Digital Commons Network^™

The King’S People, Anna Bennett

The Main Thing Devotional

No abstract provided.

More Than A Monolith: Parental College Aspirations, Adolescents’ College Expectations, And Postsecondary Enrollment Among Asian Adolescent Immigrants, Rian R. Djita

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Studies that are centered around social mobility and educational attainment have shown that educational aspirations and expectations play a critical role in an individual's future success. However, there are only a few analyses that focused on ethnic minorities or immigrants, particularly among Asian populations. These few studies about Asian American families tend to "lump" Asian immigrants as a monolithic ethnic group. This study seeks to bridge this gap by understanding different educational aspirations among immigrant parents from various Asian subgroups concerning their children's postsecondary enrollment in the U.S. Utilizing the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), a nationally representative …

Advancing Health Equity Through Comprehensive Haircare Training To Reduce Pediatric Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries, Afra Evans, Adrienne Johnson, Adrienne Davis

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: Increased awareness of health equity and a rise in hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) to the scalp and head—particularly among pediatric patients with textured hair—prompted a comprehensive initiative at a pediatric healthcare organization. Environmental scanning revealed that while new haircare products had been introduced into clinical areas, staff lacked the training and resources to use them effectively. A current-state analysis survey of 133 staff members (86% clinical) revealed significant gaps: 69% had never received training in diverse haircare, 51% did not feel equipped to provide appropriate care, and 36% felt nervous or intimidated when caring for hair …

A Quality Attack On Hacs, Chasity Tyree-Lee, Krystan Smith, William Gaines, Samantha Frederick, Kendel Richards

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) pose a dual challenge to pediatric organizations, compromising patient safety while creating substantial financial burdens, with a single central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) costing an estimated $48,108 and delaying discharge (Forrester, 2022; Li, 2024). While prior studies have focused on reducing individual HACs through standardized rounding, our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) adopted a broader, integrated approach.

Methodology: In 2022, we launched a nursing-led initiative to reduce multiple HACs—catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), CLABSI, hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI), and peripheral intravenous catheter infiltration and extravasations (PIVIE)—simultaneously. The program empowered Quality Champions (QCs), …

Elevating Nursing Leadership: How Nurse Managers Empower Unit Practice Councils, Katie Fields

2025

EBP

Literature Review: Utilizing OVID and databases CINAHL and PubMed, a comprehensive review of 22 articles, including integrative reviews and qualitative studies, was conducted to examine leadership behaviors that support NPG and UPCs. Across the literature, empowerment, accountability, and presence are consistently highlighted as essential leadership behaviors for effective shared governance that strengthens engagement and professional growth. Clavelle and Tarasenko (2024) emphasized accountability as critical to advancing NPG, while Rollins et al. (2024) underscored the importance of adaptable leadership styles to meet the evolving needs of frontline nurses and practice councils.

PICO: What are the best practices and leadership behaviors …

Advancing Cardiorespiratory Care In The Heart Center: Development Of A Specialized Cardiac Curriculum For Respiratory Therapists, Alexandra Birely, Andrea Torzone, Jill Kleiber, Elysia Harshman, Melinda Cory

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: As innovations advance the outcomes and survival of pediatric patients with heart disease, an evolving patient population is increasing the complexity of inpatient heart care. The Heart Center at Children’s Health Dallas has seen a twofold increase in ventilator dependent tracheostomy patients since 2022, illustrating just one example of the shifting acuity profile of patients being cared for on the Acute Care Cardiology Unit (ACCU). Providing safe and high-quality care within a pediatric Heart Center requires enhanced resources and expertise across the entire multidisciplinary team. The need for increased respiratory therapy support was identified on …

Planting Seeds Of Success: Cultivating Cpen Certification In Pediatric Emergency Nursing, Shelby Flusche, Johanna Muller

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: Children’s Health Plano campus has faced challenges in supporting nurses preparing for the Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN) exam, with limited resources available for study and preparation. To encourage certification, a certification champion was identified to provide leadership and guidance. However, it soon became evident that additional support was needed, as many nurses were unsure how to obtain a test voucher and reported low confidence levels regarding exam success. In fact, 75% of nurses initially rated themselves as neutral to not confident in their ability to pass the CPEN exam, highlighting a significant gap in …

Precision In Practice: Subject Matter Expert Integration To Support Excellence In Population-Specific Documentation, Sara Pump, Lauren Spain, Virginia Kasenic, Meagan Talent, Alivia Stewart, Carrin Shaw, Chad Gautreaux, Dori Cousin, Ronesea Allen, Jonathan Rowe

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: An initial internal pilot audit of patient charts, performed by the Plano psych RN team within the Emergency department in November 2024 revealed significant gaps in documentation compliance for behavioral health patients. Many areas of required charting were found to be incomplete, partially completed, or inconsistently documented across disparate sections of the electronic medical record. This fragmentation not only impedes the ability to efficiently locate critical information but also fails to meet the documentation standards outlined in Children’s Health organizational policies. These deficiencies pose risks to continuity of care, clinical decision-making, regulatory compliance, patient and staff …

Engaging The Night Shift To Sustain A Healthy Work Environment, Kelsey Walsh, Delaney Dewolf, Annie Tolliver

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: Night shift nurses often feel overlooked, leading to disengagement and higher turnover. The common question, “What about for the night shift?” highlights gaps in recognition, communication, and collaboration. In 2024, a large pediatric health system launched a Night Shift Forum (NSF) to improve the work environment for this critical group. Results from the AACN Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT) showed true collaboration (3.41) and meaningful recognition (3.73) as the lowest-scoring areas. Recent studies show that night-shift nurses consistently report lower scores on healthy work environment domains, while organizations with dedicated night councils demonstrate stronger …

Blinatumomab Without Borders: Taking Life-Saving Treatment Home, Susan Mccollom, Tami Beaudin, Shareta Jackson, Jamie Gebhard

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: Blinatumomab administration has become a standard treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), following promising early outcomes from the AALL1731 study. The randomized groups in this trial demonstrated a 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate of 96% in those receiving blinatumomab, compared to 87.9% in the non-blinatumomab arms. Blinatumomab is administered in two non-consecutive 28-day blocks with ideally approximately 24 days of treatment at home.

Implementation: The staff at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD) at Children’s Health faced a significant challenge due to the volume and urgency of the therapy to start. We …

A Nurse-Led Investigation Into Rising Cardiology Clinic Admission Holds And A Multidisciplinary Strategy To Reduce Them, Jennifer Dickson, Haley Byrne, Katherine Harris, Leah K. Toombs

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: The Dallas Cardiology Clinic, the only hospital-based clinic within the Heart Center’s outpatient network, serves specialized, high-acuity cardiac patients who often require direct admission. Due to inpatient bed constraints in the Acute Care Cardiology Unit and Cardiac ICU, rising patient complexity, patients are increasingly held in the ambulatory space, not intended for, or equipped for prolonged care. In 2024, average admission wait times rose to 118 minutes (often taking 200+ minutes) up from 97 minutes in 2022. Long admit wait times can lead to treatment delays, raise nursing concerns about safety, and disrupt outpatient flow. …

Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Use And Complications In A Pediatric Heart Center, Melanie Walsh, Alexandra Birely, Lynn Clark, Jared Young, David Lee, Sonali S. Patel

2025

RESEARCH

Purpose: To identify patient and device-related factors associated with PICC complications in the CICU and ACCU at Children's Health Dallas

Methods: - Single center, retrospective study using data abstracted from electronic medical records (EMR). - All PICCs inserted in HC during January 2022 through November 2024 were analyzed. - Retrospective review completed to identify patient physiology (at time of insertion), tip terminating location, tPA doses given (if applicable), and removal reason. - Univariate analysis conducted to determine risk factors associated with line occlusion and tPA usage.

Results: - Occlusion was the most frequent indication for early …

Revolutionizing Ed Transitions: Cutting Low-Acuity Visits Through Resource Optimization And Addressing Social Determinants Of Health, Crystal Salazar, Christa Combs

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: Frequent emergency department (ED) visits for non-emergent issues contribute to overcrowding, strain healthcare resources, and raise costs for families and the system. Many of these low-acuity visits—non-urgent cases manageable in primary care—worsen ED congestion and delay care for critical patients. A major factor is caregivers’ lack of awareness about alternatives like primary care, urgent care, and telemedicine. This leads to unnecessary ED use and further system strain. To address this, a family-centered care coordination program was created to reduce low-acuity ED visits by tackling care barriers, offering illness-specific education, and providing ongoing RN-led caregiver support. …

Improving Confidence And Competence In Treating Pediatric Peripheral Intravenous (Piv) Extravasation, Ann Gosdin, Hector Murillo, Taffi Marchand, Brook Warren

2025

EBP

Literature Review: Targeted nursing education has demonstrated it may lead to improved nursing care and patient safety. Nurses who received high-fidelity simulation and targeted traditional education on extravasation treatment had higher competency scores than those who did not received this education. Specific nursing education classes have demonstrated statistically significant improvement on nurses' knowledge, practice and minimized patients' complications of extravasations.

PICO: In hospitalized pediatric patients can additional education and training by the Vascular Access Team (VAT) for Peripheral IV Infiltration and Extravasation (PIVIE) on extravasation treatment increase knowledge, confidence, and competence in providing the appropriate treatment and increase the …

Development Of A Continuous Renal Replacement Therapies (Crrt) Team, Lainey Segovia, Taelor Pena, David Zolezzi, Tami Turrubiarte, Keri Drake

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: Our organization identified an opportunity to provide Continuous Renal Replacement therapy (CRRT) to more patients while simultaneously reducing time to initiation by building a dedicated CRRT team. Although CRRT has been provided for years, it lacked formal standardized education and oversight.

Implementation: Recognizing these gaps in care we formed a CRRT team in May 2024, consisting of three RN coordinators, one Advanced Practice Provider (APP), a nursing director, and a nephrology medical director. The aim was to improve CRRT delivery by authoring guidelines, providing formal in-person education for nurses and providers, creating a centralized …

Shorter Stays, Collaborative Care: Tackling Bronchiolitis Together, Alyssa Gestring, Sharmila Chowdary Kanuru

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: Bronchiolitis is a leading cause of pediatric hospitalization. Despite American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations to reduce unnecessary care and costs, management variation persists. Modest reductions in length of stay (LOS) can meaningfully impact cost and hospital throughput. During our baseline period (Aug 2021-Dec 2022), our average LOS for bronchiolitis admissions was 51 hours, in comparison to 40.8 hours (1.7 days) for the 10th percentile of Children’s Hospital Association peer hospitals. Our aim was to reduce the average LOS of patients with uncomplicated bronchiolitis by 12 hours between January 2023 and the end of 2024, without increasing …

The Development And Implementation Of On-Demand Nsqip Visualization Tools In A Pediatric Health System, Tess Davis, Karisa Price, Courtney Russ

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: Children’s Health System of Texas (CHST) is comprised of campuses in Dallas and Plano. Located thirty miles apart, the distance places a strain on communication within the enterprise. While Semiannual Reports (SARs) provide retrospective data, our surgeons frequently voiced a desire to visualize timely postoperative occurrences in an attempt to provide on-time interventions.

Implementation: Surgical Clinical Reviewers (SCRs) queried available resources including National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) surgeon champions, an otolaryngologist, and our perioperative data analyst. Each player brought a unique perspective and assisted in prioritizing metrics. As a team, the Tableau educational …

Munch N’ Learn: Building Competence And Confidence In Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses, Shareta N. Jackson, Jaime N. Gebhard

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: As clinical nurse educators, we have observed a significant gap in continuing education opportunities for experienced nurses, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lifelong learning is essential for enhancing personal development and professional responsibility, enabling nurses to stay updated with evolving medical practices and improve patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted nursing education priorities toward onboarding new hires and graduate nurses, leaving experienced nurses with limited continuing education opportunities. This gap has created a need for educational programs that cater specifically to the needs of seasoned nurses, helping them stay current with evolving …

Importance Of Expressed Breast Milk Verification And Patient Identification, Deb Lathrop

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: Due to changes in Texas reimbursement, the Plano campus was transferring neonates, infants under 28 days of life, to the Dallas campus. It was decided in 2023 to obtain a neonatal designation for the Plano campus. A Program Manager was hired as part of the requirements and a quality and Patient Safety committee was formed. As part of the program, quality data collection was required. As a Level I designated facility, expressed breastmilk verification was one of the required data sets to be collected. It was discovered that staff at the Plano campus were not scanning …

Comparing In-Person Discussions Versus Online Learning Modules On Post-Pda Ligation Care Knowledge Retention Among Night Shift Nurses In A Level 4 Nicu, Jeffrey Canlas, Olga Deleon, Sharon Summers, Jerithea Tidwell, Noorjahan Ali

2025

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Background: Postoperative management of neonates following patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation is critical in a Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Night shift nurses are faced with unique challenges when caring for these patients. The night shift NICU leaders wanted to determine the most effective educational method to enhance learning retention and clinical competency. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether in-person discussions lead to better retention and understanding of post-PDA ligation management among night shift NICU nurses compared to online learning modules.

Methodology: A comparative, quasi-experimental design was used to …

Epilogue: Postoperative 30-Day Follow-Up, Tess Davis, Karisa Price, Courtney Russ

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: The NSQIP-P Surgical Clinical Reviewers (SCR) of Children’s Health of Texas initiated a quality project with the goal of maintaining an 80% postoperative follow-up rate. To remain relevant in the ever-changing landscape of healthcare, we recognize the need for thoughtful and individualized approaches to follow-up. Unprecedented growth in the healthcare sector creates a demand for innovative solutions to address the ever-changing needs of the pediatric surgical population. Patient expectations have driven the desire for organizational transparency and robust approaches to ensure optimal, holistic outcomes. This has been accomplished using tailored follow-up strategies to meet organizational …

I Don’T Want To Be Alone: The Impact Of Cohorting Neonates On One Unit, Deb Lathrop, Rose Dela Cruz

2025

INNOVATION & LEADERSHIP

Background: The hospital has been caring for neonates since it opened in 2005. To comply with state regulations, a state designation for neonatal care is required. The facility hired a program manager to address specific needs and to apply for the state designation. A designation of Level 1 neonatal care was obtained at the end of 2023. The facility does not possess a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The program manager started collecting historical data on thermoregulation who are located on every unit of the facility in October 2023. It became evident that neonates in the hospital …

Ask Me 3® In Action: Advancing Health Literacy In Pediatric Acute Care, Yaseming Medina

2025

EBP

Literature Review: Parents and caregivers’ understanding of how to provide safe and effective care at home is vital. However, elevated levels of stress and limited health literacy face significant challenges in understanding discharge instructions. Patients who understand heath instructions make fewer mistakes when they take their medicine, follow treatment plans, and prepare for medical appointments. Patients have reported higher satisfaction and found that the use of Ask Me 3 was helpful in learning more about their medical condition.

PICO: For parents of pediatric patients seen in an acute perioperative setting, how will the use of the Ask Me 3 …

Career Interest And Work Values Of Online Filipino Psychology Graduates: Basis For Retention Program, Henmar C. Cardiño, Erwin B. Sario, Rommel P. Sergio

Social Sciences and Development Review

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the significant association between career interests and workplace values among Filipino online psychology graduates in 2022 and to provide retention strategies for diverse organizations. The study’s goal was to identify the gap between the participants’ career interests and their work values and offer possible retention programs to bridge the gap. The researcher employed a quantitative correlational research design and utilized two research instruments, the RIASEC Test by John L. Holland and the Work Values Inventory by Ronald E. Super, to measure career interest and work values, respectively. In August 2022, a …

Give To Uab Drive And Help Parents In College Put Presents Under The Tree, Shannon Thomason

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Saussure’S Universal Distinctive Feature Dimensions, Thomas M. Eccardt

Publications and Research

This paper revisits Saussure’s scalar analysis of phonemes, offering a modern reinterpretation that replaces binary features with phonological dimensions grounded in measurement theory. By redefining Saussure’s [openness] and [backness] as ordered scales and Chomsky and Halle’s “combination and concatenation” as partially ordered scales, the paper introduces a notion of “[phono]logical simultaneity.” This framework renders the variously-defined phoneme and segment redundant, and shifts the focus of distinctiveness to the linguistic sign, the morpheme. It demonstrates how phonological dimensions link continuous articulations and acoustic signals (e.g., F1 and F2) with discrete linguistic signs through calibrated distinctive features. The analysis identifies Saussure’s two …

Cohort Profile: The Pharmacogenomics And Pharmacokinetics Study In Ghanaian Hiv Patients (Genopharm-Gh), Nicholas Ekow Thomford, Oksana Ryabinina, Joel Adu Twum, John Anyimadu, Samuel Badu Nyarko, Akwasi Anyanful, Martins Ekor, George Boateng Kyei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The GenoPharm-GH project initiated in 2019, as a longitudinal, multi-site observational cohort study aimed at bridging gaps in understanding the influence of host genetics, pharmacokinetics and comorbidities on treatment outcome among persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Ghana.

METHODS: The study is ongoing prospective, longitudinal, multi-site cohort associated with diverse projects being conducted throughout health facilities across Ghana. So far 2044 persons living with HIV (PLWH) aged ≥ 8 years have been registered. These participants are on treatment with antiretroviral therapies (ART). Viral suppression, treatment adherence (self-reported and pill count), clinical data, genetic variations, coinfections, and comorbidities are being …

Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Of Hpv-Related Multiphenotypic Sinonasal Carcinoma Uncovers Myb-Hpv Association, Avishai Wizel, Matthew D A Spence, Michael Mints, William Britton, Ogoegbunam Okolo, Victoria Yu, Isabel Cioffi, Salvatore Caruana, Scott H Troob, William C Faquin, Derrick T Lin, Itay Tirosh, Sidharth V Puram, Anuraag S Parikh, Yotam Drier

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related multiphenotypic sinonasal carcinoma (HMSC) is a rare tumor that morphologically resembles high-grade adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) but exhibits indolent clinical behavior. Both demonstrate MYB proto-oncogene upregulation, though HMSC lacks the MYB translocation characteristic of ACC. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on an HMSC tumor and compared expression patterns with published ACC and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) datasets. Malignant HMSC cells clustered separately from ACC and lacked bicellular luminal and myoepithelial differentiation. A greater proportion of HMSC cells expressing HPV-related genes (HPVon) expressed MYB (83% vs. 62%, p = 0.022) and MYB targets (p = 6.4 × …

Cultural Synthesis In Iranian Graphic Design: A Fusion Of Tradition And Modernity, Maryam Mehrabadi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis examines Iranian graphic design as a politically embedded and semiotically charged field wherein visual form operates as a site of ideological negotiation, cultural memory, and symbolic resistance. Focusing on the works of Ghobad Shiva and Morteza Momayez, the study situates graphic design within the sociopolitical constraints of the Pahlavi monarchy and the post-1979 Islamic Republic. It argues that Iranian design practices cannot be understood outside the country’s enduring identity crisis—shaped by the unresolved tension between three coexisting cultural strata: ancient Persian heritage, Islamic civilizational identity, and Western modernity. Drawing on the work of Edward Said, the thesis also …

Black On Black Sounds: Music, Migration, And The ‘Nu-K Blak’ Identity Formation In Early 21st Century Britain, Monique Charles

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Examining literature on the under researched areas of Afrobeats and African migration to Britain, this article identifies significant internal shifts in the ethnic diversity of Black Britain —i.e., from Caribbean (predominantly Jamaican) to West African (Nigerian, Ghanaian) (ONS 2011). Interpreting literature and applying to the British context, it highlights how Afrobeats reshapes Blackness in Britain, particularly the incorporation of desirable Africanness through Afrobeats music. It argues that demographic and musical shifts in Britain result in a renegotiation of the Caribbean and US dominant 20th century Black Britishness — ‘UK Blak’ identity (as identified by Bradley 2013, Gilroy 1993 & Palmer …