Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

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

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 …

Risk Stratification For Acute Heart Failure In The Emergency Department, Danika M. Nelson

Nursing DNP Projects

Background

Heart Failure (HF) is a primary diagnosis for hospital admission in adults from the Emergency Department (ED), but not all patients require hospitalization. Emergency Heart Failure Mortality Risk Grade (EHMRG) is designed to estimate mortality in patients with acute HF in ED settings.

Objectives

To risk-stratify patients with acute HF using EHMRG scores and assess patient safety.

Methods

Retrospective cohort analysis of 304 patients with acute HF presenting to an ED at a large tertiary healthcare center. EHMRG scores were calculated per previous thresholds. Mortality and Major Adverse Cardiac Event (MACE) rates were analyzed.

Results

EHMRG risk group respective …

Barriers To Healthy Births At Nigerian Hospitals, Caroline Johnston

Senior Theses

Maternal mortality is a problem everywhere, but it is especially dangerous in Nigeria where the average woman experiences pregnancy six times during her lifetime (Population Reference Bureau, 2001). Many researchers focus on the medical complications associated with labor, such as hemorrhage, eclampsia, or infection. Although these birth complications are the direct sources of maternal death, it is also important to recognize how maternal mortality is a multifaceted issue influenced by local cultural groups, religions, politics, poverty level and the absence of basic infrastructures. Although maternal mortality is interconnected with social and geographical elements, my paper concentrates on Nigerian hospitals and …

Examining The Relationship Of Blood Transfusions And Acute Morbidity In Preterm Infants, Kayla Chavis Everhart

Theses and Dissertations

Preterm infants, those that are born less than 37 weeks gestational age, often suffer major morbidity and mortality during hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit due to their prematurity; one of the major morbidities is Necrotizing Enterocolitis, a devastating gastrointestinal disease. The exact aspects that cause preterm infants to develop Necrotizing Enterocolitis are unknown; however, our hypothesis is preterm infant thermal stability and/or preterm infant stress around packed red blood cell transfusions are etiological factors in the relationship between these necessary transfusions and morbid outcomes such as Necrotizing Enterocolitis.This dissertation includes an in-depth background and introduction of various morbid …

Health Screening For Individuals Diagnosed With Mental Illness Within A Housing-First Organization, Jennifer J. Chamberlin

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

Background: Individuals with serious mental illness are a high-risk population that need improved access to physical health care. Many have negative experiences with the healthcare system and need support in accessing it. A housing-first organization in Vermont offers wrap-around services to these individuals but does not have a standardized way to assess for client healthcare needs or to communicate with primary care provider offices.

Purpose: The project aimed to: 1. Identify the current processes used to assess client health needs; 2. Change organizational workflow to include comprehensive and standardized health protocols. 3. Instruct staff to increase knowledge to identify and …

Evaluating The Impact Of Federal Mental Health Policy: An Analysis Of How Federal Deinstitutionalization Impacted Persons With Severe Mental Illness, Jillian K. Douglas

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This policy evaluation project evaluated how federal mental health policy changes impact individuals diagnosed with severe mental illness through analyzing how institutionalization and deinstitutionalization policies impact persons with severe mental illness (SMI). In order to determine how federal policy changes impact outcomes for people diagnosed with SMI, psychiatric hospitalization rates per 100,000 from 1850 to 2015 are compared to the life expectancy, incarceration rates per 100,000, and percentage of unhoused population with SMIs in the United States (U.S.) during the same years. Research compiled for this paper found that decreasing the numbers of psychiatric beds correlates within creased rates of …

Atrial Fibrillation In Covid-19: A Descriptive Study Of Incidence, Mortality And Related Factors, Diana L. Taylor

DNP Research Projects

Abstract

This scholarly project determined the relationship of atrial fibrillation (AF) occurrences in COVID-19, as it is the most frequent arrhythmia in the U.S. and is driven by inflammatory pathology. In COVID-19 positive patients with AF occurrences understanding the relationship between these conditions could help identify patients with poor prognosis, higher morality, and other factors earlier in the hospital course.

This single-center scholarly project was a retrospective descriptive chart review to determine the relationship between AF and COVID-19 over a 6-month timeline in Chattanooga, TN. Of the 565 hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients included, 82 (14.5%) had AF occurrences. A higher …