Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Playing It Sun Safe: A Quality Improvement Project, Sarah P. Tarr, Kathryn K. Dambrino, R. David Phillippi, Ashley Karpinos

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Athletes who play outdoor sports have multiple risk factors for the development of skin cancer. Literature highlights the need for the use of evidence-based strategies to improve the knowledge and utilization of sun protection practices in this high-risk population. Methods: Playing it Sun Safe was a multifaceted skin cancer prevention initiative implemented in a population of collegiate soccer athletes in collaboration with a university athletic department and campus health clinic. Evidence-based interventions were designed through application of the Health Belief Model (HBM) and were implemented using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) quality improvement framework. Purpose: The two-fold aim …

Best Screening: Introducing The Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid To Nicus In Tennessee, Gabrielle Sledge

OTD Capstone Projects

Blind Early Services Tennessee (BEST) is an early intervention agency that serves children ages 0-5 with visual impairments across Tennessee. BEST serves over 200 children and families across the state offering early intervention (BEST Start), parent empowerment (BEST Advocate), and family support (BEST Together) programming. The purpose of this project was to assist in the implementation of an early identification initiative (BEST Screening) using the Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid (NAVEG). The NAVEG is a newborn vision screening shown to identify neurological risk for visual impairments. The long-term goal of this program is to promote the screening and early identification …

The Parkinson's Wellness Project: An 8-Part Educational Video Series, Samantha L. Stevenson

OTD Capstone Projects

The Parkinson’s Wellness Project is an 8-part educational video series created by Samantha Stevenson, a student in Belmont University’s Doctorate Program in Occupational Therapy. Purpose: This project was created to benefit all persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their care partners who attend Rocksteady Boxing (RSB) in Franklin/Nashville, TN. Methodology: The student conducted research to identify the salient issues experienced by people living with PD. The issues were then synthesized into 8 separate categories including the following: facial expression, mental health, sexual health, self-care, sleep, diet and nutrition, meditation, and postural alignment. Experts in the healthcare field produced specialized content …

Hpv Vaccination Knowledge, Attitudes, And Uptake In College Nursing Students, Joanna Marie Plumb, Jeannie Giese, Martha Buckner, David Phillippi, Robin Cobb

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a preventable, sexually transmitted infection. The vaccines for HPV are safe and effective, but previous research demonstrated that nursing students have low knowledge levels and vaccine uptake. Low knowledge and attitude levels in nurses and nurse practitioners can influence parental and patient decision making for HPV vaccination. Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was to evaluate HPV knowledge and attitudes and their association with vaccination uptake in college nursing students. There is limited research in the United States on HPV knowledge, attitudes, and uptake of the vaccine among nursing students. Methods: This project …

Community Of Immunity: A Process Improvement To Increase Influenza Vaccination Uptake, Macy Ball

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background & Review of Evidence: Annual flu vaccination has been recommended for everyone over the age of six months (National Foundation for Infectious Disease [NFID], 2016). A low flu vaccination rate among college students living in a residential community poses the risk for spreading a highly-contagious respiratory illness caused by the virus. Students have the ability to spread the disease to everyone around them in their dormitories, classrooms, shared restrooms and via social gatherings (NFID, 2016). College students who contract the flu virus experience approximately eight or more days of the illness (NFID, 2016).

Purpose: The purpose of …

Mortality Influenced By Sepsis Bundle Compliance And Initial Lactic Acid In Severe Sepsis And Septic Shock, Evelyn George

DNP Scholarly Projects

Sepsis, a life-threatening infection killing 270,000 yearly, is a concern to health care providers, policy makers, and patients due to its high volume and increasing cost. Patients older than 64 years have a higher occurrence of sepsis and greater mortality risk. The Surviving Sepsis Guidelines (SSG) recommends the use of the three-hour bundle that standardizes care to decrease cost, morbidity, and mortality. The three-hour bundle includes two treatments, intravenous fluids and antibiotics, and two tests, blood cultures and lactic acid level. One bundle element, lactic acid level, is associated with higher mortality rates, although only a few studies exist. The …

A Quality Improvement Project To Improve Blood Specimen Acceptance Rates In An Emergency Department, Christian Hankins

DNP Scholarly Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to implement a quality improvement project to improve blood specimen acceptance rates at a specific Emergency Department (ED) using strategies to enhance knowledge, improve motivation, and reinforce skill. Background: Specimen acceptance rates continue to fall outside of the recommended target rate of 98% or higher at a specific ED. In this particular ED, the responsibility for specimen collection has shifted away from phlebotomists and towards nurses, many of whom have received little to no phlebotomy training. Without proper blood collection techniques, specimens are more likely to be rejected, and re-collection of rejected blood …

Pediatric Asthma Telemonitoring: Literature, Theory, And Application To Practice, Erin Christine Shankel

DNP Scholarly Projects

Asthma is one of the most prevalent and costly chronic diseases faced by Americans today. It is marked by inflammation and hyperresponsiveness of the airways which fluctuates, often unpredictably, in response to triggers. As such, it causes particular challenges symptom management, especially on the part of the patient who is tasked with dealing with these frequent fluctuations for months at a time between regularly scheduled health care appointments. This is further complicated when the patient is a child, and symptoms must be interpreted and managed second-hand by a caregiver. Uncertainty about how to manage symptoms, as well as minimization of …

Medication Adherence And Intervention To Create Success In Hypertensive African Americans In A Rural Setting, Laneita Davis

DNP Scholarly Projects

Hypertension is a chronic disease that has been a major problem in the African American community for decades. Although numerous research studies have examined interventions to combat this disease, there has been very little research published that focused on African Americans with hypertension in a rural setting. Rural residents experience many difficulties in accessing healthcare services. This difficult access is a disadvantage that results in higher morbidity and mortality rates compared to those of their urban counterparts. Being from a small town in Mississippi, I have witnessed first hand the many barriers that are encountered. Individuals who live in a …