Digital Commons Network^™

A Thematic Analysis Of Shared Experiences Of Essential Health And Support Personnel In The Covid-19 Pandemic., Linda Carman Copel, Suzanne C. Smeltzer, Christine D. Byrne, Mu-Hsun Chen, Donna S. Havens, Peter Kaufmann, Heather Brom, Jennifer Dean Durning, Linda Maldonado, Patricia K. Bradley, Janell Mensinger, Jennifer Yost

Faculty Articles

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Studies have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on individuals who interact with patients with SARS-CoV-2 but focused largely on clinicians in acute care settings. This qualitative descriptive study aimed to understand the experiences and well-being of essential workers across settings during the pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies of the well-being of individuals who have cared for patients during the pandemic have included interviews of clinicians from acute care settings and revealed high levels of stress. However, other essential workers have not been included in most of those studies, yet they may also experience stress. …

Component Separation: A Case Report Of Hybrid And Synthetic Absorbable Mesh Use For Complex Large Ventral Hernia Reparation., Harold Bafitis, Vania Arboleda, Isabel Bernal

HPD Articles

Ventral abdominal hernias are a common abdominal wall defect in the United States. We present a 50-year-old Caucasian male with a large (>18 cm) abdominal wall defect. An extensive complex abdominal wall reconstruction with advanced bilateral fascial flaps/component separation and repair of the abdominal wall defect was planned to restore the appropriate abdominal wall anatomic contour. The use of double mesh in large abdominal wall defects is still a relatively new documented technique. Only two case series detail the same technique used on this patient, with no articles on using a hybrid mesh with a synthetic absorbable mesh. This …

The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health, Namely Financial Assistance, On Overall Survival In Advanced-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients., Andreas Bello, Neeharika S. Makani

HPD Articles

PURPOSE: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent form of lung cancer. Studies have evaluated the association of social determinants of health (SDH) with outcomes in early-stage NSCLC. These studies have shown statistically and clinically significant associations between overall survival (OS) and other SDH (e.g marital status, educational attainment).The aim of our study was to better understand the role of various SDH on OS in advanced-stage NSCLC patients in a community oncology practice in Florida. Methods: In this retrospective study, 125 patients with stage III and IV NSCLC were identified between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018. …

Sources Of Stress, Burnout, And Career Decisions Of Male Health And Nursing Professionals: A Qualitative Inquiry Of The Challenges During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Luis Miguel Dos Santos

The Qualitative Report

The human resources and workforce shortage of registered health and nursing professionals has been a long-term problem in health systems internationally, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many health and nursing professionals face stress and burnout, which may influence their career decisions and long-term human resources development. The purpose of this study is to investigate and understand the relationship(s) between sources of stress and the reasons why male health and nursing professionals decide to leave the profession within the next six months. With the employment of the social cognitive career and motivation theory and general inductive approach with 40 male health …

‘Why It’S Important To Talk About Our Toilet Needs In The Workplace’ – Using Maslow’S Needs Theory To Shine A Light On Workers Living With Ibd In The Workplace, Hannah Vaughan, Patricia A. Jolliffe Dr

The Qualitative Report

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can be challenging for employees diagnosed with the illness as they experience increased absenteeism, feelings of anxiousness, and negative career impact. Moreover, workplace relationships and a lack of understanding of the condition are anxiety-provoking. Utilising Maslow’s (1943) Needs Theory, this study evaluated the effect of IBD on the working lives of individuals diagnosed with the condition and the support they received. Employees from several organisations in a range of industries engaged with this qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven individuals who had received an official diagnosis of IBD and worked in paid employment for …

In Vitro Dissolution And Permeability Testing Of Inhalation Products: Challenges And Advances., Ali Nokhodchi, Salonee Chavan, Taravat Ghafourian

HPD Articles

In vitro dissolution and permeability testing aid the simulation of the in vivo behavior of inhalation drug products. Although the regulatory bodies have specific guidelines for the dissolution of orally administered dosage forms (e.g., tablets and capsules), this is not the case for orally inhaled formulations, as there is no commonly accepted test for assessing their dissolution pattern. Up until a few years ago, there was no consensus that assessing the dissolution of orally inhaled drugs is a key factor in the assessment of orally inhaled products. With the advancement of research in the field of dissolution methods for orally …

Assertiveness As A New Strategy For Physical Education Students To Maintain Academic Performance, Jusuf Blegur, Aniq Hudiyah Bil Haq, Muya Barida

The Qualitative Report

Serious problems occur in social life. In several cases in Indonesia, students often abuse their group collectivity and social relations with disciplinary behaviour such as following peer persuasion to spend much time hangout so that students neglect to manage study time, complete study assignments, and even be absent from lectures.. However, other students have managed to control unproductive social relations (persuasion to hang out during class hours, inducement not to do coursework, and others) to stabilize their academic performance with assertiveness. This explore student assertiveness strategies. At the same time, they were projecting strategic assertiveness protocols to maintain their academic …

Simple But Effective Criteria: Rethinking Excellent Qualitative Research, Majd Megheirkouni, James Moir

The Qualitative Report

Despite unremitting efforts to develop quality criteria of qualitative research, traditional criteria for the trustworthiness of qualitative results are still predominant in interpretive and naturalistic inquiries including Ph.D. studies. This work does not aim to replace the existing quality criteria but rather to update and simplify those criteria to include credibility, confirmability, and representativeness. The purpose of the study is to offer a review of existing criteria and strategies for qualitative research and to suggest simple criteria and strategies that will win the confidence of the academic community and augment the trustworthiness of qualitative research.

Times Of Uncertainties Require Embracing Leadership And Feedback, Alexander Lapshun, Gene E. Fusch

The Qualitative Report

Mid-level managers of multinational corporations often struggle to find a leadership style that helps build a high-performance organizational culture. This paper discusses the research question of what strategies some mid-level managers in a multinational corporation in Asia employ to create a high-performance organizational culture. The authors chose six mid-level managers of a multinational Fortune 500 IT corporation in Singapore to participate in this case study research blended with techniques of miniethnography. The authors looked for qualities and approaches required for leaders to build and lead their teams to high-performance standards in times of uncertainty. The study concluded that successful leaders …

Narrative Review: The Fda’S Perfunctory Approach Of Dietary Supplement Regulations Giving Rise To Copious Reports Of Adverse Events, Weiqi Li, Albert Wertheimer

HPD Articles

Background: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) originated from the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs act aimed to rein in the long-standing abuse in the consumer product marketplace. The act was passed to prohibit interstate commerce of misbranded and adulterated foods, drinks, drugs. Thus, promoting the FDA’s mission to protect the public health by regulating human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, food supply, cosmetics, and tobacco to ensure safety, efficacy, and security. Progressing further in 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was established designating specific label requirements, providing regulatory framework, and authorizing …

The Current - Volume 33 Issue 7, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Monkeypox Proctitis: A Case Of Targeted Treatment With Tecovirimat., Premalkumar Patel, Cynthia Espinosa, Varsha Konyala, Nicholas S. Camps, Estafenia Cecilio, Aakangsha Jain, Claudio Tuda

HPD Articles

Monkeypox (MPX) is an exanthematous disease first identified in the 1950s, associated with animals in Central and Western Africa, and has since been found sporadically worldwide. In May 2022, a returning family from Nigeria tested positive for MPX, which marked the onset of the current outbreak. It has now become a disease of concern in most parts of the world. The current standings are nearing 90,000 cases, with numbers increasing daily. The United States reported 29,711 cases so far. The characteristic exanthem of MPX is known to be present ubiquitously on the human habitus, with recent reports describing anogenital and …

Long Covid & Antidepressants, Rafael Rivas-Vázquez, Enrique J. Carrazana, Mark A. Blais, Gustavo J. Rey, Emma Rivas-Vázquez, Alan Quintana

Faculty Articles

Three years into this historic pandemic, the scientific and healthcare communities continue to learn a great deal regarding COVID-19, the disease that is produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The most urgent and immediate focus has been on vaccine development for disease prevention/mitigation and on identification of effective therapeutic interventions for acute phase of illness. However, attention is increasingly being placed on formulating treatment strategies for individuals who are post-COVID-19 and experiencing a syndrome of persistent cognitive, somatic and behavioral symptoms that is being referred to as long COVID. In addition to identifying novel compounds that …

Comparison Of Flex Vs. Residential Clinical Education Program Outcomes: Physical Therapy Students’ Self-Efficacy, Confidence, And Clinical Competence, Derrick F. Campbell, Jean-Michel Brismee, Brad Allen, Troy L. Hooper, Manuel A. Domenech, Kathleen J. Manella

HPD Articles

Purpose: Alternative flexible (Flex) path Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs may have an emerging footprint. The differences between Flex and traditional residential DPT program clinical experience outcomes remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Flex and residential DPT students’ clinical reasoning self-efficacy, confidence with treating, and Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) clinical reasoning and summative scores during clinical experiences.

Methods: A descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional survey was used with a voluntary convenience sample of 211 university DPT students during Fall 2020 full-time clinical experiences. Descriptive and inferential statistics evaluated differences in Flex and residential DPT program students’ …

Narcotic Requirements Before And After Implementation Of Buccal Nerve Blocks For Buccal Mucosa Graft Harvest: Technique And Retrospective Review., Adam Nolte, Alejandra Perez, Chase Mallory, Timothy Demus, Jessica Boyer, Scott Jamieson, Dhaval Jivanji, Billy Cordon

HPD Articles

The reduction in opioid use has become a public health priority. We aimed to assess if performing buccal nerve blocks (BNB) at the time of buccal mucosa graft (BMG) harvest impacts post-operative narcotic usage in the inpatient setting. We retrospectively reviewed clinical characteristics and morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) received for all patients that underwent a BMG urethroplasty at our institution. The primary outcome measure was post-operative MMEs for patients before and after implementing the BNB. We identified 74 patients that underwent BMG urethroplasty, 37 of which were before the implementation of the BNB and 37 of which were after. No …

Spine Bracing: When To Utilize-A Narrative Review., John L Cerillo, Alexander N Becsey, Chai P Sanghadia, Kevin T Root, Brandon Lucke-Wold

HPD Articles

Spinal bracing is a common non-surgical technique that allows clinicians to prevent and correct malformations or injuries of a patient's spinal column. This review will explore the current standards of practice on spinal brace utilization. Specifically, it will highlight bracing usage in traumatic injuries, pregnancy, pediatrics, osteoporosis, and hyperkyphosis; address radiological findings concurrent with brace usage; and provide an overview of the braces currently available and advancements in the field. In doing so, we aim to improve clinicians' understanding and knowledge of bracing in common spinal pathologies to promote their appropriate use and improve patient outcomes.

Creating An Anti-Harassment Policy For Workplace Sexual Discrimination, Bahaudin G. Mujtaba, Jasmine Kuzak

HCBE Faculty Articles

Harassment in the workplace can bring lawsuits, lower morale, decrease productivity, and increase employee turnover. Therefore, it is imperative that modern organizations offer inclusionary work environments where all employees are treated equitably and professionally in every workplace interaction, regardless of their gender. Each employee has the right to perform his/her expertise and passion in a professional organizational culture that promotes equal employment opportunities while prohibiting all forms of harassment and illegal discrimination. The methodology used in this paper is based on the personal experiences of two active human resource professionals along with an assessment of best practices in anti-harassment policies. …

How A Power Differential Between Clinicians And Researchers Contributes To The Research-To-Practice Gap, Natalie Douglas, Jacqueline Hinckley, Kate Grandbois, Megan Schliep, Amy Wonkka, Jennifer Oshita, Julie Feuerstein

HPD Articles

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to contend that there is a power differential between researchers and clinicians where researchers are the primary creators of knowledge and clinicians are the primary consumers of knowledge. Rooted in a sociological model illustrating interacting levels of power at macro-, meso-, and microlevels, we argue that authentic research-practice partnerships and clinician-researcher collaborations can mitigate this power differential. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians and researchers in our field have vastly different responsibilities and priorities that impact our ability to work collaboratively to solve the most pressing problems for the clients we serve. Although some current research practices …

Occupational Therapists' Experience Of Using Home Adaptation And Assistive Products As Interventions For Older Individuals And Persons With Disabilities In Thailand, Peeradech Thichanpiang, Veerawat Sansri, Surachart Thongchoomsin, Sutinun Juntorn, Thitiya Wangkawan, Supatida Sorasak, Phichaya Baramee, Kannika Permpoonputtana, Chirathip Thawisuk, Chutikorn Nopparat, Anuchart Kaunnil Corresponding Author

The Qualitative Report

As Thailand becomes an aged society it is important to promote advancements in geriatric medicine to provide the best care for older individuals. The right assistive facilities and household mobility equipment are essential for everyday activities. The use of home adaptations and assistive products can maximize the quality of life for older individuals and make life more convenient for those with disabilities. This study aimed to investigate the experience of occupational therapists, using home adaptations and assistive products. An individual interview was conducted with eight occupational therapists who worked at regional hospitals and centers of excellence throughout Thailand using a …

Grounding Qualitative Medical Research In Coherence, Not Standards, Carol Isaac, Linda Behar-Horenstein

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative research publications have become more prominent in medical journals. However, in medical discourse, those researchers who are adhere to postpositivist (quantitative) paradigm often criticize diverse qualitative inquiry for a perceived lack of rigor. We suggest that qualitative research, just like quantitative research should be guided by methodological coherence rather than prescriptive standards. Coherence is defined as an alignment between epistemology, theoretical perspective, methodology, methods, and research questions. In the medical field, a lack of training in methodological diversity, a long-held post-positivist privileging, and insufficient methodological dialogue, promulgates reliance on quantitative analyses. Neglecting to articulate sufficient methodological detail has caused …

An Exploration In Social And Emotional Health Of Vietnamese High School Students, Thien-Vu Giang, Van Son Huynh Prof., My-Hanh Mai

The Qualitative Report

Social and emotional health (SEH) aims to promote academic success and create school well-being. SEH has not been studied in Vietnam. This article focused on exploring the SEH of Vietnamese high school students because of the high-risk level in mental health that appeared in this group. The study was carried out using a qualitative case study approach to interviewing 74 students, 12 teachers, 7 school administrators, and 4 school counselors. We interpreted four features of SEH's expression of Vietnamese students: (1) Confident but lack of individual perspectives, (2) Respectful but lack of listening and empathy in school relationships, (3) Balanced …

Torn Between The Real Me And The Social Me: Educated Women’S Perspectives Of Surviving Marital Abuse, Mayada A. Daibes, Reema R. Safadi

The Qualitative Report

The perspectives of educated women on surviving abusive marital relationships have not been adequately explored, thus implying a gap in the literature regarding the role of education in enhancing or mitigating the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV). In this context, the question is how do educated women perceive surviving abusive relationships? Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), using flexible semi-structured face-to-face interviews, was conducted to understand the experiences of eight highly educated women (master’s, Ph.D.) in abusive marriage. Four superordinate interrelated themes were developed: (a) developing an awareness of self-respect generating role confusion, (b) being torn between traditions and ambitions, (c) …

Understanding Lived Experiences Of Stigma For People Living With Hiv: A Community Based Participatory Research Study, Brent Oliver Dr., Catherine Pearl, Egbert S. Felix – John, Deborah Norris, Folasade J. Elizabeth Olaniyan, Kim Samson, Aniela Dela Cruz, Gabriel Aseselin, Kate Berezowski, Celeste Hayward, Becky Vam Tassel, Floyd Visser

The Qualitative Report

The goal of this project was to better understand the experiences and impacts of HIV stigma and discrimination on people living with HIV and to co-create knowledge that has the potential to challenge existing stigma within the healthcare, social services, and public policy sectors in the province of Alberta, Canada. We employed community-based participatory research and a mixed methods design (survey methods and qualitative interviews) to address these questions. An online survey was completed by 148 people living with HIV and semi-structured interviews were conducted with an additional 20 participants. The research findings have been conceptualized within a social ecological …

Family Caregivers Of Older Adults With Physical Disabilities In Rural Thailand, Denis Tuttle, Jiranan Griffiths, Anuchart Kaunnil

The Qualitative Report

Thailand is one of many countries experiencing changes in the demographics of its population. People are living longer and having fewer children resulting in an increasing percentage of older adults in the general population. This presents a challenge in providing care for older adults, especially in countries where there is a culture of family caregiving. This study aims to investigate the experience of family caregivers, exploring the problems of caring for older people with physical disabilities and the needs of family caregivers. This is done to better understand ways to support caregivers. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, 15 family caregivers …

The Current - Volume 33 Issue 6, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Incarcerated Bodies – Embodied Autoethnography In Prison, Shulamit Kitzis‬‎

The Qualitative Report

Prison is a study field in which everyone – inmates, guards, and prison researchers – experiences powerful sensory stimuli comprised of sounds, sights, and smells in a crowded, closed space. Yet traditional academic research has socialized researchers to “wash away” their physical and emotional feelings for fear they would jeopardize the scientific nature and validity of their studies. Nevertheless, at times in a prison setting, the researchers’ bodies are the only tool that enables them to document what goes on; so much so that ignoring their bodies and emotions leads to a loss of valuable information. Using embodied autoethnography (EA), …

“Chains Weigh Heavy”: Body Mapping Embodied Experiences Of Anxiety, Priya Vaughan Dr, Anna Tewson, Patricia Morgan Dr, Katherine M. Boydell Professor

The Qualitative Report

Anxiety has both cognitive and somatic dimensions as is ubiquitous at a population level. We report on an arts-based research workshop gathering data on embodied experiences of anxiety and non-anxiety. We developed an innovative short body mapping workshop to collect data and undertook thematic analysis to analyse textual and visual data. 35 body maps were produced. “Tightness,” “pain,” and “heaviness” were the most frequently expressed embodied sensations of anxiety. By contrast, when not feeling anxious, participants’ bodies primarily felt “energetic,” “ordered,” and “open.” Anxiety was most frequently felt in the stomach, head and heart. 35 Participants mostly used an abstracted, …

Pediatric Brain Tumors In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: Available Evidence On Recent Advancements In Management, Challenges, And Recommendations - Editorial., Andrew A Wireko, Heli Patel, Aashna Mehta, Riaz Jiffry, Favour T Adebusoye, Goshen D Miteu

HPD Articles

No abstract provided.

Dysregulation Of Mir-155 Expression In Professional Mixed Martial Arts (Mma) Fighters, Dominick Cabrera, Kayla Thompson, Julius D. Thomas, Corey Peacock, Jose Antonio, Jaime Tartar, Aurelien Tartar

Biology Faculty Articles

Psychological and physical stress can induce dysregulation of gene expression via changes in DNA methylation and microRNA (miRNA) expression. Such epigenetic modifications are yet to be investigated in professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters subject to highly stressful training involving repetitive head impacts. This study examined differences in DNA methylation and miRNA expression in elite MMA fighters compared to active controls. Global methylation differences between groups were assessed via a LINE-1 assay. At the same time, PCR arrays were used to estimate differential expression in samples of 21 fighters and 15 controls for 192 different miRNAs associated with inflammatory diseases. …

The Position Of Insider (Emic) And Outsider (Etic): A Review Of Deborah Court And Randa Khair Abbas’ Insider-Outsider Research In Qualitative Inquiry: New Perspectives On Method And Meaning, Elih Sutisna Yanto, Moses Pandin Mop

The Qualitative Report

In their book, Insider-Outsider Research in Qualitative Inquiry: New Perspectives on Method and Meaning by Deborah Court and Randa Khair Abbas, they deconstruct the outdated or puzzling terminology associated with this type of research, examine ethical challenges, and recommend methodological approaches. This book also situates qualitative insider-outsider research, by its very nature, within the larger research ecology. The authors describe in full a researcher partnership—a relationship that is more personal and fruitful than a team and significantly more than the sum of its parts. Through their nearly two-decade-long research collaboration and study of the Israeli Druze, the authors have established …