Digital Commons Network^™

Collaborative Management Of Hiv Infection In The Community: An Effort To Improve The Quality Of Hiv Care, Michael F. Parry, Julie G. Stewart, P. Wright, Gavin X. Mcleod

Nursing Faculty Publications

Our hospital led a multidisciplinary community team to improve the quality of care delivered to HIV-infected clients utilizing a disease management approach in a US metropolitan community of 150,000 people. Community needs assessment and client and community surveys were used to define the problems. Patient care flowcharting and the creation of an electronic patient database facilitated patient tracking across the entire community. Clinical guidelines and a consultation and referral immunology clinic standardized care practices. Measurable improvements in the quality of care were noted in multiple areas. Flowchart completion rates rose from 44% to 100%; medication adherence assessment rose from 82% …

Introduction Of Healing Touch Into An Established Torture Treatment Center: A Graduate Field Project, Kathleen Mccullough-Zander

Theses and Graduate Projects

Healing Touch, an energetic treatment modality developed by nurses, was introduced into an established torture treatment center with the goal of decreasing torture-related symptoms and increasing survivors' overall sense of well-being and health. Three methods of evaluation were used to determine if the project goal had been met. The first project objective of showing a decrease in participants' reported feelings of anxiety and depression was not achieved. The second project objective of demonstrating a reduction in participant's reported levels of pain was achieved with statistically significant results. The third project objective of obtaining statements of recognition of the therapy as …

Comparative Analysis Of Coronary Artery Bypass: Costs Of Off-Pump Vs. Conventional Techniques With Variable Bonded Circuits And Drug Strategies, Michael M. Wyckoff

Graduate Research Projects

As baby boomers age, estimated to reach 78.8 million Americans over the age of 65 by 2050, their health care costs are skyrocketing. Increased costs in coronary artery bypass surgery have been linked to length of stay (LOS), the inflammatory response, and blood loss related to conventional coronary artery bypass (C-CAB). Off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) has become a popular alternative to C-CAB. Utilizing proximal connector devices has truly made this option "clampless." If detrimental outcomes can be linked to cross clamping, the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may diminish. When the use of CPB is necessary, there are a …

The Flame, Summer 2004, Mennonite College Of Nursing

The Flame (1985-present)

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

Learning Nursing Research Through Faculty-Mentored Projects, Patricia K. Ravert, Ben Boyer, Kirsten Harmon, Holly Scoffield

Faculty Publications

Baccalaureate nursing educators have incorporated nursing research content into the curriculum for many years. Our university also proposes that students have a faculty-mentored learning experience at least once during their undergraduate education. Student research, guided by a faculty mentor, provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn about and participate in nursing research. The authors describe a unique experience of nursing students working as research assistants in a faculty research project using a human patient simulator.

Caring As Catalyst; A Model For Health Possibilities, Brenda A. Becker

Theses and Graduate Projects

This graduate field project presents a conceptual model based on the theoretical frameworks of Brentano, Frankl, Rogers, Merry, Benner, and Wrubel and is designed to facilitate the life journey to more complex levels. The model has a foundation in chaos theory and in the search for meaning. Key concepts of catalyst, presence, polarization, and participation are defined and described. Presence is defined at three levels: physical, psychological, and therapeutic. Participation is defined as a sharing of the life and experience between nurse and person. Polarization, or change in pattern, is also defined at three levels: active, collaborative, and passive. The …

A Model Integrating Transcultural Nursing Concepts And Experiences Into A Baccalaureate Nursing Curriculum, Mary Ellen Joswiak

Theses and Graduate Projects

Each dry the population of the world becomes more interconnected, placing huge challenges before health care providers to deliver care that is culturally appropriate. As the largest group of health care providers, nurses are especially challenged to provide culturally appropriate and congruent care to those they serve. It is therefore essential that nursing education provide students with opportunities to develop transcultural nursing knowledge. Students need practical experiences with culture in order to increase their understanding of cultural similarities and differences. The purpose of this project is to foster the development of beginning transcultural competence among baccalaureate nursing students and to …

Health Care Barriers For Latino Children And Provision Of Culturally Competent Care, Jane H. Lassetter, Joan H. Baldwin

Faculty Publications

The demography of the United States is rapidly changing. The impressive growth rate of Latino populations within the United States has great impact on health care. This article includes discussion of a significant increase from 1988 to 2000 in Latino utilization of emergency department and inpatient services at a pediatric medical center in Salt Lake City, Utah, information on health care barriers for Latinos, and suggestions for providing culturally competent care.

Pain Expression: Lnsights From A Focus Group With Somali Women, Sheryl M. Ness

Theses and Graduate Projects

ln recent years, the number of Somali persons being treated in health care settings in the community of Rochester is increasing. The understanding of the concept of pain within this population is important to consider for nursing practice in this region and across the U.S. A focus group was used to explore the expression of pain with 4 Somali women in Rochester Minnesota. This paper summarizes major themes and concepts from the focus group. lmplications for improving transcultural nursing care, including pain assessment, management and patient education are considered when looking at the results of the research. A vision of …

2004 Commencement For Jefferson College Of Health Professions And Jefferson College Of Graduate Studies

Jefferson College of Nursing Commencements

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Job Satisfaction And Selected Demographic Characteristics Of Public Health Employees, Nettie Gerstle

Graduate Research Projects

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine the level of job satisfaction of public health department nurses (PHNs) and employees, and (b) to identify relationships between job satisfaction and demographic characteristics. A descriptive correlational / design was used. A sample of 181 was taken from a metropolitan public health department population. Job Descriptive Index and Job in General instruments were used. Employees were satisfied with the overall job, supervision with work, not satisfied with promotional opportunities, and neutral regarding pay and co-workers. PHNs were satisfied with the overall job, supervision, work and pay, not satisfied with promotional opportunities …

Functioning Among Taiwanese Families With A Child Having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Jih-Yuan Chen Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

A cross-sectional study was designed to determine the factors with functioning among Taiwanese families with a child having Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This research investigated the level of a child's mobility upon family hardiness, functioning, and support from a family perspective. A total sample of 126 of participants was parents of children with DMD. Parents completed basic demographic information, the Family Assessment Device, Family Hardiness Index, Duke Health Profile, and Family APGAR. Pearson Correlation Coefficient test was performed to examine relationships between independent and dependent variables. To determine if the levels of child's mobility, family characteristics, family hardiness, family health, …

Maternal-Fetal Attachment Among Vietnamese Mothers In The First, Second, And Third Trimesters Of Pregnancy: A Pilot Study., Barbara Choo

Master's Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) among Vietnamese women during pregnancy. Design: This study is a quantitative, descriptive pilot study of maternal fetal attachment among twenty-five Vietnamese women during pregnancy. Convenience sample of twenty-five pregnant Vietnamese women were selected. Two questionnaires were used. The demographic survey included the mother's age, ethnicity, primary language spoken at home, country of origin, parity, and the stage of pregnancy. The Maternal-Fetal Attachment scale (Cranley, 1981) is a twenty-four item self-administered Likert-type scale. Result: The study result's showed modest difference in scores in the three trimesters among the Vietnamese …

Staff Perceptions Of Workload And Care Requirements For Incontinent Patients In Long-Term Care Settings, Amy M. Crickmer

Master's Projects

In response to the Omnibus Reconciliation Act (OBRA) mandate "to ensure that a resident who is incontinent of bladder receives the appropriate treatment and services to restore normal bladder functioning ... " (Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 1989, p.5333), several studies were designed and implemented to demonstrate that incontinence interventions worked. The research also showed that staff behaviors did not change and toileting programs were not carried forward once studies were completed. What was missing from the research was any mention that certified nursing assistants (CNAs) were asked to participate in the planning phase of an incontinence program. …

Investigating The Correlation Between Nurses' Spiritual Well-Being And Spiritual Care Perspectives, Marion Lieber Reyes

Master's Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between nurses' spiritual well-being (using the JAREL Spiritual-Well Being Scale) and their perspectives of spiritual care (using the Spirituality and Spiritual Care Rating Scale). Both instruments use Likert-scale ratings. An additional survey obtained general demographic information including an item regarding spirituality in nursing in-service participation. A total of 130 registered nurses (23%) participated in the study. The data was analyzed using SPSS in which a Pearson's r correlation was performed on the JAREL and SSCRS scores. The results were statistically significant for a positive correlation between nurses' spiritual well-being and …

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.

Pain Management Through Music Therapy, Dereck H. Ko

Master's Projects

In 1999, approximately three quarters of patients admitted to emergency departments reported pain (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 2000). Managing pain pharmacologically alone may not be enough because pain perception is a complex phenomenon that consists of both physiological and psychological components (Trauger-Querry & Haghighi, 1999). Music therapy is one of the systematic applications in treatment of physiological and psychological aspects of an illness or disability (Cook, 1981).The objectives of this study were to measure the pain intensity index PPI (Melzack) level before after the intervention with music therapy to investigate if music therapy is effective for pain …

The Effect Of Closed Versus More Liberal Visitation Policies On Work Satisfaction Beliefs And Nurse Retention., Suzanne M. Boswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nurses believe that more liberal visitation policies will cause greater work overload and decrease the quality of patient care. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a liberal visitation policy on work satisfaction, beliefs, and retention of nurses.

In this study, nurses were asked to complete a survey before and after implementation of a more liberal visitation policy. The nurses were surveyed using Stamps (1997) Index of Work Satisfaction and the Boswell Beliefs Inventory. Statistical analyses were conducted to discover nurses level of satisfaction and beliefs related to the new policy.

Results indicate that nurses were …

The Elders, Finding Long Ago And Now, Our Elders Health Journey, Judy A. Erickson Jacoby

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Keeping Safe: Field Public Health Nurses' Perceptions, Karen Nielsen-Menicucci Phd, Ms, Rn, Phn

Dissertations

By the year 2005, there will be an estimated 1.25 million workers involved in providing nursing care to individuals in their homes (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1997). There is limited empirical data available on the issue of safety of nurses within the context of home visiting or in the public health venue. Recent research on safety in home visiting has focused on home health rather than public health nursing. The purpose of this study was to explore and explain the perception of safety among field public health nurses. A purposive sample of 19 public health nurses employed in an official …

Postpartum Fatigue In The Active Duty Military Woman, Jacqueline D. Rychnovsky Phd

Dissertations

Up to 16,000 military women annually experience the birth of a child. Barring complications, regulations require a return to work 42 days postpartum, making them susceptible to the effects of postpartum fatigue. The purpose of this descriptive, longitudinal study of 109 military women was to describe fatigue levels across the first 6–8 weeks postpartum; to describe the relationship among selected psychological, physiological, and situational variables of fatigue; and to examine the relationship between predictor variables, fatigue levels, and performance after childbirth. The majority of the sample were married or partnered enlisted women in the U.S. Navy with a mean age …

Predicting Learning From Asynchronous Online Discussions, Dezhi Wu, Starr Roxanne Hiltz

Publications

Online discussions play an important role in student learning. Currently, asynchronous learning courses and some primarily face-to-face courses at New Jersey Institute of Technology require asynchronous online discussions. Does this requirement improve the students' perceived learning? An exploratory study designed to investigate this issue was conducted in Spring 2002. The questionnaire drew responses to a post-course questionnaire from 116 students in two undergraduate courses and one graduate course. A set of items designed to measure perceived learning from online discussions formed a reliable, unidimensional index for this construct. The results indicate that online discussions do improve students' perceived learning. Variations …

Couples' Views Of The Effects Of Natural Family Planning On Marital Dynamics, Leona Vandevusse, Lisa Hanson, Richard J. Fehring, Amy Newman, Jaime Fox

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: Natural Family Planning (NFP) requires periodic abstinence and partner cooperation to prevent pregnancy. The aim of this study was to learn about the effects of modern NFP methods on marital relationships. Design: Descriptive survey. Methods: Questionnaires were mailed to 1,400 randomly selected couples known to use NFP and residing in the United States of America; 334 couples (24%) responded. Content analysis was used to identify meanings and themes. Numeric analyses were used to determine frequencies. Findings: Nearly two-thirds of the qualitative comments were positive. Four themes were identified in the positive responses: relationship enhancements, knowledge improvements, spirituality enrichments, and …

Evaluation Of Needle Exchange Programs, Cheryl Delgado

Nursing Faculty Publications

Needle exchange programs exist in every major population area in the United States and in many other countries. Some operate legally under emergency health decrees issued by local departments of health, with the stated intention of risk reduction through the removal of used injection equipment from use by injection drug users. It is theorized that this results in a reduced transmission of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis, and, possibly, other blood-borne diseases. Needle exchange programs also offer access to drug treatment programs for the participants. It is a difficult but necessary task to evaluate these programs. This article examines examples of …

Rye, Dottie Interview For The Miami Valley College Of Nursing And Health Oral History Project, Carol Holdcraft, Dorothea S. Rye

Wright State University - Miami Valley College of Nursing and Health Oral History Project

Carol Holdcraft interviewed Dottie Rye about the founding of the Wright State University College of Nursing and Health. In the interview Ms. Rye discusses her career and her involvement with the Wright State University College of Nursing and Health.

Measuring And Improving Health Care Quality: Nursing's Contribution To The State Of Science, Doris C. Vahey, Beth Ann Swan, Norma M. Lang, Pamela H. Mitchell

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

Concern over the quality of health care is a recurring topic in the United States. A “state of the science” invitational conference on quality health care, titled “Measuring and Improving Health Care Quality, Towards Meaningful Solutions To Pressing Problems, Nursing’s Contribution to the State of the Science” was held April 18–20, 2002 in Philadelphia at the Annenberg Center for Public Policy, University of Pennsylvania. This conference stemmed from the work of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) Expert Panel on Quality Health Care and had its genesis in June 1996 during the AAN Expert Panel on Quality’s Conference titled, “Outcome …

Cancer Pain: An Allopathic Or Alternative Approach?, Amanda Keating Walker

Honors Theses

The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,334,100 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2003 and that 17 million new cancer cases have been diagnosed since 1990. They have also determined that in the U.S., men have a slightly less than 1 in 2 lifetime risk of developing cancer and women have a 1 in 3 chance of being diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. These statistics show that cancer will touch the life of at least one person you know; unfortunately that person may be someone very close to you. It's extremely difficult to watch someone you love endure …

2004, Kathe Gable

UNISON

No abstract provided.

Value-Based Nursing Education, Nancy L. Fahrenwald, Susan D. Bassett, Lois Tschetter, Paula P. Carson, Lani White, Venita J. Winterboer

Bush Project Anthology

Curriculum guidelines from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing ( [ AACN], 1998) espouse that baccalaureate programs facilitate the development of professional values. The five core nursing values include human dignity, integrity, autonomy, altruism, and social justice. Behaviors that reflect these values characterize the caring, professional nurse (AACN, 1998). Teaching attitudes and actions that facilitate caring is a curriculum challenge. Caring is a multi-dimensional nursing concept that can be actualized through purposeful teaching and student-centered learning of core nursing values. This scholarly paper presents an innovative and integrative approach to value-based education in the baccalaureate nursing program at South …

Factors That Most Influence Job Satisfaction Among Cardiac Nurses In An Acute Care Setting, Lashonda Leigh Bare

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to determine cardiac nurses’ level of job satisfaction through an examination of the relationship between Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene factors and job satisfaction. The study used a non-experimental, quantitative design with a theoretical framework based on Herzberg’s Motivation Versus Hygiene theory. The independent variables were motivation and hygiene factors and the dependent variable was nurse job satisfaction. The Work Quality Index and a demographic survey were given to approximately 32 registered nurses at a medical center in southwestern, West Virginia. The data was collected over three weeks and was analyzed using descriptive and correlational …