Digital Commons Network^™

Implementation And Evaluation Of An Oral Hygiene Program In Long-Term Care, Lawrence P. Lemos

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

A review of the literature focusing on oral care within long-term care (LTC) suggests positive resident care outcomes occur when standardized practices are employed. Studies of staff education programs, trained oral hygiene aides, and dental hygienists working within LTC, have linked regular oral hygiene practices to decreased pneumonia rates. While these studies make the connection between good oral hygiene and reducing risk for pneumonia, best practices focused on implementing and sustaining an oral hygiene program in LTC facilities are lacking. The aim of this quality improvement project was to ensure that dependent residents in LTC receive assistance with daily oral …

Employee Engagement In The Pacu, Michelle Spadaro

Master's Projects and Capstones

A clear vision is a powerful tool that can help advance employee engagement within nursing units. There is a great need for a compelling vision for the operation of a safe, efficient, equitable, effective, and patient centered healthcare delivery system. It is crucial to identify what actions are needed to achieve this vision and what realistic strategies are necessary for success. The purpose of this vision statement is to achieve excellence in nursing by establishing a common identity and direction that responds to an ever-changing healthcare environment. The project was conducted on a 25 bed peri-operative and post anesthesia care …

Patient Satisfaction Related To Noise In The Coronary Care Unit, Anjanette S. Dominguez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background The CCU staff recognized a department trend for low patient-satisfaction score related to environmental noise levels. Based on the Press Ganey score, the patient-satisfaction score plummeted in relation to noise level beginning in March 2014.

Purpose To improve patient satisfaction regarding noise level in the CCU to 100% by November 21, 2014.

Methods Senior & Fleming’s Hard System Model of Change guided this literature search of CINAHL and Fusion for articles published from 2009 to 2014. Specific terms used were noise, critical care, and sleep promotion. From September to November 2014, earplugs were offered to all alert/oriented patients entering …

Increasing Compliance Of Personal Protective Equipment S Election And Use For Isolation Precautions Among Rns & Nas On A Med-Surg Unit, Megan R. Alsmeyer

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background: Due to the high potential of transferring infectious diseases and/or organisms among patients, themselves, and the community, healthcare workers (HCWs) must be knowledgeable and confident in selecting the appropriate type of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the use in technique when putting on (donning) and removing (doffing) PPE based on the level of isolation precautions required for the patient being cared for.

Project Purpose: The purpose of this project is to determine whether assessing the knowledge and actual practice with observing, and utilizing an innovative approach of video and educational tools to isolation precautions would improve the consistency of …

Design And Implementation Of A Sustainable, University-Based, Emergency Medical Response Service, Octavia A. Mandel Struve

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Collegiate-based emergency medical services (EMS), designed primarily to provide pre-hospital basic life support and emergency services, are venues by which nurses and other healthcare professionals, with an understanding of community health and social network issues, can maximize health promotion objectives for university and college campus communities. These EMS systems also provide vital support to city and county emergency services and promote positive community relationships with neighboring areas. They can provide excellent opportunities for students to develop critical skills for success in the healthcare and business world. The sustainability and vibrancy of collegiate-based EMS systems are primarily related to impact, benefit …

Improving Value Based Purchasing Through The Implementation Of The Clinical Nurse Leader Role: The Chief Nursing Officer’S Case For Change, Leanne M. Hunstock

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The healthcare industry is focused on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the payment reform package from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the development of Accountable Care Organizations. The decisions, behaviors, and practices of medical and clinical staff directly impact patient care, quality, and subsequently cost and reimbursement. The imperative to balance quality and patient safety with cost effectiveness requires a complex orchestration of all the elements of care within the clinical microsystem. A priority is to support and enable bedside nurses’ daily practice, priorities, and decision-making. This can be accomplished through the implementation of the Clinical …

The Role Of Information And Communication Technology In The Acculturation Of Vietnamese Refugees, Khanh A. Tran

Master's Theses

One of the most significant refugee populations in the United States is the Vietnamese. This group initially fled their native country to escape political oppression at the conclusion of the Vietnam War in 1975 and continued to flee in a series of separate waves that continued for more than three decades. As a relatively new immigrant group in the U.S., the Vietnamese still face a variety of challenges as they try to reestablish their lives and adapt in a new cultural environment. Acculturation is a complex process that is influenced by a number of factors. Throughout history, U.S. immigration policy …

An "Interpretary" For The Is Discipline, A Compendium Of Interpretations Of Basic Is Concepts And Methods From Different Theoretical Perspectives, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

This article proposes the development of an "interpretary," a compendium of interpretations of IS concepts and methods from different theoretical perspectives. Such an interpretary would recognize the importance of different theoretical perspectives while also moving toward an organized body of knowledge for the IS discipline. An idealized interpretary can be viewed as a two-dimensional concept interpretation matrix whose cells contain interpretations of specific concepts from specific theoretical perspectives. The first column is a list of important IS concepts. The other columns represent specific theoretical perspectives. Each cell contains an interpretation of a particular concept from a particular perspective Thus, the …

Using Work System Theory To Link Managerial And Technical Perspectives On Bpm, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

Work system theory (WST) provides a bridge between managerial and technical perspectives on BPM that often seem distant from each other. In combination, the work system framework, underlying work system metamodel, and the work system life cycle model provide a number of bridges between those perspectives. In relation to managerial BPM, the work system framework treats "business process" as one of nine elements in a basic understanding of a work system. The others are participants, information, technology, products/services, customers, environment, infrastructure, and strategies. The underlying metamodel outlines a precise structure for analysis and design of work systems and for links …

Sustainable Solutions For Human Security And Anti-Corruption: Integrating Theories And Practices, Marco Tavanti, A Stachowicz-Stanusch

Public and Nonprofit Administration

Corruption is a real issue affecting the understanding and practices promoting human security. This article introduces the frameworks of sustainable human security in relation to anticorruption. Human security is explored in its historical evolution and the more recent expansion of its frameworks, including the sustainability and systemic elements. The notion of sustainable human security is examined in relation to corruption and anti-corruption, as expressed in the current challenges and opportunities on sustainable development and human international development.

Evidence-Based Management And Leadership, R B. Briner, Neil D. Walshe

Organization, Leadership, and Communication

Organizations can be led and managed in many different ways and there is no shortage of perspectives, models, and frameworks for thinking about how such tasks can be accomplished. This chapter focuses on one such perspective: evidence-based management (EBMgt). At its core is the idea that when managers and organizations make decisions, evidence of various types should be collected, critically appraised, and taken into account. Put this way, EBMgt does not appear to be either new or radical. However, as we shall go on to discuss, recent attempts to elaborate and flesh out this idea show that while some of …

An Exploration Of Leadership And Campus Cultural Orientation In A California Community College, Eduardo Cervantes

Doctoral Dissertations

This research explored transformational leadership and campus cultural orientation at a single California community college. The conceptual framework for the study consisted of the transformational leadership paradigm articulated by the full range leadership model (Bass & Avolio, 1994; Bass & Riggio, 2006). A taxonomy of campus cultural orientations was also employed to complement the full range leadership model (Jayakumar & Museus, 2012). The study showed that transactional leadership was used management of a business culture and maintaining a stable fiscal foundation. Transformational leadership was employed to create a diversity oriented campus culture that was leading toward an equity oriented campus …

Emerging 21st-Century Educational Challenges And Opportunities: An Appreciative Inquiry Of Public Education In The U.S. Virgin Islands, Sheree Necole Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the critical challenges and opportunities in K–12 public education in the U.S. Virgins Islands (USVI). Specifically, this study sought to understand the USVI education leaders’ experiences in their public education system as a whole, the challenges and opportunities they faced, their perceptions of the institution’s greatest strengths, and their perceptions on the future of education in the territory. This research also explored which factors influence educational-leadership success in the USVI.

The study employed appreciative inquiry as a theoretical framework. Application of the core principles of appreciative inquiry laid the foundation for a narrative-based qualitative inquiry into educational …

Leadership Rounding: Improving Frontline Nurse Satisfaction, Erin Bashaw

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The amount of time nurse managers and senior leadership spend with frontline or bedside staff impacts their ability to empower, engage and retain staff. Improving nurse satisfaction in relationship to teamwork, perception of senior leadership and attitude about direct management should be a priority of all organizations. Leaders that recognize the power of an intergenerational and interdisciplinary workforce will be influential for dynamic change and visionary development. Advancing overall teamwork as a nursing department, developing a better rapport with senior leadership and improving the relationship between direct management and front-line nurses is in the best interest of patient care.

A Self-Organizing Group Within A Hierarchical Organization, Sheila Yuter

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted to discover and describe the characteristics of a community of practice (CoP) and the health care system within which it formed. The study explored the relationship between a CoP of primary care physicians and a health care system that was both a hierarchical organization and a complex adaptive entity. It further examined the impact that relationship may have had on the organization’s sustainability within its environment.

A qualitative approach was used for the collection and analysis of data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four members of the CoP and three members of their administrative hierarchy. There …

Peer Coaching And The Perceived Impact On Fostering Positive Relationships, Knowledge Creation And Sharing Among Nursing Personnel, Lisa Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Creating a team on which caregivers consistently deliver safe and compassionate care requires ongoing developmental attention, not just for excellent technical skills, but also for exceptional interpersonal, relational, and service skills. Supportive and encouraging peer-developmental relationships have the potential to augment the role of a nurse manager in addressing "soft skill" learning and development needs.

The specific construct of peer coaching represents a small but emerging focus in the scholarly literature. In the healthcare setting, there are relatively few studies of the use of peer coaching outside the classroom setting. There are no scholarly reports documenting the study of peer …

Re-Imagining Individual And Communal Identity : Corporate Mergers, Susan Duvall-Dickson

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Ties That Bind : Examing The Effects Of Social Exchange Variables On Turnover Intentions Among Executives, Mary Francis

Doctoral Dissertations

NA

The Emplotment Of Human Dignity And Social Responsibility : College Health Promotion Comes Of Age In The Time Of Aids, Raymond Quirolgico

Doctoral Dissertations

NA

Community Policing And Leadership : Perceptions Of Urban Police Chiefs, Daniel Lawson

Doctoral Dissertations

NA

Organizational Change And Strategic Schooling For English Language Learners : A Case Study, Silvia Ramirez

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

A Qualitative Study Of An E-Commerce Organization In Transition, Steven C. Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

"So There We Were--" : The Stories Told By Chief Petty Officers In The United States Navy, Explored Through A Complexity Lens, Patricia Joanne Reily

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Transformational Leadership Practices At A Northern California Winery, Brian Douglas Phifer

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Beyond “The Total Organization”: A New Adaptation Of A Great Exercise, Kathleen Kane

Organization, Leadership, and Communication

“The Total Organization”, a Cohen, Fink, Gadon, and Willits’(1992) exercise, has great possibilities for inclusion in a variety of current courses covering a range of topics with a variety of outcomes. We have successfully adapted the exercise for our required MBA Leadership course. The participants must self-organize, choose leadership, determine roles, and develop the structure for an entrepreneurial (and should they choose, high tech) venture. With few instructions, they must struggle with the ambiguity of multiple organizational challenges including: innovation, creativity, team building and organizational design. We will demonstrate the exercise and give participants overheads and exercise instructions on CD …

Defining Information Systems As Work Systems: Implications For The Is Field, Steven Alter

Business Analytics and Information Systems

The lack of an agreed upon definition of information system is one of many obstacles troubling the academic information systems discipline. After listing a number of definitions of IS, this paper defines information system as a special case of work system as defined in Alter (1999a). This definition has many desirable characteristics: It is easy to understand; differentiates IS from IT; covers totally manual, partially automated, and totally automated information systems; links to a life cycle model that generates many insights about development and implementation problems; provides a simple guideline that helps in interpreting common IS/IT jargon; and has other …

The Relationship Between Executive Coaching And Organizational Performance Of Female Executives As A Predictor For Organizational Success, Lily Benavides

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Women College Presidents : Leading With Authenticity, Cathy Frances Corcoran

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Governance: The Collision Of Politics And Cooperation, Richard Callahan

Public and Nonprofit Administration

Three newly created public agencies built regional rail projects in Los Angeles County from 1978 through 2002. The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, as newly created public agencies, were nothing less than experiments in regional governance. Conventional understanding of these agencies only partially explains their successes and failures. A path to improved understanding is to combine research on the politics of designing new public agencies with research on cooperation in dealing with collective action problems.

What emerges is an untold story of American politics: the evolution of mechanisms …

Success Factors In Mergers And Acquisitions : Complexity Theory And Content Analysis Perspectives, Lena Petsa-Papanicolaou

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable