Digital Commons Network^™

Innovating Care: Embedding Sem Scanning Technology Across Clch Nhs Inpatient Rehabilitation Services, Cherylane Lumpayao Sabellano

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Pressure ulcers remain a significant patient safety concern in rehabilitation settings. Subepidermal Moisture (SEM) scanning technology enables early detection of tissue damage, supporting timely interventions. Baseline audits at Brent Rehabilitation Wards revealed poor compliance with SEM scanning and documentation (10%). This project aimed to increase compliance to ≥50% within three months and integrate SEM scanning into routine care across Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH).

Methods: The initiative commenced in April 2024 at Furness and Robertson Wards (39 beds), using the Model for Improvement and PDSA cycles. Interventions included monthly bite-sized teaching sessions by SEM experts, group clinical supervision, redesign …

Nursing Practice Excellence Committee: Setting The “Right Table” For Npec-Able Practice Improvement, Cristina L. Ritzema

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: The Nursing Practice Excellence Committee (NPEC) initiative is intended to provide a structure for nurses to leverage their expertise in driving nursing practice, care quality and patient safety improvements. NPEC fortifies professional governance by setting the “right table” for decision-making.

Background: This Magnet-designated organization recognized that sustaining the Magnet nursing culture of excellence requires consideration and uptake of current best practices and structures. Accordingly, NPEC was designed to be a systematic, evidence-based approach to incident-based practice reviews that embeds and reinforces Professional Governance and Exemplary Professional Practice. NPEC positions bedside nurses as subject matter experts and leaders to translate …

Perceptions Of Professional Identity In Nursing By Ambulatory Care Nurses, Susan B. Fowler

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Nursing professional identity (PIN) defines the values and actions of nurses. It is important to study nurses’ perceptions of their professional identity because it communicates what nursing is. There is a gap in knowledge about ambulatory care nurses’ perceptions of PIN.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to describe ambulatory care nurses’ perceptions of their professional identity in themselves and their peers and determine differences based on demographics. An exploratory, descriptive, comparative design was used to address the two study aims. Participants were recruited from AAACN and STTI and completed the Professional Identity in Nursing Scale.

Results: One …

Musculoskeletal Disorders, Care Burden, And Sarcopenia: A Preliminary Study On Family Caregivers, Shu-Yuan Lin

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Family caregivers bear a high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), which may precipitate sarcopenia and care burden. This study hypothesizes that the occurrence of MSDs may be related to caregiver burden and sarcopenia among middle-aged and older family caregivers.

Study Purposes: (1) To investigate the incidence of MSDs, sarcopenia, and the level of care burden among middle-aged and older family caregivers; (2) To identify the correlations between MSDs, sarcopenia, and care burden.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted. Family caregivers who received services from the Caregivers Association or home care services and met the inclusion criteria, including …

Impacting Provider Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice Care In Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Targeted Educational Interventions, Aganaba Alabi Anike Grace

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Autism spectrum disorder is often considered a pediatric problem. However, undiagnosed autism among adults causes disproportionate healthcare inequities. Conventional ASD research and clinical training focus on pediatric groups, resulting in underdeveloped adult-oriented care and inadequately prepared providers. The project site reported discrepancies in ASD documentation and lack of knowledge in adult autism. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of targeted educational interventions on provider knowledge, attitude, and practice of adult autism. The Iowa Model guided the translation of evidence into practice, whereas Kotter’s eight-step change model guided implementation. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used among 30 …

Scheduling The Charging Of Battery-Electric Vehicles Under Heterogeneous Scheduling Constraints, Justin Whitaker, Greg Droge, Mario Harper

Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Research

Adopting battery electric vehicles (EVs) for vehicle fleets requires scheduling charging alongside day-to-day operations. This problem is complicated by complex utility cost structures, limited battery capacity, and competition for shared charging resources. Existing methods that simultaneously schedule routes and charging neither address the full cost structure nor employ high-fidelity charging models, and no prior work analyzes fleets containing vehicles with heterogeneous routing constraints. This work addresses these gaps by combining a state-of-the-art flexible-schedule formulation with time-of-use (TOU) demand costs and a non-linear, variable-rate charging model as drawn from additional state-of-the-art works. The proposed method is validated against two state-of-the-art methods, …

Evaluating Atmospheric Nox In The Marine Boundary Layer Near Tampa Bay, Ben Lloyd '25, Anson Kirsch, Samuel Irvine, Yasin Elshorbany, James Ivey

Student Research

Nitrogen oxides (NOX), including nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), are atmospheric constituents that can contribute to nitrate deposition in seawater. Since nitrate availability can influence marine ecosystems, understanding atmospheric nitrogen inputs is important for characterizing nitrogen cycling in coastal environments. This dataset contains atmospheric NO and NO₂ measurements collected from July 5–6, 2023, in the marine boundary layer near Tampa Bay, Florida, at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus using a Teledyne T200UP Analyzer.

The dataset provides observations of atmospheric nitrogen oxide concentrations that can be compared with measurements of nitrate in rainwater and seawater to …

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Draft Final Reclamation Improvement Field Sampling And Investigation Plan: Bres No. 46 – Missoula Mine, Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Quality Improvement Project: Implementing The 2025 Aha Hypertension Guidelines In Rural Primary Care, Johanna M. Alvarez

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Hypertension contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and delayed adoption of updated guidelines can increase therapeutic inertia in rural primary care. This Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project addressed an evidence-to-practice gap at a rural Federally Qualified Health Center where clinicians used 2017 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology hypertension protocols after release of the 2025 guideline. The purpose was to determine whether structured education and point-of-care visual decision aids improved provider knowledge, attitudes, self-reported practices, and selected clinical adherence metrics over 3 months. Guided by the Iowa Model, Lewin’s Change Management Model, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, a quasi-experimental …

Quality Improvement Project: Improving Nurses’ Confidence In Peripheral Intravenous Catheter Assessment Through The I-Decided Framework, Pepe Sanchez

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) remain a patient safety concern because inappropriate management can increase the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infections, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs. A vascular access assessment at an acute care hospital identified inconsistent PIVC assessment practices and inadequate documentation, highlighting the need for a standardized approach to vascular access management. This quality improvement project evaluated the impact of education on the I-DECIDED framework on nurses' confidence in PIVC assessment and clinical decision-making. Guided by the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model and Lewin's Theory of Planned Change, the project used a quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pretest-posttest design. …

Determining Impact On Provider Adherence To Current Diabetes Guidelines: A Quality Improvement Project, Rashemia Suber

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The delivery and documentation of evidence-based adult lifestyle counseling for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were found to be inconsistent in a clinic that serves an underserved population. This quality improvement (QI) project assessed whether a provider education program based on the 2025 American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) Diabetes Guidelines would improve provider confidence and documentation of lifestyle recommendations. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design was guided by both Pender's Health Promotion Model as the theoretical framework and Lewin's Change Theory as the change theory. The Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle guided this project as the implementation framework. …

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Draft Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling And Investigation Plan: Bres No. 11 – Magna Charta Lessee Dumps, Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Social And Psychological Well-Being Of Aps Clients With Elder Mistreatment And Self-Neglect, Thara Ayyar

Summer Research Program Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit Draft Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling And Investigation Plan: Bres No. 1503 – Hornet Addition, Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The Student Movement Volume 111 Issue 1: Week Of Prayer, Ai Scare And Chicago Fairs, Kyle Simpson, Corinna Bevier, Megan Constantine, Anna Rybachek, Samuel Ruiz, Matthew Henderson, Maya Thomas, Caleb Chung

The Student Movement v. 111 (2026-2027)

NEWS

News Writer Introductions, News Writers

SILA Welcomes a New School Year With Two Classic Events, Kyle Simpson

"Calling > Career:" Anthony Wagener Smith Delivers Fall Week of Prayer, Corinna Bevier

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Arts & Entertainment Writer Introductions, Arts & Entertainment Writers

Raising Our Voices: Worship During Week of Prayer, Megan Constantine

Exploring Literature and Art at Chicago Street Festivals, Anna Rybachek

IDEAS

Ideas Writer Introductions, Ideas Writers

Should We Be Reading the News?,  Samuel Ruiz

Will AI Kill Us All?, Matthew Henderson

PULSE

Pulse Writer Introductions, Pulse Writers

The Impact of Week of Prayer According to Students, Maya Thomas …

Not Merely A Workaround: Theorizing Asynchronous Math Talks As A Robust Instructional Routine For Visible Thinking, Participation, And Engagement In Mathematics Teacher Education, Simon Byeonguk Han

Dissertations and Theses

The sudden global shift due to COVID-19 accelerated the need for a better understanding of mathematics learning and teaching in an asynchronous format. Also, despite the popular use of mathematics instructional routines in mathematics classrooms, the field of mathematics education research has very limited empirical studies on instructional routines. This dissertation addresses this by examining Asynchronous Math Talks (AMTs), a structured instructional routine adapted from Number Talks. The central goal of this research is to develop and theorize AMTs not merely as an online workaround, but as a robust instructional model that leverages the unique affordances of digital platforms to …

The Importance Of Biopsy In New Lower Extremity Lesions: A Case Of Kaposi Sarcoma, Michael A. Higham, Stephanie N. Campbell, Naomie Jean, Amanda L. Killeen

School of Podiatric Medicine Publications

Introduction: Kaposi sarcoma is a vascular neoplasm associated with human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) that may present with atypical cutaneous findings in the lower extremity. Delayed diagnosis may occur when lesions resemble benign wounds or hypergranulation tissue, particularly in patients without a known oncologic history.

Aim: To present an atypical pedal presentation of Kaposi sarcoma initially encountered as a new lateral foot wound in an elderly patient with peripheral arterial disease and neuropathy.

Methods: An 80-year-old Hispanic male presented with a new “wound” of unknown duration on the lateral aspect of the left foot. Physical examination demonstrated xerotic skin with mild erythema …

Beyond Revascularization: Is Tibial Transverse Transport The Next Frontier In Diabetic Limb Salvage?, Karishma A. Sebastian, Nidhin John

School of Podiatric Medicine - Student Research

Poster Category:  Non-sponsored.

Level of Evidence: Level III

Introduction: Diabetic foot ulceration remains a major cause of lower-extremity amputation despite multidisciplinary wound care, debridement, infection control, offloading, and revascularization. Tibial transverse transport (TTT), based on the Ilizarov tension-stress principle, uses controlled transverse distraction of tibial cortex to promote angiogenesis and distal microcirculation in severe or recalcitrant diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).

Aim: To systematically evaluate whether TTT improves wound healing, distal perfusion, ulcer recurrence, and limb salvage in severe or recalcitrant DFUs and define its potential role as an adjunctive salvage intervention.

Methods: A PRISMA-guided review of peer-reviewed literature through August …

Nursing Students' Perceived Experience With Virtual Reality (Vr) Simulation: A Qualitative Analysis, Kristi J. Stinson, Leslie Rippon

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background – As healthcare education increasingly adopts immersive technologies, understanding student perspectives on virtual reality is essential for effective curriculum design.

Method – This study explored nursing students’ perceived experiences with the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in classroom-based learning. Data was collected through surveys with nursing students who participated in VR-enhanced learning activity on mass casualty triage and team communication.

Results – Qualitative analysis of the open-ended survey questions revealed four central themes: enhanced confidence and preparedness, technical skill acquisition, communication and teamwork insights, and the value of experiential learning. Students expressed that VR provided a safe environment …

Interventions Addressing Moral Distress In Acute Care Nurses: A Systematic Review, Maira Alejandra Harris, Sarah Owens, Louis Baser, Jean Edward

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background. Moral distress (MoD), or psychological distress resulting from acting against one’s ethics, and its consequences is a growing concern in healthcare. Nurses experiencing MoD are at greater risk of experiencing burnout, workplace stress and fatigue, anxiety, and depression. There is a gap in the literature regarding MoD interventions in nurses working in the acute care setting. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify interventions that reduce MoD in registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) working in the acute care setting.

Methods. We searched PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO in September 2025. Search string results revealed 3,637 …

Beyond The Digital Divide: Identifying Opportunities For Older Adults' Digital Health Engagement, Charles Boakye Kwanin

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Healthy People 2030 prioritizes increasing older adults' access to health information technology, yet age-related digital divides persist. However, treating "digital health use" as monolithic may obscure contexts where older adults succeed, missing opportunities for targeted interventions.

Objective: To identify which digital health activities show smallest and largest age gaps, and whether healthcare engagement (cancer history) moderates older adults' digital health adoption.

Methods: We analyzed 6,648 U.S. adults (n=1,254 age 65+) from the Health Information National Trends Survey 7 (2022). Participants reported past 12-month use of six digital health activities: looking up health information, messaging providers, viewing test results, making …

Understanding Critical Care Nurses’ Experiences While Caring For Dying Patients, Danna Leigh Curcio

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Nurses are the caretakers that have the most contact with patients and families above any other member of the healthcare team. Nurses provide care to dying patients as part of professional and occupational responsibilities, potentially creating a stressful environment. It is important to understand how nurses psychologically adapt while providing care and support. The purpose of this descriptive qualitative research study was to explore, describe, and understand the experiences of nurses caring for dying patients in critical care. The study employed semi-structured face-to-face interviews utilizing naturalistic inquiry and a content analysis approach. A purposeful sampling of nine critical care nurses, …

Cultural Continuity Of Care: First Nations Families’ Experiences In Mainstream Healthcare, Nina Sivertsen, Tahlia Johnson, Janiene Deverix, Julian Grant

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

First Nations women and their infants experience significant health disparities compared to non-First Nations populations, including higher rates of gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and maternal mortality. Timely, culturally safe maternal and child healthcare is critical to addressing these inequities, yet many First Nations families report fear, anxiety, and fragmented care when engaging with mainstream health services. This qualitative study explored factors influencing continuity of care and culturally safe practices during the first 2000 days of life, from conception to a child’s second birthday. Using yarning—a culturally grounded research method—nine First Nations families (19 participants, including mothers, grandmothers, aunties, and one …

The Perceived Impact Of Compassion Fatigue On Clinical Decision-Making Skills In Icu Nurses, Angela Yee

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Intensive care unit nurses (ICU) care for patients in a stressful, high-acuity work environment. They are frequently exposed to emotionally demanding situations. Cumulative occupational stressors place ICU nurses at risk for compassion fatigue. Literature suggests this stress can negatively influence work performance in the ICU; however, there is currently limited research investigating the perceived relationship between compassion fatigue and clinical decision-making skills among ICU nurses.

Purpose: A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to answer the research question: How do ICU nurses perceive their clinical decision-making skills when experiencing compassion fatigue?

Methods: Eighteen ICU nurses at a large academic health …

Older Population-Based Resilience: An Evolutionary Analysis Via Complex Adaptive Systems, Po-Chung Feng

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: To clarify the concept of older population-base resilience to support nursing research, public health planning, and healthy aging strategies.

Background: Older population-based resilience is an important concept for facilitating the adaptation of aging populations to multifaceted adversity networks. While extensive studies has examined resilience among older adults across diverse systems, hierarchical levels, and dimensional perspectives, the conceptual discourse has focused mainly on the individual level. A comprehensive articulation of population-level resilience attributes has been notably absent from the literature. Consequently, establishing a precise conceptualization of Older Population-Based Resilience constitutes an imperative scholarly endeavor.

Methods: A systematic literature search was …

Innovative Techniques In Nursing Education: Evidence-Based Recommendations, Leona Cilar Budler

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Nursing education must adapt to technological changes because of evolving clinical practices, growing volumes of digital information, and increasingly diverse learning needs. Traditional pedagogical approaches often fall short in addressing the expectations of contemporary learners who are accustomed to interactive, flexible, and technology-mediated modes of engagement. As a result, teachers are integrating innovative, evidence-based teaching techniques to strengthen learning outcomes, enhance student motivation, and support the development of professional identity in digital contexts. This paper aims to investigate existing interventions that use innovative techniques, like social media, in nursing education and to assess their effectiveness.

Methods: A systematic literature …

Being Present: Elevating Patient And Nursing Satisfaction Through Leadership Presence, Miranda Marie Schmidt

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Predominant and notable themes currently being actively monitored in healthcare are nursing satisfaction, retention, and job performance. These variables have been identified as important areas to evaluate as to how they directly impact patient care outcomes. Use of the evidence-based Casey Fink Graduate Nurse Survey and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality- Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) leadership rounding guide highlights that combining structured tools along with leadership presence, style, and interactions is associated with positive changes in patient care, nursing satisfaction, retention, and the overall quality metrics will improve in a specified unit.

Methodology: 26 articles were reviewed …

Developing The Self-Care Guilt Scale, Mary Lynn Fahey

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: A qualitative study (Fahey, 2023) using Story Theory identified "self-care guilt"—moral distress when engaging in health activities—as a barrier to wellbeing among fathers of children with ASD. This proposed study will develop and validate the first instrument measuring this construct.

Background: Fathers of children with ASD experience depression 3x general population rates (Hoyle et al., 2021) yet show lowest self-care engagement among caregivers (Martinez et al., 2021). Our preliminary work revealed guilt transforms self-care from stress-reducer to stressor, making traditional interventions paradoxically harmful. No existing measure captures guilt as self-care barrier.

Theoretical Framework: Story Theory (Smith & Liehr, 2018) …

Examining Social Support Among Black Dementia Caregivers In The Greater Toronto Area, Deanna Marie Black

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Dementia affects more than 55 million people globally and disproportionately impacts Black populations due to inequities in healthcare access. In Canada, Black communities face higher dementia risk and greater barriers to timely, culturally aligned care. In the Greater Toronto Area, Black caregivers carry major responsibilities while navigating fragmented services shaped by race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Although social support reduces caregiver burden, little is known about how Black caregivers access and use support within intersecting social and structural constraints.

Purpose: This study will examine how Black adult caregivers in the Greater Toronto Area construct, access, and mobilize social support …

Use Of Concept Mapping To Facilitate The Clinical Judgment Model In Nursing Education, Guillaume Ngonmeudje

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

In nursing education, well-designed concepts can help construct student and patient-centered instructional design and delivery approaches. Concept maps are innovative learning strategies that play a significant role in helping learners understand complex problems by promoting metacognition through critical thinking, problem-solving, motivation, professional interaction, peer discussion, and knowledge acquisition.¹ The literature supports the use of concept maps in nursing education as an effective tool for simulating critical thinking and clinical reasoning and judgment.² Additional research is needed to understand how the use of concept mapping can contribute to measurable differences in clinical judgment skills using a clinical judgment model. …