Digital Commons Network^™

An Examination Of Medical Resident Practices Regarding Patient Communication About Infant Safe Sleep Practices, Summer Samir Chahin

Dissertations

Infant mortality is a significant public health concern in the United States, particularly because of the large racial disparities in death rates. In particular, Black infants die at a rate twice that of white infants (Center for Disease Control, 2016). Sleep-related deaths are one of the most preventable causes of infant mortality. In Kalamazoo, Black and multi-racial infants account for the majority (3 out of 4) of sleep-related deaths (Sleep-Related Infant Deaths in Kalamazoo County Fact Sheet, 2017). To reduce sleep-related deaths, the American Academy of Pediatrics published recommendations for safe sleep practices (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016).

Unfortunately, caregivers …

Evaluating Hospital Community Benefit And Community Health Improvement Requirements, Shelly Johnson

Dissertations

The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) hospital community benefit standard aims to improve the community's health, it is a test the IRS uses to determine whether a hospital is organized and operated for the charitable purpose of promoting health. Participation in this program is required of all not-for-profit hospitals in the US, who spend billions of dollars annually in community benefit in place of taxes. Hospitals must annually submit IRS form 990 Schedule H and are required to report costs associated with their provision of community benefit spending. In addition, a hospital must conduct community health needs assessment (CHNA) and implementation …

A Remote Sensing And Machine Learning-Based Approach To Forecast The Onset Of Harmful Algal Bloom (Red Tides), Moein Izadi

Dissertations

In the last few decades, harmful algal blooms (HABs, also known as “red tides”) have become one of the most detrimental natural phenomena all around the world especially in Florida’s coastal areas due to local environmental factors and global warming in a larger scale. Karenia brevis produces toxins that have harmful effects on humans, fisheries, and ecosystems. In this study, I developed and compared the efficiency of state-of-the-art machine learning models (e.g., XGBoost, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine) in predicting the occurrence of HABs. In the proposed models, the K. brevis abundance is used as the target, and 10 …

An Assessment Of The Impact Of Corporate Governance Mechanisms And Principles On Corporate Performance: The Case Of The Uae, Carina Schafer

Dissertations

This research is concerned with investigating the effect of selected internal and external corporate governance mechanisms and principles on UAE corporate performance. The UAE started to apply uniform corporate governance standards in 2009 with the introduction of Resolution No. (518) of 2009 concerning Governance Rules and Corporate Discipline by the regulator SCA. Since then, there have been various rules implemented by the regulator in 2016 and 2020. Corporate governance has been in the spotlight of academic research, particularly in the United States and Europe, due to the vital role it plays in the overall health of economic systems. In the …

Investigating The Role Of Fun30, A Chromatin Remodeler, In Dna Repair, Mehwish Iqbal

Dissertations

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for maintaining genome stability. DSB repair needs to take place within the complex organization of the chromatin, and this requires changes in the chromatin structure adjacent to DSB sites. These changes occur through covalent histone modifications that alter histone-DNA contacts as well as by the action of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. Many chromatin remodelers, including Fun30, are involved in DSB repair. Fun30 facilitates DNA end resection at DSB site during the homologous recombination repair pathway. Apart from its role in DNA repair, Fun30 promotes gene silencing at heterochromatic loci such as telomeres, …

Nurses' Experiences Caring For Patients With Opioid Use Disorder, Pamella M. Campbell

Dissertations

Over the past 2 decades, opioid use in the United States has taken thousands of lives, reached the level of epidemic in 2017, and has been an area of study among scholars. The problem is health care professionals, including nurses, lack training on how to care for people with opioid use disorder (OUD). Nurses are at the frontline of patient care and understanding the nurses' experiences in the care of patients with OUD may help to improve the patients' quality of care. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to develop an understanding of the experiences of nurses with …

Perinatal Nurses' Therapeutic Attitudes Towards Women Who Use Addictive Substances During Pregnancy, Karen D. Neary

Dissertations

The use of addictive substances during pregnancy continues to rise despite the known deleterious effects of addictive substances on the developing fetus. Neonates exposed to addictive substances in-utero suffer from a variety of negative outcomes that result in the need for specialized care. To improve neonatal outcomes, current research promotes involvement of the mother, who used addictive substances during pregnancy, in her newborn's care. However, women who use addictive substances during pregnancy often feel judged and ridiculed by nurses who care for them, or their newborns, leading these women to be less involved in their newborn's care. The purpose of …

How The Strong Survive: Health As Expanding Consciousness And The Life Experience Of Black Caribbean Women, Angelleen R. Peters-Lewis

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to answer the research questions: What is the pattern of Health as Expanding Consciousness in Black Caribbean women living in the United States? What is the pattern of Health as Expanding Consciousness across members in a community of Black Caribbean Women?

Margaret Newman's Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness provided the theoretical framework used to guide the study. Newman's hermeneutic dialectic methodology facilitated understanding of meaningful relationships and significant life events of individuals and across participants. This research method also illuminated the influence of culture on life patterns of individuals and across …

Research Nurses' Attitudes And Practices Regarding Communication Of Risks And Benefits During The Research Informed Consent Process, Lidia Lika Nusbaum

Dissertations

Many studies show that research participants frequently do not fully comprehend information regarding risks and benefits (R&B) associated with clinical trials even though this is a fundamental component of the research informed consent (IC) process, required by ethical and regulatory guidelines. Research nurses often take an active role in obtaining IC while explaining study details and verifying potential participants' understanding. Although there are published recommended strategies to enhance the IC communication process, particularly for R&B communication, there is a paucity of research focused on research nurses' perspectives about the process. This study addresses this gap in the literature and provides …

Participant Experiences In Phase I Pediatric Oncology Clinical Trials, Stacey M. Crane

Dissertations

Phase I clinical trials (P1Ts) are the first step in testing new medical therapies in humans, and are essential for developing new and innovative therapies for children with cancer. P1Ts are ethically controversial as they are not intended to directly benefit participants, but are particularly controversial for children with cancer who are only able to participate when there is no known curative therapy for their cancer. Benefits of pediatric oncology P1T participation may include improved quality of life (QOL) and hope. Risks may include fostering unrealistic hope, burdening children with additional medical procedures and toxicities, and limiting the opportunity for …

Relationships Between Experiential Learning And Effects On Senior Nursing Students' Self-Efficacy And Knowledge: A Non-Experimental Predictive Correlation Multiple Regression Analysis, Shanna Whatley Akers

Dissertations

Preparing nursing students to transition into the professional registered nurse role is the task of nurse educators. These educators must train students to function in multiple nursing specialties post-graduation, to include critical care. As more nursing graduates enter into areas such as intensive care units and emergency rooms, nurse educators must prepare them to work with critically ill patients. Increased exposure to critical care clinical experiences and simulations may be one method to prepare them for these complex, high-acuity patient situations. In order to determine whether or not a relationship exists between increased hours of experience and effects on self-efficacy …

Developing And Maintaining Resilience In Charter School Executive Directors, Erika Vanderspek

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory phenomenological study was to identify and describe the strategies used by charter school executive directors to develop and maintain personal resiliency based on Everly, Strouse, and McCormack’s (2015) five factors of personal resilience (active optimism, decisive action, moral compass, relentless tenacity, and interpersonal support).

Methodology: This exploratory phenomenological study identified and described the lived experiences of exemplary charter school executive directors in San Diego, Riverside, and Orange counties. Based on recommendations from expert entities who worked with the target population, the researcher used purposeful sampling to select eight exemplary charter school executive directors. The …

Factors Affecting Nurses' Intention To Leave Their Primary Nursing Position, Scott P. Kaye

Dissertations

The United States is facing an imminent nurse staffing crisis. An aging workforce, an increasing elder population, and new staffing legislation have added to existing difficulties in retaining nurses. Retaining nurses is a priority in emergency departments, one of the few specialty departments that exceed the national average turnover rate, with an average of 95% of the nursing staff leaving their positions every five years.

This dissertation used dual-factor theory, dimensions of nursing surveillance, and intersectionality as theoretical frameworks; employed secondary analysis of the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (2018) dataset; and utilized hierarchical regression Modeling to examine the …

Construction Of Caring: A Study Of Nurses In A Children's Hospital, Christine Dooge Milbrath

Dissertations

The purpose of any health care organization is to provide health care. The very existence of the word care in phrases such as health care, nursing care, patient care, and medical care demonstrate how central the concept of care is within the industry and within society. Because care is so widely recognized and represented in our language, the failure to attend to this important aspect represents a great risk to health care organizations. However, caring is believed to be simple concept, easily understood, when it is, in fact, a complex phenomenon embedded and influenced by multiple contexts and constructions.

Caring …

The Mitigation Of In-Group And Outgroup Biases: Understanding The Perceptions Of Educators On The Contact Approach Theory, Brigitte Blazys

Dissertations

The contact approach theory was introduced in the 1950s, by Allport, as a method to mitigate biases. Since then, many DEI practitioners in the United States have formed alliances to create a social justice movement to combat racism, prejudice, and biases in our society. Nevertheless, little research has been conducted in the contact approach theory as these biases, initially observed as in-group and outgroup biases, originate in the early years of life. To begin to fill this gap in the literature, the purpose of this study was to better understand and identify to what extent, if any, prekindergarten through third …

The Effects Of Career Commitment, Distress, And Persistence On Academic Success Among Undergraduate Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Kimberly D. Kennel

Dissertations

The ability of students, specifically in higher education environments, to persist is a critical determinant of academic success. Student success is especially precarious within programs of nursing, where curricula include clinical, laboratory, and didactic content. Identifying and describing the barriers and facilitators to nursing student persistence provides a blueprint to appropriately use financial and human resources as well as determine the effect student demographic variables has on desiring, attending, or benefiting from persistence interventions. The outcome of this study can guide the deployment of institutional resources to provide persistence-based interventions that are evidence-based. Framed by Tinto's Theory of Student Departure, …

Improving Pediatric Nurses Knowledge About Palliative Care Services, Marilia M. Rivera

Dissertations

Palliative care knowledge is important for nursing staff caring for children with life-threatening and debilitating illness because it can provide comfort-based interventions to optimize their quality of life. Nurses in pediatric settings can support the patient and family by providing education and evaluate patients who can benefit from palliative care services. If nurses do not have the palliative care education to support this comfort care process, the quality of life for children with life-threatening and debilitating illness may be affected. The purpose of this DNP project was to educate pediatric nurses about pediatric palliative care standards. The educational program resulted …

Constructing The Process Of Healthcare Decision-Making By Adolescent Athletes Post Sport-Related Concussion, Jeanette Faith Green

Dissertations

Sport-related concussion (SRC) is associated with short- and long-term health consequences. Current recommendations require immediate removal of an athlete suspected of injury, relying symptom self-reporting. Many SRC are unreported resulting in continued play despite symptoms, a risk for subsequent injury. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore influential factors and pivotal decision points within the process of health decision-making (DM) of adolescent athletes post-SRC. Twelve semistructured interviews were conducted with predominantly white high school athletes. Grounded theory methodology was used to examine salient concepts within athletes' DM process. Data were coded and analyzed using dimensional analysis with explanatory model …

The Correlation Between Peer Support And Quality Of Life Of Nurses, Kim Diane Rose Maryniak

Dissertations

Nurses can experience stress and perceived traumatic events during their career. This distress in the workplace can affect the quality of life of nurses. Exposure to perceived distressing events may lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, patient errors or poor outcomes, horizontal violence or even nurses leaving the profession. Peer support is a strategy which has been explored to increase defensive lines and improve coping. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to examine if a relationship exists between the use of peer support, as conceptualized within the framework of the Neuman System Model, and the quality …

Facilitating Student Learning In The Acute Care Setting: Nursing Faculty Perspectives, Elizabeth A. Flott

Dissertations

Nursing education programs are experiencing many trends impacting the preparation of students including a nursing faculty shortage and a lack of quality clinical sites. In addition, literature is finding new nurse graduates unprepared when entering practice, lacking the required critical thinking, delegation, and prioritization skills necessary to provide safe care. Due to these findings, national nursing organizations and leaders are urging nursing education programs to implement solutions and reverse these trends to ensure students are prepared for demands of the current healthcare system.

To improve the structure of clinical education in this country, gaining faculty perspectives regarding experiences while facilitating …

Barriers To Physical Activity Among Asian Indian Women In The United States, Anjana Mathews

Dissertations

Asian Indian women have a higher prevalence of cardio-metabolic diseases compared to women from other ethnicities and Asian Indian men in the United States. This is due to the lower level of physical activity behaviors among this population. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived barriers to physical activity among Asian Indian women living in the United States. The theoretical framework that guided this study was Bandura's social cognitive theory and the research design used was qualitative ethnographic approach. Participants were recruited from 2 Christian churches in Southern California using purposive and snowballing sampling strategies. Fifteen participants …

The Global Rise Of Online Devices, Cyber Crime And Cyber Defense: Enhancing Ethical Actions, Counter Measures, Cyber Strategy, And Approaches, Naresh Kshetri

Dissertations

The rise of online devices, online users, online shopping, online gaming, and online teaching has ultimately given rise to online attacks and online crimes. As cases of COVID-19 seem to increase day by day, so do online crimes and attacks (as many sectors and organizations went 100% online). Technological advancements and cyber warfare already generated many ethical issues, as internet users increasingly need ethical cyber defense strategies.

Individual internet users have challenges on their end; and on the other end, nation states (some secretly, some openly), are investing in robot weapons and autonomous weapons systems (AWS). New technologies have combined …

Qualitative Analysis Of Older Adults' Experiences With Sepsis, Rebecca D. Hancock

Dissertations

Atypical symptoms, multiple co-morbidities and a lack of public awareness make it difficult for older adults to know when to seek help for sepsis. Diagnosis delays contribute to older adults' higher sepsis mortality rates. This research describes patients' and caregivers' experiences with the symptom appraisal process, self-management strategies, provider-nurse-patient interactions, and barriers when seeking sepsis care.

Parental Self-Efficacy, Feeding Practices, And Weight Gain During Infancy: A Secondary Analysis, Jessica S. Bahorski

Dissertations

Mechanisms contributing to childhood obesity begin during early life, including infant feeding practices and an excessive rate of infant growth. Parental decisions regarding their infant contribute to these mechanisms. Parental self-efficacy (PSE) is the belief parents have in their ability to accomplish the tasks of parenting and is associated with infant outcomes. A high sense of PSE, breastfeeding self-efficacy, or self-efficacy for feeding has been found to be associated with healthy infant feeding practices. However, this research is limited in scope and has not been conducted in populations at greatest risk for childhood obesity such as low-income or African-American infants. …

Examining The Effects Of Teacher Induction & Support On New Teacher Retention In Urban Schools, Nellie Poe

Dissertations

Teacher retention is a serious concern in our country and around the world. Current teacher shortages result from fewer students entering education programs while high numbers of teachers choose to leave the profession. Ultimately, the most significant impact of the lack of highly qualified teachers is on our students who do not have the opportunity to receive an equitable education.

The project included two iterations of interventions to provide teachers who were new to an elementary school currently in the bottom 5% of the state with support to build self-efficacy with instructional strategies and classroom management. The first iteration focused …

Compassion Fatigue, Resilience, And Intent To Stay: A Quantitative Study Among Nurse Educators, Brenda Fay Ulmen

Dissertations

Replenishing and sustaining the number of registered nurses needed to meet the demands of the United States healthcare system is an increasing struggle for nursing schools across the country. The nurse educator shortage has resulted in nursing schools being filled to capacity, requiring educators to work extended hours in understaffed environments. Although nurse educators are deeply committed to the students they mentor and serve, the increasing demands of the multifaceted role may lead to symptoms of compassion fatigue. The problem under investigation in this study is that nurse educators may be leaving their positions in academia due to high levels …

Factors That Impact Black Nurses' Leadership Opportunities In Higher-Education, Tamara Bland

Dissertations

Lack of Black women represented in higher education among nursing faculty is a challenge that affects the profession of nursing. The presence of barriers to Black nursing faculty has been documented in the literature. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers to Black nurse leaders that results in their underrepresentation in academia in the State of Illinois. Leadership opportunities was the dependent variable used to measure faculty achievement for attaining positions in higher education or nursing administrator roles. The independent variables where the various barriers: racism, financial disparity, self-efficacy, mentoring, and financial disparities.

This mixed method, explanatory …

Male Combat Veterans In Pre-Licensure Baccalaureate Nursing Programs: A Phenomenological Exploration, Kelly L. Dyar

Dissertations

There is recognized shortage of nurses in the United States which includes a lack of baccalaureate prepared nurses and lack of workforce diversity related to gender. Military veterans could be a recruitment source for the problems currently facing the nursing profession. However, both student veterans and male nursing students have experienced feelings of isolation, lower grade point averages, and higher rates of attrition. A scoping review of the literature revealed a lack of nursing education research literature related to veterans as nursing students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of male combat veterans in …

Handoff Communication Among Senior Nursing Students: A Phenomenological Study, Juanita Hanley-Gumbs

Dissertations

Despite discussions in health care regarding poor communication and its link to patient safety, it was revealed in the literature that many student nurses are inadequately prepared to conduct handoff communication. Student nurses have difficulty in this area due to limited or no experience with the handoff process, which jeopardizes patient safety. The purpose of this research study was to understand how senior nursing students make meaning of their lived experiences with handoff communication. The guiding research question for this study is: How do senior nursing students make meaning of their lived experiences with handoff communication during the change-of-shift report …

Variables That Influence Student Nurse Progression During Sophomore Year In A Traditional Bsn Program, Connie Mcfadden-Chase

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to discover variables that influence student progression during the sophomore year in a traditional bachelor of science in nursing program. Research exists to identify factors that will predict the retention of students or will contribute to students' success. Tinto's model on student retention was the framework for this study with constructivist grounded theory as the methodology to unravel the data and discover new meanings. The results of the study align with Tinto's model and illustrates the importance of faculty and peer relationships in conjunction with guidance in navigating the particularities of nursing coursework and …