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A Comparison Between Primary Stage Endorectal Pull-Through Versus Two-Stage Surgical Resection In Hirschsprung's Disease, Tamara M. Bengtson

Masters Theses

Hirschsprung’s Disease (HD), congenital megacolon, in infants has been historically treated by a multiple stage surgical process. Initial diagnosis is made by a rectal biopsy followed by a diverting colostomy, subsequent pull-through procedure and finally a colostomy take-down. In recent years, a single-stage primary endorectal pull-through (PERPT) has been advocated. Advantages include a single operation with potentially equal or fewer complications. Whether a PERPT is superior to a staged procedure is yet to be proven.

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively compare the incidence of enterocolitis (EC), the most significant complication of HD in those who underwent the …

The Effect Of An Osteoporosis Prevention Program On Knowledge And Self-Efficacy, Kathryn Hayter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an Osteoporosis Prevention Program on knowledge and self-efficacy for exercise and calcium intake. Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Model was used which describes efficacy expectations and outcome expectations as predictors of behavior.

A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test was used with 32 women, age 40-62, at an urban outpatient center. The experimental group attended an Osteoporosis Prevention Program.

There were significant post-test differences between groups for osteoporosis knowledge and osteoporosis self-efficacy for calcium intake but not for osteoporosis self-efficacy for exercise. Additionally, paired t-tests found a significant improvement in scores pretest …

Quality Of Life In The Hospice Patient, Sidney S. Brush

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if terminally ill patients experience a change in perceived quality of life between admission to a hospice program and after having been in the hospice program for three weeks.

A repeated measures design with a convenience sample was used The sample consisted of 56 subjects who completed the Missoula-Vitas Quality of Life Index (MVQOLI). Twenty completed the second MVQOLL Data were obtained from the scores of this self-assessment tool. Data analysis included a comparison of the relationship of the first and repeated scores. No significant differences were found between the MVQOLI scores …

Concurrence Of Decreases In Barometric Pressure And Spontaneous Rupture Of Membranes In Term Gravid Women, Linda M. Owen

Masters Theses

A retrospective design was used to examine the relationship between spontaneous rupture of membranes in term gestation gravid women and decreased barometric pressure of ten millibars or greater in the twenty-four hours proceeding the rupture of membranes. Delivery logbooks and charts of all women who were admitted to a Midwestern Hospital in 1997-1998 with spontaneous rupture of membranes (N-533) were examined and data from the Midwest Climate Center was utilized to determine the changes in barometric pressure within the twenty-four hours proceeding the documented rupture of membranes.

No correlation was elucidated between the timing of spontaneous rupture of the amniotic …

Adolescent Knowledge About The Relationship Between Exercise And Prevention Of Osteoporosis, Alice M. Padilla

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the intact of an educational intervention on adolescent knowledge concerning exercise as an osteoporosis preventive behavior. This study examined whether there was a knowledge gain in each group (girls and boys) after receiving the education intervention and it investigated the difference in knowledge gain between groups.

This was a secondary analysis of data from a study that used a pre-experimental pretest-post-test, no control group design. There were 82 boys and 102 girls who completed the Healthy Bones Knowledge Questionnaire as a pre-test, received an education intervention based primarily on nutrition, then completed …

Lunar Phases, Time Variations, And Birthrate In Western Michigan, Janet Mitchell

Masters Theses

Staffing standards in the labor and delivery units of hospitals are based on estimates of the number of patients who will be admitted. Anecdotally, patients, visitors, and healthcare professionals frequently comment that the occurrence of the fell moon brings about an increase in the number of laboring women. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between birthrate and time of day, day of the week, month of the year and new and full moons. Martha Rogers' theory, the Science of Unitary Human Beings, was used as the theoretical framework.

A descriptive ex post facto design using retrospective …

Platelet Plasma Membrane Comparison Between Pregnant And Non-Pregnant Females, Eriks A. Lusis

Masters Theses

Hemostasis is dependent on the functioning of three systems: blood vessels, platelets, and plasma proteins. During vessel injury, platelets adhere, secrete the contents of granules and aggregate. Each event in platelet activation is dependent upon plasma membrane proteins and a deficiency in any one of the plasma membrane proteins leads to excessive bleeding. Pregnancy is described as a hypercoagulable state during which frequent bleeding abnormalities are observed. The mechanism of hypercoagulability is not yet known. In an attempt to shed light on the hypercoagulable state, this study compares the plasma membrane proteins between pregnant and non-pregnant females.

The Effect Of Social Support On The Psychological Adaptation Of An Individual Receiving An Alternate Form Of Nutrition Therapy, Kristin J. Ladd

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of social support on an individual's psychological adaptation to an alternate form of nutrition support. Betty Neuman's Systems Model provided the framework for this study. A descriptive correlational design was chosen for this study and data were collected using a questionnaire methodology. Proposed data analyses measures were Pearson's product moment correlation, t- Test, and Mann-Whitney U. The targeted sample size for this study was 20 patients with cancer or gastrointestinal disorders, however, termination of the study occurred when only four individuals were recruited after five months of data collection. This …

Early Nursing Interventions And Their Effect On Fatigue In Patients Receiving Chemotherapy, Karla J. Baker

Masters Theses

Fatigue is the number one side effect that patients experience when they receive chemotherapy. They do not always expect it or know what to do when it effects their entire life. This study described the affect of early nursing interventions on fatigue caused by chemotherapy. This descriptive, two group comparative study used a convenience sample of patients, receiving chemotherapy for the first time, to determine the degree of fatigue they experienced. A tool by Barbara Piper RN (1997) was used to describe the effect of early intervention on fatigue experienced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Internal consistency of this tool …

Fetal Infant Mortality In Kalamazoo, Lisa A. Wullschleger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the incidence rates of five pre-selected perinatal variables that existed within the white and non-white groups of fetal, infant deaths that occurred in Kalamazoo County between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 1997. The variables were prenatal care, birth weight, estimated weeks of gestation, and maternal, fetal, infant medical complications. The question posed was as follows: Is there a difference in incidence rates of the variables between the white and non-white perinatal deaths in Kalamazoo County?

A sample size of 50 cases was studied. Kotelchuck's instrument tool (1994), the Adequacy of …

Needs Of Families Of Severe Traumatic Brain Injured Individuals During The Critical Care Experience, Victoria L. Meyers

Masters Theses

Traumatic brain injury occurs without warning, disrupts the life of the individual and family, causing stress. The purpose of this descriptive study was three part: to identify the needs of families of severe traumatic brain injured (TBI) individuals during the critical care experience, to identify who met those needs, and to obtain qualitative data regarding nursing care. Family Systems Theory provided the theoretical framework to support this study.

A convenience sample from a large Midwestern teaching institution consisted of 28 family members of severe TBI individuals. The sample received by mail a demographic profile, a questionnaire (Critical Care Family Needs …

Ambulatory Surgery Nurses' Perceptions Of Their Ability To Provide Individualized Patient Care, Rebecca L. Brown

Masters Theses

This descriptive correlational study examined the extent to which nurses in an ambulatory surgery practice environment perceive their ability to individualize patient care. As patients shift to the outpatient setting, it is important to look at the effect this may have on individualizing patient care, a concept rooted in the foundation of the profession of nursing. Registered nurses from four ambulatory surgery sites within one large health care system in western Michigan were asked to rate the frequency which they performed select nursing care actions using the 45-item .Ambulatory Individualized Care Index (AICl). modified from van Servellen's (1988a) Individualized Care …

Differences Between The Nursing And Family Member Role In Acute Pain Assessment In Senior Nursing Students, Debra L. Fitzpatrick

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore how nursing students’ decisions regarding pain assessment and analgesic use may be influenced by the role the student assumes in hypothetical situations, specifically the role of nurse or family member. It was hypothesized that there would be no statistically significant difference in pain assessment, in choice of analgesic dose, and in concerns about analgesics.

A descriptive correlational design was used. A sample of 83 senior nursing students within two weeks of graduation was used. The instrument used was one of two surveys created by McCaffery and Ferrell (1997). All respondents were asked …

Quality Of Life For Women Living With Advanced Breast Cancer, Maureen Mika Eberly

Masters Theses

Parse’s Human Becoming Theory of nursing and research methodology were used to describe the structure of the meaning of quality of life for women living with advanced breast cancer. Three core concepts surfaced: grieving-adjusting remaining connected to ordinary life events, reinforcing-distancing relationships preserving individuality, and choosing opportunities clarifying purpose. Through conceptual integration these emerged as valuing the connecting-separating of powering unique ways. This study enhances the knowledge on quality of life, expands Parse’s theory of nursing, and demonstrates the value of Parse’s methodology for uncovering the meaning of lived experiences. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Effective Clinical Teaching Behaviors As Perceived By Associate And Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Students, Karyn L. Abrahamson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the most effective clinical teaching behaviors (ECTB) perceived by Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) and Baccalaureate Degree Nursing (BSN) students. An exploratory, descriptive design was implemented. ADN and BSN students (N=55) were surveyed using the Clinical Teaching Evaluation (CTE) instrument designed by Fong (1991). The CTE consists of 25 teaching behaviors that are ranked on a five point Likert-type scale according to importance. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Significant differences in perceptions of ECTB between the two groups were identified by a Mann Whitney U procedure.

The study findings indicate …

Physician Perceptions Of Behaviors Associated With The Nurse Practitioner Role, Elizabeth J. Sperry

Masters Theses

While the number of nurse practitioners (NPs) continues to grow, their role and scope of practice can be misunderstood. King’s interacting systems framework was the theoretical basis for this study. This descriptive study asked a convenience sample of physicians (n=128) to indicate their agreement with 37 behaviors for the NP role. The sample was 74.2% male, 49.2% ages 41-50, and 63 .2% practiced primarily in an office setting. Bambini’s (I995) modification of Hupcey’s (1994) instrument was used and internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s alpha .97. Behaviors perceived as most appropriate for NPs were those that related to education. A …

The Relationship Between Physician Knowledge, Physician Background, Experience With Nurse Practitioners And Role Expectations For The Nurse Practitioner, Heidi Brands Flamming

Masters Theses

This descriptive study examined the relationship between physician knowledge and role expectations as influenced by experience with nurse practitioners. The sample consisted of 111 physicians practicing in West Michigan. Data was collected using a combination of instruments--a nurse practitioner role behavior tool (Hupcey, 1994) and nurse practitioner/physician role appropriate vignettes (Davidson & Lauver, 1984). Physician knowledge of the nurse practitioner role was significantly higher (t = -2.85; p = .005) for the group of physicians who had practiced with a nurse practitioner as compared to the group of physicians who had not practiced with a nurse practitioner. Role expectations between …

Learning Needs Perceived By The Patient Considering Radiation Therapy And The Radiation Oncology Nurse, Kathleen E. Bell

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe the congruency between what the patient who is considering radiation therapy perceives his learning needs to be and what the radiation oncology nurse perceives the learning needs of the patient to be. This descriptive design used convenience sampling. The subjects consisted of 56 patients and 8 radiation oncology nurses who were recruited from a regional hospital system with two separate radiation oncology settings.

Data were obtained after the radiation oncology nurse provided an overview of the (a) purpose of radiation therapy, (b) type of radiation prescribed, (c) mechanism of radiation action, (d) …

The Relationship Of Selected Health Beliefs And Exercise Adherence 8 To 12 Months After A Cardiac Event, Jill Stone

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between health beliefs and cardiac exercise adherence at 6-12 weeks after a cardiac event as compared to 8-12 months post event. Twenty five subjects participated at time one and time two by answering mailed questionnaires designed to measure perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, exercise adherence, and demographic data.

Data analysis did not reveal a significant difference in exercise adherence or perceived benefits, but results did support a statistically significant difference in perceived barriers (p=.02) and self-efficacy (p=.03) from time one to time two. Subjects perceived higher levels of barriers related to …

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Stanley Zehm, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Susan Rumann, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

Each morning I wound my way up the steep hill along the deeply rutted dirt path, exchanging daily "maaa's" with five bleating sheep and shouting out, "¡Hola!" in response to the children who gleefully identified me as "¡Gringa!" Women and children, colorful bowls of cooked maize balanced atop their heads, sauntered to and from Maria Elena's where their maize would be ground; at home the dough would be shaped and flattened into tortillas, the mainstay of every meal in the small Guatemalan village of San Juan.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Mecham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Susan Rumann, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Mecham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Susan Rumann, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

The observance of tolerance and respect is, fundamentally, a personal decision. This decision emanates from an attitude that is learnable and embraceable,--a belief that every other person on earth is a treasure. As individuals, we each have the power to change our personal attitudes to overcome our ignorance and fears. As educators, we have the responsibility to influence the students with whom we work, our peers, and our community. It begins with "us."

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Susan Rumann, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

Fourth Amendment Balancing Act: Special Needs Of Rape Victims Justify Court-Ordered Hiv Testing Of The Accused, Justin P. Runke

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Inequality In Sentencing: Is Race A Factor In The Criminal Justice System, Pamela G. Alexander

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

Speech

Shahar V. Bowers: That Girl Just Didn't Have Good Sense, Cynthia J. Frost

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

No abstract provided.

Tearing Down Walls And Building Lives: A Systematic Approach To Welfare Reform, Marguerite L. Spencer

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

Welfare Reform Symposium

A Matter Of Life And Death: New Jersey's Death Penalty Statute In The 21st Century

Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Suicide In The Las Vegas Homeless Population: Applying Durkheim's Theory Of Suicide, Joseph Dean Diaz

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study is an empirical test of Durkheim's theory of suicide. Durkheim's 1897 theory holds that suicide is caused not by environmental or physiological forces, but by social forces, which either push to the individual to take his or her own life, or fail to prevent suicidal behavior; The population from which the data were gathered for this study was the Las Vegas homeless population. The lack of social bonds and social integration, which Durkheim found to be related to suicide, are generally present in homeless persons. Therefore, it was suspected that factors which contribute to homelessness would be positively …

An Exploratory Study Of Accommodations Provided To Welfare -To -Work Participants In Housekeeping Classifications, Terry Kent Jones

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the workplace needs of welfare recipients in their transition from welfare to work, and the willingness of housekeeping managers and supervisors to provide workplace accommodations that could enhance the probability of a successful transition to self-sufficiency. Personal interviews and two separate survey questionnaires were used to survey employers and welfare recipients in an attempt to explore several research questions. Questions focused on the respective needs of employers and welfare recipients, and on each group's perceptions of the other group. This exploratory study was supported by a literature review and survey techniques. Data was subjected to appropriate statistical …