Anisotropy And Its Effects On Stormwater Subsurface Gravel Trench Design, David Joseph Tarushka

Master's Theses and Capstones

Currently, one of the fastest growing fields in infrastructure is stormwater. Stormwater systems are the first line of defense in protecting cities from flooding and overburdening wastewater treatment facilities. Since stormwater infrastructure will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, any reduction in construction requirements may result in a considerable reduction in spending. The most immediate way to reduce construction costs would be to reduce the size of the system itself.The focus of this thesis will be infiltration characteristics of stormwater systems, using the ongoing research of parking lot A at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. The …

Addressing Barriers To Colorectal Cancer Screening In A Federally Qualified Health Center: A Quality Improvement Project, Tania Centra

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of death from cancer in the United States, despite the availability of several high-quality screening options. Multiple barriers to CRC screening have been identified, including cost (non-insured), younger age, racial or ethnic minority, recent immigration to the U.S. (non-English speaking), fear or distrust of the healthcare system and rural residence. Addressing health equity within underserved populations requires improved access to CRC screenings per evidence-based guidelines.

Local Problem: The mean CRC screening rate for the designated Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) was 33.7% for the 5 months preceding this quality improvement (QI) …

Implementation Of Telehealth Clinical Nurse Leader Interventions To Reduce Rehospitalizations In Rural Home Health Patients, Briana White

DNP Scholarly Projects

Reimbursement for home-based care is moving towards a value-based purchasing (VBP) model. This change brings a renewed sense of urgency to focus efforts in care delivery to sustain positive outcomes such as reducing rehospitalizations. The Clinical Nurse Leader role has been instrumental in hospital settings in improving patient outcomes, and evidence points toward the potential success of implementation of this role in the rural microsystem setting. This quality improvement project implemented a remote telehealth intervention led by Clinical Nurse Leaders, to decrease rehospitalizations of Medicare patients assessed as at-risk for 30-day rehospitalization. The DMAIC QI model was used to ensure …

Increasing Awareness Of Personal Harm Reduction Interventions In The Clinical Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Shawn Theberge

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

The ever-rising concern for safety in the healthcare setting has become increasingly prevalent and levels of hostility and violence more publicly visible. Over the last decade both patients and clinicians have been targeted in healthcare facilities at record levels. These incidents have created an environment of not only risk but increased anxiety and feelings of uncertainty for most clinical personnel. The study will initially measure clinician’s viewpoint of the clinical setting that they work in; and over the span of the project, track and evaluate the effects of the interventions on clinicians’ overall feelings and perceptions. The expected outcome …

Increasing Rates Of Urine Albumin Creatinine Ratio Ordering By Providers In Diabetics In Adult Primary Care: A Quality Improvement Initiative, James Ehrlich

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: The rising incidence of diabetes within the United States and worldwide has led to increased diabetes related morbidity and mortality. As the leading cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD), more attention needs to be placed on increasing rates of diabetic nephropathy screening. The vast majority of diabetics are treated in primary care, positioning primary care as a center focus for diabetes related screening and treatment.

Local problem: Low rates of diabetic nephropathy screening were noted at an academic medical center affiliated primary care clinic. A quality improvement initiative was elicited to increase the number of urine microalbumin creatine …

Implementation Of Oncology Standardized Scheduling Bundle Impacting Staff Productivity And Patient Satisfaction, Carolyn Brausch

DNP Scholarly Projects

BACKGROUND: Patients having timelyaccess to healthcare services is the entryway to quality of care and patient safety. Timely access is essential in cancer treatment and often requires complex scheduling requiring multiple, highly coordinated, time sensitive appointments. To facilitate optimal clinical care, timely appointment scheduling must be patient-centered. With the heavy scheduling workload growing at the the Cancer Network at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin and recognition of timely scheduling as a quality indicator, the need to examine the workflow and improve the process became apparent.

METHODS: The goal of the quality improvement project was to provide patients with …

Enhancing Clinicians' Knowledge In The Use Of The Beck Depression Inventory Tool In Outpatient Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Olabisi Oshikanlu

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

The paper outlines a quality improvement project to improve clinicians' knowledge in using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) within an outpatient setting, known as the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team. The BDI is among the standard depression screening instruments used. The primary care version of the tool is preferred because it discriminates somatic symptoms that may overlap with other clinical conditions. Clinician knowledge and skills are critical to ensure appropriate scoring and interpretation of the scores. In this quality improvement (QI) project, the clinicians completed questionnaires to determine their BDI-related knowledge before (pre-test) and four weeks after (post-test) the …

How The Media Frames Mental Health And Social Media: A Case Study Of The Facebook Whistleblower, Megan Switzgable

Honors Theses and Capstones

In September 2021, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, leaked confidential documents surrounding internal research performed at the company, revealing that Facebook knew the negative impact Instagram had on the mental health of teenagers. In this paper, I study how the media frames the relationship between mental health, teenagers, and social media when discussing the leaked documents. In order to do this, I perform a critical discourse analysis of thirty print media articles written about the Facebook Whistleblower, focusing on how the
articles present gender, mental health, and the positive and negative uses of social media. I also look at …

Privacy Paradox: The Impact A Health Crisis Has On Individual Views Regarding Privacy And Data Collection, Jessica B. Walsh

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Gaps: Addressing The Need For Palliative Care Education For University Nursing Students, Odin Todd Bickford

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study aimed to analyze undergraduate nursing students’ primary palliative care knowledge to determine if there is a need for further palliative care education in undergraduate, pre-licensure curriculums. To make this determination, this study utilized the Undergraduate Nursing Palliative Care Knowledge Survey (UNPCKS), created by Dr. Andra Davis and Dr. Megan Lippe, a 27-question survey that addresses the 6 domains of holistic palliative care; i) holistic, patient-centered care (Whole person care), ii) collaborative (Interprofessional), iii) understanding of primary palliative care as a resource and how to support patients/families (Advocacy and Knowledge of Primary Palliative Care), iv) the importance of understanding …

Exploring Educators’ Perceptions Of Legislation About Discrimination, Archer Brooke Miller

Honors Theses and Capstones

Across the nation, there have been efforts in “36 states to restrict education on racism, bias, the contributions of specific racial or ethnic groups to U.S. history, or related topics” (Stout). These laws essentially banned the teaching of critical race theory and systemic racism in all public K-12 classrooms. This study is pertinent because teaching about systemic racism is important. It was critical to shed light on this topic and show people why Sections 297 and 298 of House Bill 2 were salient and what impact it was having.

Perinatal Patient Education On Substance Use Risk Factors In The Age Of The Opioid Crisis, Rebecca Ane Leary, Alyssa O'Brien

Honors Theses and Capstones

From 2014 to 2016, NH ranked first for fentanyl and all opioid-related overdose deaths per capita in the United States (Moore et al., 2021). In 2016 the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS) found that there are many repercussions of this opioid crisis including overdose deaths, child and elder abuse, and newborns experiencing withdrawal. In utero substance exposure places a child at a higher risk for developmental, behavioral, and physical health concerns. To address this gap, a secondary data analysis using NH Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2013 to 2020 was conducted. PRAMS …

Pediatric Trauma-Informed Care At Various Levels Of Integration, Felicity Bernard, Dee Watts

All Materials

No abstract provided.

Annual Health Law & Policy Symposium Event Summary, Lucy C. Hodder, Deborah Fornier

All Materials

No abstract provided.

Waldenström Macroglobulinemia: Mechanisms Of Disease Progression And Current Therapies, Ava J. Boutilier, Lina Huang, Sherine F. Elsawa

Faculty Publications

Waldenström macroglobulinemia is an indolent, B-cell lymphoma without a known cure. The bone marrow microenvironment and cytokines both play key roles in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) tumor progression. Only one FDA-approved drug exists for the treatment of WM, Ibrutinib, but treatment plans involve a variety of drugs and inhibitors. This review explores avenues of tumor progression and targeted drug therapy that have been investigated in WM and related B-cell lymphomas.

Pieces Of The Whole: Using The Research Process To Integrate Data Management And Information Literacy Skills, Patricia Condon, Megan Bresnahan, Eugenia Opuda

Faculty Publications

The research process is naturally embraced as part of the academic curriculum in higher education. Graduate students write theses and dissertations based on their original scholarships, undergraduate stu­dents produce papers for courses and work in labs or in the field, and both participate in faculty-led research projects. The research process is tack­led holistically through coursework, yet when library instructors are invited to teach students about information literacy and research data management topics, these may be presented as tangential to or mistimed with other course content and learning activities. In this chapter, the authors present a com­prehensive, student-centered model for teaching …

Building Awareness Around The New American Community In Concord N.H., Heather Mckinnon

M.S. in Leadership

The purpose of this Capstone is to create an opportunity to explore resettlement. The research seeks to understand the resettlement process in the context of exploring immigration in the United States Research will focus on Concord, N.H. This project was chosen as a result of my experiences working with the New American population as a home visitor and home-based manager for the Early Head Start program in Concord, N.H. Depending on demographic statistics, publications, and case studies, this data is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The findings indicate that in order to advocate for new American populations, the community …

Motivation In Healthcare Personnel, Jessica Horton

M.S. in Leadership

The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the unique individual motivating factors that play a role in healthcare personnel’s job satisfaction, engagement as well as explore the leading causes of burnout. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and presently, healthcare workers nationally and internationally, have been experiencing burnout. Determining what factors motivate and demotivate employees is equally critical in ensuring that these skilled healthcare individuals continue to provide high quality, effective, and productive healthcare services especially during a global pandemic. In this paper motivational theories are explained, evaluated, and explored. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods from …

2021 Town Report Lempster, New Hampshire Incorporated 1767., Lempster Town Representatives

Lempster, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Realtime Event Detection In Sports Sensor Data With Machine Learning, Mallory Cashman

Honors Theses and Capstones

Machine learning models can be trained to classify time series based sports motion data, without reliance on assumptions about the capabilities of the users or sensors. This can be applied to predict the count of occurrences of an event in a time period. The experiment for this research uses lacrosse data, collected in partnership with SPAITR - a UNH undergraduate startup developing motion tracking devices for lacrosse. Decision Tree and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models are trained and perform with high success rates. These models improve upon previous work in human motion event detection and can be used a reference …

Integrating Implicit Bias Education Into Cultural Diversity Training Via A Portable Web Page, Anne Durant

M. S. in Management

Implicit bias impacts healthcare access and treatment by coloring decisions and judgements unconsciously. Enhancing awareness of implicit bias requires acquiring self-awareness and awareness of others. The addition of implicit bias education to the cultural diversity annual required education at New Hampshire Hospital for nursing staff using a portable web page adds to the range of inclusiveness within the organizational culture. The web page’s variety of subject matter offers narratives, explanatory tools, free test sites to examine individual biases, and videos to exemplify why implicit bias education is relevant. Examination of unconscious biases are recommended by the Joint Commission to investigate …

Management’S Role In Telework Employee Engagement, Stephanie Read

M. S. in Management

This research breaks down the importance of management’s role in employee engagement in the virtual work environment by analyzing previously conducted academic literature. The academic literature highlights the factors that contribute to employee success while working from home, which is more prominent due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. The contributing factors are: mentorship, technological support, communication, age (stage of life), and burnout. Throughout the research conducted, a major focal point in how employee engagement relies on the importance of management influence and involvement.

Timeliness Of Electrocardiograms Within The Emergency Department: A Quality Improvement Project, Spencer Burke

Honors Theses and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Timeliness in obtaining an electrocardiogram (ECG) is imperative for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with signs and symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend performing an ECG within 10 minutes of patient arrival. Delays in door-to-electrocardiogram (DTE) times were evident in the walk-in (WI) patient population who presented to the ED waiting room (WR) where this quality improvement (QI) project took place. The aim of this QI project was to reduce the median DTE time to 10 minutes through improving the point of contact process upon …

Investigating The Main Protease (Mpro) Of Sars-Cov-2 As A Potential Drug Target, Valerie Giovina Pascetta

Honors Theses and Capstones

The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed the lives of roughly 6.2 million people worldwide as of May 2022. The virus’s main protease (M^pro ) has been identified as an attractive drug target due to the critical role it plays in the viral life cycle. The roughly 34 kDa M^pro cleaves functional viral polypeptides out of two long polyproteins at conserved cut sites, allowing them to fulfill their role in processes like transcription and replication. Here, we have studied the enzymatic activity …

Nurses’ Perceptions Of Their Role Utilizing Eat, Sleep, Console, In The Management Of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Cerys Eldred

Honors Theses and Capstones

Background: There is a rising prominence of infants being born and diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) in the United States. In recent years, a new non-pharmacological method of managing these infants called Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) has emerged. While there is mounting evidence demonstrating the positive outcomes for infants treated with this method, there is limited research regarding nurses’ perceptions of this new intervention. This study seeks to understand the nurse’s experience and role during caring for infants with NAS utilizing the ESC method in comparison to the past practices.

Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive design to …

The Role Of Gli2 In B Cell Biology, Laura Kehoe

Master's Theses and Capstones

B cells are an important part of the host defense against pathogens by secreting immunoglobulins (Igs)/antibodies (Abs). Igs are highly specialized molecules due to a DNA recombination process that occurs to generate the variable region. An Ab molecule also undergoes class switch recombination (CSR) after encountering an antigen. Our lab has shown that the transcription factor GLI2 can regulate IgM secretion in immortalized malignant B cells derived from Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) patients and can modulate several cytokines. However, if GLI2 plays a role in B cell biology and class switch recombination is unknown. In mice with a B cell-specific Gli2-deficiency …

Economic Valuation Of Pfas Remediation In New Hampshire Municipal Drinking Water Systems: A Contingent Valuation Approach, Tristan Colby Price

Master's Theses and Capstones

In the past two decades there has been an increase in detection and awareness of PFAS (Per- or Polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals in groundwater and drinking water in the United States. In stark contrast to other known harmful chemical pollutants, little is known yet about the specific epidemiological and toxicological effects of prolonged intake and consumption of PFAS chemicals in environmentally occurring levels. New Hampshire in particular has encountered two high-profile episodes of PFAS contamination with hotspots in Merrimack, NH due to factory pollution and Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH due to military activity. These instances have brought increased attention …

The Mediating Role Of Parental Context And Social Support On The Relationship Between Polyvictimization And Juvenile Delinquency: A Longitudinal Study, Kristen Graham

Master's Theses and Capstones

Polyvictimization and non-victimization adversity in adolescence is a prevalent and evolving issue that poses many implications for families, teachers, policymakers, and others. This study sought to examine whether polyvictimization and adversity longitudinally predict later delinquency, and the possible mediating role of parental context and social support on this relationship. Data was collected as part of the THV survey and the NatSCEV II and yielded a final sample of 791 youths ages 10-20. Poisson regression analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted. Results demonstrated that over and above the impact of demographics, delinquency at Time 1, and community disorder, experiencing composite …

Improving Patient Safety In The Post-Anesthesia Care Unit By Identifying Nurses’ Perceived Barriers To The Implementation Of Barcode Medication Administration, Colleen Gauvin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: In the landmark report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System published by the Institute of Medicine in 1999, it was estimated that 98,000 Americans die annually due to medical mistakes (Institute of Medicine et al., 2000). Since then, major advancements have been made to improve patient safety in the United States relating to safe medication administration. Barcode medication administration (BCMA) is a technology that was designed to help decrease medication errors by automating the five rights of medication administration (Thompson et al., 2018). BCMA was first utilized at a Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center in …

Improving The Patient Repositioning Process: A Quality Improvement Project, Sydney Elizabeth Mcgough

Master's Theses and Capstones

Background: Research has shown that visual turn reminders can improve patient repositioning to prevent pressure injuries. The aim of this quality improvement project was to improve adherence to repositioning by increasing the perceived usefulness of the visual turn reminder.

Methods: A pre-intervention survey was distributed to 70 staff members with 22 responses. Staff were given the opportunity to recommend changes to the visual reminders and were informed that feedback would lead to the identification of common themes. Based on feedback, high visibility turn reminders were developed and implemented on the unit. A post-intervention survey was distributed to the same 70 …