Digital Commons Network^™

Beat By Beat: Empowering Communities With Lifesaving Cpr Skills, Allyssa Mb Hutchins

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Introduction: This doctoral project was created to increase bystanders' willingness and ability to perform CPR by building their confidence in performing it effectively. A total of 13 participants participated in this project to increase knowledge and confidence in CPR interventions.

Background: Cardiac arrests remain a leading cause of death, yet research indicates that rural communities have lower rates of bystanders trained and willing to assist. Increasing CPR awareness and eliminating barriers to care for classes can improve CPR confidence and have a positive community impact.

Methods: Three 4-hour CPR classes were held in Zirconia, NC, at no …

The Implementation Of The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System To Standardize Symptom Assessment, Rachel C. Mea Msn, Rn, Ocn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background

Evaluating symptoms in patients with advanced cancer is critical to mitigating symptom burden and improving quality of life. Cancer patients experience an array of physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms, which can significantly impact compliance with treatment, daily functioning, and well-being. Early and thorough assessment enables healthcare providers to identify and address these issues, ensuring symptom management strategies are tailored to the patient's needs.

Objective

This project aimed to implement the Edmonton System Assessment System (ESAS) in an inpatient oncology service and evaluate the acceptability (AIM), appropriateness (IAM), and feasibility (FIM) of the assessment by nurses and palliative care providers. …

Improving Integrated Care Through An Interprofessional Communication Education Module Using Teamstepps®, Hailey Drangsholt, Natalie Truong

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Despite spending the most money on healthcare per capita (World Health Organization, 2020), the United States (US) has the worst health outcomes for birthing persons and newborns, measured by maternal mortality, infant mortality, and preterm birth rates. These outcomes are attributed to inadequate access to care and errors in interprofessional communication. Intervention: This quality improvement initiative implements early intervention of an interprofessional communication training using an evidence-based interprofessional collaboration frame called TeamSTEPPS®. Measures: Effectiveness of this intervention was evaluated using pre- and post- qualitative survey data gathered from participants. Outcomes: Of the 8 survey participants, 100% of …

Subcutaneous Infusions For Comfort Care Patients, Kelci Steeples

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Over 75% of hospice cases fail to eliminate pain despite high quality hospice care (Herr et al., 2010). The purpose of this quality project was to improve pain management in end-of-life patients via subcutaneous medication administration. An orderset was created to include subcutaneous infusion medications using the collaborative efforts of pharmacy leadership and palliative medicine leadership. Patients requiring pain management who were under hospice or palliative care and, lost intravenous (IV) access, were considered for this quality improvement project. A total of eleven patients met project qualifications, but unfortunately, two patients passed away before receiving pain medications subcutaneously. Project findings …

Combating Compassion Fatigue In The Emergency Department, Pam Packard

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Combating compassion fatigue in the emergency department is vital to nurses’ well-being. Compassion fatigue is the result of negative physical, emotional, and spiritual strains that often burden nurses. The weight of compassion fatigue is explored throughout this conceptualization of Combating Compassion Fatigue. Two questions were explored: Does compassion fatigue affect compassion satisfaction? If so, is compassion fatigue a precursor to suboptimal compassion satisfaction?

Assessing Palliative Care Needs In Residents With Alzheimer's, Emily Yarnell

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Current evidence indicates a lack of assessment protocols focusing on palliative care needs for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This gap in practice supported the need to implement an evidence-based assessment protocol for early identification of palliative care needs in patients with Alzheimer’s disease residing in a long-term care facility. The protocol included using the patient’s Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) score to determine the patient’s palliative care needs according to the Dementia Progression Prioritization of Goals model. If the score indicated moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease, then their goal was maximization of comfort, indicating a need to begin palliative care plans. …

Referral Patterns From Long-Term Care Services To Palliative Care: Perceptions Of Directors Of Nursing, Karen S. Sharrah, Dnp, Msn, Aprn, Fnp-C

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Palliative care referrals are important in long-term care facilities because they are the first step in generating the services that the patient may need. This study looked at the phenomena of how Directors of Nursing in long-term care facilities that had access to palliative care services determined if a referral was needed.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the decision- making process used by Directors of Nursing for referrals. The study’s aims were to determine what factors prompt a referral in long-term care settings. The primary research question was: How …