Digital Commons Network^™

Building Bots That Teach Thinking: Using Custom Ai Chatbots To Enhance Critical Thinking And Decision-Making, Megan Biagi

AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit

Generative AI is increasingly common in education, but its effect on student learning depends largely on how it is used. This interactive session will introduce practical strategies for creating custom AI chatbots that encourage students to think through problems rather than simply ask for answers. Participants will explore ways to design bots that ask learners to explain their reasoning, consider alternative perspectives, identify assumptions, and revise their thinking before receiving feedback.   Examples from healthcare education and other disciplines will show how these tools can support guided inquiry, reflective questioning, clinical reasoning, and decision-making. Participants will review and revise sample chatbot …

Theory Generation And Research: The International Impact On Families’ And Nurses’ Mental Health, Karen J. Foli

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

This special session will focus on Dr. Karen J. Foli’s two decades of research, based on her mental health-focused nursing theories. A brief overview of her theories, the middle-range theory of parental postadoption depression and the middle-range theory of nurses’ psychological trauma, will be offered. Select studies from her research trajectories as well as the link between theory and empirical studies will be emphasized. Last, the international impact of her work will be illustrated.

Accelerating Nursing Science With Ai: Promise, Risk, And The Path Forward, Maxim Topaz

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

AI is transforming nursing at unprecedented speed, but our institutions lack safeguards to match. This Hall of Fame address presents five projects spanning bibliometric analysis, living systematic reviews, multimodal clinical AI, fabricated citation detection, and clinical deskilling. Actionable frameworks for preserving clinical competence are presented.

Implementation Of Wound Digital Photography During Admission Two-Nurse Skin Assessments, Melody R. Austin

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

This quality improvement project evaluated the effectiveness of implementing a standardized two-nurse admission skin assessment, supported by digital wound photography, to strengthen documentation accuracy and improve recognition of pressure injuries at a large tertiary medical center. Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) remain a serious safety and financial concern, and inconsistent, subjective admission skin assessments limit the ability to distinguish present-on-admission conditions from hospital-acquired injuries. Guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology, the intervention was implemented across five targeted units following staff education, workflow updates, and integration of secure, HIPAA-compliant wound photography. Data collection included electronic medical record audits, PSI-03 quality reports, learning management …

The Genomic-Ready Nursing Student: Pilot Validation Of The N-Safe-9 Instrument, Amaris Aviles

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Genomic variation in drug metabolism significantly influences opioid safety, yet pharmacogenomics (PGx) remains minimally represented in pre-licensure nursing curricula, leaving graduates underprepared to interpret genetic results or apply gene-guided clinical decision-making. This pilot study introduces the Nursing Student Assessment of Pharmacogenomic Education (N-SAFE-9), a theory-informed, nine-item instrument designed to measure PGx knowledge, clinical confidence in opioid safety, and perceived system readiness to use clinical decision support (CDS). The instrument will undergo expert content validation followed by preliminary psychometric testing among pre-licensure nursing students at Northern Illinois University who have completed pharmacology coursework (target n = 45). Planned analyses include item …

The Prevention Of Unintended Hypothermia In Surgical Patients, S. Adam Robert Anderson, Jacqueline Hoying

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Hypothermia is a common perioperative complication and affects up to 70% of surgical patients undergoing general anesthesia. Hypothermia is preventable yet remains unaddressed in surgical settings throughout the United States. Complications include prolonged coagulation, increased surgical site infections, and delayed recovery, leading to additional costs between $2,500 and $7,000 per patient.

Purpose: This evidence-based quality improvement project aimed to implement a prewarming protocol using AORN thermal management guidelines and preoperatively prevent unintended hypothermia in adult surgical patients undergoing general anesthesia. Project goal was to increase organizational prewarming rates by 30% in the project’s timeline.

Implementation Plan: The implementation included …

Mobile Lidar Scans Of Caves: Methods For Tying In Ground Control Points, Robert E. Salaz, Jake Slyder, Ellen Trautner, Georgia Schneider

Sinkhole Conference 2026

Mapping cave passages using modern techniques such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and photogrammetry are still in the juvenile stages. Newer technologies such as Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) LiDAR and faster computers have enabled speleologists to map caves much faster than traditional methods. From a land management perspective, the ability to efficiently collect detailed cave maps with reasonable precision quickly is crucial for decision making. The ongoing challenge with digital cave mapping using mobile LiDAR and photogrammetry techniques is geolocating the point-cloud underground. Mobile scanning methods can be tied to ground control points on the surface using high …

Karst Sinkholes And Civil Engineering: Overview Of Characterization And Treatment Options From A Geophysical And Geotechnical Viewpoint, Mia Painter, Stephen Welsh

Sinkhole Conference 2026

Sinkholes pose a significant geohazard to civil engineering infrastructure in regions underlain by carbonate karst terrain. Selecting an appropriate stabilization method requires balancing site conditions, infrastructure risk, environmental considerations, and cost, all of which depend on a thorough understanding of the planned or existing infrastructure and subsurface conditions. This paper provides an overview of common sinkhole characterization and stabilization methods used in the Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian regions of the United States from both geotechnical and geophysical perspectives. The application of geophysical methods in conjunction with intrusive investigations is reviewed as a means of reducing subsurface uncertainty and refining treatment designs. …

Production Variability In The Edwards Aquifer, South-Central Texas, Usa, Jennifer Raye (Adkins) Schudrowitz, Linda K. Bevis

Sinkhole Conference 2026

The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) serves more than two million people and is among the largest water utilities in the United States. Much of SAWS’s supply is sourced from the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) Aquifer (Edwards BFZA), a major sole‑source karst aquifer in south‑central Texas. The aquifer exhibits pronounced spatial heterogeneity in well performance due to its karstic nature, structurally complex setting, and variable depositional facies. Recent severe drought and pumping restrictions have emphasized the need to understand where within the aquifer to drill and how inter‑station performance differs under stress. This study evaluates production variability across SAWS pump‑station …

Ongoing Dye Tracing Prompts Major Reevaluation Of Groundwater Divides For The Lost River Karst System, Bowling Green, Ky, Usa, Lee Anne Bledsoe, Chris G. Groves, Nick Lawhon

Sinkhole Conference 2026

The Lost River Groundwater Basin located in south-central Kentucky may be one of the most thoroughly investigated karst basins in the US. Over the past 50 years, numerous studies have been conducted primarily due to the environmental challenges created by urban development on a well-developed sinkhole plain. The City of Bowling Green (pop. ~80,000) covers much of the basin but lies primarily in the northern, downstream reach nearest the main outlet of the system, the Lost River Rise. However, land use in the southern, up-gradient, portion of the basin is quickly changing from undeveloped and/or agriculture to industrial and residential. …

Brine-Enhanced Hypogenic Speleogenesis And Concentrated Karst Development In The Burton Flats, Eddy County, New Mexico, Dave Decker, Garrett Jorgensen Olague, Michael Jones, Ryan Palmer

Sinkhole Conference 2026

The Burton Flats, a 259-km² gypsum-dominated outcrop of the Permian Rustler Formation 26 km northeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, contains more than 3,500 documented karst features — an anomalously high density relative to surrounding areas of equivalent lithology. The proposed explanation is a two-step brine-enhanced dissolution mechanism driven by the spatial intersection of three factors: the eastward-dipping Rustler Formation outcrop, the underlying Capitan Aquifer, and the intervening Permian Salado Formation. Fresh Capitan water dissolves Salado halite, generating an NaCl-enriched brine up to three times more aggressive toward gypsum dissolution than fresh water; this brine ascends into the Rustler Formation along …

Rompiendo Fronteras: Addressing Language Barriers In Hispanic Palliative Cancer Care, Carla Mcnulty, Catherine Finlayson

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanic people, accounting for 20% of deaths (American Cancer Society, 2023). In 2024, the American Cancer Society predicted that 195,300 Hispanics would be diagnosed with cancer in the United States, and 50,400 (25%) would die from their disease, leaving approximately 144,900 (75%) living with cancer. As the Hispanic population rises in the United States, one can predict that cancer diagnoses will also increase. This is likely to result in a higher number of cancer-related deaths, as well as more individuals living with cancer. Consequently, there will be an increased demand for …

Dnp Student Implementation Of Pc4 Model In A Pregnancy Resource Center To Improve Quality Of Care, Priscilla A. Outlaw

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) play a critical role in supporting women from underserved communities but often struggle to consistently meet clients’ emotional, cultural, and psychological needs. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to evaluate the impact of implementing the Person-Centered Care and Communication Continuum (PC4) Model—an evidence-based framework designed to enhance respect, communication, and individualized attention in maternal healthcare—on client satisfaction and service engagement at a local PRC.

Guided by Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, this mixed-methods quality-improvement project assessed antenatal client satisfaction and service delivery before and after PC4 implementation. Surveys and structured observations …

Supporting Socialization & Expression In Ltc: A Scoping Review Of Language Barriers & Older Adults, Christina Oleynikov, Amanda Mcintyre

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Communication is central to socialization and the expression of cultural identity [7]. In multilingual societies such as Canada, language barriers can hinder full integration, affecting social participation and overall quality of life [6,7,9]. The proposed study focuses on language barriers faced by minority older adults in long-term care settings. Non-English speaking residents who face barriers in communication and lack the adequate support necessary to overcome them, become vulnerable to impaired meaningful interactions and social isolation [3,11]. This study plans to gather and review existing scientific literature on how these barriers affect older adults and impact their socialization needs. A scoping …

Examining Covid-19 Vaccination Attitudes And Behaviors Among Undergraduate Nursing Students, Nicele Catherine Medel Arana

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

As COVID-19 transitions into endemic management, understanding vaccination behaviors and beliefs among nursing students is critical given nurses’ roles in patient education and vaccine advocacy. This descriptive, cross-sectional study examined COVID-19 vaccination attitudes, booster uptake, infection history, and advocacy confidence among undergraduate Bachelor of Science nursing students at a public urban college. Forty-six students across three cohorts completed an anonymous online survey informed by the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS) following institutional review board (IRB) approval (IRB #2025-0805-York). Findings demonstrated near-universal completion of the primary COVID-19 vaccine series, contrasted by lower booster uptake. A majority …

Impact Of A Video Surgical Tour On Preoperative Anxiety In Joint Arthroplasty Patients, Rose C. Fialkowski, Patricia A. Keresztes

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Preoperative anxiety is a prevalent and clinically significant concern among patients undergoing elective hip and knee arthroplasty, affecting up to 69.4% of surgical patients and contributing to poorer perioperative outcomes, including increased pain, delayed recovery, and decreased patient satisfaction. Despite routine preoperative education, many patients remain unprepared for the surgical experience, particularly due to unfamiliarity with the perioperative environment.

This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project evaluates the effectiveness of a virtual surgical center tour in reducing preoperative anxiety among adult patients undergoing elective joint replacement surgery at an outpatient orthopedic center in Chicago, Illinois. Guided by Dorothea …

Fear Of Progression And Associated Factors In Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Mixed-Methods Study, Hongxia Liu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) frequently develop excessive fear regarding disease recurrence and progression, which substantially affects their health. The Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation (CSM) offers a useful framework to explain how these recipients perceive, process, and respond to such health threats.

Objective: To develop and validate a model of fear of progression (FoP) in kidney transplant recipients, analyzing its influencing factors; and to identify contextual factors associated with this fear as well as recipients’ lived experiences.

Design: A convergent mixed-methods design was employed in this study.

Settings: Kidney transplant follow-up centers at three tertiary hospitals in Beijing, Hunan, and …

Leveraging Collaboratory Community Assessments To Strategically Guide Service-Learning Projects, Judy L. Gregg

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The Association of American Colleges and Universities supports high impact practices including service-learning, global learning, research, and collaborative projects resulting in a university participating in a Collaboratory Community Assessment in order to strengthen an established partnership in a remote indigenous village in Guyana.

While most service learning project goals are established by the host, collaboratory projects can improve service-learning outcomes through a community engagement pedagogy that combines learning goals and community service in ways that enhance both student growth and the public good. Collaboratory projects are high-impact practices where teaching, service, and scholarship overlap.

In Fall 2023, a one credit …

Creating Space For Grief: A Bereavement Support Initiative In Critical Care, Donna Nguyen, Morgan Curnell

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: To examine current bereavement practices in critical care through a scoping review and identify evidence-based strategies to support families and nursing staff during and after end-of-life events. This review highlights gaps, facilitators, and opportunities for nurse-led approaches to strengthen compassionate, consistent bereavement care.

Background: In ICUs, bereavement extends beyond families to nurses who frequently experience emotional and moral distress after patient death. Despite evidence supporting structured bereavement interventions, practices remain inconsistent, culturally variable, and often lacking clear guidance for frontline nurses. A synthesis of current literature is needed to inform standardized, grief-informed practices that benefit both families and staff. …

Virtual Reality Pedagogy To Improve Clinical Judgment And Work-Readiness: An Integrative Review, Maria Hurd

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Aims: To appraise the literature examining the impact of virtual reality (VR) on the development of clinical judgment and work readiness in undergraduate nursing students.

Background: Preparing nursing students for safe entry into practice remains challenging due to limited clinical placements and increasing expectations for competence. VR simulation provides immersive, repeatable pedagogical experiences that support clinical reasoning and decision-making [1,2]; however, its effectiveness in developing work readiness remains unclear.

Methods: PubMed and CINAHL were searched for studies examining VR-based pedagogical approaches and outcomes related to clinical judgment and work readiness. Of 216 articles identified, 193 were screened after duplicates were …

Learning, Unlearning And Transformation: Recommendations For A Successful Workplace Integration, Archana Paul

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: The process of learning, unlearning, re-learning, and ultimately transformation is a fundamental aspect of personal and professional growth. Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) bring extensive knowledge, skills, and experience to their practice areas. However, they must undergo a process of change to assimilate, adapt, and practice competently as a nurse. Despite the existence of some studies exploring IENs' transition into their workplace, there is a significant scarcity of focus on their experiences of relinquishing old habits, beliefs, and ideas to acquire new or alternative knowledge and skills, which ultimately facilitate transformation. It is crucial to recognize the significance of this …

Dysphagia Strain Sensor For Swallowing And Volume Status Assessment In Heart Failure, Juvel-Lou P. Velasco

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: Dysphagia often appears days before conventional volume overload indicators, suggesting it may be an earlier marker for impending volume overload. The The Massey Bedside Swallow Screen and videofluoroscopic swallow studies are standard dysphagia diagnostic tools, but are limited by subjectivity and resource availability, respectively. The Dysphagia Strain Sensor (DSS) offers objective assessment and easier accessibility. This study assessed the feasibility of the DSS in detecting dysphagia and evaluating volume status in heart failure (HF) patients.

Methods: An exploratory feasibility enrolled 15 HF patients aged 18 years and older, classified as New York Heart Association Functional Class II to III, …

Leading The Charge In Advanced Competency: Through Muta/Guta Training In Graduate Nursing Education, Janice Ketcham Williams

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Graduate nursing education is undergoing a significant transformation as academic institutions are required to prepare their learners to meet the evolving needs of a complex healthcare system. This requires them to be prepared to care for patients with diverse healthcare needs, while also meeting the expectations of nursing regulatory and accrediting organizations. One of these requirements is the transition toward competency-based education. This transition to competency-based education requires faculty to employ pedagogical approaches that demonstrate consistent, measurable development of clinical knowledge, skill acquisition, and professional attitudes. Research has validated the effectiveness of incorporating diverse simulation experiences throughout the curriculum as …

Implementing Loneliness Screening To Impact Referrals To A Community Health Liaison, Debra Garee

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Loneliness can be a common and harmful problem many people of all ages face. At the practice site, there was no screen to identify lonely patients who would benefit from connection to community resources. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine if the translation of Mullen et al.’s research utilizing the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Three-Item Loneliness Scale would impact referrals to a community health liaison among adults. The project was piloted in a rural Ohio community health center over eight weeks. The project's theoretical foundations were Betty Neuman’s systems model and John Kotter’s change …

Adaptation Of A Culturally Sensitive Gbv Screening Tool For Pregnant Women In Ghana, Innes Agbenu

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Violence against women and girls is a crucial global health concern. Violence occurring during pregnancy is an alarming global health issue due to increased adverse outcomes on maternal and newborn health. A vital component in the management of gender-based violence (GBV) in pregnancy is the identification of victims. Routine screening during the antenatal period is the most effective approach to identify pregnant women and girls exposed to GBV. Despite this crucial need, evidence suggests that little is done to identify women exposed to violence during pregnancy in Ghana.

Aim: This study aimed to assess gender-based violence screening practices among …

Compassionate Care As Nursing Leadership For Mitigating Fatigue And Boosting Thriving Environments, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Globally, nurses experience high rates of compassion fatigue (CF) and low compassion satisfaction (CS), especially in Asian regions (Xie et al., 2021). As a core feature of professional nursing identity, compassionate care delivery fosters positive patient outcomes, workforce productivity and growth, and organizational thriving (Ghafourifard et al., 2022; Robinson et al., 2024). Compassionate leadership is a dynamic process that engenders an organizational culture that values compassion for the betterment of others (Ramachandran et al., 2024; Shuck et al., 2019). There is a crucial need to understand factors associated with CS and CF while examining nursing leadership styles that can …

System-Wide High-Consequence Infectious Diseases Readiness Model, Andrew Chapman

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Introduction: High-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) are defined as novel or reemerging pathogens with person-to-person spread, few medical countermeasures, and high mortality rates. Examples include: Middle East respiratory syndrome, novel influenza, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. HCIDs require rapid identification, isolation, and specialized care to prevent outbreaks. As of July, 2024, U.S. hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) have updated HCID infection-control standards to maintain operational readiness. Expectations include: identify, isolate, inform protocols, HCID waste-management, and HCID personal protective equipment (PPE) competency. Given the recent global pandemic and ongoing regional HCID outbreaks, updated TJC standards will strengthen HCID preparedness. The Serious …

The Dimensions Of Mental Illness Stigma And Discrimination Among Nursing Personnel And Lay Persons, Carol Paula Wiseman

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Stigmatizing beliefs about mental illness remain widespread among both lay persons and healthcare professionals, undermining help seeking, recovery, and successful community reintegration for individuals living with mental illness (Agapie et al., 2022; Ahad et al., 2023). The factors which drive mental illness stigma and discrimination (MISAD) are varied, deep seated and often difficult to change (Khalid et al., 2024).

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature and manifestations of mental illness stigma and discrimination across selected participant groups in Trinidad and Tobago, identifying points of convergence and divergence. A secondary aim was to examine how the nursing …

Perceptions Of Professional Identity In Nursing By Ambulatory Care Nurses, Susan B. Fowler

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: Nursing professional identity (PIN) defines the values and actions of nurses. It is important to study nurses’ perceptions of their professional identity because it communicates what nursing is. There is a gap in knowledge about ambulatory care nurses’ perceptions of PIN.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to describe ambulatory care nurses’ perceptions of their professional identity in themselves and their peers and determine differences based on demographics. An exploratory, descriptive, comparative design was used to address the two study aims. Participants were recruited from AAACN and STTI and completed the Professional Identity in Nursing Scale.

Results: One …

Nursing Students' Perceived Experience With Virtual Reality (Vr) Simulation: A Qualitative Analysis, Kristi J. Stinson, Leslie Rippon

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background – As healthcare education increasingly adopts immersive technologies, understanding student perspectives on virtual reality is essential for effective curriculum design.

Method – This study explored nursing students’ perceived experiences with the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in classroom-based learning. Data was collected through surveys with nursing students who participated in VR-enhanced learning activity on mass casualty triage and team communication.

Results – Qualitative analysis of the open-ended survey questions revealed four central themes: enhanced confidence and preparedness, technical skill acquisition, communication and teamwork insights, and the value of experiential learning. Students expressed that VR provided a safe environment …