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Importance And Fulfillment Of Family Needs In The Icu, Linda L. Baker

Masters Theses

The family is a major source of support for the intensive care patient. To provide optimal support to the patient the family’s needs must be met. A convenience sample of thirty family members of intensive care patients were interviewed. The continuing importance of primary needs established in previous studies was demonstrated. None of the needs were universally perceived as being fulfilled. The nurse was most often cited as the best person to meet needs. Many respondents couldn’t choose a single best person emphasizing the need for a multi disciplinary approach to meeting needs. Seven additional needs were identified (a) to …

Humor And Its Relationship To Cohesion Of Work Group Members In The Acute Care Setting, Marla J. Niedzwiecki

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the relationship between the use of humor and cohesion of work groups. It was hypothesized that individuals with a high value and use of humor to cope would have a tendency to use humor with others. Additionally, groups with more members who value and use humor to cope would exhibit more group cohesion than groups consisting of members with minimal or no humor use. A descriptive correlational design was used. A convenience sample of hospital based staff nurses was studied. The participants completed three surveys measuring individuals’ use of humor to …

Nurses' Beliefs And Perceptions About Children In Pain, Patricia A. Gorney

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine nurse's beliefs and perceptions of children in pain amongst nursing personnel employed in Northwestern Michigan, and to determine if a relationship existed between nursing education, age and years experience in nursing, and the scores on the Beliefs and Perceptions Scale. The sample consisted of 74 registered and licensed practical nurses in the area working in acute and ambulatory settings. Data collected was analyzed using Pearson's Correlational Coefficient. The Roy Adaptation Model served as a framework for the study.

No significant correlation was found to exist between the participant's age, years of nursing …

Patient Perceptions Of Nurse Behaviors As Indicators Of Caring, Susan B. Tuttle

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify which nursing behaviors were perceived by the patient who has undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as the most important and least important indicators of caring. In this descriptive study, the Caring Behaviors Assessment (CBA) was administered to 25 CABG patients. This research was a partial replication of a previous study by Cronin and Harrison (1988).

Jean Watson's theory of human care (1985) served as the theoretical framework for this study. The CBA items, ordered in seven subscales, are congruent with Watson's (1985) carative factors.

In this study, the 63 CBA items …

The Relationship Between Level Of Knowledge And Instruction On Sublingual Nitroglycerin Use In Cardiac Patients, Nancy Jean Rogers

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate patients’ level of knowledge of the use of sublingual Nitroglycerin (SL NTG) after receiving individually tailored pre-discharge instructions. The study tested the following hypothesis. There will be a difference in the knowledge level between patients who receive the usual SL NTG hospital teaching and those who receive individually tailored and structured SL NTG teaching. The study utilized a pretest-posttest comparison group design with a convenience sample of 40 patients admitted to a rural 368 bed hospital. Knowledge levels were not significantly higher for those in the intervention group than for those in …

The Relationship Between Organizational Climate In The Hospital And Rn Satisfaction, Dawn R. Shoemaker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of organizational climate in the hospital and RN satisfaction. This study examines the hospital work climate and how it affects the level of quality of care, cost-efficiency, and job satisfaction. A meta-analysis (Irvine & Evans, 1995) with Maslowian underpinnings as the basis of the conceptual framework of job satisfaction and organizational climate was used in this study. A secondary analysis was preformed on previously obtained data from a large scale database (n=330 registered nurses). This descriptive correlational study utilized two main instruments, both of which were modified for this study; …

Young Adult Women's Responses To Undergoing Treatment For Early Breast Cancer, Donna Abrashoff Schutte Dnsc

Dissertations

In the nearly two decades of cancer research in the United States, there has been little emphasis on the experiences of young adult women with breast cancer. I therefore adopted a qualitative multicase study method to explore the experiences of five young adult women from the time of discovery of a breast mass through the first three months of recovery from mastectomy. Utilizing data collected via semi-structured interviews, this study sought to describe their concerns, the way in which their concerns changed over time, and the influence of contextual factors. Three themes were identified. These included: "I'm going to die!" …

Basics Of Research (Part 8): Unique Aspects Of Nursing Research, Cheryl Thompson, Cheryl J. Erler

Journal Articles: College of Nursing

No abstract provided.

Nurses Alumni Association Bulletin, Fall 1996, Betty Piersol, Elizabeth K. Prisnock, Marian E. Smith, Margaret Summers, Deborah Fireman, Nicole Herndon

Nursing Alumni Bulletins

1996-1997 Meeting Dates Calendar

1997 Annual Luncheon-Meeting Notice Inside

Officers and Committee Chairs

Bulletin Publication Committee

1996-1997 Meeting Dates Calendar

The President's Message

Treasurer's Report

News About Our Graduates

Letter To Jefferson Nurses

Fiftieth Anniversary

Resume' of Minutes of Alumni Association Meetings

Alumni Office News

Nursing Up-Date 1995-1996

Scholarship Funds At Work

Diploma School of Nursing Alumni Association-Mabel C. Prevost Scholarship Report 1995

Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation

Operation Support Freedom - Humanitarian Aid to Kiev

The Best Mousetrap - Computers In Nursing

Christmas, As A Prisoner Of War

Restroom Policy

Happy Birthday

Committee Reports

• Bulletin
• Development …

Loma Linda Nurse - Vol. 07, No. 01, Loma Linda University School Of Nursing

Loma Linda Nurse

Contents

4 | Dean's letter

6 | Imagining the possibilities

8 | International nursing

10 | Student news

12 | Students respond to alumni generosity

13 | 1995-1996 donor report

25 | News update

27 | Alumni president's letter

28 | New communication techniques bring changes to the Association

29 | Near and far

Menno-Knight, September 1996, Mennonite College Of Nursing

Menno-Knight (1960s-1990s?)

Student newsletter of the Mennonite School/College of Nursing.

A Descriptive Study Of Family Relationships, Race And Ethnic Origin, And Sexuality Education In Pregnant Adolescents, Joy Murphy

MSN Research Projects

Adolescents are becoming sexually active at increasingly younger ages despite the well-known health risks. The adolescent pregnancy rate in the United States has been considered the highest of any country in the Western world. The purpose of this study was to identify, examine, and describe family relationships, race and ethnic origin, and sexuality education in pregnant adolescents. Pender's Health Promotion Model was used as the theoretical framework to guide this descriptive study. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 30 pregnant adolescents who received prenatal care at three local obstetricians' health care clinics in Northeast Mississippi. Participants were surveyed …

The Role Of The Nurse Practitioner In Home Health Care, Bonnie Mcmillan

MSN Research Projects

Home health agencies have been slow to employ and capitalize on the care provided by the nurse practitioner. The potential contributions of this advanced practice nurse are far-reaching. However, no studies have assessed the role possibilities for the nurse practitioner in the home health field. The purpose of this study was to examine the need for and define the role of the nurse practitioner in home health care. Two research questions guided the study: What is the role of the nurse practitioner in home health care as perceived by home health nurse practitioners and staff nurses and what are the …

Overcrowding In The Emergency Department: A Barrier To Health Care Access, Judy Blaine

MSN Research Projects

Patterns of access for primary health care have placed additional strain on emergency departments (EDs). Issues related to these patterns were explored in this ex post facto study. Johnson's Behavioral Systems Model (1968) provided the conceptual framework. The following research questions were explored; What is the incidence of ED patients leaving without being seen by a health care provider? What are the demographic characteristics of ED patients who leave without being seen? How do demographic characteristics of ED patients who leave compare to those who are seen by a health care provider? And what are the reasons given by patients …

Spiritual Well-Being And Coping In Women With Breast Cancer, Denise Vandergriff Ferriss

MSN Research Projects

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among American women, with 180,000 new cases reported each year. The physiological, emotional, and spiritual challenges of the disease can be awesome. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if there was a relationship between spiritual well-being and coping in women with breast cancer. The theoretical framework which guided the research was the Neuman Systems Model. The research hypothesis for the study was there will be a significant positive correlation between spiritual wellbeing and coping in women with breast cancer. Using a convenience sample of 31 women between the …

Comparison Of Outcomes In Emergency Department Treated By Nurse Practitioners Or Physicians, Mickey D. Aldridge

MSN Research Projects

The increasing number of patients who seek health care in the emergency department has placed a great strain on the resources of facilities to meet those primary health care needs. Utilization of nurse practitioners as health care providers in the emergency department has been suggested to meet the continuing influx of patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes for patient satisfaction, patient knowledge, and problem resolution. Three hypotheses were generated : (a) There is no difference in the outcome of satisfaction in nonurgent patients presenting to the emergency department when treated by a physician or a …

The Significance Of The Therapeutic Use Of Pets On Socialization With Elders In An Extended Care Facility, Lisa Byrd

MSN Research Projects

In the year 2020, 80% of the United States population will be over the age of 65 years (Fick, 1993). Elders frequently reside in extended care facilities and experience feelings of loneliness, depression, disorientation, and helplessness (McQuillen, 1985). The therapeutic use of pets has been shown to have positive effects on the socialization of elders. Most research has been conducted utilizing group therapy with a pet. This study focused on the benefits of therapeutic use of pets with the individual elder. The theoretical framework was based on the Neuman Systems Model. The purpose of this study was to determine the …

The Effects Of A Smoking Prevention Program On The Post-Test Knowledge Levels And Attitudes Of Seventh And Eighth Grade Students, Sandra E. Stinson

MSN Research Projects

Chronic health problems associated with smoking in the adult population have been linked with the use of tobacco in the influential adolescent years. Education aimed toward the adolescent may decrease the incidence of cigarette smoking in the adult population. Little research has been done regarding the knowledge and developmental levels of adolescent smoking and the risks for health problems. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effectiveness of a smoking prevention program on the knowledge and attitudes of seventh and eighth grade students. Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory served as the theoretical framework. The sample consisted of students …

Perceived Needs Of Women With Breast Cancer From Diagnosis To Treatment, Barbarba Collier

MSN Research Projects

Needs of women with breast cancer from the time they were given the diagnosis until treatment has received little attention by researchers. The purpose of this study was to identify the needs of women after they had been diagnosed with breast cancer and until treatment began. The theoretical framework underlying the study was based on Travelbee’s human to human relationship model. A retrospective univariate descriptive study was done. The Collier Needs Assessment Survey identified needs experienced by the participants related to disease, family, and emotional/psychosocial. Data were collected from 25 women in rural North Mississippi who had been diagnosed with …

Job Satisfaction Of Emergency Nurses In Tennessee, Breezie Caudle Finley

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Emergency departments seem to attract highly motivated nurses who are challenged by this unique specialty area of nursing practice. Emergency nurses have initial contact with patients, making assessments and directing patients to the appropriate resources for health care. Skilled emergency nurses need to remain motivated to have job satisfaction and productivity for quality patient care. The purpose of this study was to identify intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contributed to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction among emergency nurses, to determine if there was a relationship between emergency nurses' years of experience and job satisfaction, and to ascertain if there was a …

Children With Hiv: How They Feel About What Parents Say, Susan Pease Instone Dnsc, Msn, Cpnp

Dissertations

With improvements in diagnosis and care, children with HIV infection are living long enough to reach school age, a stage when they are capable of perceiving the stigmatizing, life-threatening nature of their illness. Many parents desire to protect them from this knowledge by avoiding an open dialogue about their disease, even though pediatric professionals advocate disclosure. Research-based guidelines about the risks and benefits of telling, however, have not been available in the literature. Using an innovative, qualitative approach through the use of grounded theory and projective drawing techniques, this investigation sought to explore what parents said about the illness and …

Chronic Pain: Nurse Practitioners' Attitudes And Interventions In Primary Care, Brenda Kay Thornton Coggins

MSN Research Projects

Chronic pain is a widespread problem affecting millions of people. Research has shown that attitudes and beliefs toward pain influence actions and reactions of both the person experiencing pain and the health care provider. Research has also shown that some health care providers have negative attitudes and erroneous beliefs about pain. This descriptive study was undertaken to explore and describe attitudes of nurse practitioners in primary care settings in Mississippi toward chronic pain and their subsequent interventions for chronic pain. Travelbee's Human-to-Human Model was utilized as the theoretical framework for this study. The two research questions asked in this study …

Update - July 1996, Loma Linda University Center For Christian Bioethics

Update

In this issue:

-- Stress and Distress in Pediatric Nurses: The Hidden Tragedy of Baby K
-- Ethics Grand Rounds: The Year in Review
-- CEJA Reverses Its Stance on Using Anencephalic Neonates as Live Organ Donors
-- AMA Council's Ethics Overwhelmed by Public Sentiment

Pediatric Intensive Care Nurses : Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Like Symptoms, Juanita J. Allen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Medical personnel are not only exposed to routine pressures of demanding roles, but research reveals that they can suffer from severe stress related to exposure to critical incidents. These events can overwhelm an individual's ability for emotional adjustment leading to negative symptoms such as emotional numbing, mood changes, estrangement from friends or family, decreased ability to perform or function on the job, development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, loss of work through attrition, and depression. Contact with seriously injured children or children who have died has been shown to constitute just such a critical incident for pre-hospital care personnel …

Explication Of The Construct Of Shared Care And The Prevention Of Pressure Ulcers In Home Health Care, Margaret Sebern

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this investigation was to render a more complete understanding of subjective perceptions of pressure ulcers from the perspective of family dyads, and to study the effect of these subjective experiences on preventive behaviors and pressure ulcer outcomes. A naturalistic inquiry, combined with objective measures, was used. Twenty-one dyads participated in four in-depth interviews to explore how they mentally represented and responded to the risk of pressure ulcers. Through the process of concept development, a lay representation of pressure ulcers was developed. This process produced a new concept, identified as “shared care,” that explained how the dyads interaction …

The Effect Of Written Information And Reassurance On Patient Satisfaction, Anxiety, And Intent To Return For Emergency Care, June Andrea Dnsc

Dissertations

Patients' satisfaction is one of the primary goals of emergency department (ED) providers today. As emergency departments are overcrowded, stressful environments, anxious patients want to be kept informed. Nurses have the opportunity to meet these needs and possibly influence the patients' perception of the experience and intent to return for future care. This study examined the effects of providing written information and reassurance on patient satisfaction, anxiety, and intent to return for emergency care. The design was a posttest design involving a comparison between the control and three experimental groups. Two hundred and forty patients participated in the study, approximately …

Ethical Decision-Making Among Critical Care Unit Nurses, Mary Ellen Bowen Dnsc, Mn, Rn, Cnaa

Dissertations

The health care business has created complex relationships between consumers and health care institutions. Rising health costs, rationing of health care and medical technology have put critical care unit (CCU) nurses in complex environments where they must face ethical conflict. CCU nurses find themselves ill equipped to make sound decisions concerning ethical dilemmas. Nurses must ensure the patient's choices are respected and honored due to the duties inherent in the nurse-patient relationship. The purpose of this study was to explore the process of ethical decision making (EDM) as it is experienced by CCU nurses. Gaining an understanding of this process …

Nursing Faculty Connecting With Students: A Heideggerian Hermenteutical Study, Debra I. Craig Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

This study sought to gain an insight into the phenomenon of nursing faculty members connecting with students. Caring has been espoused as a key component of nursing education for many decades. In the last 10 years the terms caring and connecting are commonly found associated with each other, and yet there is no clear definition of connecting. It is important to understand a phenomenon from the point of view of those who are experiencing it. Therefore, a study which asked nursing educators to tell stories of the times they had connected with students was undertaken. Ten nurse educators in the …

Breast Self-Examination Teaching For Women In Chemical Dependency Programs, Michelle B. Lessard Jungwirth

Master's Projects

Fifty-two women from 5 chemical dependency programs participated in a 1 hour health education program teaching breast self-examination using breast models. Tactile skills and general information about breast cancer and breast self-examination were presented. The program was evaluated for its ability to teach this high risk population. Nine true/false questions and lump detection skills were evaluated using_a pretest/posttest non-experimental design. A level of significance for the true/false questions was set at .01, and for lump detection skills it was set at .05. Dependent t tests was used to statistically analyze the data. Participants improved their general knowledge about breast cancer …

Exploring The Boundaries Of Pediatric Practice: Nurse Stories Related To Relationships, Joan P. Totka

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Pediatric nurses struggle to find the right level of involvement with children and families. The purpose of this study was to illuminate nurses' struggles and insights as they learned to find the interpersonal boundaries of their own practice. The phenomenological method of Heideggerian hermeneutics was used to analyze data from audiotaped and transcribed single interviews of five pediatric nurses. The analysis of the transcriptions involved multiple stages of interpretation using a research team. The themes that emerged from the data were: (a) pediatric nurse as family caregiver: (b) finding the right level of care: over-involvement vs. crossing the line; (c) …