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2017

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Marketing Strategies: How Small Restaurant Businesses Use Social Media, Tasheenia Bennett Jan 2017

Marketing Strategies: How Small Restaurant Businesses Use Social Media, Tasheenia Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social media has changed the way businesses relate to their customers. Since the beginning of social media, traditional methods of communicating with customers have begun to decline. The purpose of this multicase study was to determine the strategies of 5 owners of small restaurant businesses in Western North Carolina who successfully used social media marketing for 1 year or more. Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured interviews, documents pertaining to social media marketing strategies, and social media pages and websites from the participating restaurants. These data were analyzed following Yin's …

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Spiritual Leadership: Achieving Positive Health Outcomes In African-American Christian Churches, Cynthia Bracey Jan 2017

Spiritual Leadership: Achieving Positive Health Outcomes In African-American Christian Churches, Cynthia Bracey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, African-American residents are an underserved population with evidence of higher health disparities than those associated with any other race, contributing to escalating health care costs. Despite the absence of health promotion and wellness training, pastors in predominately Black churches accept the responsibility for addressing more than the spiritual needs of their church members. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory research study was to explore the perspectives of African-American Christian pastors on giving health guidance and their lived experiences as health promotion advocates. A total of 10 African-American Christian pastors were voluntarily recruited from 3 southern …

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Leadership Practices That Improve The Workplace Safety Environment, Nathan Nomore Chikono Jan 2017

Leadership Practices That Improve The Workplace Safety Environment, Nathan Nomore Chikono

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate leadership is the reason workplace accidents in the mining industry remain high, making the industry one of the most hazardous operational activities in the world. Unsafe leadership practices may result in death or injury to workers. A group of 30 mining company leaders from 3 gold mines in Zimbabwe revealed an exception to these hazardous practices, however, notable through their outstanding safety improvement records. To better understand what these practitioners were doing, this multicase study research design explored their strategies to improve the workplace safety environment in the mines. Data were collected using audio-recorded semistructured interviews and document analyses. …

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The Effects Of Hurricane And Tornado Disasters On Pregnancy Outcomes, Kenneth E. Christopher Jan 2017

The Effects Of Hurricane And Tornado Disasters On Pregnancy Outcomes, Kenneth E. Christopher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal prenatal exposure to hurricanes and tornadoes could contribute to an increased risk for adverse birth outcomes. Little is known about the effects of Hurricane Katrina of August 2005, on pregnancy outcomes in Mississippi. Additionally, little is known about the influence of the April 2011 Alabama tornado disaster on births in that state. The purpose of this study was to bridge this knowledge gap by examining the relationship between maternal prenatal exposure to these storms and adverse infant health outcomes. The theoretical framework guiding this retrospective, cross-sectional study was the life course approach. Data for this investigation included 2,000 records …

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Satisfaction Of Community College Students Transferring To A Public Research Institution In Southern California, Patricia Danylyshyn-Adams Jan 2017

Satisfaction Of Community College Students Transferring To A Public Research Institution In Southern California, Patricia Danylyshyn-Adams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a large public research university in Southern California, community college transfer students reported dissatisfaction with their undergraduate college experience. Dissatisfied students may not graduate, may not network with undergraduates at their alma mater, and may not contribute financially to their alma mater. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore why students were dissatisfied with their college experience. Data collection included semi structured interviews with 11 community college transfer students enrolled at the university. The conceptual framework was based on Astin's student involvement theories. The data were analyzed by looking for codes that emerged from the student …

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Executive Director Experiences With Consumer Operated Service Provider Governing Board Members, Merideth Mccallick Erickson Jan 2017

Executive Director Experiences With Consumer Operated Service Provider Governing Board Members, Merideth Mccallick Erickson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Consumer Operated Service Providers (COSPs) are programs that are directed and administratively controlled by mental health consumers for their peers. As such, many mental health consumers have been placed in the position of serving on a COSP and often with unclear descriptions and no training. As a result, there is often a disconnect between the will of the board and the vision of the executive director, leading to tension and the possibility of failed mission. Using servant leadership as the guide, the goal of this case study was to explore the experiences of executive directors who operate Consumer Operated Service …

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A Minority Perspective On The Public Health Response To The Obesity Epidemic, Rickey L. Ford Jan 2017

A Minority Perspective On The Public Health Response To The Obesity Epidemic, Rickey L. Ford

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is currently viewed as one of the most important health concerns in the United States. Researchers have minimally investigated perspectives surrounding obesity within the African-American female population. This lack of research presented a gap in knowledge concerning the perceived social, environmental, and cultural influences of obesity within this population. The research questions asked African-American females about their views toward these influences. This research was guided by tenets of the social cognitive theory and the transtheoretical model for behavioral change. Thirteen African-American females participated in the interviews. The data collected were reviewed and coded using word frequencies and themes. Findings …

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Impact Of Telephone Call On Patient Satisfaction In Adult Oncology Patients, Victoria Maria Frazier-Warmack Jan 2017

Impact Of Telephone Call On Patient Satisfaction In Adult Oncology Patients, Victoria Maria Frazier-Warmack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patient satisfaction is an ongoing action in which hospitals and health care providers are constantly seeking strategies to improve their satisfaction ratings. In the ambulatory oncology infusion setting, patient satisfaction is also a key metric that is being monitored, but actual patient satisfaction is unknown. Guided by Lewin's change theory and King's theory of goal attainment, the aim of this project was to use a strategy of conducting follow-up telephones calls to determine if patient satisfaction improved in an ambulatory oncology setting. A descriptive comparative approach was used to evaluate patient satisfaction before and after a telephone follow-up intervention. Participants …

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Lived Experiences Of Same Sex Attracted Men With Competing Spiritual And Sexual Identities, Robert Hedge Jan 2017

Lived Experiences Of Same Sex Attracted Men With Competing Spiritual And Sexual Identities, Robert Hedge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study focused on understanding the lived experiences of men from a conservative Christian background who had disidentified as gay and subordinated their sexual identity to their spiritual identity. The study was intended to create understanding of the social, cultural, and valuative frameworks that informed and guided their attempts at resolving the conflict between spiritual and sexual identity. The study included three research questions: What are the emergent core themes associated with competing spiritual and sexual identities? How has the response of their faith community affected their struggle? How has the response of the gay community affected their struggle? Through …

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Health Care Transition And Patient-Perceived Quality Of Life In Sickle Cell Disease, Karen Alicia Haynes Jan 2017

Health Care Transition And Patient-Perceived Quality Of Life In Sickle Cell Disease, Karen Alicia Haynes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Because of the high mortality rate of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients who do not continue care into adulthood, researchers have paid increasing attention to the health care transition experiences of SCD patients. However, a gap exists regarding patients' perspectives of care transition related to their quality of life. The purpose of this phenomenological study, guided by the biosocial-ecological systems model, was to explore the lived health care transition experiences of SCD patients in relation to their health-related quality of life. Data collection included open-ended interviews with 12 patients in the Southwestern United States. Colaizzi's (1978) method of phenomenological data …

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Vitamin D And Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Mandy Hemphill Jan 2017

Vitamin D And Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Mandy Hemphill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in individuals aged 50 years and older and is estimated to affect as many as 11 million individuals in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between vitamin D and AMD disease progression. The life course epidemiology framework model was used to explore how vitamin D level as a risk factor may have an association to AMD disease through time. Data in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database were collected on vitamin D levels and identified stages of AMD …

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The Impact Of Education And Gender On The Facilitation Of The Duluth Model Anger Management Course, Charlise Gloria Hogue-Vincent Jan 2017

The Impact Of Education And Gender On The Facilitation Of The Duluth Model Anger Management Course, Charlise Gloria Hogue-Vincent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence, specifically intimate partner violence (IPV), is a major social problem in the United States despite legislative efforts aimed at reducing it. The Duluth model, which is the preeminent domestic violence intervention model used in the United States, is a male-only group intervention based on feministic views that domestic violence stems from men's behaviors to assert power and control in relationships. While the model is widely emulated, its policies and practices are under scrutiny from researchers who question the program efficiency, pointing to high recidivism rates. Guided by feminist theory, the purpose of this generic qualitative study was to …

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Evaluating Nurses' Self-Efficacy In Caring For Patients With Dementia, Wendy Hopkins Jan 2017

Evaluating Nurses' Self-Efficacy In Caring For Patients With Dementia, Wendy Hopkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2011, 5 million Americans had dementia and this number is predicted to increase. As the number of people with dementia increases, the need for quality nursing care, education, and treatment for patients with dementia increases. To address the need, nurses not only must be prepared with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to care for patients with dementia, but they must also have the self-efficacy to provide quality care. The practice focused question guiding the project was to determine the level of self-efficacy for caring for dementia patients among long-term care nursing staff. Using Bandura's social cognitive theory, the purpose …

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Gamification Techniques And Millennial Generation Philanthropy, Karen Kavanaugh Kavanaugh Jan 2017

Gamification Techniques And Millennial Generation Philanthropy, Karen Kavanaugh Kavanaugh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Beginning in 2015 a major demographic shift in the majority income producers in the United States has moved from Baby Boomers to Millennials. At the same time, many nonprofits are not equipped to engage with Millennials and lack the knowledge and resources to tap into their philanthropic preferences. Using the theories of planned behavior, reciprocal altruism, social status, and warm glow theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore opportunities for U.S. based nonprofit organizations to interact more effectively with members of the Millennial generation in terms of philanthropic behavior. Data were collected and analyzed using Q Methodology …

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Childhood Obesity Comorbitities Awareness Hospital-Based Education, Sandra Mcgrath Mcgrath Jan 2017

Childhood Obesity Comorbitities Awareness Hospital-Based Education, Sandra Mcgrath Mcgrath

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As childhood obesity continues to increase, so do the comorbidities and related health issues, putting youth at a greater risk of developing adult-related diseases such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Current literature indicates that healthcare organizations have a significant role in the fight against this epidemic, yet most children's hospitals have no policy to accomplish this task. The purpose of this project was to develop a program proposal for a hospital-based, sustainable obesity program that will aid in improving patient and family awareness of the importance of maintaining an ideal body weight to decrease the incidences of …

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Music Teachers' Perceptions Of Targeted Professional Development, Julie Meadows Jan 2017

Music Teachers' Perceptions Of Targeted Professional Development, Julie Meadows

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The fundamental purpose of teacher professional development programs is to improve instructional effectiveness and increase student learning. However, the target district offered no programs that focused on helping teachers develop strategies to meet state standards in music education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate elementary and middle school music educators' perceptions regarding the need for targeted professional development programs. Self-determination theory served as the foundation for this study. Research questions concerned participants' views of the impact of district professional development programs on their competency in enhancing students' musical skills and their decision-making and connectedness with other …

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Bupivacaine With Fentanyl To Treat Labor Pain: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Irvin Lee Jan 2017

Bupivacaine With Fentanyl To Treat Labor Pain: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Irvin Lee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Epidurals used for labor are common regional anesthesia techniques that are easily placed and controlled, while providing the most reliable method of pain relief in obstetrics for parturient women. Local anesthetics, narcotics, and/or combinations of the two are administered through epidurals to treat labor pain. Hence, the choice of medication is important, as it can highly influence outcomes of pain relief. The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new service line medication, bupivacaine 0.1% with fentanyl 2mcg/ml, to treat labor pain in parturient women at a rural community hospital in southern California guided by …

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The Impact Of Parental Divorce On Orthodox Jewish Marital Relationships, Eliyahu Melen Jan 2017

The Impact Of Parental Divorce On Orthodox Jewish Marital Relationships, Eliyahu Melen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While there is ample research showing that adult children of divorced parents have more positive attitudes toward divorce and lower marital commitment, there has been no such research focused specifically on the Orthodox Jewish (OJ) population, which tends to view divorce more negatively. Prior to this study, it was thus unclear if the findings of existing research on marital competence applied to OJ children of divorce. Driven by social exchange theory, this study was designed to discover (a) whether OJ adult children of divorce differ significantly from OJ adult children of intact marriages in their marital commitment and marital satisfaction; …

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Association Between Age-Related Macular Degeneration And Sleep-Disordered Breathing, Jeffrey A. Nau Jan 2017

Association Between Age-Related Macular Degeneration And Sleep-Disordered Breathing, Jeffrey A. Nau

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic, irreversible disease that robs individuals of vision, quality of life, and independence. It is the leading cause of blindness in industrialized countries. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a condition characterized by repeated episodes of apnea and/or hypopnea, insomnia, short sleep duration, and/or sleep disturbances (snoring, gasping, etc.). Because SDB has been shown to cause chronic hypoxia resulting in oxidative stress on the retina, it has been proposed that SDB may be associated with AMD. Based on the life course theory of chronic disease, this quantitative, cross-sectional study used data from the 2005-2008 National Health …

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Assessing Nurses' Demographic Cardiovascular Risk Factors And Pharmacogenetic Testing Knowledge And Acceptance, Stella Chibuzor Ohanuka Jan 2017

Assessing Nurses' Demographic Cardiovascular Risk Factors And Pharmacogenetic Testing Knowledge And Acceptance, Stella Chibuzor Ohanuka

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD), coupled with their increased risk for CVD, may impair nurses' cognitions and attitudes toward pharmacogenetic testing for CVD. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study, conducted with 230 RNs without CVD who worked in acute-care settings in Georgia, was to determine if their years of education, years of experience, and gender significantly influenced their perceived risk for CVD (Questions 1-3) and their perceived knowledge of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD (Questions 4-6), and if their perceived risk for CVD significantly influenced their acceptance of pharmacogenetic testing for CVD (Question …

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The Impact Of Racial Stereotyping On Juror Perception Of Criminal Offenders, Tameka T. Price Jan 2017

The Impact Of Racial Stereotyping On Juror Perception Of Criminal Offenders, Tameka T. Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

For decades, research has consistently demonstrated that minorities are overrepresented in the prison population, yet relatively little is known about whether juror perceptions about race and criminal culpability may impact this problem in the United States. Using Hill's folk theory of race and racism as the theoretical foundation, this cross sectional study examined the relationship between perceptions of the race of the defendant and the verdicts to be handed down. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 25 people who self-reported having served on a jury or were eligible for jury service within the past 5 years in a …

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Age As A Predictor Of Factors Involved In Targeted School Violence, Wendy Leigh Rippon Jan 2017

Age As A Predictor Of Factors Involved In Targeted School Violence, Wendy Leigh Rippon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Targeted school violence (TSV) in the United States is increasing, causing a loss of innocent lives and challenges for teachers and students in building rapport. In addition, TSV increases levels of anxiety and makes it difficult for parents and community members to believe students are safe while at school. Several studies have highlighted the fact that age may be a factor in school shootings, calling for future research to determine if age is indeed influential. The problem is to date age has not been established as a predictive factor, even though the extant research is beginning to identify possible variances. …

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How Does Organizational Culture Impact Rn Engagement, Veronica Anntionette Ruffin-Ellis Jan 2017

How Does Organizational Culture Impact Rn Engagement, Veronica Anntionette Ruffin-Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of RN engagement in the acute care setting can result in poor staffing, nursing shortages, increased stress levels for nurses and decreased morale. When nurses are not engaged in their work setting, quality of care suffers. A wide range of literature focuses on the importance of RN engagement; however, few health care organizations have taken the initiative to implement programs that foster RN engagement, demonstrating a gap in practice. This study examined the relationship between the levels of RN engagement and their perceptions of their organizational culture. Kolcaba's humanistic approach to meeting the needs of RN staff was used …

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Strategies To Retain Millennial Employees At Full-Service Restaurants, Candace A. Ruiz Jan 2017

Strategies To Retain Millennial Employees At Full-Service Restaurants, Candace A. Ruiz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Some supervisors lack effective strategies to retain millennial generation employees. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore effective strategies supervisors use to retain culinary-educated millennial employees in full-service restaurants. Nine millennials and 3 supervisors from 3 full-service restaurants in Denver, Colorado consented to face-to-face semistructured interviews with open-ended interview questions concerning retention strategies. The conceptual framework of Herzberg's two-factor theory served to guide the scope and the data analysis for the multicase study. The interview transcripts were coded and grouped into themes. Explanation building for the data analysis assisted in finding causal links between cases and the unit …

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Students' Decision-Making After Florida Senate Bill 1720: Guiding Students Through Math Placement, Rebecka Jo Sare Jan 2017

Students' Decision-Making After Florida Senate Bill 1720: Guiding Students Through Math Placement, Rebecka Jo Sare

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

After Senate Bill (SB) 1720, exempt students enrolling in colleges in Florida no longer have to take a college placement test or enroll in developmental education courses before enrolling in college-level classes. SB1720 caused Florida colleges to find new methods of placement for incoming students, a concern because incorrect placement can have detrimental effects for the student and institution. Bounded rationality theory and Bahr's interpretation of student typology informed this study. The purpose of this survey study was to compare the exempt students who enrolled in remedial math to those who enrolled in college-level math. Research questions asked what differences …

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Servant Leadership And Affective Commitment To Change In Manufacturing Organizations, Jeffrey Schulkers Jan 2017

Servant Leadership And Affective Commitment To Change In Manufacturing Organizations, Jeffrey Schulkers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Organizational change initiatives in the United States frequently fail with estimated failure rates as high as 90%. Change failure rates resulting from underused and poorly trained front-line managers (FLMs) remained high, with no signs of improvement in the past 2 decades. The purpose of the correlational study, grounded in servant leadership theory, was to examine the relationship between employee perceptions of their FLM's servant leadership dimensions and employee affective commitment to change. A purposive, nonprobability sample of 107 employees of a U.S. manufacturing organization that had recently undergone organizational change completed a questionnaire for the study. Results of the multiple …

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Exploring The Strategies To Implement A Sustainable Energy Program In Hong Kong Public Hospitals, Terry Ting Jan 2017

Exploring The Strategies To Implement A Sustainable Energy Program In Hong Kong Public Hospitals, Terry Ting

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare is one of the most energy-intensive industries because of its 24 hour-a-day and 7-days-a-week operation model. Climate change, due to environmental pollution, has increased the incidence of respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, which further overload the financial burden of our healthcare system. The National Health Service Sustainable Development Unit suggested that a sustainable healthcare sector also requires using their resources in an efficient and responsible way. Hong Kong public hospitals are facing this problem along with high energy expenditure. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple site case study was to explore strategies for Hong Kong's public hospital leaders …

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The Impact Of The Men Accepting Neophytes-Uplifting Pupils Community-Based Mentoring Program, Aisha Stephen Jan 2017

The Impact Of The Men Accepting Neophytes-Uplifting Pupils Community-Based Mentoring Program, Aisha Stephen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective mentoring programs are essential for African American youth to feel satisfaction and contribute to society, particularly in large urban communities. A need exists to study the impact of community-based mentoring programs in central Georgia, particularly those focused on male African Americans. Despite various mentoring programs, stakeholders know little about the elements of program impact for at-risk youths. Community mentoring programs frequently serve as a tool to minimize high dropout rates that often result from youth incarceration, expulsion, and suspension. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the perceptions of mentors and administrative staff on the impact …

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Strategies Of Small Business Owners To Acquire Federal Government Contracts, Delores Ann Tyms Jan 2017

Strategies Of Small Business Owners To Acquire Federal Government Contracts, Delores Ann Tyms

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small business owners are not acquiring U.S. federal government contracts at the government established target rate. The government's small business procurement goals remain unmet, which represents an underutilized source of revenues for many small business owners. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies of 3 small business owners operating in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to acquire federal government contracts to increase profitability. The thematic findings were in the context of the resource-based view as the conceptual framework. The participants answered questions in semistructured interviews and provided organizational documents for review. Triangulation of multiple data sources …

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An Evidenced-Based Pain Management Module To Improve Clinicians' Knowledge, Mark A. Wells Jan 2017

An Evidenced-Based Pain Management Module To Improve Clinicians' Knowledge, Mark A. Wells

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic pain syndrome continues to be a national health concern among all medical specialties. It has an impact on the entire health care system and if current trends continue, the economic impact alone will exceed 100 billion dollars. In 2014, 254 million prescription opioids were written in the United States. During this time, an increase in prescription opioid related deaths was seen, with approximately 20,101 deaths occurring in 2015. Properly trained clinicians across the health care system are needed to achieve successful patient outcomes, while reducing cost, morbidity, and mortality. The purpose of the scholarly project was to develop a …

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