Digital Commons Network^™

Just Because The Hood Raised You, Doesn't Mean You Have To Raise The Hood: A Content Analysis Of Urban Lit, Patience Marks

Leadership Connection

Sesssion presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Background/Purpose: Evidence has shown that media, including print media, can influence adolescents attitudes, beliefs and behaviors culminating in risk behaviors that can lead to negative health consequences. African American (AA) fiction is a thriving market with over 500 authors and annual revenue in the billions. Urban lit is extremely popular among AA teens and adults with individuals citing their authenticity as the reason for its popularity. Urban lit is known for its gritty portrayal of urban life with themes of violence, promiscuity, drug activity and infidelity. However there has been no research to …

Intimate Partner Violence And Failure To Thrive In Children: A Literature Review, Pamela C. Kimeto

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Failure to thrive is best described as inadequate growth or the inability to maintain growth, usually in early childhood. It is a sign of under nutrition (Gahagen, 2006; Levy, A., Levy, A., & Zangeten, 2009). In the United States, FTT is seen in 5-10% in primary care settings and in 3-5% in hospital settings (Cole & Lanham, 2011; Daniel, Kleis & Cemeroglu, 2008). Traditionally, the causes of FTT were subdivided into organic (medical) and nonorganic (social or environmental). There is increasing recognition that in many children the cause is multifactorial and includes biologic, …

Interprofessional Collaborative Approaches To Reduce Risk, Decrease Financial Loss, And Improve Patient Care Outcomes In Acute Care And Skilled Nursing Facilities, Mayumi Shoi Parker

Leadership Connection

This project will attempt to offer interprofessional collaborative workflow logistics, communication tactics, and customer service strategies in a nursing care delivery model. The model will increase communication between nurses and their unit assistive personnel, assigns specific accountability to staff to perform preventative tasks, reduces risk of HACs, increases work performance, and ultimately increases staff and patient satisfaction.

Increasing Awareness Of Multidimensional Incivility In Nursing, Karina Favela, Veronica Vital

Leadership Connection

The purpose of this presentation is to enhance awareness of negative behaviors taking place in nursing education and the negative effects they have on morale, confidence and the academic environment. Secondly, to promote self-awareness of incivility and introduce tools to elicit change for improving quality of care provided. The target audience of this presentation is inclusive of all individuals who could potentially exhibit uncivil behaviors or be victims of these hostile acts. Therefore, the audience will include nursing students, educators, managers, leaders, and nurses.

Incorporating An Information Technology Teaching Assistant (It-Ta) Into An Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum, Nicholas Aaron Cress, Teresa Villaran

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

The purpose of this project is to develop a permanent undergraduate student labor position that supports promoting the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nursing students through the use of technology. This student bridges the gap between technology and nursing practice. Berea College is a work college. All students work at least 10 hours per week on campus. This project was funded by the Work Colleges Consortium which requires the integration of education, work experience and service to others.

Improving Stroke Transitions Of Care Through Apn-Led Shared Medical Appointments, Kathleen A. Burns

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Great strides have been made in the treatment of acute stroke, with thrombolysis and interventional treatments decreasing stroke mortality and morbidity. In addition, evidence-based interventions aimed at secondary prevention are now initiated as standard treatment for stroke and TIA patients. Unfortunately, lack of patient understanding of personal risk factors and risk reduction strategies as well as poor perception of severity of risk have been identified as barriers to compliance with discharge treatment plans. Patients with chronic illnesses are at high risk for readmissions when discharged to home, a risk that increases when patients …

Improving Nursing Students Knowledge And Skills In Caring For Patients Experiencing Ipv, Marina Iturralde

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue associated with numerous negative health outcomes. Numerous organizations including the American Nurses Association and The Joint Commission recommended routine screening in a variety of health care settings for IPV. Nurses are uniquely poised to screen and intervene with victims of IPV. The nurse-patient relationship and ongoing interactions during a health care encounter provides opportunities for nurses to ask questions about personal safety and experiences with violence. However, there are a number of barriers that prevent nurses from screening and/or intervening with victims. Education …

Improving Access For Northeast Indiana To Quality Healthcare, Lauren Michelle Fulk

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

As the number of individuals requiring healthcare continues to increase, there is a similar need for an increase in easily accessible primary care providers. Fort Wayne and the surrounding areas particularly require increased accessibility to quality healthcare due to a large rural population surrounding the city, multicultural communities within the city, and population growth in suburban areas. Allen County, which contains most of the city of Fort Wayne, has over 100 more people for each primary care provider than the ratio of population to primary care providers for the rest of Indiana. To …

Implementing An Integrative Pre And Post-Operative Educational Intervention For Older Adults Undergoing Total Hip And Knee Replacement, Carolyn Marie Fox

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

The purpose of this pilot project was to implement postoperative education in a select population of elderly patients undergoing THR or TKR in combination with the pre-operative education which was standard of care at the site. The goal was to provide study participants with the tools and knowledge to efficiently and safely self-manage their post-operative pain. The primary endpoints were to improve self-efficacy over the course of the intervention period and to decrease pain in the population.

Implementation Of Nursing Peer Review Within Shared Governance To Improve Patient Outcomes, Joanne Reich

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Nursing is at the core of our nations current demand for perfect care and the care that nurses provide is central to patients achieving quality outcomes. The current healthcare landscape is filled with public reporting of hospitals quality measures. The national regulations administered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid are determined to provide financial awards and penalties to hospitals for their reported clinical outcomes (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012). The Institute of Medicine (2010) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, recognizes the extensive ability of nursing to touch patients …

Impact Of Yoga On Autonomic Nervous System And Its Clinical Implications, Maheswari Murugesan

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

An integrated literature review was conducted to identify the effect of yoga intervention on heart rate variability in adults. Heart rate variability, the variance between the R-R intervals on the electrocardiogram can be used to assess the balance between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system.

Impact Of Individual And Neighborhood Factors On Cardiovascular Risk In White Hispanic Women And Men Compared To White Non-Hispanic Women And Wen, Tanya Marie Cohn

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality for adults in the United States regardless of ethnicity. Yet, cardiac and noncardiac-related risk factors vary by ethnicity, as does mortality rate. Specifically, Hispanics in the United States have a higher prevalence of risk factors compared to non-Hispanic Whites, but lower overall cardiovascular-related mortality rate (Daviglus et al., 2012). This unexplained difference in risk versus mortality argues the need for the ability to accurately assess cardiovascular risk in order to provide appropriate treatment plans, medication, and behavioral interventions. This disparity suggest that other factors …

Hypertension, And Fruits And Vegetables In Nepal: An Evidence Based Review, Timothy M. Davies

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014: This project looks into the population of adults in Nepal with hypertension or high blood pressure, and what can be done to combat their high blood pressure. Specifically, nutrition was looked at as the best option to lower blood pressure. The background and significance of the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed by people in Nepal was researched by the Nepal Health Research Counsel, and some pertinent data is included. The DASH Diet was researched, along with the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid, and USDA MyPlate for their blood pressure lowering abilities. The research …

Guiding North America Region 2 Members Into The 43rd Biennium, Dorothy J. Dunn

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014, and Wednesday, September 24, 2014:

The 42nd Biennial Convention meeting of Region 2 members was a transition point when the past met present. The regional coordinator changed hands. At the same time, the members present stepped forward to continue the work of influencing Region 2 members and each others authentic passion for Sigma Theta Tau Internationals new mission, to advance world health and celebrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. It was clear that Region 2 members value empowerment, knowledge, responsibility, and commitment to Sigma Theta Tau International and each other. With 27 …

Grass Roots In Community Outreach For Optimal Infant Nutrition, Jessica Marie Gordon

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is strongly associated with optimal health outcomes for mother and child, in the short and long term. Yet exclusive breastfeeding is practiced by a minority of families, the duration rates of any and exclusive breastfeeding at six months are well below the United States Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 objectives. According to the 2008 report by the United States Breastfeeding Committee barriers that effect why moms do not breastfeed include: 1) limited provider awareness, knowledge, skills, and practices and limited …

Frontline Clinical Intervention Program: Use Of A Smartphone Application To Improve Post-Op Care, Maureen M. Ercole

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Numerous barriers exist for patient adherence to post operative care following total laryngectomy. Without complete voice restoration, the single most challenging postoperative consequence is the inability for patients to effectively communicate with their care team. This protocol explores the use of a smartphone application to improve post-operative outcomes following major Head and Neck Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery by providing timely resources and support to the patient and their caregivers. The health care field will be enriched with new ways to interact, support, and communicate with patients. The innovative model of care strives to …

Fostering Evidence-Based Practice Competencies In Nurse Leaders: An Innovative Model, K. Renee Samples Twibell, S. Renee Gregg, Cynthia Davisson

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014: Effective nursing leaders at all levels of health care organizations and academic institutions worldwide require skills in evaluating and using sound evidence in practice.The seven evidence-based practice competencies for leaders include: (a) generating relevant inquiries that research can answer; (b) engaging resources to address priority inquiries, including shared governance systems; (c) searching for relevant literature in effective, efficient ways; (d) identifying the best levels of evidence; (e) critiquing research studies relevant for leaders; (f) appraising clusters of studies for readiness-to-use in practice; and (g) translating evidence into practice. Nurse leaders often express a …

Factors Influencing The Quality Of Emergency Department Nurse Shift Handover, Heather K. Thomson

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Background: Nurse-to-nurse shift handover is defined as defined as bidirectional communication that results in the transfer of information and responsibility for a patient (Friesen et al., 2008; McFetridge et al., 2007; Tregunno, 2009). Nurse-to-nurse shift handover is an integral part of safe nursing care as incoming nurses depend on handover information to inform decision making, establish priorities, and to plan and provide patient care. The Emergency Department (ED) is a clinical area where nurse-to-nurse handover communication is particularly vulnerable as a result of the unpredictable, often chaotic nature of the environment. Although a …

Factors Influencing Parental Hpv Vaccine Acceptance Based On Child Gender: A Literature Review, Joyce L. Apted

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Factors influencing parental HPV vaccine acceptance based on child gender: A literature review, Joyce Apted, RN, MSN, CPNP. Abstract: Background: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was licensed for use in females in 2006 and for males in 2009 to prevent genital warts and HPV related cancers. Despite the availability of the vaccine and previous research indicating a willingness or intention of parents to vaccinate their children, vaccination rates remain low. Objectives: To identify and compare, based on child gender, the primary factors that influence actual parental acceptance leading to vaccination or non-acceptance of …

F.A.S.T. Stroke Care: Teaching Ambulatory Care Staff A Rapid Response, Jonni J. Dennis

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Introduction/Background: Guided by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Associations (AHA/ASA), National Stroke Association, the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), pre-hospital Stroke care has been a long time collaborative effort among emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, emergency departments (ED), and Healthcare professionals specializing in Stroke (Anderson et al., 2012). However, in the area surrounding the Sutter Health Primary Stroke Center, Ambulatory Care Centers are not commonly regarded as playing a significant part in the Stroke Chain of Survival the name used in healthcare …

Exploration Of Current Practice And The Rise Of Antimicrobial Resistant Infections, Katie Burroughs, Marsheena D. Brock

Leadership Connection

The amount of patients contracting multidrug resistant infections is increasing at an alarming rate. This is leading to a rise in poor patient outcomes including longer hospital stays, lasting residual effects, and increased mortality rates. According to the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (2011, p. 5), the medical costs attributable to the infection ranged from $18,588 to $29,069 per patient, hospital stays were extended between 6.4 to 12.7 days, and the attributable mortality of the infection was 6.5%. These frightening numbers influenced the selection of the research topic and investigation on the spread on antimicrobial resistant infections. The purpose …

Ethical Implications Of For-Profit Physician Care For Indigent Population, Joan Maninang

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Primary health care physicians (PCPs) are facing dissatisfaction in their work environment due to demands of labor, increasing work hours and number of patients, and decreasing insurance reimbursements and salaries. As a result, PCPs have increasingly been exploring different types of practices, one of which is concierge medicine. A 2012 survey of 13,000 physicians reported that 6.8% are embracing this type of practice, with this number expected to grow in the next three years. Concierge medicine is a new health care delivery model in which physicians limit the patients they see. In traditional …

Epigenetics For Breast Cancer Prevention: A Family Case-Control Study, Mildred C. Gonzales

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and second leading cause of cancer death among women. Epidemiological studies have documented that environmental carcinogens and unhealthy behaviors increase the risk of BC. This area of epigenetic interactions warrants further examination as it may provide promising behavioral interventions to effectively improve health of families in various communities. Purpose: The major purpose of this study is to provide foundation for evidence-based prevention strategies to enhance quality of care for women with BC and their families through examination of epigenetic pathways. This study will examine …

Enhanced Patient And Caregiver Engagement Drive Utilization And Quality Outcomes In An Advanced Practice Nurse-Led Care Transitions Intervention With Super Utilizers, Megan Mcnamara Williams, Jennifer Bellot

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Background: Care transitions across the health care continuum have been the focus of numerous efforts of health care systems throughout the United States in the last few decades. Poorly managed transitions can result in poor health outcomes and have tremendous financial implications for both patients and healthcare systems. In an effort to address poor transitions in care and minimize waste in the health care system, several approaches to the provision of transitional care have been tested and are still currently underway. Congruent with the triple aim, improving the experience of care, improving the …

End Of Life In African American Older Adults: An Integrative Literature Review, Karen O. Moss, Karen M. Rose

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

End-of-life care in the United States is described as deficient and fragmented. Minority populations engage in end-of-life planning less frequently than Caucasians. African Americans represent the second largest minority group in the United States with its older adult population projected to increase by 114% by 2030. The Patient-Self Determination Act of 1990 requires Medicare and Medicaid funded healthcare organizations to empower patients to refuse or accept medical care and execute advance directives. The Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatments (SUPPORT) confirmed substantial shortcomings of healthcare for seriously …

Electronic Medical Record Implementation As Change Management: Patient Safety, Amy Nordo

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

The Institute of Medicine 1999 report, To Err is Human, shocked the world (Kohn, Corrigan, Donaldson, 2000). The realization that our healthcare system caused the death of patients at alarming rates was a call to action for many. The quest to find ways to mitigate risk began 15 years ago. Leaders in the patient safety field spoke before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging in July, 2014 and noted that the patient safety situation has not improved since 1999. Subcommittee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders is working to bring the …

El Projecto De Agua Pura/ The Clean Water Project: An International Partnership, Christina M. Salpietro

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014: Sigma Theta Tau International 2014 Leadership Connection, September 24-27, 2014, Indianapolis, IN: El Projecto de Agua Pura; The Clean Water Project: An International Partnership; Christina Salpietro, Senior nursing student, and Corrie Hansen, Junior nursing student. Advisors: Kim Larson, PhD, RN and Deby Tyndall, MSN, RN, Beta Nu Chapter. Unsafe drinking water is a significant but treatable problem in Guatemala. More infant and child deaths can be attributed to the use of contaminated water than any other cause. Since 2008, nursing faculty from East Carolina University (ECU) College of Nursing have conducted a 3-week …

Efficacy Of A Home-Based Neurocognitive Remediation Program In Adults With Hiv, Shameka C. Humphrey

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Despite the life-sustaining effects of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART), adults with HIV continue to experience neurocognitive impairments. In fact, over half of adults with HIV experience HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND). As neurocognitive impairments continue to emerge among adults with HIV, more private settings such as the home may facilitate greater use of neurocognitive remediation therapies such as speed of processing training to enhance neurocognitive and everyday functioning. The efficacy of a home-based speed of processing training was examined in middle-aged and older adults with HIV (i.e., age 40+).

Educational Interventions For Middle School Students To Improve The Perception Of Nursing As A Future Career Choice, Robin Dianna Evans Matutina

Leadership Connection

This study seeks to demonstrate that recruitment interventions geared toward educating middle school students about nursing and nursing specialties would significantly improve the perception of nursing as a future career choice, thereby increasing the number of students who choose nursing as a career. If educating middle school students about nursing significantly increases nursing school enrollment and graduation rates, the nursing shortage may be positively impacted, thus positively impacting health care for society.

Early Detection Of Postpartum Depression: Evidence Based Risk Assessment Guidelines, Beena Roby Joseph

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Early detection of postpartum depression (PPD) is vital in improving maternal and newborn health. PPD affects 10-20% of the postpartum women (Caple & Schub, 2011). This project proposes guidelines for early identification of PPD by using evidence based risk assessment tools. The needs assessment was performed in a postpartum unit of a suburban hospital, serving the community of Greater Houston, Texas. Based on the Mental Health America (MHA) of Greater Houston 2007-2009 report, depression hits women in their childbearing age, especially between 25-44 years of age. The children of mothers who had PPD …