Digital Commons Network^™

Introduction Of Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean Section (Erac) Protocol, Kwame Adu-Affum

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Cesarean section is one of the most performed in-patient surgeries worldwide (Wilson et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2020). Births by cesarean section have been increasing globally. Cesarean birth rate has remained above 31% in the United States, even with the consistent two percent decrease in birth rate per year (Martin et al., 2019). Illinois has also maintained a high cesarean birth rate above 30% (Hamilton et al., 2021). Cesarean patients experience inflammatory and neurohormonal changes with many adverse effects in direct response to surgical stress (Mullman et al., 2020). The post-cesarean physiological effects, including pain, reduced gastric motility, pulmonary …

Perioperative Tube Feeding Guidelines For The Pediatric Burn Patient, Jordan Swanberg

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Pediatric burn patients require an astronomical amount of nutritional support to promote wound healing and prevent unwanted side effects. These patients often require multiple surgeries, and consequently, when following standard NPO guidelines, these patients go for hours without any nutritional support. For this reason, a protocol was implemented on how to administer tube feedings throughout the perioperative process safely. The purpose of this project was to give a PowerPoint presentation to the providers that tested their current knowledge on how to manage tube feedings in the operative setting best. A single group design consisting of CRNA’s and an anesthesiologist was …

Improving Healthcare Team Communication With Limited English Proficiency Families In The Nicu, Ivonne Mandell

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Language barriers are common in healthcare settings, creating disparities in care between individuals with limited English proficiency and those with English proficiency. In the NICU setting, professional medical interpreters have been shown to improve parent/staff communication and increase parent satisfaction by allowing parents to ask questions and form trusting relationships with staff. Solid parent-provider communication can result in better health outcomes by increasing parental empowerment and participation in their child’s care. Despite the acknowledged advantages of using professional interpreters in healthcare settings, they are frequently under-utilized, even when readily available. The purpose of this project was to improve communication with …

Implementation Of Depression Screening In A Nursing Home, Titilayo Raji

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Abstract

Background/Introduction

Unidentified and untreated depression among nursing home residents leads to poor quality-of-life and substantial healthcare dollars are utilized for care management. Use of validated instruments and routine screening provides opportunity for early detection and treatment.

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to educate employees of a nursing home on the use of the Geriatric Depression Screening (GDS) tool, implement it on two units of the nursing home, and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this quality improvement project.

Method

An educational presentation was delivered to introduce the implementation plan, GDS screening tool, and protocol for data collection. …

Pediatric Distraction Methods For The Perioperative Period, Jennifer L. Ashton, Katherine M. Rosner

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Abstract

Most pediatric patients will experience anxiety to some degree during the perioperative period. Unrecognized and untreated anxiety can lead to complications during induction of anesthesia and may manifest as maladaptive behaviors that can last up to 6 months postoperatively. Multiple modalities are typically utilized to provide the greatest amount of anxiety relief with minimal side effects. Nonpharmacological methods of distraction have been proven effective when used in combination with pharmacological agents, as well as when used alone. The goal of this project was to create and present an educational resource tool regarding pharmacological and nonpharmacological distraction methods for pediatric …

Improving Staff Education On Lung Cancer Screening At The Illinois Correctional Facilities For The Justice-Involved Individuals, Natalie Bethel, Jillian Youngquist

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Justice-involved individuals are at an increased risk of developing chronic health conditions, including lung cancer. Literature supports the practice of using an annual low-dose CT scan to screen for lung cancer. Illinois Correctional Facilities lacked a lung cancer screening protocol for justice-involved individuals. Lung cancer screening guidelines were approved for the facilities, however, the time frame for implementation was unclear. This DNP project focused on evidenced based guidelines for lung cancer screening with education tools for staff members to prepare them for implementation. Staff was presented with a pre-test, PowerPoint presentation, and a post-test to evaluate lung cancer screening knowledge. …

Identifying Facilitators And Barriers For A Successful Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist’S Clinical Experience, James Clancy, Adam Bruinius

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Student registered nurse anesthetists experience a wide variety of barriers and facilitators to their clinical education; often rotating through several clinical sites during their nurse anesthesia educational program (NAEP) tenure. Existing evidence suggests SRNAs must be proficient in seeking, accepting, and utilizing feedback from clinical preceptors (Algiraigri, 2014). Accepting constructive criticism may be challenging for SRNAs as they are highly skilled, competent nurses who are now entering rigorous NAEPs as novices. Reverting from preceptor to preceptee can be a difficult transition for SRNAs. This project aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to a successful SRNA clinical education through a literature …

Utilizing A Personal Health Coach In The Management Of T2dm, Emily Killebrew, Matthew Huelsman, Verah Bonareri, Terri Furfaro

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can reduce hemoglobin a1c values and ultimately reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. Many adults live with uncontrolled T2DM due to a lack of knowledge of disease management. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the implementation of a personal health coach for the management of T2DM in adult patients. An extensive literature review was conducted, and the use of the Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (DMSES) was chosen to evaluate participants’ self-efficacy regarding their T2DM. Adult patients aged 21-75 with a diagnosis of T2DM and a hemoglobin a1c >7 in a …

Development Of Evidence-Based Rubrics And Instructional Videos For Anesthesia Induction Sequences, James P. Canny, Nathan M. Carroll

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Safe and effective induction of anesthesia is a vital component of any anesthesia provider’s skill set. Although both typical sequence and rapid sequence induction are common procedures, much variance in technique exists among providers. Clear, standardized rubrics are an important element in teaching these skills. The purpose of this project was to update the typical and rapid sequence induction rubrics for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Nurse Anesthesia Program with the current best practice recommendations. To utilize and reinforce observational learning, instructional videos were also created to accompany the updated rubrics. These materials were presented to the student registered nurse …

Conducting A Root Cause Analysis To Improve Intake Processes And Record Review In Home Health, Christina Guerrero

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Minimization of adverse events, reduction of inpatient admissions, and prevention of polypharmacy within home health are of importance due to the increasing number of Medicare beneficiaries. In 2019, CMS reported 5,266,931 patients were served by home health agencies, accounting for 7,439,849 episodes of care. It is projected that the number of beneficiaries will rise from 54 million to more than 80 million by the year 2030. Medical errors are now the third-leading cause of death in the United States, surpassing diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and stroke. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality identifies a lack of institutional intake processes as the …

Establishing Guidelines To Promote Best Practice For Common Ailments In School-Based Health Clinics, Kaitlin Sweeney, Rachael Schaefer

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the gap in access to medical care of school-age children and identified a need for community-based health clinics to aid in its minimization. Evidence shows the creation of school-based health clinics (SBHCs) in public school districts provides a pathway for students to receive high-quality care in an easily accessible manner. Therefore, patient care guidelines for common ailments seen in SBHCs for a local federally qualified healthcare center (FQHC) were developed in conjunction with the FQHC goal to build and operate a SBHC located in southern Illinois. Eight guidelines were created to analyze the most common chief …

Improving Depression Surveillance At The We Care Clinic, Kaitlin Springer, Emma Hanney

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Depression is one of the most underdiagnosed and untreated disorders affecting more than 16 million people in the United States each year (Henry et al., 2020). Unmanaged depression can lead to emotional suffering, decreased productivity, reduced income, impaired relationships, and an increased risk for comorbidities (Sinisalchi et al., 2020). It can affect anyone, however, individuals who are non-white, female, undereducated, disabled, pregnant or postpartum, have low socioeconomic status, or lack social support are at an increased risk (United States Preventative Services Task Force, 2019). The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville We Care Clinic provides primary care to minority patient populations who …

Implementation Of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire In A Primary Care Setting, Michele Hartke

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background

Childhood abuse, neglect and unusual stressful or traumatic conditions are common pediatric issues, with most Americans having experienced one kind of these adverse childhood experience (ACE) resulting in mental and physical issues in adulthood (Centers for Disease Control, 2010). Implementing a routine screening for patients will assist in identifying health concerns and can improve outcomes for the patient.

Aim

The aim of this project was to implement the use of a brief screening tool in a primary care medical office setting to assess for traumatic childhood experiences that have impact on a patient’s current morbidities.

Theoretical Framework

This quality …

Improving No Show Rates In A Gi Endoscopy Outpatient Lab, Mark Mcateer

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

No show rates in outpatient health care settings can negatively impact patient outcomes as well as physician and nursing practice. Many procedural areas face an average no show rate between 14%-16% annually. Insufficient procedure preparation, socioeconomical issues including lack of transportation, illness on the day of the day of the procedure, and lack of educational awareness surrounding the importance of needing the procedure have been linked to patient’s canceling scheduled procedures. High no show rates contribute to significant financial losses as well as unused resources for procedural departments. The negative impact of these losses can create issues with staff department …

A Method For Phenotyping Roots Of Large Plants, Brian Rinehart, Hanna J. Poffenbarger, Daniel Lau, David H. Mcnear

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Linking root traits to plant functions can enable crop improvement for yield and ecosystem functions. However, plant breeding efforts targeting belowground traits are limited by appropriate phenotyping methods for large root systems. While advances have been made allowing for imaging large in situ root systems, many of these methods are inaccessible due to expensive technology requirements. The aim of this work was to develop a plant phenotyping platform and analysis method suitable for assessing root traits of large, intact root systems. With the use of a purpose-built imaging table and automated photo capture system, machine learning-based image segmentation, and off-the-shelf …

Resource Amount And Discontinuity Influence Flight And Reproduction In Hippodamia Convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Hannah E. Stowe, J. P. Michaud, Tania N. Kim

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Industrial-scale agriculture creates a mosaic of large monocultures in the landscape, where seasonal cropping cycles generate discontinuous resource availability for insect predators both spatially and temporally. In this environment, selection will favor predator movement and reproductive behaviors that optimize the location and effective utilization of resource (prey) pulses that are both patchy and ephemeral in nature. Using a model system to study predator movement and reproduction, we tested how discontinuous periods of food resource access that mimic fluctuating resource populations (aphids) would influence flight behavior and reproduction of a highly mobile predator, Hippodamia convergens (convergent lady beetle), and possibly modify …

Pre-Session Pairing And Instructional Fading Prior To Instruction, Claudia Aguayo

Thesis Projects

Given that instructional demands can become aversive with children with ASD, pairing is an effective tool used to decrease problematic behaviors. Previous research has evaluated the effect of antecedent manipulations strategies such as pre-session pairing. Pairing the therapist and teaching environment with highly preferred items can decrease problematic behaviors during instruction. Pre-session pairing and instructional fading might aid in not only decreasing those behaviors but increasing overall responding. Two participants with ASD and ADHD were included in the following study. These participants progressed through 8 stages of pairing and instructional fading. Problem behavior decreased from baseline for both participants in …

Covid-19, The New Urban Crisis, And Cities: How Covid-19 Compounds The Effects Of Economic Segregation And Inequality On Metropolitan Economic Performance, Richard Florida, Todd Gabe

External Papers and Reports

No abstract provided.

Computational Analysis Of A Mn-Based Electrocatalyst With Primary Amine Substituents In The Secondary Coordination Sphere For Co2 Reduction, Erin Urban

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to report the mechanism for the two-electron, two-proton conversion of CO 2 to CO and H 2 O using a manganese(I) electrocatalyst, Mn(L)(CO) 3 Br (where L = bipyridyl ligand with aryl-amine moieties installed at the 6 position of 2,2’-bipyridine), synthesized by the Jurss group, including any other competing reactions, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The “protonation- first” and “reduction-first” pathways were considered for CO 2 RR. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to determine the redox potentials and Gibb’s free energies for each step in the mechanism for CO 2 …

Investigation Into The Detection Of Drug Metabolites In Latent Fingerprints, Paige Oden

Honors Theses

Fingerprinting has proved a useful mode of identification for thousands of years. Following numerous technological advancements, it has become a technique for categorizing and keeping track of people over large geographical spaces for almost half of a century. Those living in the beginnings of fingerprinting used them as a form of signature as it was something completely unique to each individual that could not be replicated. Although they are no longer used as the primary form of signature, it certainly remains a biomarker of identity. Over the past century the practice has been heavily refined in order to identify people …

How Brands Go Viral: An Analysis Of Successful Brand Marketing On Tik Tok With Gen Z, Alyssa Rezek

Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to examine the unique relationship between Generation Z and the social media platform TikTok, especially in regard to its marketing function. A literature review, survey, and interviews were conducted to examine the social media habits of Generation Z and the attitudes they have towards these platforms. The data suggests that highly visual platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, are more widely used and trusted by members of the generation in question. These trends indicate that brands wishing to market toward this generation should become proficient in the use of these platforms. This research seeks to examine the …

Investigation Into The Comorbidities Of Disordered Eating And Social Anxiety Disorder In College Students, Alice Mccraney

Honors Theses

In recent years, psychiatrists have reported a trend that individuals with social anxiety disorders are more likely to also have disordered eating and vice versa. Research into this connection has suggested that risk factors, such as stress reactivity, negative self- esteem, perfectionism and fear of negative evaluation are potential links. This is important because understanding the correlation between the two disorders could help develop better treatments plans for people who suffer from these disorders. This study investigates the relationship between the two. A total of 257 college students between ages 18-22 completed a questionnaire using the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale …

Volume Cxli, Number 21, May 6, 2022, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Assessing Reactive Violence Using Immersive Virtual Reality, Sylvia Terbeck, Alison Bacon, I Howard

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The University Of Nebraska Medical Center’S 4ms Geriatric Training Program At Nebraska Medicine Midtown, Holly M. Sesker

Capstone: Master of Health Administration

In 2015, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) created the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) to address geriatric workforce challenges and improve the health outcomes of older adults. The GWEP redefines care delivery through a movement for age-friendly healthcare guided by evidence-based practices that align with the 4Ms: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. The 4Ms identify the key issues that should drive the decision-making and care for every older adult. 4Ms training sessions were conducted at the Nebraska Medicine Midtown Clinic and evaluated through a cross-sectional survey administered to both residents (trainees) and attendings (trainers). Data was collected …

Characteristics Of The Wake Of An Inclined Prolate Spheroid In Uniform Shear Flow, Zhe Wang, Jianzhi Yang, Helge I. Andersson, Xiaowei Wu, Yuxin Wu, Liping Wang, Minghou Liu

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Flow around an inclined 5:2 prolate spheroid with the incidence angle α = 45° is numerically investigated in a uniform shear flow. The Reynolds number based on the inflow center velocity Uc and the volume-equivalent sphere diameter De of the spheroid are considered at Re = 480, 600, 700, and 750. The non-dimensional shear rate K is ranged from 0 to 0.1. Five qualitatively different wake modes are observed, including a new mode characterized by multi-periodic shedding of hairpin vortices with regular rotation of the separation region. In general, the wake transition is suppressed with increasing shear rate. …

The Ep300/Tp53 Pathway, A Suppressor Of The Hippo And Canonical Wnt Pathways, Is Activated In Human Hearts With Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy In The Absence Of Overt Heart Failure, Aitana Braza-Boïls, Maria Sabater Molina, Yan Yao, Matthew J Robertson, Cristian Coarfa, Juan R Gimeno, Pilar Molina, Priyatansh Gurha, Esther Zorio, Ali J Marian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

AIMS: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a primary myocardial disease that typically manifests with cardiac arrhythmias, progressive heart failure, and sudden cardiac death (SCD). ACM is mainly caused by mutations in genes encoding desmosome proteins. Desmosomes are cell-cell adhesion structures and hubs for mechanosensing and mechanotransduction. The objective was to identify the dysregulated molecular and biological pathways in human ACM in the absence of overt heart failure.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Transcriptomes in the right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy samples from three independent individuals carrying truncating mutations in the DSP gene and five control samples were analysed by RNA-Seq (discovery group). These cases …

Burden Of Cardiovascular Risk Factors And Disease In Five Asian Groups In Catalonia: A Disaggregated, Population-Based Analysis Of 121 000 First-Generation Asian Immigrants, Montse Cleries, Alka M Kanaya, Namratha Kandula, Salim S Virani, Nadia Islam, Javier Valero-Elizondo, Tamer Yahya, Josep Comin-Colet, Khurram Nasir, Josepa Mauri, Miguel Cainzos-Achirica

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

AIMS: To evaluate the burden of cardiovascular risk factors and disease (CVD) among five Asian groups living in Catalonia (Spain): Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Filipino, and Chinese.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective cohort study using the Catalan Health Surveillance System database including 42 488 Pakistanis, 40 745 Chinese, 21 705 Indians, 9544 Filipinos, and 6907 Bangladeshis; and 5.3 million native individuals ('locals'). We estimated the age-adjusted prevalence (as of 31 December 2019) and incidence (during 2019) of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, obesity, tobacco use, coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure (HF). Bangladeshis had the highest prevalence of diabetes …

An Application Of Differential Mathematical Modeling Techniques To Study The Ongoing Rabies Epizootic In China, Christopher Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rabies remains a global public health issue with a wide variety of neurological symptoms such as confusion, slight paralysis, hypersalivation, and hydrophobia. Rabies is usually fatal once symptoms appear. Many species are reservoirs for rabies, such as foxes, racoons, and wild dogs, which in turn can transmit the disease to humans, leading to complex transmission chains. There is a long latent period of rabies, between 1 to 3 months after infection, which further complicates control efforts. Mathematical modeling is a valuable tool in the study of infectious disease outbreaks and there have been many models applied to rabies outbreaks. However, …

2022 Lynn University Commencement Program, Lynn University

Commencement Programs

The commencement program for Lynn University's class of 2022. The ceremony, held on Friday, May 6, 2022 at the Palm Beach Convention Center, included all graduating students (undergraduates and graduates).

The commencement speaker was Rob Scheer, Founder of Comfort Cases.