Digital Commons Network^™

Outcomes Achieved By Student Peer Tutors In The Center For Academic Success, Claire Brittany Mack, Nicole Marie Leavitt, Carolyn Joy Peters

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014: Peer tutors have positively impacted the Chamberlain College of Nursing Cleveland campus by making student success a top priority. Peer Tutors assist students by developing expertise in the wide variety of Center for Academic Success (CAS) resources. These resources include Chamberlain's online library and data bases, VitalSource the platform used for Chamberlain's eBooks, eCollege Chamberlain's course platform, Evolve which offers accompanying textbook material, as well as the many supplemental texts and journals our library holds. Customized study experiences are offered to students who seek academic support. A dedicated online outreach position was developed …

Nurse Educators' Lived Experiences Of Student-Centered Teaching In Practice Settings: A Proposed Interpretive Phenomenology, Olabisi Oyelana

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014: The purpose of this poster presentation is to describe a proposed research study that represents an upcoming Master's thesis. In todays health care system, changes and complexities require nurses to practice with a high degree of accountability and strong problem-solving skills. Increasingly, nurses are required to anticipate and manage complex care of diverse patients; consequently, nurses need to be educated in a manner that meets current practice demands. Clinical nursing education is moving towards a student-centered philosophy that facilitates nursing students confidence, creativity, inquisitiveness, intuition, open mindedness and the capability for gathering and …

Nepa Takes The Light., Immaculata Ogechi Obi

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

According to the World Health Organization, maternal death is defined "death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes." In an attempt to help reduce maternal death rates in Nigeria, woman are encouraged to seek proper treatment and give birth in healthcare facilities. However, due to the lack of constant electricity, there is little confidence about whether or not …

Left Ventricular Assist Device Driveline Infection And The Frequency Of Dressing Change In Hospitalized Patients, Lisa R. Wus

Leadership Connection

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) provide a valuable therapeutic option for patients with end stage heart failure who will not survive until a donor organ becomes available or who are not transplant candidates. Due to advanced LVAD technology and improved patient outcomes, the number of LVAD recipients continues to increase annually. This implantable mechanical circulatory support device includes a percutaneous driveline that exits through a puncture in the skin. Driveline exit site infections are known to be a serious complication, yet standardized guidelines for driveline exit site care do not exist resulting in wide variations in care, especially related to …

Leadership Succession And Mentoring Plan For Undergraduate Nursing Students In The Absn Option At Winston-Salem State University, Cecil A. Holland, Wanda Lawrence

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014: Purpose: Leadership is an essential skill in the nursing profession. When we examine leadership in nursing, it takes many forms - from leadership at the bedside to leadership in the classroom, the boardroom, and beyond. Good nurse leaders start out by being good student nurse leaders. In order to influence the next generation of nurse leaders, it is incumbent that schools of nursing develop effective leadership and mentoring plans. Leadership succession and mentoring plans may serve as the foundation for building a leadership pipeline and talent pool that ensures effective leadership continuity. Methods: …

Leadership Strategies For The At-Large Chapter, Wendy B. Hansbrough

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Wednesday, September 24, 2014, and Thursday, September 25, 2014:

An at-large chapter of STTI may be established when smaller schools of nursing or those within close proximity to one another find it advantageous to draw on the larger membership resources of a merged chapter. Such is the case in San Diego where the Zeta-Mu chapter at the University of San Diego (USD), originally chartered in 1982, joined with honor society members at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) to establish the Zeta Mu Chapter-At-Large in 1993. While establishing an at-large chapter is not difficult, the leadership of a …

Leaders In Patient Education: Health Literacy Knowledge And Experience Unlocks The Door To Effective Patient Education, Deborah K. Kennard

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Nurses take the lead in patient education over all other healthcare professionals yet a review of the literature indicates nurses have little knowledge about the effect of health literacy on patient education. The purpose of this review was to examine nurses knowledge and experience with health literacy. Health literacy is the ability to understand health information and maneuver within the health system and is critical to patient outcomes. Approximately 88% of the adult population has limited health literacy (HHS, 2010) and this problem results in an estimated $238 billion dollars in healthcare costs …

Knowledge Of Screen Time Recommendations Among Women, Infants, And Children (Wic) Clients And Caregivers, Theresa Rose Marie Neff, Layna Himmelberg

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Childhood obesity has become a national epidemic. There has been a rapid rise in childhood overweight and obesity in the United States over the last fifty years, with tripling numbers since the 1980s. Various behaviors increase risk for childhood obesity, including overuse of screen time. Obesity is associated with screen time use for the following reasons: decreased physical activity, increased sedentary activity, exposure to food advertising, and irregular patterns of eating. In response, the American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] (1999) recommends limits on daily screen time use. AAP recommendations are as follows: children …

Just Because The Hood Raised You, Doesn't Mean You Have To Raise The Hood: A Content Analysis Of Urban Lit, Patience Marks

Leadership Connection

Sesssion presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Background/Purpose: Evidence has shown that media, including print media, can influence adolescents attitudes, beliefs and behaviors culminating in risk behaviors that can lead to negative health consequences. African American (AA) fiction is a thriving market with over 500 authors and annual revenue in the billions. Urban lit is extremely popular among AA teens and adults with individuals citing their authenticity as the reason for its popularity. Urban lit is known for its gritty portrayal of urban life with themes of violence, promiscuity, drug activity and infidelity. However there has been no research to …

Intimate Partner Violence And Failure To Thrive In Children: A Literature Review, Pamela C. Kimeto

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Failure to thrive is best described as inadequate growth or the inability to maintain growth, usually in early childhood. It is a sign of under nutrition (Gahagen, 2006; Levy, A., Levy, A., & Zangeten, 2009). In the United States, FTT is seen in 5-10% in primary care settings and in 3-5% in hospital settings (Cole & Lanham, 2011; Daniel, Kleis & Cemeroglu, 2008). Traditionally, the causes of FTT were subdivided into organic (medical) and nonorganic (social or environmental). There is increasing recognition that in many children the cause is multifactorial and includes biologic, …

Interprofessional Collaborative Approaches To Reduce Risk, Decrease Financial Loss, And Improve Patient Care Outcomes In Acute Care And Skilled Nursing Facilities, Mayumi Shoi Parker

Leadership Connection

This project will attempt to offer interprofessional collaborative workflow logistics, communication tactics, and customer service strategies in a nursing care delivery model. The model will increase communication between nurses and their unit assistive personnel, assigns specific accountability to staff to perform preventative tasks, reduces risk of HACs, increases work performance, and ultimately increases staff and patient satisfaction.

Increasing Awareness Of Multidimensional Incivility In Nursing, Karina Favela, Veronica Vital

Leadership Connection

The purpose of this presentation is to enhance awareness of negative behaviors taking place in nursing education and the negative effects they have on morale, confidence and the academic environment. Secondly, to promote self-awareness of incivility and introduce tools to elicit change for improving quality of care provided. The target audience of this presentation is inclusive of all individuals who could potentially exhibit uncivil behaviors or be victims of these hostile acts. Therefore, the audience will include nursing students, educators, managers, leaders, and nurses.

Incorporating An Information Technology Teaching Assistant (It-Ta) Into An Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum, Nicholas Aaron Cress, Teresa Villaran

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

The purpose of this project is to develop a permanent undergraduate student labor position that supports promoting the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nursing students through the use of technology. This student bridges the gap between technology and nursing practice. Berea College is a work college. All students work at least 10 hours per week on campus. This project was funded by the Work Colleges Consortium which requires the integration of education, work experience and service to others.

Improving Stroke Transitions Of Care Through Apn-Led Shared Medical Appointments, Kathleen A. Burns

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Great strides have been made in the treatment of acute stroke, with thrombolysis and interventional treatments decreasing stroke mortality and morbidity. In addition, evidence-based interventions aimed at secondary prevention are now initiated as standard treatment for stroke and TIA patients. Unfortunately, lack of patient understanding of personal risk factors and risk reduction strategies as well as poor perception of severity of risk have been identified as barriers to compliance with discharge treatment plans. Patients with chronic illnesses are at high risk for readmissions when discharged to home, a risk that increases when patients …

Improving Nursing Students Knowledge And Skills In Caring For Patients Experiencing Ipv, Marina Iturralde

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue associated with numerous negative health outcomes. Numerous organizations including the American Nurses Association and The Joint Commission recommended routine screening in a variety of health care settings for IPV. Nurses are uniquely poised to screen and intervene with victims of IPV. The nurse-patient relationship and ongoing interactions during a health care encounter provides opportunities for nurses to ask questions about personal safety and experiences with violence. However, there are a number of barriers that prevent nurses from screening and/or intervening with victims. Education …

Improving Access For Northeast Indiana To Quality Healthcare, Lauren Michelle Fulk

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

As the number of individuals requiring healthcare continues to increase, there is a similar need for an increase in easily accessible primary care providers. Fort Wayne and the surrounding areas particularly require increased accessibility to quality healthcare due to a large rural population surrounding the city, multicultural communities within the city, and population growth in suburban areas. Allen County, which contains most of the city of Fort Wayne, has over 100 more people for each primary care provider than the ratio of population to primary care providers for the rest of Indiana. To …

Implementing An Integrative Pre And Post-Operative Educational Intervention For Older Adults Undergoing Total Hip And Knee Replacement, Carolyn Marie Fox

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

The purpose of this pilot project was to implement postoperative education in a select population of elderly patients undergoing THR or TKR in combination with the pre-operative education which was standard of care at the site. The goal was to provide study participants with the tools and knowledge to efficiently and safely self-manage their post-operative pain. The primary endpoints were to improve self-efficacy over the course of the intervention period and to decrease pain in the population.

Implementation Of Nursing Peer Review Within Shared Governance To Improve Patient Outcomes, Joanne Reich

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Nursing is at the core of our nations current demand for perfect care and the care that nurses provide is central to patients achieving quality outcomes. The current healthcare landscape is filled with public reporting of hospitals quality measures. The national regulations administered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid are determined to provide financial awards and penalties to hospitals for their reported clinical outcomes (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012). The Institute of Medicine (2010) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, recognizes the extensive ability of nursing to touch patients …

Impact Of Yoga On Autonomic Nervous System And Its Clinical Implications, Maheswari Murugesan

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

An integrated literature review was conducted to identify the effect of yoga intervention on heart rate variability in adults. Heart rate variability, the variance between the R-R intervals on the electrocardiogram can be used to assess the balance between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system.

Impact Of Individual And Neighborhood Factors On Cardiovascular Risk In White Hispanic Women And Men Compared To White Non-Hispanic Women And Wen, Tanya Marie Cohn

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality for adults in the United States regardless of ethnicity. Yet, cardiac and noncardiac-related risk factors vary by ethnicity, as does mortality rate. Specifically, Hispanics in the United States have a higher prevalence of risk factors compared to non-Hispanic Whites, but lower overall cardiovascular-related mortality rate (Daviglus et al., 2012). This unexplained difference in risk versus mortality argues the need for the ability to accurately assess cardiovascular risk in order to provide appropriate treatment plans, medication, and behavioral interventions. This disparity suggest that other factors …

Hypertension, And Fruits And Vegetables In Nepal: An Evidence Based Review, Timothy M. Davies

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014: This project looks into the population of adults in Nepal with hypertension or high blood pressure, and what can be done to combat their high blood pressure. Specifically, nutrition was looked at as the best option to lower blood pressure. The background and significance of the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed by people in Nepal was researched by the Nepal Health Research Counsel, and some pertinent data is included. The DASH Diet was researched, along with the Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid, and USDA MyPlate for their blood pressure lowering abilities. The research …

Guiding North America Region 2 Members Into The 43rd Biennium, Dorothy J. Dunn

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014, and Wednesday, September 24, 2014:

The 42nd Biennial Convention meeting of Region 2 members was a transition point when the past met present. The regional coordinator changed hands. At the same time, the members present stepped forward to continue the work of influencing Region 2 members and each others authentic passion for Sigma Theta Tau Internationals new mission, to advance world health and celebrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. It was clear that Region 2 members value empowerment, knowledge, responsibility, and commitment to Sigma Theta Tau International and each other. With 27 …

Grass Roots In Community Outreach For Optimal Infant Nutrition, Jessica Marie Gordon

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is strongly associated with optimal health outcomes for mother and child, in the short and long term. Yet exclusive breastfeeding is practiced by a minority of families, the duration rates of any and exclusive breastfeeding at six months are well below the United States Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 objectives. According to the 2008 report by the United States Breastfeeding Committee barriers that effect why moms do not breastfeed include: 1) limited provider awareness, knowledge, skills, and practices and limited …

Grams Vs Miligrams: A Fatal Mistake, Brandon De Horta

Leadership Connection

Medication errors are preventable adverse effects in patient care. With medical errors being one of the leading causes of inpatient & outpatient deaths, the nursing community has implemented several safety nets for improving medication practices. They happen for many reasons such as poor communication, improper documentation, illegible handwriting, similar medications, and high patient-to-nurse ratio. Unfortunately with all the guidelines for reducing medical errors, the nursing community still uses the improper abbreviation of gm for grams than the International Standard of Unit (ISU) approved abbreviation g. Nursing has become a very diverse practice that has been utilized by corporations, military branches, …

Frontline Clinical Intervention Program: Use Of A Smartphone Application To Improve Post-Op Care, Maureen M. Ercole

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Numerous barriers exist for patient adherence to post operative care following total laryngectomy. Without complete voice restoration, the single most challenging postoperative consequence is the inability for patients to effectively communicate with their care team. This protocol explores the use of a smartphone application to improve post-operative outcomes following major Head and Neck Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery by providing timely resources and support to the patient and their caregivers. The health care field will be enriched with new ways to interact, support, and communicate with patients. The innovative model of care strives to …

Fostering Evidence-Based Practice Competencies In Nurse Leaders: An Innovative Model, K. Renee Samples Twibell, S. Renee Gregg, Cynthia Davisson

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014: Effective nursing leaders at all levels of health care organizations and academic institutions worldwide require skills in evaluating and using sound evidence in practice.The seven evidence-based practice competencies for leaders include: (a) generating relevant inquiries that research can answer; (b) engaging resources to address priority inquiries, including shared governance systems; (c) searching for relevant literature in effective, efficient ways; (d) identifying the best levels of evidence; (e) critiquing research studies relevant for leaders; (f) appraising clusters of studies for readiness-to-use in practice; and (g) translating evidence into practice. Nurse leaders often express a …

Factors Influencing The Quality Of Emergency Department Nurse Shift Handover, Heather K. Thomson

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Friday, September 26, 2014:

Background: Nurse-to-nurse shift handover is defined as defined as bidirectional communication that results in the transfer of information and responsibility for a patient (Friesen et al., 2008; McFetridge et al., 2007; Tregunno, 2009). Nurse-to-nurse shift handover is an integral part of safe nursing care as incoming nurses depend on handover information to inform decision making, establish priorities, and to plan and provide patient care. The Emergency Department (ED) is a clinical area where nurse-to-nurse handover communication is particularly vulnerable as a result of the unpredictable, often chaotic nature of the environment. Although a …

Factors Influencing Parental Hpv Vaccine Acceptance Based On Child Gender: A Literature Review, Joyce L. Apted

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Factors influencing parental HPV vaccine acceptance based on child gender: A literature review, Joyce Apted, RN, MSN, CPNP. Abstract: Background: The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was licensed for use in females in 2006 and for males in 2009 to prevent genital warts and HPV related cancers. Despite the availability of the vaccine and previous research indicating a willingness or intention of parents to vaccinate their children, vaccination rates remain low. Objectives: To identify and compare, based on child gender, the primary factors that influence actual parental acceptance leading to vaccination or non-acceptance of …

F.A.S.T. Stroke Care: Teaching Ambulatory Care Staff A Rapid Response, Jonni J. Dennis

Leadership Connection

Session presented on Thursday, September 25, 2014:

Introduction/Background: Guided by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Associations (AHA/ASA), National Stroke Association, the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), pre-hospital Stroke care has been a long time collaborative effort among emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, emergency departments (ED), and Healthcare professionals specializing in Stroke (Anderson et al., 2012). However, in the area surrounding the Sutter Health Primary Stroke Center, Ambulatory Care Centers are not commonly regarded as playing a significant part in the Stroke Chain of Survival the name used in healthcare …

Exploration Of Current Practice And The Rise Of Antimicrobial Resistant Infections, Katie Burroughs, Marsheena D. Brock

Leadership Connection

The amount of patients contracting multidrug resistant infections is increasing at an alarming rate. This is leading to a rise in poor patient outcomes including longer hospital stays, lasting residual effects, and increased mortality rates. According to the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (2011, p. 5), the medical costs attributable to the infection ranged from $18,588 to $29,069 per patient, hospital stays were extended between 6.4 to 12.7 days, and the attributable mortality of the infection was 6.5%. These frightening numbers influenced the selection of the research topic and investigation on the spread on antimicrobial resistant infections. The purpose …