Digital Commons Network^™

Stopping Infections At The Door: The Home Health Infection Preventionist's Role, Valerie Martin

Nursing

No abstract provided.

Community - Volume 11

be Still

No abstract provided.

In That Space, We Were Communis, Eliana Namen

be Still

In reflecting on my understanding of community, there were many moments I could have chosen to write about. Yet the memory of my grandmother’s death remains the one most deeply etched in me. When I began considering what community truly meant in my own life, I found myself returning to that room. In her illness and eventual passing, she drew together an extraordinary constellation of people: family, friends, neighbors, whose lives she had quietly shaped. Her life created ripples far beyond what any one person could see. In witnessing that gathering, I came to understand community not merely as shared …

How Do Us States Define Person-Centered And Family-Involved Care In Assisted Living Regulations, Paula Carder, Lindsey Smith, Jennifer N. Bunker, Cassandra L. Hua, Erh-Chi Hsu, Isabelle Boun, Olivia M. Ainsworth, Kali S. Thomas, Eric Jutkowitz

Institute on Aging Publications

Introduction: A large share of assisted living (AL) residents have a diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment, and these individuals can benefit from person-centered care and family-involved care. This study examines whether and how states’ AL licenses address these topics.MethodsThis research analyzed a national database of 249 unique licensing requirements that govern 35,602 ALs in all states and associated regulations, including those that govern memory care (MC) services. We reviewed each regulation for the presence of person-centered or family involved care and then used content analysis of license requirements with at least one relevant policy to identify key categories and …

Growing Pains Of Sustainability: Scale, Care, And Counter-Infrastructures, Angela Ka Ki Lee

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Sustainability transitions are marked by growing pains: tensions between planetary and local scales, global urgency and lived experience. This paper argues that techno-centric, metric-driven, and scalable approaches obscure inequalities, conceal the labour of maintenance, and overlook affective dimensions. It proposes a counter-infrastructural approach that understands sustainability as emerging through infrastructural, ecological, temporal, embodied, and relational dynamics. Drawing on interdisciplinary theory, participatory workshops, and experiential experiments, the study shows how process-oriented practices can reconnect individuals to energy systems. Bioregional thinking, community-led initiatives, repair and maintenance, and sensory engagement are explored as alternatives that foreground resilience and interdependence. Through lenses of scale, …

Sketching Futures: Cultural Dimensions, Pedagogies, And Digital Transitions, Bryan F. Howell, Janwillem Hoftijzer, Mauricio Novoa Muñoz, Amos Scully

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This track gathers eighteen papers that consider the work of the sketch and sketching in a moment of accelerating cultural and technological change. Across three sessions: (1) Sketching for Thinking, Expression, and Information; (2) Visualising Narratives; and (3) Sketching & Generative AI, the authors examine analogue, hybrid, immersive, and AI-augmented practices to reveal how design sketching is evolving and rendering the seen and the unseen, the personal and the cultural, the speculative and the practical. Building on the conversation begun at DRS 2024 conference, this year's papers address cultural specificity, decolonial and feminist methodologies, narrative-driven generation, and the pedagogies that …

Designing With Care For The End Of Life: A Reflective Co-Design Workshop Using Material Facilitation, Chenfei Yu, Michael Arnold Mages

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Conversations about end-of-life (EOL) care are often delayed until moments of crisis, leaving little time or emotional capacity for people to reflect on what matters most to them. This paper reports on a reflective co-design workshop in which fifteen participants used material-facilitated methods to explore their imagined EOL experiences. Through landscape making, journey mapping, and collaborative service model building, participants expressed hopes, fears, values, and priorities that are difficult to articulate through direct questioning. The materials created a low-pressure and supportive environment, allowing participants to approach a sensitive topic at their own pace and translate personal meaning into ideas for …

The Invisible Playground For Taboos: A Framework For Recognising And Designing For Inner Play To Engage With Death And Anticipatory Grief, Manuela Melo, Sofie Kinch, Andrew Tibbles, Allan Køster

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Death and Anticipatory Grief remain culturally taboo, limiting opportunities for open dialogue and emotional preparedness. This paper explores how design can facilitate such conversations through play. Inner Play is a form of imaginative and introspective play that aids engagement with taboos in an empathic way, but lacks ways to understand and evaluate how to design for it. Employing a Research-through-Design approach, the papers presents a speculative design project that mediates communication between the bereaved and the deceased with a game kit resulting in a shared grief artefact. Ten participants in five workshops engaged in an iterative prototyping process, which resulted …

Exploring Interprofessional End-Of-Life Communication Through Simulation: A Qualitative Study, Stephanie Jeffers Phd, Rn, Eric Stein Dsw, Lsw, Meg Hall Phd, Rn, Caroline Campbell Phd, Lsw, Carly King Msw, Lsw

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Purpose: The purposes of this qualitative descriptive study were to understand the perceptions of nursing and social work students regarding communication with patients and families at the end of life and to explore the perceptions of nursing and social work students' regarding interprofessional roles at the end of life.

Methods: An interdisciplinary simulation about death and dying was conducted with 16 undergraduate nursing students and 3 graduate social work students to understand their perceptions regarding communication with patients and families at the end of life and to explore their perceptions of interprofessional roles. Simulations lasted approximately 20 minutes and were …

Oer Hss214 Social Gerontology, Maureen Doyle

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

2026 June, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for June of 2026.

Advance Care Planning In Metastatic Lung Cancer Patients: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Khanh H. Thai

Student Theses

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) is essential in achieving goal-concordant care for patients with metastatic lung cancer (MLC), yet it remains underutilized.

Local problem: Despite its benefits, ACP has been inconsistently integrated into outpatient oncology settings, and a baseline evaluation at the project site revealed that only 11% of patients with MLC had ACP documented in the outpatient care clinic.

Methods: This Quality Improvement initiative implemented a formal, Nurse Practitioner (NP)-led intervention into routine oncology care. Using a quasi-experimental nonrandomized design, 13 eligible patients diagnosed with MLC without prior ACP documentation were enrolled in a four-week study. These participants were …

Pacific Rxtracts - June 2026, Pacific Rxtracts

Pacific RxTracts

Articles:

• FDA Approves First Non-Antipsychotic Drug for Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease Agitation
• FDA Approves Sparsentan for Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
• Lunsotogene Rings in a New Era of Gene Therapy for Hearing Loss
• Sex Differences in Breakthrough Stroke Outcomes Despite Oral Anticoagulation for Atrial Fibrillation
• Asundexian for Secondary Prevention After Ischemic Stroke or TIA
• Marstacimab Prophylaxis in Hemophilia A/B with Inhibitors: A New Purpose
• FDA Approves First-in-Class Weekly Anifrolumab Autoinjector for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus 
• Cemdisiran in Generalized Myasthenia Gravis
• Medicare’s Impact on Early Sepsis Management and Discharge to Home
• Maralixibat Shows Broader Therapeutic Benefit for Children with Alagille Syndrome 
• Reaching the Littlest …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Pharmacist-Led Toc On Patient Care Outcomes, Taabris Jaamal, Hana Breeland, Thanh Nguyen, Barbara Branneman, Jack Huber, Hung Phan

All Poster Presentations

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Patients With Newly Scheduled Opioids And Inappropriate Bowel Regimen, Melody Kazemini, Ryan Dow, Brittanii Prahl, Barbara Branneman, Jack Huber

All Poster Presentations

No abstract provided.

Decreasing Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries Through Increased Skin Surveillance In High-Risk Patients, Elizabeth Toll, Lisa Cohen

2026 Nursing Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Rarely Asked: The Systemic Failure To Support The Mental Health Of Caregivers Of Medically Complex Children, Morgan Motsinger

University Honors Theses

Approximately one in four households in the United States cares for a child with special healthcare needs, yet the mental health of the caregivers providing that care is rarely addressed by the medical, faith, community, and social systems around them. This thesis examines the systemic gaps in mental health support for caregivers of children with life-limiting or medically complex diagnoses through a review of existing literature and an original mixed-method survey of 58 caregivers. Findings indicate that 50% of caregivers received no mental health support from their child's medical team at any point. Every respondent reported at least one clinically …

Supporting Nurse Practitioner Autonomy: A Policy Proposal To Advance Hospice Np Scope, Lauren Hochart

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

The Nurse Practitioner (NP) profession has achieved many advancements in its autonomy and scope of practice in the last 61 years since becoming a recognized advanced practice registered nursing role. However, some areas of healthcare still limit the NPs ability to practice autonomously even though it is within their scope of practice. This is notable in the subspecialty of hospice care with regards to certifying a terminal diagnosis as part of eligibility determination for a Medicare beneficiary to be able to receive covered hospice services. This health policy paper reviews current hospice regulations and provides evidence to support the benefits …

Implementation Of Symptom Management Standing Order Sets In An Ambulatory Palliative Care Clinic, Anna Manfreda

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: As outpatient palliative care expands, the need for timely, evidence-based symptom management has become increasingly critical. In many ambulatory settings, triage nurses are the first point of contact for patient symptom reporting; however, without standing orders, management may vary by provider availability and individual practice patterns, leading to potential treatment delays and inconsistencies in care from evidence-based recommendations.
Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to improve the workflow and quality of gastrointestinal (GI) symptom management in an ambulatory palliative care clinic.
Framework: This project was guided by the Iowa Model Revised: Evidence-Based Practice to …

Developing The Evidence And Associated Service Models To Improve Pain Management In Older People Living With Frailty: A Synopsis Of The Poppy Mixed Method, Co-Design Study: Poppy, Patricia Schofield

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background: Frailty increases vulnerability to adverse events (falls, illness) resulting in poorer health outcomes in later life. Persistent pain is common and impactful in older adults with frailty. Pain impact is potentially modifiable, and addressing it is important for supporting this population. The Pain in Older People with Frailty study aimed to generate evidence and develop service models to improve pain management for older adults with frailty and inform service provision for this underserved population. Objective(s): Phase 1: Map research evidence and synthesise findings from randomised controlled trials of multi-component pain management programmes and psychological therapies for community-dwelling older adults. …

After Meat: Ruin, Decomposition, And The Epistemic Collapse Of Industrial Food Systems, Alexandra Kenefick

Dublin Gastronomy Symposium

The contemporary crisis of industrial meat is typically framed in environmental, ethical, or technological terms. This paper argues instead that the crisis is fundamentally epistemic, exposing the conceptual limits of modern food systems organized around abstraction, purification, efficiency, and control. Drawing on critical theories of modernity, political ecology, and design, it reframes meat not as food but as a designed industrial artefact. Through the lens of ruin, industrial breakdown is read as material disclosure, rendering visible the violences, dependencies, and exclusions that sustained modern abundance. Against technological solutionism and post-meat futurism, the paper develops decomposition as an alternative epistemic and …

Staff Education To Improve Icu Nurses’ Knowledge And Confidence In End-Of-Life Care Through A Structured Education Intervention, Alyssia Lee Wright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Caring For The Carers: Exploring The Mental Wellbeing Of Informal Palliative Caregivers Of Cancer Patients In Kenya, James Kariuki, Rose Njiraini

Journal of Global Awareness

Cancer cases have been on the increase globally, and this has led to economic burden on the affected households. One way of reducing the cost of care is through home-based care by informal palliative caregivers who include family members, friends, and other people assigned by the family members to take care of the patient. The objectives of this study were to assess the status of the mental wellbeing of palliative caregivers of cancer patients; to examine the relationship between the ability of the patient to cope with cancer diagnosis and the mental wellbeing of the caregiver; and to investigate the …

Improving Competency Of Care At End Of Life, Linda J. Perez

Group: Northern Arizona University School of Nursing, DNP Doctoral Papers

Providing competent care at the end of life (EOL) has been recognized as an essential skill for nursing students transitioning to practice (NSTP). EOL has been defined as the phase in which patients enter the terminal stage of a chronic illness or experience an unexpected health decline that ultimately results in death (Hughes et al., 2024). Due to limited EOL education provided in nursing schools, many NSTP have experienced significant anxiety, which has contributed to decreased self-efficacy and reduced competency when caring for patients at EOL (Jablonski et al., 2020). EOL discussions are often not had or minimally discussed due …

Boring Objects Bureau, Eric Fan

Masters Theses

The Boring Objects Bureau is an anti-sustainability design studio. Through its work, the Bureau is interested in developing new strategies that can challenge the stereotypes of what sustainability looks like for the products that underpin our modern lives.

The Bureau’s first investigation focused on the smartphone, a product where breakage and decay through obsolescence is inevitable. As a result, people are faced with either the expected sustainable approach of repair, which can be expensive and inconvenient, or replacement, which costs more and restarts the cycle. The Bureau therefore wanted to ask: could this breakage and decay instead be embraced as …

Care Ecologies Between Knots, Eliza R. Marris

Masters Theses

Discarded fibers like raw wool behave the way harm reduction does. Harm reduction resists stigma and works to move beyond assumptions and oversimplifications of substance use and addiction. Wool is irregular, complicated, and emotionally charged. It resists compression and maintains its own being even when pulled apart. Working with raw wool is in relationship with complexity, as is harm reduction.

At its core, harm reduction is grounded in thoughtfulness and empathy towards people, their lived experience, and its nuances. It is a witness to lives, memories, and imprints, acknowledging the entangled realities of addiction. Our detachment from fiber remainders, materials …

Through You I Will Feel, Mitchell L. Poon

Masters Theses

Through You I Will Feel is an installation exploring my family’s archive and my relationship with my ancestral heritage. An abstracted simulation of my childhood home’s dining room, it examines how revisiting the family archive can reveal new information not only about the past, but also about the present and the future. The installation consists of five works which integrate printmaking and print-adjacent processes: a set of four lithographic prints, cyanotype and natural toning on fabric, inkjet-printing on shrink plastic, UV dye-printing on polymer clay tiles, and digitally printed wallpaper.

The written thesis is a culmination of my time at …

Axitinib-Pembrolizumab And Adverse Event Management In Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma, Neil Shah, Yaa Ababio, Anthony Eccleston, Dharanija Rao, Scott Kelly, Jane Chang, Sarah Lucht, Caleb Paydar, Bryce Van Doren, Emily Bland, William John, Sarah Giegerich, Jalyna Laney, Bruce Feinberg, Kevin Zarrabi

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

IMPORTANCE: Understanding approaches to managing treatment-related adverse events (AEs) in immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitor-based treatments in a clinical setting is critical for reaching optimal patient outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the management of AEs in community practices during first-line axitinib plus pembrolizumab therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study comprised a cross-sectional electronic physician survey and a multisite, retrospective cohort study of the medical records of US patients with aRCC who initiated first-line axitinib-pembrolizumab between April 22, 2019, and January 31, 2024. Data were analyzed from September 18 to December 20, 2024.

EXPOSURE: First-line …

Walking With The Wounded: Chaplains As Agents Of Christ’S Healing Ministry, Fred Okechukwu Anucha

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Doctor of Ministry action research project evaluated the effectiveness of an eight-week Christ-centered training intervention designed to strengthen hospital chaplains’ confidence and clarify sacramental boundaries in end-of-life care at AdventHealth Celebration. Hospital chaplains frequently encounter situations in which patients and families request sacramental or spiritually significant practices during moments of crisis, yet chaplains often lack structured training that addresses how to respond with both pastoral sensitivity and theological clarity within a multifaith healthcare environment.

The project implemented an eight-week training program that integrated theological reflection, case-based discussion, and practical ministry applications intended to strengthen chaplains’ confidence in providing spiritual …

A Heart-Stopping Decision: An Ethical Dilemma Involving Pacemaker Deactivation At End Of Life, Hailee Grannan Md, Nora Badi Md, Kavita Sharma Md

Scientific Day

Introduction/Background:

Pacemaker deactivation at the end of life presents complex ethical and logistical challenges. While Heart Rhythm Society affirms a patient’s right to withdraw life-sustaining treatments, clinicians often experience moral distress when patients are pacemaker-dependent. Unlike defibrillators, pacemakers are perceived as integral to the body rather than external interventions, leading to concerns regarding hastening of death with pacemaker deactivation. In this case, we highlight how device manufacturer procedural requirements can also create obstacles to deactivation, resulting in unintended prolonged suffering and increased distress for the patient and family.

Description:

A 74-year-old male with metastatic renal cell carcinoma developed third-degree heart …