Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Enhancing Medication Adherence Behaviors Among Ambulatory Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Patients: A Quality Improvement Project, Desiree Palmer

Doctoral Projects

Introduction: Researchers have found that pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and adolescent patients with sickle cell disease struggle to adhere to medication treatment requirements. Because of this trend, there is a clear need to address medication adherence. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to enhance medication adherence behaviors among pediatric hematology and oncology patients and their families within an ambulatory hematology and oncology clinic.

Methods: The project included a systematic literature review to identify evidence-based interventions, an organizational assessment, and a three-phase multifaceted quality improvement process. To increase patients bringing medications to appointments, 32 medication transportation bags …

Evidence-Based Toolkit To Evaluate Telemedicine Delivery Of Palliative Care, Aubrey E. Dwyer

Doctoral Projects

Advances in healthcare have led to many individuals with cancer to live longer, however the quality of life of these individuals has decreased. Palliative care is a medical sub-specialty that can assist to care for individuals with a life-limiting illness such as cancer. However, the access to palliative care services in rural communities is limited. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Dying in America, increasing access to palliative care will not only enhance the quality of life for patients with a life-limiting illness, but also contribute to a more sustainable healthcare system. The key stakeholders within a Midwest …

Management Of Distress In Adult Oncology Patients, Lauren Jongsma

Doctoral Projects

Cancer related distress has the potential to negatively impact the health of the patient and their treatment outcome (Grassi, Spiegel, & Riba, 2017). As identification and treatment of distress has a positive impact on patient outcomes; the Commission on Cancer (2016) required distress screening for accreditation. Key stakeholders within a Midwest hospital system expressed a desire for the improvement in the current state of the distress screening. Thus, the scholarly paper describes the key attributes of the organizational assessment, a literature review on evidence-based distress screening tool and a quality improvement project. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health …

Care Of Adult Cancer Survivors, Kelsey Kloosterman

Doctoral Projects

As innovative cancer treatments emerge, more people are surviving cancer. Cancer survivors have multiple and unique healthcare needs due to their cancer and cancer treatments. Communication among those treating the cancer, primary care providers, and cancer survivors is necessary to coordinate care once treatment is finished. The development of a survivorship care plan that is reviewed with the cancer survivor is intended to facilitate communication among all stakeholders. This quality improvement project examined current practice in a survivorship clinic in a Midwestern health system cancer center that cares for a variety of types of cancer patients. By reviewing evidence in …