Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Impact Of Culturally Tailored Shared Medical Appointments On Diabetes Self-Care Ability And Knowledge In African Americans, Adrienne L. Reddick, Deborah C. Gray

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to disproportionately affect African Americans, significantly impacting morbidity and mortality. Research suggests that addressing barriers that stem from socioeconomic circumstances, systemic inequalities, biological factors, and cultural factors may positively influence biometric indicators of health and diabetes control. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate a diabetes shared medical appointment (SMA) model program that has been culturally tailored to address the unique social determinants of health barriers faced by an inner city African American population in Norfolk, Virginia. Methods: A pilot study using a within-group pretest–posttest design was conducted. Information was collected …

A Comparison Of Chief Complaints, Specific Diagnoses, And Demographics Of Pediatric Urgent Care Visits Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Study, Zaharoula A. Viennas, Julie Martin, Benjamin Klick, Tammy Speerhas, Turaj Vazifedan, Danielle Millspaugh, Jennifer Ferris, Margret Bedle, Lauren Paluch, Theresa Guins

Nursing Faculty Publications

There was an increased incidence of pediatric patients who presented with injuries caused by falls not related to sports or other recreational activities, as well as for animal bites, during the early pandemic period of April 2020. Education of parents and caregivers of young children is warranted to raise awareness of the even greater potential for falls and animal bites when children are confined at home for longer than typical periods of time, as occurred with the stay-at-home government orders during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stop The Bleed: Preparing Bystanders To Manage Life-Threatening Hemorrhage, Janice Hawkins, Heather Killion, Brandon Sparrer, Lynn Wiles

Nursing Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Do you know what to do if you encounter someone with life-threatening bleeding? Accidents can happen at any time, on the road, or in the workplace; It is important to know how to act quickly with the appropriate supplies needed to save a life.

Three Cases Of Covid-19 Pneumonia That Responded To Icosapent Ethyl Supportive Treatment, Winston Suh, Ivan Urits, Omar Viswanath, Alan D. Kaye, Haresh Patel, Wade Hall, Jonathan P. Eskander

Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Icosapent ethyl, a form of eicosapentaenoic acid with anti-inflammatory activity, has been approved as an adjunctive treatment with statins in patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Icosapent ethyl is currently undergoing clinical trials to determine its anti-inflammatory effects in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This report describes 3 intensive care unit (ICU) patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated with icosapent ethyl as part of their supportive care who had favorable outcomes.

CASE REPORT Case 1 was a 75-year-old man with a past medical history of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Case 2 was …

The Effectiveness Of An Anesthesia Handoff Tool: An Electronic Health Record Application To Enhance Patient Safety, Karen Gillikin, Nathaniel Apatov

Nursing Faculty Publications

Perioperative patient care handoffs are complex and multidimensional and require accurate attention to detail. Communication failures among healthcare providers increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. Utilizing a standardized handoff tool located within the electronic anesthesia record formalizes the handoff process and improves patient safety. Prior to the introduction of the Electronic Anesthesia Handoff Tool, 82 patient care transfer observations were conducted; subsequent to the launch of the tool, 75 patient care transfer observations were conducted, and then before and after comparisons were made. Descriptive statistics, a two-tailed t-test, and Spearman’s correlations were conducted. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05. There were significantly (p< .05) fewer errors made in all categories of patient information following the introduction of the Electronic Anesthesia Handoff Tool. Though there were trends towards more omissions occurring after 3:00 p.m., the difference in most patient information categories was not significant (p< .05). In addition, there were no differences in omissions related to the severity of patient co-morbidities based on patients’ American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification. This study provided information regarding the incidence of patient information inaccuracies and omissions during patient care transfer before and after implementation of an electronic patient care transfer tool.

Re: Sleep And The Family Doctor: Time To Lead, D. Bluestein, A. C. Healey, C. M. Rutledge

Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Acceptability Of Behavioral Treatments For Insomnia, Daniel Bluestein, Amanda C. Healey, Carolyn M. Rutledge

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Behavioral treatments for insomnia are safe and efficacious but may not be embraced by patients in primary care. Understanding factors associated with acceptability can enhance successful use of these modalities. The objective of this study was to identify demographic and clinical/psychosocial correlates of behavioral insomnia treatment acceptability.

Methods: This nonexperimental, inventory-based, cross-sectional study enrolled patients from a hospital-sponsored primary care clinic and 2 urban academic family practices. Participants (n = 236) were 18 years of age or older who had clinically significant insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index score >= 8) and were recruited consecutively at these sites. A study coordinator …

Psychosocial Correlates Of Insomnia Severity In Primary Care, Daniel Bluestein, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Amanda C. Healey

Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose: Insomnia is a substantive primary care issue that leads to adverse outcomes. These can be improved by addressing factors that accentuate insomnia severity. Accordingly, this study identifies correlates of insomnia severity and determines whether these relationships vary with sociodemographic attributes.

Methods: This correlational cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital-sponsored primary care clinic and 2 urban, academic family practice centers. Participants consisted of 236 patients 18 years old or older with clinically significant insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index scores of 7 or more). Surveys instruments included the Insomnia Severity Index, SF-8 (Medical Outcomes Study SF-8 global health status measure), CES-D …

The Effect Of Culture On Urinary Incontinence: Do We Really Understand?, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Direct-To-Consumer Advertising For Erectile Dysfunction Drugs, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

The author reflects on direct to consumer advertising which is concerned with erectile dysfunction drugs. She suggests that many people have problems with open discussions of sexual health problems. She argues that urologic nurses should have discussions with pharmaceutical representatives about ways to responsibly educate the public about erectile dysfunction drugs in a manner that is not offensive.

Evaluation Of The Urinary Incontinence Scales© To Measure Change After Experiential Learning: A Pilot Study, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Urinary Incontinence Scales© to measure change after student participation in a disability-incontinence experiential learning activity was the focus of this pilot study. A comparison between pretest and posttest scores showed a significant increase in Belief and Practice subscale scores after participation in the experience. However, positive correlations between the variables measured could not be established.

Continence Care: The Need For Creativity And Innovation, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) In April 2007, I attended a conference quite different from anything I had previously experienced. The conference, Innovating for Continence: The Engineering Challenge, was hosted by the Simon Foundation for Continence. As the title implies, this was not your usual conference about the diagnosis, treatment, and management of urinary incontinence. Rather, it was a conference dedicated to exploring technological advances in continence care. The central question throughout this two-and-a-half day event was, "What can be done to simulate continence technology to ensure the most effective management for persons who suffer with this problem?"

Teaching And Learning In Urology Nursing, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Engendering Student Empathy For Disabled Clients With Urinary Incontinence Through Experiential Learning, Karen A. Karlowicz, Kay L. Palmer

Nursing Faculty Publications

As part of a rehabilitation clinical course for senior baccalaureate nursing students, a disability-incontinence experiential learning activity is required. The assignment is intended to familiarize students with some of the challenges encountered by a client with mobility problems, including continence management issues using disposable undergarments. Wearing the undergarments dry and wet while being confined to a wheelchair provides insight and promotes empathy for patients with bladder control problems.

Enhancing The Geriatric Competence Of Urologic Nurses, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

Editorial. Provides strategies for enhancing the geriatric competence of urologic nurses. Improvements in nursing practice and in other health care professions; Considerations in caring for older adults; Implications for nursing practice.

Making Tough Decisions, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

This article focuses on the aspect of critical thinking in making tough decisions in life. Advances in urology have resulted in a range of therapies for many urologic diseases and disorders. Patients need information about each treatment, and the time to fully consider the effect of a given therapy on their overall health. Keep in mind that patients who are empowered to make decisions about their health care are more likely to comply with the treatment plan. Likewise the author urges readers to use their critical thinking skills to solve the clinical problems they are confronted with daily.

Needed: Urologic Nursing Mentors For New Grads, Karen A. Karlowicz

Nursing Faculty Publications

Presents the accomplishment felt after a completion of intense course of study. Inundation of nursing graduates; Assessment of nursing education programs; Tips to develop the role as urologic nurse.

Comparison Of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners' And Pediatric Residents' Care Of Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Infants, M. Gary Karlowicz, Jennifer L. Mcmurray

Nursing Faculty Publications

Objective: To compare outcomes and charges of health care delivery to extremely low-birth-weight infants by neonatal nurse practitioners (NNP) and pediatric residents.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: A 56-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a university teaching hospital.

Methods: Study population included all infants with birth weights less than 1000 g who were admitted to the NICU during the 2-year period between September 1, 1994, and August 31, 1996. Infants who died earlier than 12 hours of age, or who were admitted after 1 week of age or with major malformations, chromosomal abnormalities, or congenital infections were excluded. There …

Sensitizing Students To Functional Limitations In The Elderly: An Aging Simulation, Sherry Allen, Viki Lorraine, Anne Lockett, Carolyn M. Rutledge

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Using activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) as a focus, faculty at Eastern Virginia Medical School provide an aging simulation exercise for a mandatory fouth-year clerkship in geriatrics. The specific aims of the simulation are to 1) experience the physical frailties of aging, 2) develop creative problem-solving techniques, 3) identify feelings regarding the experience of functional loss, and 4) develop proactive clinical approaches to the care of the elderly.

Methods: Students are assigned one of four diagnoses (Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, advanced diabetes, or stroke) and are then impaired to simulate …

The Importance Of Religion For Parents Coping With A Chronically Ill Child, Carolyn M. Rutledge, Jeffrey S. Levin, David B. Larson, John S. Lyons

Nursing Faculty Publications

This study examines differences in the stability and consequences of religious coping among parents (N = 102) of chronically ill children. Analyses revealed that changes in religious patterns due to a child's illness were reflected in changes in other, non-religious coping resources. Specifically, parents whose pre-illness religious patterns were satisfactory did not alter their use of other coping resources, whereas parents who reported changes in their religious patterns also made changes in their use of familial financial and social support systems.