Staff Education Introducing Music Therapy For Older Adults With Depression, Yvette Negnemboh Takwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Role Of Self-Efficacy In Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Dorothy Elaine Rolling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the role of self-efficacy for nursing students whose primary language was not English and who were enrolled in higher education in the northeastern area of the United States. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s theory on self-efficacy. The major tenets of the self-efficacy theory aligned with the metaparadigm of nursing (person, health, environment, nursing) and with the study’s focus, which was to explore how English as a second language (ESL) nursing students could successfully complete the registered nursing program at an institution of higher learning. The central research question was: …

Building Resilience: Empowering Baccalaureate Nursing Students For Enhanced Well-Being And Success, Jessica Imrie Dnp, Emily Nowak Phd, Roxanne Wilson Phd

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

Providing baccalaureate students with resilience-building modules such as stress management, mindfulness, optimism, socialization, and reflection can increase psychological well-being and success through a nursing program. It can also decrease the number of meetings faculty have with students regarding psychological concerns

Advocateai: A Human-In-The-Loop Artificial Intelligence Platform To Improve Diagnostic Trajectories And Patient Empowerment In Chronic Pelvic Pain, Gayatri Bhanot, Ashley Kochans

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) affects up to 27% of women globally^1, yet diagnosis takes 4 – 12 years on average² — a crisis driven by healthcare fragmentation, systemic gender bias, and a 62% rate of symptom dismissal by healthcare providers³. AdvocateAI is a human-in-the-loop AI platform designed to empower patients to accelerate their own diagnostic journey. By synthesizing fragmented medical records and patient-reported symptoms, the tool creates structured clinical summaries and personalized advocacy scripts. Here, we present our findings from discovery, including a landscape analysis of available CPP treatments, a prototype co-designed by patients, and custom …

The Influence Of Social Media On Body Image, Self-Esteem, And Eating Disorder Risk In Adolescent Females, Nestanet A. Molla

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

• This literature review explored how appearance-focused social media affects adolescent girls. The studies showed that social media is linked to body dissatisfaction, comparison behaviors, lower self-esteem, and unhealthy eating behaviors, especially when use is intensive, problematic, or strongly appearance-focused^1–4

• At the same time, protective factors such as media literacy, family support, and body-positive interventions may help reduce these negative effects^4,5

Headset To Reset: Virtual Reality Therapy In Postoperative Heart And Lung Transplant Patients, Michaela Sanchez

Doctoral Projects

Postoperative heart, lung, and heart-lung transplant recipients are at increased risk for anxiety and depression, both of which have been associated with increased risk of complications and higher mortality rates. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a mindfulness-based virtual reality (VR) therapy intervention for postoperative transplant recipients at a Northern California academic medical center and to evaluate its feasibility, tolerability, and acceptability during the index hospitalization. Over a 15-week period, five participants completed a total of eight VR sessions. Participants selected from immersive mindfulness-based environments, including guided meditation and other relaxation experiences. Anxiety and depression were …

Increasing Near-Miss Reporting: An Evidence-Based Approach, Rosalud H. Sanchez-Lozada

Doctoral Projects

Near-miss events, defined as errors intercepted before reaching the patient, offer valuable opportunities for learning and prevention, particularly in high-acuity intensive care units (ICUs). Despite the availability of electronic reporting systems and national emphasis on patient safety, near-miss reporting remains inconsistent in many critical care settings. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project evaluated the impact of a structured educational intervention on near-miss reporting within a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at a large academic medical center. A single-group pre–post design was used to examine changes in reporting trends following a three-week intervention that included staff education, leadership …

Caregiving Experiences And Challenges Among Caregivers Of Children With Epilepsy In Thailand: A Qualitative Study, Arthittaya Kaenkrai, Pramote Thangkratok, Pawanrat Panjatharakul, Apasri Lusawat, Moritz Tacke

Journal of Health Research

Background: Childhood epilepsy requires long-term management and places substantial responsibilities on caregivers. In Thailand, limited public awareness and persistent stigma surrounding epilepsy may intensify caregivers’ psychosocial and practical burdens. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of caregivers of children with epilepsy in Thailand.

Methods: A qualitative study using two semi-structured focus group discussions (FGDs; 5 participants per group) and 15 in-depth interviews (IDIs) was conducted with primary caregivers of children with epilepsy receiving care at a neurological referral institute in Thailand. Participants were purposively selected to capture a diverse range of caregiving experiences. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, …

Healthcare Professional Knowledge About Food Insecurity And Treatment Options, Amberlyn Jarman

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

Food insecurity is a significant social determinant of health associated with obesity, chronic disease, increased healthcare utilization, and higher mortality, particularly in rural and underserved populations. Healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to identity and address food insecurity; however, gaps in provider knowledge and awareness of available community resources persist. This scholarly project evaluated whether an educational intervention could improve healthcare providers' knowledge and awareness of food insecurity and local treatment options. A mixed-methods approach of quantitative and qualitative measure was utilized for research. Pre- and post-test design was used with healthcare providers from a four-state rural region, including Kansas, Missouri, …

Improving Health Literacy And Self-Management In Adults With Heart Failure: A Nurse-Led Virtual Intervention In Outpatient Support Groups, Vivian Efosa Osunde

Doctoral Projects

Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and hospital readmissions, with limited health literacy contributing to poor self‑management and adherence challenges. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a nurse‑led, virtual education-intervention designed to improve health literacy, self‑care behaviors, and medication adherence among adults with chronic heart failure who participate in an outpatient support group. A quality improvement design was used. Convenience sampling yielded nine adult participants with a documented diagnosis of chronic heart failure who attended at least one virtual support group session. The intervention consisted of …

Whiny Women: How Medical Gaslighting Becomes Medical Trauma, Neena Marcus

Honors Projects

Background: The idea of “medical gaslighting” has been present since 1969, but it has increased in popularity in the recent century. Women in particular are at increased risk of being dismissed by their healthcare providers, as throughout history they have been deemed “hysterical” or untrustworthy when recounting their symptoms.

Methods: Articles were compiled from CINAHL Complete, Google Scholar, and the University of Washington library. A total of 33 articles were chosen and reviewed.

Results: Medical gaslighting results in lasting medical trauma, a decreased quality of life and detachment from standard healthcare. Six themes were recurrent in the papers utilized: sexism, …

“There Was Nothing Left To Give”: Experiences Of Compassion Fatigue Among Former In-Patient Psychiatric Clinicians, Katie Ladner

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Compassion Fatigue (CF) is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to stressful or traumatic experiences, specifically among healthcare workers, and it negatively impacts their ability to provide care to their patients and perform their jobs effectively (Singh et al., 2020). The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of compassion fatigue in mental health clinicians who previously worked in in-patient psychiatric hospitals and their subsequent resignations. This phenomenological research explored participants' understanding and descriptions of their CF experiences in their roles within psychiatric hospitals and how CF contributed to their leaving …

Weighted Blankets: Implementation Of A Quality Improvement Pilot Project In The Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Anita Musafar

Doctoral Projects

The weighted blanket quality improvement pilot project was implemented at Stanford Healthcare (SHC) to address the limited number of nonpharmacological interventions available for agitation management in the critical care setting. Patients within the Neurosciences ICU (NSICU) at SHC are clinically complex and uniquely vulnerable to experiencing agitation. The objectives of this initiative were to understand nurses' perceptions surrounding weighted blanket use in the critical care setting and assess whether there was a decrease in Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) scores with this intervention. From September 2025 to December 2025, the nurses within the NSICU implemented the use of weighted blankets for …

Pain Management In Opioid Users, Dawn Starbinski

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain remains a significant public health concern in the United States, contributing to disability, reduced quality of life, and over-reliance on traditional opioids. Amid the opioid epidemic, healthcare systems are increasingly seeking safer alternatives to conventional opioid prescribing. (NIDA, 2023).This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to evaluate nursing knowledge on the implementation of buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) as a pain management strategy in adult patients with chronic opioid use. The project was conducted in an inner-city Subacute Nursing facility with a population of adult patients experiencing long-term pain who were either opioid-tolerant or at high risk for opioid-related …

A Quality Improvement Project: The Implementation Of A Nurse Driven Morbidity And Mortality Review In An Emergency Department Setting, Abby Beutel

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

Background: Morbidity and mortality reviews/conferences (MMR) are a mandatory curriculum requirement for medical residency programs throughout the United States to identify and reduce medical errors. Only within the past few decades have hospital organizations expanded MMRs to multidisciplinary teams to include medical professionals who are rendering care at the bedside more than medical providers.

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project focuses on the application of a nurse drive MMR amongst emergency department (ED) nurses in a community hospital in Northern Bergen County, New Jersey. This ED nurse driven MMR measured the ED nurse’s knowledge and confidence levels as it …

The Moderating Role Of Psychological Power Distance On The Relationship Between Moral Disengagement And Submissiveness To Authority In Senior Healthcare Executives, Carl Kirton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Understanding how senior healthcare executives respond to authority is critical in complex health systems where ethical decision-making, hierarchy, and organizational culture intersect. This study explored the relationships among moral disengagement, submissiveness to authority, and psychological power distance (PPD) in U.S. healthcare executives, as well as the influence of selected demographic and professional covariates.

Methods: A descriptive correlational design was used with a non-probability sample of senior healthcare executives (N = 98). Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and three validated instruments: the Submissiveness to Authority Scale (SOAS), the Moral Disengagement through Displacement of Responsibility Questionnaire (MDDR), and the Psychological Power …

Incivility In Nursing: The Experience Of Registered Nurses In The Emergency Department, Karen Voorhees

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) predicts that due to the anticipated retirement of the “baby boomer” generation coupled with an expanded need for medical care across the United States, the need for nurses will expand 6% by 2032 (AACN, 2024). This need will be impeded by nurses leaving the profession due to feelings of a poor work environment, burnout and job dissatisfaction. Incivility in nursing has been shown to be a contributor to nurses leaving their current work environments or the profession of nursing entirely.

Incivility in nursing has roots in organizational psychology and has been shown …

Turnover In Nursing, Kylie J. Farris

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

A major challenge currently facing the United States healthcare system is a shortage of nurses. Nurses are essential to healthcare, yet in recent years, the rate of nursing turnover has increased rapidly, exacerbating the shortage. The aim of this project is to identify the factors contributing to nurses leaving their positions and to explore potential solutions to reduce the number of nurses exiting the profession. This will be accomplished by surveying clinical nurses across the United States through a multi-part survey. The survey will identify nurses who are considering leaving their current positions and explore potential interventions that could be …

Neurodiversity Among Nurses: Consequences For Wellbeing And Burnout, Megan Pohlmann

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Background/Introduction – Current research highlights three critical aspects of nurse wellbeing: the subjective personal perspective, multifaceted complexity, and variation across individuals. A particular gap in past research is a lack of understanding of how neurodivergence may impact nurses’ workplace wellbeing. Neurodiversity is the variation in human minds and neurocognitive functioning, and neurodivergence is the divergence from what society would consider the norm. Like wellbeing, it is difficult to capture, recognize, and define, which causes confusion among neurodivergent individuals and employers alike. With up to 20% of individuals displaying neurodivergent traits in the workplace, it is important to recognize that those …

Evaluating Clinical Practice Guidelines For Managing Missed Appointments And Patient Re-Engagement In An Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Agnes Limunga Jackai

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Experiences Of Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Nurses Working In A Hospital Setting, Layla C. Bradley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Impact Of A Standardized Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool In A Clinical Setting, Dylan Bogucki

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as any act of violence, including physical, sexual, stalking, or psychological aggression by an intimate partner, former or current. Despite being preventable, IPV remains a leading nonobstetric cause of morbidity and mortality among women, which highlights the need for systematic screening in clinical settings. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to identify women who have previously experienced or are currently experiencing IPV and to connect them with appropriate resources. Twenty-one studies were identified, all demonstrating moderate to high methodological quality and supporting the need for routine IPV screening in women’s health settings. …

Implementation Of An Interprofessional Practice Model, Jessica K. Mcguire-Wasylowich

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Clinical Practice Guideline To Reduce Lgbtq+ Disparities In Health Care, Angel Lb Ambrose

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Establishing The Division Interprofessional Council By Using Magnet Principles, Warisara Manuel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Trauma-Informed Intake Standardization Equitable Approach, Ketura James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

A Quality Improvement Project To Increase Identification And Treatment Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes In A Rural Clinic, Paige Spence

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

No abstract provided.

Implementing A Buddy System To Enhance Float Pool Nurses’ Experience And Unit Integration, Nancy Kairia

Doctoral Projects

Float pool nurses play a vital role in maintaining hospital operations; however, they often experience role ambiguity, inconsistent integration, and reduced psychosocial empowerment, which may negatively influence engagement and retention. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project implemented and evaluated a structured buddy program designed to enhance psychological empowerment among float pool nurses in a large academic medical center. Guided by Gretchen Spreitzer’s Psychological Empowerment Framework, the project examined changes across four domains: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact. A pre-post design was used to assess outcomes before and after implementation. Five nurses completed the preintervention survey; of these, four completed the …

Making Sense Of Hospitalization: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Covid-19 Patients’ Psychological Experiences In Indonesia, Mira Wahyu Kusumawati, Heni Dwi Windarwati, Setyawati Soeharto

The Qualitative Report

While previous research has probed into the experiences of COVID-19 patients during isolation in hospitals, little is known about their psychological experiences and the meaning of such experiences. To address the gap,this study was designed to explore the psychological experiences of patients who were confirmed positive for COVID-19 while undergoing isolation in hospitals. Using a phenomenological approach, we recruited 19 COVID-19 survivors who were confirmed positive for COVID-19 in the first six months of the pandemic entering Indonesia, located in Madiun Regency, East Java Province, Indonesia. We conducted face-to-face semi-structured interviews with health protocols and analysed the data using the …

A Peer Support Model For Nursing Faculty: Stay And Thrive, Ngoc N. Hua

Doctoral Projects

Projections show a major nursing shortage over the next decade. Although many state and local efforts aim to expand the workforce, there is often less visibility into the nurse educators responsible for the healthcare pipeline. Moving clinicians into teaching roles presents unique challenges. Specifically, clinical skills do not easily transfer to classroom management,​ which can be jarring for new faculty. This "reality shock" frequently results in faculty turnover​ due to a lack of support during this important transition.​ This project looked at nursing faculty perceptions of a structured peer mentorship​ program at a Northern California community college. The intervention was …