Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Professional Portfolio: An Evidence-Based Assessment Method, Michelle Byrne, Kathryn Schroeter, Shannon Carter, Julie Mower

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Competency assessment is critical for a myriad of disciplines, including medicine, law, education, and nursing. Many nurse managers and educators are responsible for nursing competency assessment, and assessment results are often used for annual reviews, promotions, and satisfying accrediting agencies' requirements. Credentialing bodies continually seek methods to measure and document the continuing competence of licensees or certificants. Many methods and frameworks for continued competency assessment exist. The portfolio process is one method to validate personal and professional accomplishments in an interactive, multidimensional manner. This article illustrates how portfolios can be used to assess competence. One specialty nursing certification board's process …

Effects On Resilience Of Women Family Caregivers Of Adults With Serious Mental Illness: The Role Of Positive Cognitions, Jaclene A. Zauszniewski, Abir K. Bekhet, M. Jane Suresky

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This study examined the effects of risk and protective factors on resilience in 60 women family members of adults with serious mental illness. Both the risk factors constituting caregiver burden (strain, stigma, client dependence, and family disruption) and protective factors, including eight positive cognitions were found to predict two indicators of resilience: resourcefulness and sense of coherence. The effects of caregiver burden on resourcefulness and sense of coherence were mediated by positive cognitions, lending support to resilience theory and suggesting the need to develop interventions to encourage positive thinking among women caregivers of adults with mental illness.

How To Select The Correct Education Strategy: When Not To Go Online, Carol Klingbeil, Norah L. Johnson, Joan P. Totka, Lynn Doyle

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Screening for intimate partner violence is an important injury prevention strategy. Nurses who develop staff education, to promote screening, need to select a method that is sensitive to learners. Online learning, although convenient, is not well suited to sensitive topics such as screening for intimate partner violence. The purpose of this article is to describe a curriculum for intimate partner violence screening based on self-efficacy theory, which includes a hospital-produced video, a role play, and a discussion.

Current Medical Research Winter 2008–Spring 2009, Richard Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Note that the “Current Medical Research” feature focuses on issues relevant to natural family planning and the beginning of life. This piece is complemented by medical reviews published in The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, which focus more on other areas of general medical interest including end-of-life issues.—Ed.

A Critical Appraisal Of Guidelines For Antenatal Care: Components Of Care And Priorities In Prenatal Education, Lisa Hanson, Leona Vandevusse, Joyce Roberts, Amanda Forristal

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

There are a variety of published prenatal care (PNC) guidelines that claim a scientific basis for the information included. Four sets of PNC guidelines published between 2005 and 2009 were examined and critiqued. The recommendations for assessment procedures, laboratory testing, and education/counseling topics were analyzed within and between these guidelines. The PNC components were synthesized to provide an organized, comprehensive appendix that can guide providers of antepartum care. The appendix may be used to locate which guidelines addressed which topics to assist practitioners to identify evidence sources. The suggested timing for introducing and reinforcing specific topics is also presented in …

Teaching Excellence: What Great Teachers Teach Us, Barbara Johnson-Farmer, Marilyn Frenn

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Given the shortage of nurse educators, we sought to better understand teaching excellence because it is crucial for developing the next generation of nurses. A grounded theory approach was used. The sample included 17 respondents, thought to be excellent teachers, from universities across the United States. Consenting respondents were asked, “What do you do to bring nursing to life with your students?” Using line-by-line coding and the constant comparative method, five major themes emerged: (a) engagement, (b) relevance, (c) student centeredness, (d) facilitation of learning, and (e) dynamic process of becoming an excellent nursing educator. We found that the core …

Risk Management & Patient Safety: Focus On The Patient And The Rest Falls Into Place, Kathryn Rapala, Kathryn Leonhardt

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

It is difficult, if not impossible, to define and separate risk management and patient safety roles. Both track and mitigate patient care error and improve processes with the goal of improving patient outcomes. At Aurora Health Care, risk management and patient safety are intertwined throughout the system. In the course of clarifying function, we have attempted to delineate risk management from patient safety, only to conclude that it is difficult to identify where one ends and the other begins. The structure and process that we are developing at Aurora Health Care offer advantages as well as challenges, but the organizational …

Retaining The Next Generation Of Nurses: The Wisconsin Nurse Residency Program Provides A Continuum Of Support, Marilyn Meyer Bratt

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Because of the high costs associated with new graduate nurse turnover, an academic-service partnership developed a nurse residency program that provides a comprehensive support system that spans 15 months. Now in its fourth year, involving more than 50 urban and rural hospitals of varying sizes and geographic locations, the program provides formalized preceptor training, monthly daylong educational sessions, and mentoring by clinical coaches. Key factors contributing to the success of this program are a dedicated, cohesive planning team of individuals who embrace a common agenda, stakeholder buy-in, appropriate allocation of resources, and clear articulation of measures of success, with associated …

Current Medical Research Winter 2007/Spring 2008, Richard Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Relationships Among Perceived Burden, Depressive Cognitions, Resourcefulness, And Quality Of Life In Female Relatives Of Seriously Mentally Ill Adults, Jaclene A. Zauszniewski, Abir K. Bekhet, M. Jane Suresky

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Providing care and support to a seriously mentally ill (SMI) family member can have deleterious effects on one's health and quality of life. This study explored relationships among perceived burden, depressive cognitions, resourcefulness, and quality of life in 60 African-American and Caucasian women family members of SMI adults. Caucasians reported greater burden than African-Americans; the groups were similar in depressive cognitions, resourcefulness, and quality of life. In Caucasians and African-Americans, burden correlated with depressive cognitions and both correlated with poorer mental health. In African-Americans, burden also correlated with lower personal resourcefulness and both correlated with poorer mental health. The findings …

Predictors And Outcomes Of Postpartum Mothers' Perceptions Of Readiness For Discharge After Birth, Marianne E. Weiss, Lisa Lokken

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To identify predictors and outcomes of postpartum mothers' perceptions of their readiness for hospital discharge. Design: A correlational design with path analyses was used to explore predictive relationships among transition theory-related variables. Setting: Midwestern tertiary perinatal center. Participants: One hundred and forty-one mixed-parity postpartum mothers who had experienced vaginal birth or Cesarean delivery of normal healthy infants. Methods: Before hospital discharge, patients completed questionnaires about sociodemographic characteristics, hospitalization factors, quality of discharge teaching, and readiness for discharge. Three weeks postdischarge, mothers were contacted by telephone to collect coping difficulty and health care utilization data. Main Outcome Measures: Readiness for …

The Catholic Physician And Natural Family Planning: Helping To Build A Culture Of Life, Richard Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This paper is based on the author's answer to a question from Theresa Notare, director of the Natural Family Planning Program of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, about what Catholic scientists and physicians can do to promote NFP and what the Catholic Church in the United States can do to help physicians and health professionals promote NFP. The paper reviews the Church's historical call for health professionals to study and to teach NFP methods, briefly analyzes the current state of NFP in Catholic health care, and provides an answer to Dr. Notare from the perspectives of research, education, and …

Contributions Of Supportive Relationships To Heart Failure Self-Care, Margaret Sebern, Barbara Riegel

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Supportive relationships are known to improve outcomes for persons with heart failure (HF). Supporters may do so by improving self-care, but little is known about the influence of supportive relationships on HF self-care.

The purpose of this study was to explore background characteristics associated with supportive relationships, and the contribution of supportive relationships to HF self-care. The construct of shared care was used to operationalize supportive relationships. Shared care refers to a system of interpersonal processes (communication, decision making, and reciprocity) used in close relationships to exchange support. A cross sectional design was employed recruiting 75 HF dyads.

Older patients …

Efficacy And Efficiency In Natural Family Planning Services, Richard Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Relatively few Catholic couples in the United States use modern methods of natural family planning (NFP). So too, few Catholic physicians and health professionals prescribe the use of NFP methods for their patients. Reasons for low use of NFP methods include their perceived low efficacy; the complexity of learning, using, and teaching these methods; and the prolonged (and often unnecessary) required abstinence. Newer and simplified methods of NFP have been developed by physicians and scientists that are less complex and use modern technologies of detecting fertility and communicating instructions. Catholic physicians and scientists need to continue to answer the call …

Environment And Obesity In The National Children's Study, Leonardo Trasande, Christine E. Cronk, Maureen S. Durkin, Marianne E. Weiss, Dale A. Schoeller, Elizabeth A. Gall, Jeanne B. Hewitt, Aaron L. Carrel, Philip J. Landrigan, Matthew W. Gillman

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: In this review we describe the approach taken by the National Children’s Study (NCS), a 21-year prospective study of 100,000 American children, to understanding the role of environmental factors in the development of obesity.

Data sources and extraction: We review the literature with regard to the two core hypotheses in the NCS that relate to environmental origins of obesity and describe strategies that will be used to test each hypothesis.

Data synthesis: Although it is clear that obesity in an individual results from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, control of the obesity epidemic will require understanding of …

Evaluation Of An Intimate Partner Violence Curriculum In A Pediatric Hospital, Norah L. Johnson, Carol Klingbeil, Marlene Melzer-Lange, Candi Humphreys, Matthew C. Scanlon, Pippa Simpson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

OBJECTIVE. Intimate partner violence harms victims as well as families and communities. Many barriers account for limited intimate partner violence screening by nurses. The purpose of this study was to measure how participation in a curriculum about screening parents for intimate partner violence, at a pediatric hospital, affects a nurse's knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and self-efficacy for intimate partner violence screening.

METHODS. In this interventional, longitudinal study, data were collected before participation in an intimate partner violence screening curriculum, after participation, and 3 months later. The measurement tool was adapted from Maiuro's (2000) Self-efficacy for Screening for Intimate Partner Violence Questionnaire. …

Understanding Relationships In Health Related Quality Of Life For Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Norah Louise Johnson

Dissertations (1934 -)

Nurses encounter many parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Both parents are under stress that ultimately impacts their health related quality of life (HRQL). Few studies assess the mediators of parenting stress on HRQL for both parents. This study explored the relationship of parenting stress, family functioning and HRQL for parenting dyads of children with ASD. Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and Lakey and Cohen's (2000) Social Support Theory framed the study.

Implementing a cross sectional, descriptive design, 387 parents (n=64 dyads) of ASD-affected children, from 46 states, completed web-based surveys. Demographics, the …

Efficacy Of A Behavioral Intervention To Decrease Medication Transcription Errors Among Professional Nurses, Kathleen Ann Becker

Dissertations (1934 -)

The purpose of this study, guided by Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model, was to evaluate if a cognitive-behavioral education intervention would decrease medication transcription errors among professional nurses when admitting patients 65 years of age or older on 5 or more prescribed medications to a hospital. The conceptual framework for this study is derived from Donabedian's structure-process-outcome health model. The premise suggests improving the structure or process of a system can improve health outcomes. My intervention (cognitive behavioral education), specifically influences the process of medication history obtainment which improved medication error score. In this study, a randomized intervention design was used where …

Is A School Based Educational Program Effective In Changing Knowledge Regarding The Prevention Of Shaken Baby Syndrome?, Margaret Kay Stelzel

Dissertations (1934 -)

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) involves physiological and neuropsychological sequelae secondary to parental or caregiver handling of an infant or young child (Goldberg & Goldberg, 2002). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) (2001), non-accidental head injuries are the leading cause of traumatic death and cause of child abuse fatalities. The prognosis is extremely poor with a death rate of 26-36% and up to 78% of the survivors suffer long-term disability (Barlow & Minns, 2000). According to Prevent Violence Against Children Act, 2005 Wisconsin Act 165; SECTION 7.121.02(1)(L)6 educational SBS requirements are mandated, effective school year 2007-2008. Two instrument development …

Community/Public Health Nursing Practice Leaders' Views Of The Doctorate Of Nursing Practice, Susan M. Swider, Pamela F. Levin, Julia M. Cowell, Susan Breakwell, Pearl Holland, Janet Wallinder

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

ABSTRACT Objectives: This paper presents thoughts of practice leaders in the community/public health nursing (C/PHN) specialty on advanced nursing practice (ANP) and the necessary educational preparation for such practice.

Design and Sample: Practice leaders were engaged in conversations specifically focused on the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) as preparation for ANP in their specialties, and asked to consider the benefits of, and challenges to, this educational program.

Measures and Results: The resulting remarks were then assessed for themes by the interviewers and these are presented along with thoughts on the future of education for ANP.

Conclusion: Overall, there was much …

Who Do You See When You Reflect?, Kathryn Schroeter

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Is Breastfeeding The Moral Equivalent Of Emergency Contraception In Inducing Early Pregnancy Loss?, Richard J. Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This paper provides a counter-argument to the notion that breastfeeding acts as an abortifacient and is thus the moral equivalent of abortion-causing drugs, e.g., Plan B or what is referred to as emergency contraception. Those who make this comparison do so in order to ridicule health professionals who refuse to prescribe or refer abortifacient-type contraceptive drugs and to ridicule laws that protect this right of conscience for healthcare professionals. In this paper I will provide evidence that breastfeeding does not induce early pregnancy loss and that it is not the moral equivalent to the administration of abortifacient-type drugs.

Second-Stage Labor Care: Challenges In Spontaneous Bearing Down, Lisa Hanson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Substantial scientific evidence supports spontaneous maternal bearing down for its associated maternal and fetal physiologic benefits. Imposing specific directions for Valsalva pushing does not result in optimal outcomes but continues to be widely used, particularly when labor progress is less than optimal. However, there are numerous evidence-based approaches that can be used to avoid reverting to directed, prolonged Valsalva bearing down. Nursing care challenges may be encountered when using physiologic approaches; therefore, strategies are detailed to alleviate a variety of problems including ways to promote physiological descent and effectively support women's spontaneous efforts. For example, maternal postural interventions are suggested …

16s Rrna Gene-Based Analysis Of Fecal Microbiota From Preterm Infants With And Without Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Yunwei Wang, Jeanette D. Hoenig, Kathryn J. Malin, Sanaa Qamar, Elaine O. Petrof, Jun Sun, Dionysios A. Antonopoulos, Eugene B. Chang, Erika C. Claud

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is an inflammatory intestinal disorder affecting preterm infants. Intestinal bacteria play a key role; however no causative pathogen has been identified. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in microbial patterns which may be critical to the development of this disease. Fecal samples from twenty preterm infants, ten with NEC and ten matched controls (including four twin pairs) were obtained from patients in a single site Level III neonatal intensive care unit. Bacterial DNA from individual fecal samples were PCR amplified and subjected to terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and …

Depressive Symptoms In Elderly Women With Chronic Conditions: Measurement Issues, Jaclene A. Zauszniewski, Abir K. Bekhet

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: Depression is highly prevalent in elderly women with chronic conditions and measuring depressive symptoms is complicated by co-occurring chronic illnesses. The 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale is commonly used with elders, but its length may result in missing data. Twelve short four to 16 item CES-D forms exist, but their psychometric properties have not been systematically evaluated.

Method: This study of 250 elderly women compared reliability and validity estimates for the 20-item CES-D and its 12 short forms; all scales used four response alternatives. The study also investigated whether women with varying numbers of chronic conditions …

Exploration Of African American Women’S Infant Feeding Choices, Karen Marie Robinson, Leona Vandevusse

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

It is well documented in the literature that breastfeeding is more beneficial for infants and mothers than is formula feeding. Yet, African-American women are least likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding compared to other ethnic groups. Few studies have examined African-American women's infant feeding choices from the women's perspectives. Therefore, the purpose of this

exploratory study was to examine African-American women's infant feeding choices with individual narrative interviews at 3 weeks postpartum. Five African-American women participated. After coding and analyzing the narrative interviews, three major themes with sub-themes emerged that identified influencing factors on participants' choices and their opinions about …