Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Implementing Animal-Assisted Therapy During Psychiatric Intakes, Rebecca Dorne

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Introduction: The purpose of this evidence-based project is to determine if Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) causes improvements in veterans’ feelings of anger, anxiety, depression, and suicidality in the acute psychiatric setting during psychiatric evaluations. The project aims to provide veterans with an additional way to experience short-term relief from symptoms while discussing their symptomology with mental health providers.

Background: The prevalence of depression is 20% higher in veterans than in that of the general population. Similarly, it has been shown that 23% of all veterans using VA care have had PTSD at some point in their lives. In the Psychiatric Emergency …

Improving Mental Health Support For Nursing Students Through Mental Health First Aid (Mhfa) Training Of Clinical Faculty, Amy Sands

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This project aimed to implement a process improvement program at the Louisville campus of Galen College of Nursing to improve the mental health support for nursing students through the training of Clinical Instructors (CIs) in using adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and the ALGEE actions described within that program.

Nursing Interventions For Psychosis And Other Mental Health Crises: A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study Of Nurses’ Experiences, Christopher Jasensky

Dissertations

The nursing profession experiences caring for patients suffering psychosis and managing crises events in a way that is unique to all other healthcare providers. A gap in research and literature exists related to this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of nurses caring for patients experiencing psychosis or some other severe mental health issue. By analyzing the common expressions and behaviors of nurses in situations involving care of psychosis, the meaning of the care giving experience and thus, an understanding of the interactions involved with caregivers in psychosis was revealed. Participants provided experiential, firsthand …

Improving The Mental Health Nursing Competencies Of Nurses Caring For Patients With History Of Substance Use Disorder In Long-Term Care Settings, Nancyver Lafleur-Omeler

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background

While nurses are often on the front lines of working with patients with a history of substance use disorders (SUD), most have limited training in this area. Nurses who work in Long Term Care (LTC) settings are often challenged to resolve the practical issue of needing more competency in caring for SUD patients. Horner et al. (2019) agreed that the deficiency of mental health knowledge and skills in healthcare workers is linked to decreased quality of care, which can diminish patient outcomes. This lack of competency must be addressed (Margoliese & Vandyck, 2019).

Purpose

The goal of this project …

The Use Of Therapeutic Gardening In Addiction Recovery, Sophia Agne

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Numerous recent studies have emerged detailing the benefits of horticultural therapy on mental health and wellness. Despite this, substance use disorder treatment facilities rarely include an outdoor component in their programming. The project seeks to examine the advantages of incorporating therapeutic gardening as a complementary part of addiction treatment.

Context: The microsystem where the study was conducted was at a 32-bed residential substance abuse treatment facility for adult men who have previously been involved in the criminal justice system. The treatment approach employed at the facility aligns with the Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) curriculum, which emphasizes mental health-informed …

Educating Nurses On Mental Fatigue, Tawanna Ann Canty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education correlates with nurse performance and avoiding mental fatigue. This project attempted to answer the question, “Educating nurses on mental fatigue will increase knowledge” focusing on educating rehabilitative nurses regarding mental fatigue. The project was guided by the Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate model. Twenty rehabilitative nurses were administered a pretest consisting of 10 multiple-choice test questions. They received education on mental fatigue through PowerPoint presentations and handouts. After completing the education, participants were administered a posttest with the same 10 questions. An evaluation tool consisting of six questions was completed measuring an increase in knowledge after the posttest. …

Educating Nurses On Mental Fatigue, Tawanna Ann Canty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education correlates with nurse performance and avoiding mental fatigue. This project attempted to answer the question, “Educating nurses on mental fatigue will increase knowledge” focusing on educating rehabilitative nurses regarding mental fatigue. The project was guided by the Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate model. Twenty rehabilitative nurses were administered a pretest consisting of 10 multiple-choice test questions. They received education on mental fatigue through PowerPoint presentations and handouts. After completing the education, participants were administered a posttest with the same 10 questions. An evaluation tool consisting of six questions was completed measuring an increase in knowledge after the posttest. …

Depression, Gerardo Serrano

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Depression is a common illness worldwide, with an estimated 3.8% of he population affected, including 5.0% among adults and 5.7% among adults older than 60 years (Schomerus et at., 019). Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression (Schomerus et at., 2019). Depression is different from usual mood fluctuations nd short-lived emotional responses to challenges in everyday life. Especially hen recurrent and with moderate or severe intensity, depression may become serious health condition. It can cause he affected person to suffer greatly and unction poorly at work, at school and in he family. At its worst, depression can lead …

Implementing Adverse Childhood Experience Screening In An Intensive Outpatient Mental Health Program, Bryan Amaro

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) are linked to damaging events which happen to people when we are young (0-18). ACEs are connected to a phenomenon known as the toxic stress response which can later become the root etiology for many mental health, substance abuse and chronic medical health complications our society faces. ACEs affect all populations and do not discriminate across socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, or geographic lines. Roughly two thirds of Americans have experienced at least one ACE. This project seeks to perform ACE screening at an Intensive Outpatient behavioral health center by screening for ACEs upon all admissions into …

The Effects Of The Transition From Pre-Nursing To Nursing On Mental Health, Andrew J. Davis, Paige R. Mullins, Kimberly A. Sell

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mental health is an ever-growing crisis among adolescents and young adults, with suicide as second leading cause of death and the number of those negatively affected continually on the rise. Transitions are one of the major stressors prevalent among these age groups, placing individuals at risk for mental health deficits. This quantitative voluntary response comparative study assesses the transitional mental health of pre-nursing students and students in the nursing program at East Tennessee State University. Emailed to all with a declared major of pre-nursing or nursing, this study measured mental health using evidenced based assessment tools. The PHQ-9 for depression …

Improving Nurse Self-Efficacy Regarding Depression Among Cardiovascular Disease Patients: An Education Intervention, Presten Beatty

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Depression is a principal cause of increased morbidity, mortality, and decreased quality of life for cardiovascular disease patients. Low levels of nurse confidence have been the outcomes of several studies and anecdotal reports regarding providing care for and approaching patients with acute and chronic illnesses in conjunction with behavioral and mental health issues. Current literature suggests that improving nursing education on the prevalence and impacts of depression improves nurse confidence. Depression screening tool education provided to nurses, with detailed disease information, empowers nurses in their attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors regarding patient depression. By improving depression screening rates among cardiovascular disease …

Improving Mental Health Documentation Through Education: An Intervention For Level Of Care Utilization System (Locus) Use In Psychiatric Crisis Placement, Lauren Ozimek

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Purpose: The Community Mental Health Act (1963) created crisis stabilization units to lessen burdens of emergency departments addressing psychiatric crises. Crisis stabilization units – including the project site – evaluate treatment efficacy via assessments including the Level of Care Utilization System (LOCUS). The LOCUS is totaled into a composite score, expected to decrease at treatment completion. The project site has not consistently seen LOCUS scores decrease at completion. The project’s purpose was to improve use of a clinical assessment tool to reflect treatment and progress for patients utilizing crisis stabilization programs. A secondary aim was to increase incidence (75%) of …

Adolescent Suicide Prevention Via Parental Education, Junelle Shepard, Mary Val Palumbo

College of Nursing and Health Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Publications

Purpose. Up to 24% of children from the ages of 12 to 17 have reported suicidal ideation, with 7-11% reporting at least one suicide attempt in the past 12 months (Hetrick, 2017). In a study by Jones et al (2019) over 50% of parents were unaware their child was exhibiting suicidal ideation. This project aims to increase community awareness of suicidal ideation and teach community members how to talk with adolescents about this sensitive topic.

Methods. Five online training sessions were offered in Fall 2021, with each session lasting 90 minutes. Using Smith et al.’s Suicide Knowledge and Skills Questionnaire, …

Policies That Support Emergency Department Staff In Providing Behavioral Health Care, Lizabeth Lepp Hennig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A significant portion of individuals with a behavioral health (BH) condition return to emergency departments (ED) seeking care, resulting in reduced quality of care, and contributing to disproportionate healthcare costs. Care can be improved and return visits to the ED reduced where behavioral health care and follow-up care planning are provided as part of their treatment. However, policies expected to create declines in ED use for behavioral conditions are typically in short duration or are difficult to use given other funding and policy constraints. With little known about how policy is supporting the engagement of ED staff who are critical …

Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation During Hand-Off In A Mental Health Nursing Unit, Renel Ramos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractCommunication failures, especially inadequate hand-off communication, in U.S. hospitals has accounted for 30% of malpractice claims, resulting in 1,744 deaths over 5 years. This prompted the Joint Commission to recommend utilizing standardized communication tools to reduce the number of medical errors related to miscommunication. The Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) Communication Tool has been used to improve the effectiveness of communication among health care providers. The partner organization noted failures to communicate patient-care-related information between psychiatric mental health nurses (PMHN) during hand-off, given the absence of standardized communication. This project aimed to develop a program to educate PMHNs on the SBAR Communication Tool. …

Screening For Severe Mental Illness In A Correctional Setting Using The Brief Jail Mental Health Screening Tool, Stephanie Kohl

DNP Projects

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Prisoners who are detained in jails and detention centers have higher rates of Severe Mental Illness (SMI) compared to the general population. However, SMI is often unidentified in this population, largely due to lack of assessment using effective SMI screening tools and lack of knowledge among prison staff about the prevalence of SMI and the importance of identification in the correctional setting. Prisoners with SMI often act out violently against others and themselves. Current standard practice for SMI screening varies significantly across jails. Many jails use standard medical questionnaires which help obtain a brief medical history but often …

Gender Differences In The Presentation Of Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Exploring Factors Influencing The Underdiagnosis Of Adhd And Its Effects On Women, Alexis-Phillis Giron

Nursing | Senior Theses

Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes difficulties in maintaining focus, working memory, and executive function. The current literature reveals extensive research on males diagnosed with ADHD whereas fewer studies on females have been performed due, at least in part, to inadequate assessment and/or identification of women who present with subtle gender differences in symptom profile and comorbidity. This thesis reviewed six peer-reviewed primary research articles published between the years 2002 to 2020 that explore the variations in gender differences and the associated comorbidities of adult ADHD. While current literature has identified the differences in gender presentation …

Impact Of Social Isolation In Hiv-Positive Individuals During A Pandemic, Corina Jane Bakoylis

Dissertations

Problem: The global pandemic of COVID-19 caused concern for immunocompromised individuals. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to assess the impact of social isolation on feelings of loneliness, depression, and social isolation experiences in HIV-positive individuals residing in a long-term care facility.

Methods: A mixed-method convergent design with a purposeful sample of HIV-positive adult residents residing in a long-term care facility was utilized. An evaluation of loneliness using the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) were completed. Personal experiences were also assessed with five predetermined open-ended …

Evaluation Of A Dirfloortime® Program For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jennifer L. Pipitone

Dissertations

Problem. Parents with children who have neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience high levels of parenting stress. The prevalence of ASD is on the rise in the United States. As a result, there has been an increase in the use of treatment modalities, in effort to better understand which modalities have the most positive impact on children and their parents. DIRFloortime® is a developmental treatment modality used to help strengthen the parent-child bond and used to decrease parental-child stress. The Autism Parenting Stress Index (APSI) measures the impact of an intervention …

Schizophrenia, Allison Hopps

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Schizophrenia overview including symptoms. Areas of interest regarding research and ways to advance treatment for schizophrenia patients. There is still much to be known about the disease and research to help patients.

Effective Postdischarge Communication From Nursing Staff To Mental Health Patients, Paula Renee Garrison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractMental health patients have a history of decreased follow-up appointments, poor diet, and medication noncompliance after discharge from inpatient facilities in addition to multiple co-morbidities, making a return to the community difficult. The practice problem was an increase in hospital readmissions of mental health patients within 30 days postdischarge due to inadequate post-discharge education and follow-up communication. Using Rodgers’s recovery on mental health theory and Revan’s action learning theory, a staff education program was developed to educate 10 nursing staff and two social workers on how to effectively implement postdischarge communication at 3 days and 30 days after discharge from …

Trends And Factors Associated With Suicide Deaths In Older Adults, Eada Novilla-Surette

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Suicide in older adults is a significant overlooked problem worldwide; particularly in Canada where a national suicide prevention strategy has not yet been established. This population-level study utilized and analyzed linked administrative health care databases (from 2011-2015) that were available at ICES (provincial health care administrative data steward), to build a better understanding of suicide (rate; trends; risks/preventive factors) in older adults living in Ontario, Canada. The findings suggest that suicide remains a persistent cause of death in older adults (with an average annual suicide rate of 0.1 per 1000 people over 5 years; the risks include being male, living …

Mindful Matters: Addressing Barriers To Classroom-Based Mindfulness, Kirsten Munk

Doctoral Projects

A growing body of research suggests that incorporating classroom-based mindfulness interventions in elementary schools is associated with improvements in student behavior, self-regulation, and measures of mental health. However, the adoption of teacher-led mindfulness programs in California’s public schools has not been widely embraced. This doctoral project explored the impact of an educational intervention on pre-service teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and intentions to implement mindfulness interventions in their classrooms. A brief educational intervention and website resource were provided to multidisciplinary teaching credential students in a 2-year graduate credential program. Participants completed a pre- and post-intervention survey to evaluate their intentions to implement …

Mitigating Suicide Risk Post-Discharge From Inpatient Crisis Stabilization: Safety Planning Intervention, Leighia M. Mcghee

Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented safety planning intervention (SPI) tool, comparing patient outcomes relating to suicide attempt rates, emergency department (ED) encounter rates, and inpatient rehospitalizations rates pre and post its integration to care in a suburban behavioral health hospital.

Methods: A descriptive cohort design utilizing a retrospective chart review was completed over six months, three months pre, and three months post implementation of the SPI program. A convenience sample of inpatient charts was reviewed to assess the rate of suicide attempts, ED encounters frequencies, and hospitalization rates …

Medication Adherence And The Schizophrenic Patient, Vennessa Downs

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Medication adherence and patients diagnosed with schizophrenia is an ongoing issue for both health care practitioners and the patient. This a concern because patients with schizophrenia may experience severe adverse reactions from delayed care, withdrawal symptoms and cognitive impairment. Psychiatric medications have side effects that induces sickness, this may explain the reluctance of patients not wanting to continue psychiatric medication therapy. The lack of medication adherence in psychiatric patients leads to a disturbed quality of life; inducing clinical depression, anxiety, psychosis and the use of physical and chemical restraints in the hospital. Patients with schizophrenia that have a good insight …

The Mental Health Experience Among Parents Of Children With Autism, Thao Tran

Doctoral Projects

Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face challenges, stress, and mental health issues than parents of children without autism. Mental health experience of parents in underserved communities are not adequately studied. This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to understand the mental health experience of eight parent caregivers residing in San Joaquin Valley, California. All parents reported the journey was stressful but not all parents described the point when they received the diagnosis as being more stressful than before and after the ASD diagnosis. Parents’ responses to the semi-structured interview that assesses for the degree of ambiguous …

Tool Kit To Address Communication On A Mental Health Unit, Carol L. Barclay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective communication by newly graduated, hired nursing staff is a significant issue affecting patient care on mental health units. The rising prevalence of mental illness in the United States has not only increased the healthcare burden, but has also affected the overall economy. The lack of training of new nursing staff regarding communication diminishes the effective recovery rate of patients, further increasing the burden to the healthcare field and the economy. A tool kit for newly graduated mental health nurses working on mental health units may help to improve communication skills and enhance patient safety and quality of care. Therefore, …

Helping Veterans Of Operation Enduring Freedom And Operation Iraqi Freedom, Dawn M. Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) created multiple challenges for the mental health of soldiers who served there. The local facility in this study determined there was a gap in providing OEF/OIF veterans assistance with mental health issues. The practice-focused question explored whether a training module for nurses would assist in the identification of signs and symptoms of mental health issues in OEF/OIF veterans, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, addictions, and suicidal/homicidal ideations, to help ensure timely referral for services. The project used Kolcaba's comfort theory as the basis for the training module. A pretest, …

Stigma For Caring For Those With Mental Health Issues In The Student Nurse Community: A Survey, Matthew Boyd

Undergraduate Honors Theses

People living with a mental health issue is elevated both nationally and internationally, and the likelihood of a person interacting with someone who has a mental health issue is high. It is even higher for those who work in the health care profession, so understanding their attitudes on this matter is important. As a review of current literature reveals, there is not only stigma in the health care system, but there is also stigma among health care professionals and students. One of the groups of students that has not been researched to a great extent is nursing students and the …

School Nurses' Knowledge And Perceived Role In Mental Health Issues, Kayla Bakker

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background:

There are 74.5 million children in the United States, 17.1 million currently or have previously dealt with a mental disorder (Children’s Mental Health, 2015). Unfortunately, the negative stigma associated with mental health often causes those affected to not seek treatment. School nurses are on the front line of public health problems and deliver safe, effective evidence-based practice to their communities. To rebuild our broken mental health system, community nurses need to build upon school mental health services and encourage more in-school programs (Stephan, Weist, Kataoka, Adelsheim, & Mills, 2007). School nurses must be included in the discussion when …