Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Community Of Practice And Knowledge Translation Strategies On Nurse Practitioners' Knowledge And Practice Behavior, Helen M. Holman

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that interactive CE activities will have the most effect in terms of knowledge and practice. Using technology to provide interactivity via computer-based applications is as effective an educational strategy as traditional education formats.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test the effectiveness and satisfaction of educational activities provided within an online community of practice(CoP) on nurse practitioner (NP) knowledge and practice behavior. The online interactive website combined certified continuing education, professional forum, Ask-the-Experts, national guideline links, patient education tools, and professional resources. A Two-Group Control Group design was used. Study participants were assessed on …

Effects Of An Educational Intervention On Hospital Acquired Urinary Tract Infection Rates, Sharon Lanier Smith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In today's hospital environment, good care has become synonymous with positive patient outcomes. Marring this landscape is the alarming rate of hospital acquired (nosocomial) infections. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common hospital acquired infections. The major cause associated with these infections is the use of indwelling urinary catheters. Bacteria invade the lower urinary tract by ascending through or around the catheter. Morbidity associated with urinary catheter-associated UTI can be minimized by prudent decisions concerning catheter usage and good catheter care. The principle route of dispersal of nosocomial infections is likely from patient-to-patient via transiently contaminated hands …

The Effect Of Leadership Skill-Building On Nurse Leader Behaviors, Barbara Drummond-Huth

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Patient outcome data are an important factor in healthcare. Reports by the Institute of Medicine between 1999 and 2001, as well as recent research by Linda Aiken and her colleagues have added more emphasis to measures that can be taken to improve patient outcomes. Because of the role they play in healthcare facilities, nurse leaders are in a position to take the lead in improving patient outcomes. There is evidence to suggest that nurse leaders' transformational leadership behaviors are associated with positive patient outcomes.

The purpose of this project was to identify the effect of transformational leadership skill-building training on …

New Nurse Residency - An Evidence Based Approach, Alice M. Nied

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nurse educators believe that their graduates are well-prepared for entry level positions in nursing. In the acute healthcare setting, new graduates are placed on virtually every type of nursing unit, including critical care. Employers have developed formal orientations to familiarize new graduate nurses new with the institution and its policies and procedures and to teach the things employers believe new RNs need to know but do not, either because they were never taught the material or they have not retained it.

The purposes of this project were to (a) examine the evidence relative to a disconnect between nursing education and …

Effects Of Dietary And Exercise Interventions On The Incidence Of Metabolic Syndrome, Ricky Mccoy Kirby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metabolic syndrome is a serious health problem in the United States. The presence of metabolic syndrome significantly increases the risk of developing type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease by producing a prothrombic state. The prothrombic state that results from the clustering of several independent cardiovascular risk factors within one individual increases the risk of micro and macro vascular changes and eventually to end organ damage.

There is considerable evidence to support the serious nature of this medical condition. Medications used to treat the hypertension, diabetic, and dyslipidemia components of metabolic syndrome can be a significant drain on the monthly budget …

Dietary Interventions To Reduce Metabolic Syndrome In An Uninsured Population: An Evidence-Based Approach, Michele Smith Bednarzyk

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies show that more than one-third of U.S. adults (over 72 million people) were obese in 2005–2006. This includes 33.3% of men and 35.3% of women. Obesity is a primary factor in the development of metabolic syndrome, a condition that places individuals at high absolute risk of mortality and morbidity. The use of a nutritionally balanced diet aimed at weight reduction has the potential to decrease the prevalence of obesity, therefore reducing the incidence of metabolic syndrome and its consequences.

The purpose of this project was to investigate whether individual nutrition counseling would improve the outcomes of patients with …