Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Implementing An Evidence-Based Practice Change For Alcohol Withdrawal In An Acute Care Hospital, Theresa Carroll

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) affects a significant portion of the population in the United States. When AUD is either unrecognized or inadequately treated in the acute care setting it can lead to medical complications, increased length or stay (LOS), increased healthcare expense, and increased patient mortality.

PICOT: In a population of adult patients admitted to an acute care hospital progressive care unit (P), how does applying an initial evidence-based screening tool to detect risk for moderate to severe alcohol withdrawal, the PAWSS (I), compare to no standard screening or assessment for potential alcohol withdrawal symptoms (C) affect the …

Osteoporosis Implications For The Aging Adult, Grace Alford

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

This poster describes the pathophysiology, symptoms, implications for care, and treatment of osteoporosis for advanced practice RNs. The research was conducted within health-related databases. The literature review narrowed the search to only include the pathophysiology, interventions, and care for osteoporosis. Literature was restricted to within the past five years. The research showed that osteoporosis reduces mineral density in bones and can be adequately treated within a short amount of time. It is important for nurses and advanced practice providers to be aware of current guidelines, screenings, and treatments for osteoporosis.

Nurses' Pandemic Lives: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Experiences During Covid-19., Kathleen Gray, Paulette Dorney, Lori Hoffman, Albert Crawford

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

BACKGROUND: The US healthcare settings and staff have been stretched to capacity by the COVID-19 pandemic. While COVID-19 continues to threaten global healthcare delivery systems and populations, its impact on nursing has been profound.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to document nurses' immediate reactions, major stressors, effective measures to reduce stress, coping strategies, and motivators as they provided care during COVID-19.

DESIGN: Mixed-methods, cross sectional design. Participants responded to objective and open-ended questions on the COVID-19 Nurses' Survey.

PARTICIPANTS: The survey, was sent to nurses employed in health care settings during the pandemic; 110 nurses participated.

RESULTS: Immediate reactions of respondents …

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 …

Covid-19 And The Impact On Rural And Black Church Congregants: Results Of The C-M-C Project, Lovoria B. Williams, Anita F. Fernander, Tofial Azam, Maria L. Gomez, Junghee Kang, Cassidy L. Moody, Hannah Bowman, Nancy E. Schoenberg

Nursing Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on Black and rural populations with a mortality rate among Blacks three times that of Whites and both rural and Black populations experiencing limited access to COVID-19 resources. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the health, financial, and psychological impact of COVID-19 among rural White Appalachian and Black nonrural central Kentucky church congregants. Secondarily we sought to examine the association between sociodemographics and behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs regarding COVID-19 and intent to vaccinate. We used a cross sectional survey design developed with the constructs of the Health Belief and Theory …

The Need For A Sepsis Screening Tool In An Outpatient Facility, Michael C. Ciccarone

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Sepsis is an exaggerated inflammatory response generated by the immune system secondary to the presence of septicemia, or pathogens within the bloodstream. An average of 270,000 individuals die from sepsis each year, while a total of 1.7 million cases occur annually. Research has shown that the early identification of sepsis prior to hospital admission is associated with decreased lengths of stay, hospital-associated costs, and overall mortality. To demonstrate this research, 26 healthcare staff members in an outpatient clinic were provided with a pre-survey, qSOFA sepsis screening tool, and a post survey to determine if these materials
increased participant confidence when …

Implementation Of A Cost-Effective Treatment Algorithm For The Management Of Acne Vulgaris In College Students, Cristina Borsilli

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Acne is one of the most common skin disorders in the United States, occuring in over 5.1 million Americans. Of those with acne, 53.8% are adults between the ages of 18 and 44 years old (American Academy of Dermatology [AAD], 2017). Acne can lead to multiple issues such as scarring, poor self-esteem, anxiety, and depression (Zaenglein et al., 2016). Acne can also negatively impact quality of life (Cengiz & Gurel, 2020). The purpose of this evidence-based project was to develop a cost-effective treatment algorithm for the management of acne vulgaris in adult college students. A literature search determined the best …

A Tailored Multicomponent Intervention In Primary Care For Survivors Of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Rebecca L. Peterson

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include 10 traumatic events of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction that occur before 18 years of age. Adverse childhood experiences affect greater than 60% of the population, and approximately one in six individuals affirm that they have experienced four or more types of ACEs. They are associated with negative, long-term health outcomes in adults, including 9 out of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.; Felitti et al., 1998). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a tailored, multicomponent intervention to mitigate the …

Efficacy Of Diabetes Self-Management Education Administered Via Telehealth For Adults With Uncontrolled Diabetes, Tanner Free

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Patient’s with a diagnosis of diabetes require significant lifestyle modification and education. The need for patient education has led to the development of diabetes self-management education (DSME) classes. Unfortunately, utilization of DSME classes is only 5% among Medicare beneficiaries and 6.8% among privately insured patients (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2018). The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project was to implement DSME via telehealth and assist with goal formation to help patients with uncontrolled diabetes achieve glycemic control by increasing access to crucial education. The intervention consisted of bi-weekly calls for a period of 3 months. Participant data were …

Fall Prevention: Remote Video Monitoring, Shawna Moser

MSN Capstone Projects

Patient safety is a top priority for all healthcare organizations, but as a healthcare facility, is everything, within the means of the facility, being done to ensure patient safety? Challenges exist for all healthcare organizations when faced with patient safety, but there it is a necessity for these healthcare organizations to overcome these challenges and protect their patient population. A common challenge within the acute care setting is the prevention of falls. “Falls during hospitalization harbor both clinical and financial outcomes” (Gringauz et al., 2017, p. 1). Research on fall interventions has shown that a multifocal approach is most effective …

Protecting Sleep To Reduce Delirium In An Adult Intensive Care Unit, Heather Thomas

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Delirium is a common, yet often preventable complication in hospitalized patients. It is often caused by fragmented sleep, medications, environmental stimuli, and treatment therapies.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this evidence-based practice change project was: For patients in an adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU), does using a nurse-initiated, non-pharmacological sleep-enhancement protocol, versus no sleep-enhancement protocol, reduce the incidence of ICU-delirium over a period of 2 months?

Evidence: The reviewed literature supported the evidence for effective use of a nurse-initiated protocol in reducing delirium in the ICU. Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria for the review of literature …

Improve The Risk Of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections With Central Line Dressing Changes Through A Team Approach, Jessica Comstock

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) are a preventable hospital acquired infection which contributes to patient morbidity, mortality and rising healthcare costs.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In adult inpatients with central venous catheters, does the use of a two-person dressing change team, compared to a single person procedure, decrease the rate of central line associated bloodstream infections over the course of 8 weeks?

Evidence: The prevention of CLABSI is most effective when multifaceted line maintenance bundles are implemented and adherence to these bundles nears 100% (Schreiber et al. 2018).

Intervention: A two-person, …