inquiry …

Nursing Students' Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Pain And Pain Management, Ruth L. Schaffler Phd

Dissertations

Pain is a universal human experience and is a primary reason people seek health care; however, undertreatment of pain has been reported in the literature as a significant clinical problem for more than three decades. Researchers have concluded that nurses have inadequate knowledge of pain assessment, are misinformed about opioids, and have inappropriate attitudes about pain and pain management that lead to the undertreatment of pain. One question is whether those misconceptions are acquired in nursing school or whether they are present when students enroll in nursing programs. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the attitudes regarding …

Impact Of An Adherence Program On The Health And Outlook Of Hiv-Infected Patients Failing Antiretroviral Therapy, Michael F. Parry, Pamela Wright, Julie G. Stewart, Gavin Mcleod, James Tucker, Amy R. Weinberg

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: We prospectively studied the impact of an adherence counselor on the outcome of patients failing antiretroviral therapy because of nonadherence. Methods: Forty-six patients, identified as chronically nonadherent were enrolled. Individual attention was provided using the information, motivation and behavioral methodology. HIV RNA (viral load, in copies/mL), CD4 count (in cells/[mm.sup.3]), and body weight before and after the adherence counselor were measured. Qualitative outcome and patient satisfaction were assessed by deidentified third-party interviews. Results: Over half completed at least 1 year; only 8 patients were lost to follow-up. Mean CD4 counts increased significantly (P < .05) for completers at 6 and 12 months. Viral loads decreased between baseline and 6 months. Most clients reported subjective benefit from working with the adherence counselor. Conclusion: Although few clients showed complete virologic suppression, the value of an adherence counselor was validated. Longer term adherence programs should be evaluated.

Providing End-Of-Life Care To Patients: Critical Care Nurses' Perceived Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors, Renea L. Beckstrand, Karin T. Kirchhoff

Faculty Publications

• Background Critical care nurses care for dying patients daily. The process of dying in an intensive care unit is complicated, and research on specific obstacles that impede delivery of end-of-life care and/or supportive behaviors that help in delivery of end-of-life care is limited.
• Objective To measure critical care nurses' perceptions of the intensity and frequency of occurrence of (1) obstacles to providing end-of-life care and (2) supportive behaviors that help in providing end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.
• Methods An experimental, posttest-only, control-group design was used. A national, geographically dispersed, random sample of members of the American Association of …