Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Increased Discharge Compliance Through Mental Health Follow-Up, Robert H. Kirby

MSN Capstone Projects

Emergency departments are being strained to their breaking points as a result of the recent COVID pandemic. These departments are in need of programs that can help to reduce stress on not only limited budgets but also reduce the strain on their overwhelmed staff. One such strain on emergency departments and their limited resources is the readmittance of mental health patients as a result of non-compliance of the discharge instructions. The change project looks to address whether following up 10 days post discharge can increase discharge instruction compliance and ultimately reduce readmissions. The aim of the project is through the …

Promoting Recognition And Rescue: Human Trafficking Screening, Erin E. Pittman

MSN Capstone Projects

The exploitation of human beings is a serious public health concern (Centers for Disease Control [CDC] 2018). The United States Department of Justice (2018) defines human trafficking as an act of coercing a person’s labor services or commercial sex acts. Family Nurse Practitioners play a significant role in the identification of victims, especially those practicing in emergency departments. A majority of healthcare providers have yet to establish a standardized screening tool and there is little evidence regarding the impact these screening tools have in recognizing victims of human trafficking (Emergency Nurses Association, 2018). This alarming information brings about the clinical …

Improving Caregiver Health Literacy Of Pediatric Febrile Illness: A Patient Care Initiative, Rebecca T. Shipley

DNP Final Reports

Background: Pediatric fever, though typically harmless and incredibly common, can cause substantial fear and anxiety for caregivers unfamiliar with how to manage or treat this condition at home. Studies evaluating pediatric emergency department (ED) rates have repeatedly found fever to be a leading reason for clinical evaluation. Local EDs record percentages as high as 40% of pediatric patients seek evaluation primarily for fever. Purpose: Provide educational resources for high-risk populations to reference at home regarding fever so that avoidable ED visits decreased and caregiver knowledge of fever improved. Methods: An educational program was implemented at a pediatric primary care clinic …

Acuity-Based Staffing: Improving Patient Outcomes And Staff Satisfaction, Natalie Long

MSN Capstone Projects

Traditionally, nurse staffing practices have been based on a nurse-patient ratio model and have not incorporated patient acuity. More recent literature has shown that acuity-based staffing can improve patient outcomes and staff satisfaction. The Emergency Department (ED) is an area that has fluctuating patient acuity and volume. To incorporate acuity in to staffing in the ED, the acuity mix over the past year can be used to calculate required nursing hours, therefore providing the number of required nurses for that facility. The calculated number of staff can then be distributed over a 24 hour period. By incorporating acuity in to …

Predictors And Outcomes Of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation, Ailin Puckett

DNP Research Projects

Objective: Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is lifesaving and one of the most common interventions implemented in the intensive care unit (ICU). More than half of the patients in the ICU require IMV within the first 24 hours after ICU admission. This project aimed to evaluate and predict the mortality rate of hospitalized patients on IMV by examining their risk factors, such as patient demographic characteristics, disease status, social environment, and discharge status.

Methods: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database 2016 was used to identify patients requiring IMV. Mortality was the dependent variable. Independent variables had four major categories. First, patients’ …

The Influence Of Adaptive Challenge On Engagement Of Multidisciplinary Staff In Standardising Aseptic Technique In An Emergency Department: A Qualitative Study, Amanda Towell-Barnard, Susan Slatyer, Helen Cadwallader, Michelle Harvey, Susan Davis

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Aims and objectives: To explore the challenge of engaging multidisciplinary staff in standardising aseptic technique (AT) in an emergency department (ED) in an Australian tertiary hospital, and to better understand the enablers and barriers to implementing practice change within this setting.

Background: Healthcare‐associated infections are the most common complication for patients in acute care. A clinical practice framework developed in the United Kingdom (UK) standardised AT practice to reduce potential infection risk. One Australian tertiary hospital drew upon this framework to similarly improve clinical practice. It was understood that standardising practice would require some practitioners only to revisit and demonstrate …

Clarifying Workforce Flexibility From A Division Of Labor Perspective: A Mixed Methods Study Of An Emergency Department Team, Sarah Wise, Christine Duffield, Margaret Fry, Michael Roche

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The need for greater flexibility is often used to justify reforms that redistribute tasks through the workforce. However, "flexibility" is never defined or empirically examined. This study explores the nature of flexibility in a team of emergency doctors, nurse practitioners (NPs), and registered nurses (RNs), with the aim of clarifying the concept of workforce flexibility. Taking a holistic perspective on the team's division of labor, it measures task distribution to establish the extent of multiskilling and role overlap, and explores the behaviors and organizational conditions that drive flexibly.

Methods: The explanatory sequential mixed methods study was set in the …