Education Commons^™

Directors’ Perceptions Of Supplementing Clinical Requirements With Simulation-Based Education In Paramedic Education, Kimberly Whitten-Chung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study was limited clinical site access for paramedic students causing delays in completion and exacerbating critical staffing shortages in healthcare. The purpose of the study was to explore perceptions of paramedic program directors (PD) in Colorado regarding use of simulation-based education (SBE) to supplement program-determined clinical requirements. Kolb’s experiential learning theory was the conceptual framework that guided this study. Research questions focused on Colorado paramedic PDs’ perceptions about advantages, disadvantages, and barriers involved with replacing program-determined clinical education with SBE. A basic qualitative design was used to capture insights of 6 Colorado paramedic PDs through semistructured …

Narrative Inquiry Into Postsecondary Transition Outcomes For Young Adults With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, Eric R. Sarrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) continue to struggle with community engagement despite decades of research and policy initiatives addressing postsecondary transition. Evidence shows that persons with IDD are engaging in employment, postsecondary education, independent living, socialization, and other roles at significantly diminished rates, yet little data exists describing this participation in the voices of those affected. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to describe community integration of persons with IDD in the decade following postsecondary transition in their own words. Critical disability theory was used as a lens to explore the successes and failures of public …

The Perceptions Of Adult Patients Who Experience Needle Fear During Cosmetic Injections, Julia Hoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAdult patients receiving cosmetic injections frequently experience needle fear symptoms which results in patient discomfort, suffering, and poor injection outcomes. The needle fear experience contributes to a decreased quality of life and possible avoidance behaviors involving other medical treatments requiring needles. Researchers have conducted quantitative studies which explored interventions on pain reduction but there are no qualitative studies from the perspectives of adults experiencing needle fear. The purpose of this research study was to explore the perceptions of needle fear in adult patients receiving cosmetic injections in a medical office setting. The interpretative phenomenological approach was used to provide an …

Emergency Department Operational Strategies, Joyce W. Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEmergency Department Operational Strategies by Joyce W. Davis MBA/MHA, Pfeiffer University, 2011 BS, North Carolina A&T State University, 1980

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration

Walden University December 2022

Fully Automated Life Support Training Effects On Inpatient, Cardiac Arrest Survival Rates, Adessa D. Goss

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, more than 200,000 adult patients die annually from inpatient cardiac arrest with survival rates stagnated at 22%–25% nationally. Recently, the adoption of fully automated life support training modalities by health care organizations has become widespread with limited literature available showing the effects on inpatient, cardiac arrest survival. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effects of fully automated life support training on inpatient, cardiac arrest survival. Applying Bloom’s mastery learning theory, the impact of the Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) quarterly training and hospital unit compliance on inpatient cardiac arrest return of spontaneous circulation …

Competency-Based E-Learning Module For Nurses In A Multi-Service-Line Surgical Unit, Exequiel P. Naculangan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Negative patient outcomes have been attributed to surgery-related complications. A gap was identified in an acute care unit in southern Texas because postoperative surgical complications were above acceptable rates. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to educate staff nurses on the provision of evidence-based postsurgical care. This doctoral project was conducted to determine whether completion of a learning module would increase nurses’ level of knowledge in acute postoperative care. The project was grounded on Knowles’s adult learning theory and the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. Learning material using competency-based education was developed using the analyze, design, …

Food Insecurity In Community College Students In The Central Valley Of California, Leah Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMany college students struggle with having enough money to pay for the costs of college and basic necessities, such as adequate food, which leads to food insecurity. Food insecurity results in a more challenging time focusing on studying and less success in school. This study addressed the lack of a profile of a food-insecure California community college student at Hiker’s Community College (HCC; pseudonym) in the Central Valley of California. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the profile of a food-insecure student and to determine relationships between food insecurity and ethnicity, gender, being a first-generation college student, …

An Integrated Approach To Hand Hygiene, Tarsha Renee Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHealthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) threaten the quality and safety of the services provided. HCAIs are infections that occur while a patient is receiving treatment for another condition in any type of healthcare. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately one in every 20 inpatients will become infected with an HCAI during their hospital stay. Proper hand hygiene is the most significant intervention in preventing HCAIs. Despite hand hygiene's effectiveness, evidence suggests that only 50% of healthcare workers are compliant with proper hand hygiene techniques. The purpose of this project is to increase nurse’s knowledge the via education. Kotter's eight-step change …

Stroke Prevention Through Education, Laura Lee Ballance

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis project focused on two concepts: a need for a stroke prevention program and what should be included. The problem with early identification of stroke is not formally addressed at the project site, physician’s office. A physician’s office can play a beginning key role in minimizing the risk of stroke. The purpose of this project was to explore the evidence to support the need for and to determine ideal content for a stroke prevention education program. This program focused on early detection and identification of risk factors to prevent stroke occurrence. The theoretical framework of Pender’s health promotion model aligns …

A Provider Education Program Addressing Barriers To Diabetic Patients’ Self-Care, Henrietta O. Emokidi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes is the leading cause of death among American Indian/Alaskan Natives and the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) affects 9% of the U.S. population and costs the United States an estimated $245 billion annually. The purpose of this project was to identify patients’ concerns related to their disease and to develop an education program for providers to address these concerns. The project was framed using Orem’s theory of self-care and the middle-range theory of self-care of chronic illness. Five providers in an underserved clinic in Alaska conducted assessments during a primary care …

Interprofessional Intentional Empathy Centered Care (Ip-Iecc) In Healthcare Practice, Deepy Sur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Training interprofessional healthcare teams continues to advance practice for patient-centered care. Empathy research is also advancing and has been explored in social work, psychology, and other healthcare areas. In the absence of understanding empathy in an interprofessional setting, educators are limited in preparing teams to develop empathy as part of core competencies This grounded theory study explored for a theory of how interprofessional healthcare teams conceptualize and operationalize empathy in their practice. Azjen's theory of planned behavior and Barrett-Lennard's cyclical model of empathy framed the study. Data were collected using 6 focus groups and 24 semistructured interviews of varied healthcare …

Staff Education: Hypertension Management For Adults In Primary Care Settings, Doris Adediwura Obaze

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Management of hypertension and its complications requires health care providers to

understand the reason for developing the disease. Complications of hypertension (HTN)

are more prevalent when patient interventions are not consistently performed by staff. A

gap in staff knowledge regarding the management of patients with HTN was noted at an

outpatient clinic in the southwestern United States. A staff education project based on

the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC-8) guidelines for HTN management was

developed to address the gap in knowledge. This DNP project sought to understand the

impact of an evidence-based staff education program in improving the knowledge of …

Development Of An Interactive Game For Education Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections, Sherri Arrington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence rates are increasing in the United States and globally. Education has been found to be an important strategy for increasing STI testing and treatment rates among sexually active young adults. The goal of this project was to develop an interactive educational game suitable for young adults to decrease the social and economic burden of STIs. The health belief model informed the project. A moderated usability evaluation was conducted using the concurrent think-aloud technique. The participants (N = 5) were a purposive sample of professionals who played the interactive game and then completed Schnall, Cho, and …

Simulated Clinical Experience: An Investigation Of Emotion Understanding And Management, Neena White Jones

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many investigators have documented that lack of emotional intelligence (EI) in professional nursing correlates with patient dissatisfaction, negative patient outcomes, and litigation. However, much less information is available to nurse educators for an effective instructional strategy to increase EI skills, specifically emotion understanding and management (the most influential branches of EI) in nursing students. Grounded in the theory of EI and the theory of simulation, the purpose of this quantitative quasi experimental study was to introduce educational technology as a useful strategy for influencing EI in a convenience sample of 88 second semester students in a baccalaureate program. Research questions …

The Impact Of Hiv Prevention Education In School On Young Men Who Have Sex With Men, Michael Edward Tachet

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sex education through the public school system has been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an excellent vehicle by which HIV prevention education can be presented to students, thereby decreasing the rate of HIV infection among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). However, YMSM continue to be at high risk for HIV infection in the United States despite educational efforts to prevent infection. The purpose of this qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was to explore what impact school-based HIV prevention education had on YMSM in the past, and what effect that education has …

Exploring Education Needs For Heart Failure Patients' Transition Of Care To Home, Michelle D. Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Transitions of care is a model designed to ensure that patients have resources needed to assist them to care for themselves at home after hospital discharge, which helps to decrease preventable adverse events. For people with heart failure (HF) to transition home from the hospital successfully, specific education is needed that is individualized to the disease process, but most patients' educational needs after discharge are unmet. The purpose of this qualitative study, guided by the Meleis middle range theory of transition, was to explore the perspectives of people with HF about their educational needs in order to gather data that …

Promoting Early Mobility Of Patients In The Intensive Care Unit, Sheryl L. Gilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Deconditioning occurs in critically ill patients as early as 4 days after entering the intensive care unit (ICU) resulting in a loss of up to 25% peripheral muscle tone and 18% body weight by the time the patient is discharged. Early mobility (EM) has been shown to reduce complications such as neuromuscular weakness, muscle wasting, pneumonia, and the effects of prolonged periods of time on the ventilator. No formal education on EM had been provided to nurses at the clinical site. The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program on EM to promote early ambulation of critically …

Predictors Of Binge Drinking In High School Youths In Montgomery County, Maryland, Lum M. Fube

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Underage drinking is a major problem in the United States, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. About 43,000 deaths a year result from binge drinking in youths at a cost of $24 billion in 2010 to the U.S. economy. The purpose of this quantitative dissertation was to examine the predictors of binge drinking in high school youths in a highly racial diverse community of Montgomery County, Maryland. The social ecological model was the theoretical framework used for this study due to the presence of both personal and contextual factors that influence behavior. Using binary logistic regression to analyze data from …

Head Start Parent Perspectives On Child Exposure To Secondhand Smoke At Home, Christiana Abani Bekie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) are at risk of developing ear infections, asthma, wheezing, bronchitis, as well as retarded lung growth. Indoor smoking is the main source of children's exposure to SHS. Despite a downward trend in smoking, children from low income families, especially African American and Hispanic children, continue to be exposed to SHS at a higher rate than their wealthier counterparts. This multiple case study explored the perceptions of 15 parents of 3- to 5-year-old children currently enrolled in Head Start regarding children's exposure to SHS. This study relied on the social ecological model, the theory of …

Education Models For Teaching Adults About Modifying Dietary Carbohydrate And Controlling Weight, Vincient Cleamons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of diabetes and other pathophysiological conditions has been correlated with the incidence of obesity. A large portion of an adult community in the northwestern United States suffers from excessive weight that has been linked to premature mortality rates and certain forms of diabetes. Excess calories from carbohydrate have been shown to increase weight. Therefore, diets that are modified in carbohydrate and calories may help mitigate weight and obesity comorbidities. This qualitative, single case study's purpose was to explore the methods health care professionals use for teaching adults about controlling weight. Altheide and Johnson's analytic realism theory, in which …

Perceptions Of Community-Based Participatory Research From Community And Academic Members, Ivonne G. Kanko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an increasingly popular form of public health research. However, little is known about the application of CBPR and the levels of involvement for partners in specific phases of the partnership. This phenomenological study addressed the application of CBPR from the perspectives of 7 academic researchers and 6 community members experienced in CBPR. Arnstein's ladder of citizenship participation and the community coalition action theory provided the framework for the study. Semi-structured interviews addressed participants' levels of involvement in the CBPR process, as well as challenges, concerns, successes, and recommendations for improvement. Interview transcripts were analyzed by …

The Lived Experiences Of School Nurses: Transitioning From Hospital To School Worksite, Irene Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School nurses who transition from hospital or clinic-based settings to a school-based work environment often lack sufficient transitioning skills and orientation to cope with the roles and responsibilities of school-based nursing. The result is a high attrition rate among school-based nurses. School nurses may leave their positions due to experiences of marginalization, including isolation, role confusion, and barriers to practice. In this phenomenological study, the lived experiences of 12 school-based nurses who transitioned from hospital or clinical settings were explored. Bandura's self-efficacy and Spreitzer's psychological empowerment theories were used in interpreting the findings. Data were collected via face-to-face individual interviews …

Racial Ethnic Health Disparities: A Phenomenological Exploration Of African American Adults With Diabetes Complications., Florence A. Okombo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racial/ethnic minority groups experience a higher mortality rate, a lower life expectancy, and worse mental health outcomes than non-Hispanic in the United States. There is a scarcity of qualitative studies on racial/ethnic health disparities. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the personal experiences, attitudes, and perspectives of 6 African American adults with chronic health issues related to diabetes through a face-to-face interview. Social cognitive theory and health belief model guided the study. The participants were recruited through purposeful sampling. The data were coded using axial and thematic coding and subsequently analyzed through phenomenological interpretive inquiry. The …

Assessing Teachers' Confidence In Implementing Food Allergy Emergency Plans, Keturah Elizabeth Hawkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Food allergies are an increasing health concern in the United States, affecting nearly 6 million children under the age of 18 years. Research has suggested that 18% of school-age children will have their first allergic reactions at school. Life-threatening allergic reactions experienced by children in the school setting are on the rise; however, little is known about how schools implement policies and practices in response to this issue. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to narrow the knowledge gap by examining teachers' knowledge, ability, and confidence level caring for students with food allergies. Bandura's social cognitive theory, which …

Motivating Allied Health Students To Successfully Complete Core Courses, Lisa Renee Trusclair

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study addressed the problem of a decline in retention of students at a local allied health college. The need for allied health professionals is projected to exceed the availability by 2020, so it is important to identify strategies to help allied health students succeed. The purpose of this case study was to explore perceptions of students and faculty about motivating factors and learning strategies that foster successful progression in allied health programs. Ryan and Deci's self-determination theory, focused on the relationship between motivation and success, served as the framework for the study. Research questions addressed intrinsic and extrinsic …

Mindfulness Meditation Practice By Individuals With Substance Dependent Behavior, Quyen Ho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many people in the United States suffer from substance dependence, which leads to depression, anxiety, work impairment, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, crime, and health care problems. Mindfulness meditation has been applied in many aspects of mental health treatment and all belief systems. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore substance dependents' experiences related to their mindfulness meditation practice of at least 6 months and up to 3 years. A constructivist conceptual framework, which states that human beings create systems for understanding reality based on their individual beliefs, emotions, and interpretations, was used for this study. Research questions focused …

Relationship Between Admission Criteria And Program Completion In A Radiation Therapy Program, Adrienne Mae Dougherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Poor completion rates in the radiation therapy associate's degree program offered through a community college did not meet the standards set by the college and damaged the program's reputation. The relationship between admission criteria and program completion was not known. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any relationships between the admission criteria (GPA in prerequisite courses, interview scores, writing sample scores, and preadmission testing scores) and students' completion of a radiation therapy associate's degree program. This correlational study used 2 stages of Tinto's retention theory: (a) recruitment and admission to college and (b) pre-entry assessment …

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

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

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

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

Higher Education Leaders' Transformative Learning And Leadership Experiences Responding To Student Drug Abuse, James Vernon Battin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Today's academic and social environment creates uncertainties, new roles, frequent changes, and challenging situations for student affairs academic leaders. The purpose of this study was to explore how student affairs academic leaders described their recent challenging experiences in addressing student drug abuse in higher education. The conceptual framework was based on adult transformative learning theory and applied transformative leadership perspectives. An interview format with open-ended questions was used to explore the experiences of 8 student affairs leaders who had faced challenging situations in the context of student drug abuse. A qualitative interpretive analysis was used that involved open coding of …