Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Simulated Learning Experience In Advanced Care Planning Conversations, Brandy Ellis

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Translational and Clinical Research Projects

Background: The CDC (2012) reports that 1/3 of Americans have no advance care planning (ACP), which is essential for maintaining autonomy when people are no longer able to communicate wishes directly. IOM (2014) reports that providers have limited training in communication techniques and low confidence in holding advanced care planning conversations. Nursing simulation is an effective method of teaching clinical skills in a safe environment. The development of a high fidelity (HF) standardized patient simulation, using the Jeffries Simulation Framework, combined with evidence-based practice classroom curriculum, may increase knowledge and confidence in holding ACP conversations for nurse practitioner students.

Methods: …

Student Perspectives On Working In Interdisciplinary Teams To Implement Mhealth, Elina Chun

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Interprofessional education of students in healthcare professions can lead to positive outcomes for students that are unique in a university setting. The purpose of this thesis is to describe benefits and challenges students encounter when working with students of other majors. This study used a convenience sample of students working on a university project to implement mHealth. Participants responded to two surveys with quantitative and qualitative questions. Students reported greater appreciation for diversity, the necessity of communication skills, and self-awareness of their own responsibilities in a team.

Improving Management Of Obstetrical Emergencies: Using Simulation-Based Training, Amira Amatullah

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The aim of this Executive Leadership Doctorate in Nursing Practice project was to assess the effectiveness of simulation-based training as a strategy to ensure patient safety and quality care by improving the knowledge and confidence of obstetric nursing staff. Collateral goals included the development of a simulation-based interactive training program to improve staff response to obstetric emergencies and the establishment of an Interprofessional Simulation Training Center.

The use of simulation-based training is widely accepted ans used in healthcare education. Several benefits of simulation-based training include a learner-centered approach, safe acquisition of technical skills training and development of effective communication skills. …

Critical Illness Survivors’ Perceptions Of Their Recovery: An Interpretive Phenomenological Inquiry, Kelly Calkins

Theses and Dissertations

Surviving critical illness with its physical, cognitive, and psychosocial morbidities is a growing clinical and research challenge and an important public health concern. Currently, there are few interventions for survivors of critical illness after hospital discharge. Potential interventions include rehabilitation services, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) diaries and ICU follow-up clinics, however, most survivors do not have access to these post-hospital interventions.

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how critical illness survivors experience their recovery, interventions they use, and what they perceive as facilitators and barriers to their recovery. A better understanding of these factors, …

Examining Eshift Through The Caregiver Policy Lens: A Content Analysis, Ashlee A. Worrall

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Purpose: This research study intended to understand how a new model of palliative home care in Ontario, Canada called eShift aligned with the needs of caregivers who cared for a family member at the end-of-life.

Methods: A qualitative secondary analysis using a deductive content analysis of 14 caregiver interviews, three decision-maker interviews, and six home care agency documents collected in a three-year study and were analyzed using The Caregiver Policy Lens framework.

Findings: The eShift model of care met caregivers’ needs through timely access to respite, education, collaborating with the health care team, and physical and psychological support. Caregivers were …

Comparing Interprofessional Socialization In Mixed Discipline And Nursing Student Only Cohorts, Kara Groom

Dissertations (1934 -)

A main cause of patient safety incidents are avoidable failures in communication between health professionals. In response, healthcare has entered an era of interprofessionalism in education and patient care. A challenge to substantiating the value of interprofessional education (IPE) has been a limited number of studies that assess the effectiveness of IPE interventions compared to education interventions in which professions were learning separately from one another. This research project helps fill this gap and measures the differences in student interprofessional socialization (IS) between an IPE cohort and a usual care group of one-discipline learners. The purpose was to compare IS …

"Current Anesthesia Education Practices Regarding Music As An Adjunct For Analgesia And Anxiolysis ", Taylor Hull

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Music has been proven as an effective complementary and alternative medicine, and can be an important tool for nurse anesthetist.

Objectives: The purpose of this project was to assess if nurse anesthesia programs are including music as a part of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) curriculum for anxiety and pain in the perioperative setting.

Method: A descriptive survey was sent to program directors of nurse anesthesia programs in the United States to assess the current level of awareness and education regarding music as an alternative medicine as well as barriers to the addition of music into curriculum. …

Preventing Hospital Acquired Pneumonia: A Quality Improvement Project, Calyn Pascual

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: From October 2016 to September 2017, the 5^th floor medical surgical telemetry unit has had 9 incidences of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). Among the facility, this is the floor with the highest HAP incidences.

Context: HAP is associated with $40,000 to $65,000 to each patient care cost; an additional 7-9 days of stay in the hospital, increases the chances of discharging a patient to a skilled nursing facility instead of home, and has an attributable mortality rate (Quinn, et al., 2014).

Interventions: Daily oral brushing self-audits are given to patient care technicians (PCT) for both day and evening …

Chronic Bronchitis, Conrad Boyer

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Chronic Bronchitis is an aspect of the broad disease known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is a widely prevalent disease in the world today and effects 15 million people and is the third leading cause of death. The signs and symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis is very specific, however diagnoses and treatment is different for each patient and can be quite challenging. The pathophysiology underlying Chronic Bronchitis is quite complex with metaplasia changes within the lung parenchyma, increase in mucous from goblet cell hyperplasia and chronic inflammation leading to permanent scarring. The bodies adaptive processes because of Chronic Bronchitis …

Management Of Chronic Low Back Pain With A Nonpharmacological Pain Management Kit Among Military Personnel, Heidi M. Sterling Bsn, Rn, Dnp Student, Karen A. Macauley Phd, Dnp, Fnp-Bc, Gnp-Bc, Robert Topp Phd, Rn

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background & Purpose:Low back pain is the second leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting 17% of Americans. Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is particularly debilitating among professions such as active duty military personnel (ADMP) who are required to maintain military readiness without the assistance of opioids. This scenario can result in individuals enduring untreated pain or resigning from participation in their unit. The purpose of this project is to determine the effect of providing a nonpharmacological pain management kit (NPMK) on pain and functional ability among ADMP who report CLBP.

Study Design:ADMP who suffer from CLBP were …

Improving Self-Efficacy In Persons Experiencing Chronic Back Pain, Mechell Smith

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The effects of chronic pain are extensive and negatively impact the health of an individual. Negative impacts of chronic pain include issues with sleep, cognitive processes, mood/mental health, cardiovascular health, relationships, and overall quality of life. Self-efficacy is an important predictor of outcomes associated with persons experiencing chronic pain. The use of technology in healthcare is supported in the literature and is a promising way to enhance self-efficacy of those experiencing chronic pain. An evidenced-based project was conducted at a rehabilitation and pain specialty office in the northeastern part of North Carolina. The project evaluated if text message reminders of …

Measuring Physiological Responses To Sensation In Typical Adults, Sarah Button, Kristen Christensen, Emily Minor

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Objective: Sensory processing issues can have a large negative impact on the ability to participate in daily occupations such as ADLs, access to work, school and leisure environments, and social interactions (Dunn, 2001). The evidence documenting sensory processing issues in adults is sparse. Physiological information can be used as objective evidence to support the claim that those with over-responsivity to sensations are experiencing their environment differently than the typical population. Understanding more about sensory processing in adults may lead to increased recognition of the problem and more opportunities for intervention to increase occupational participation. The purpose of this quantitative study …

Fear-Avoidance Beliefs In Patients With Acute Low Back Pain, Kayla Heldman

DNP Scholarly Projects

Low back pain affects over 80% of the population impacting their quality of life and causing both disability and loss of work productivity. Acute low back pain is seen as a “favorable” prognosis yet many patients continue to suffer from chronic low back pain. Psychological barriers such as fear-avoidance beliefs have been shown to be a contributing factor in low back pain rehabilitation and chronicity. This project was designed to evaluate if fear-avoidance was a health determinant that affects how primary care providers create treatment plans and to explore the relationship between fear-avoidance beliefs with physical therapy outcomes. Specifically, the …

Inter-Professional Education: A Literature Analysis And Description Of Pacer Study At Western Michigan University, Kari Scholten

Honors Theses

Inter-professional education is a topic that is widely gaining popularity throughout the healthcare field. Because inter-professional practice in the hospital and beyond has proven its value time and time again, universities must take it upon themselves to train their healthcare students to work efficiently and communicate effectively with other disciplines in the healthcare field. Through a thorough literature review, it was demonstrated that inter-professional education studies and simulations that were performed in a range of settings have had positive effects on a variety of factors, including communication, quality of care given, and perceptions of professional roles. A study performed at …

Hyperglycemia And Total Knee Arthroplasty Healing, Kristina Gresh

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.

Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Self-Management And Health Outcomes, Amanda Rose Lambie

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts for publication reporting on adults living with cystic fibrosis, self-management behaviors and health outcomes. Chapter I explores what is known about adults living with cystic fibrosis (CF) and the factors impacting their self-management, including the complexities of a health maintenance regime required for survival while integrating and balancing the realities of adulthood. The review of literature provides direction for future research and implications for adult-focused CF studies. Chapter II is a manuscript describing the characteristics of prognostic survival models utilized in adult CF research and provides an overview of their development, validation, predictive …

The Development Of Supportive Care Needs Scale For Thai Women With Breast Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy, Supanee Klungrit

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Assessment of supportive care needs before setting up care plans plays significant role in conducting patient-centered care, particularly supportive care needs of Thai women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy whose treatment process is specifically different from other group of cancer patients. It was found that supportive care needs scales constructed in western countries had certain limitations of some question items concerning difference in context, ways of life, and culture. Hence they could not assess consistently with all needs of Thai context. This study aims to develop supportive care needs scale for Thai women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy with two …

Influence Of Muscle Strength On Mobility In Critically Ill Adult Patients On Mechanical Ventilation, Audrey R. Roberson

Theses and Dissertations

Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting are prone to develop muscle weakness and the causes are multi-factorial. Muscle strength in adult, critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation decreases with immobility. The influence of muscle strength on different muscle groups and its influence on progressive mobility in the adult, critically ill patient on mechanical ventilation has not been examined. Identifying muscle strength in this patient population can benefit overall muscle health and minimize muscle deconditioning through a progressive mobility plan. The objective of this dissertation was to describe muscle strength in different muscle groups and to describe the influence …

Gender-Specific Facilitators And Barriers To Health-Related Quality Of Life In Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: A Mixed Methods Study, Leigh Ann Bray

All ETDs from UAB

BACKGROUND: With the life expectancy of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) doubling over the last two decades, it is critical that healthcare providers address both quantity and quality of life. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) encompasses physical, social, psychological, and functional aspects of daily living and how CF impacts each one. Women with CF consistently report having an overall poorer quality of life across international studies, but the cause of the gender difference is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore gender differences in HRQoL and then build upon those results to better understand gender-specific facilitators and barriers …

Effects Of Music Therapy On Individuals With Dementia: An Intergrative Literature Review, Liani Sanchez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this integrative review was to examine the effects of music therapy, a complementary intervention, on individuals with dementia. Peer-reviewed journals were retrieved from MEDLINE, CINAHL, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Music Index to evaluate their relevance to music therapy use in people diagnosed with dementia. English and Spanish-language research articles published from 2000-2017 were included for the review (n=15). The literature indicates the use of music therapy as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of dementia in older adults may be beneficial in decreasing symptoms of aggression, anxiety, agitation and depression. …