Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

End-Of-Life Simulation Education, Lucas Farris

MSN Capstone Projects

In the current healthcare workforce, there exists a lack of comfort and knowledge about providing end-of-life (EOL) care that will only continue to worsen without prompt changes to the delivery of education (Jablonski et al., 2020). The lack of knowledge and comfort expressed in providing EOL care leads to a nurse’s moral and physical difficulty when a patient chooses palliative care or hospice. This is a detriment to patients and should be a consideration for schools of nursing when developing curriculum and clinical activities. By promoting changes in curriculum and the addition of an EOL simulation at the undergraduate level, …

Educational Intervention To Increase Confidence And Knowledge Of Pediatric Nurses Caring For Pediatric Mental Health Patients, Alexa M. Wroblewski, Allyson Neal, Janie R. Holmes

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

Background: Given the rise in the mental health crisis, there is an increase of non-psychiatric nurses caring for pediatric mental health patients. This crisis leads nurses to experience feelings of doubt, hopelessness, stress, and insecurities in caring for this population. These feelings, combined with a lack of support and training, create a powerlessness loop of care. Local problem: In a Pediatric ICU, there is a lack of training and resources available to the nurses caring for pediatric mental health patients. Despite the lack of training, 35% of total admissions in 2020 were pediatric patients experiencing an acute mental health crisis. …

Reducing The Stigma Of Nurses In Recovery: Substance Use Disorder And Alternative-To-Discipline Program Education For Nurses, Daniel Paul Del Toro, Pamela Hardesty

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

Decades of previous studies suggest that approximately 10-15% of all actively licensed nurses in the United States may be impaired by or in recovery from alcohol or other drug addiction. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals are experiencing unprecedented amounts of stress, fatigue and emotional distress that when coupled with poor coping mechanisms and easily accessible addictive substances may result in an increased risk for developing substance use disorder. By providing education to nurses regarding substance use disorder (SUD) and alternative to discipline programs (ADP), previous studies have shown that the risk of nurses developing SUD can …

Unit Knowledge And Practice Of Emergency Nursing Interventions At A Tertiary Public Cardiac Health Center In Uganda, Harriet Namukwaya, Cliff Asher Aliga, Grace Nakate, Judith Mutyabule

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Research suggests that many of the millions of deaths and long-term disabilities resulting from acute cardiovascular events and other emergency conditions are preventable if effective emergency care services were readily available. Effective emergency care requires trained and competent staff, including registered nurses. Most educational pathways do not adequately prepare nurses to deliver sensitive health care services for those with acute illness and injury. This includes Uganda, where few capacity-building initiatives have targeted emergency nursing care delivery, leading to knowledge and practice gaps.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess emergency nursing knowledge and clinical practice at a tertiary …

Environmental And Occupational Health Risks: Educating Undergraduate Student Nurses For Best Practice, Dorinda A. Mercado

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

The environments we inhabit, whether homes, schools, workplaces, or the communities that envelop them, are replete with ubiquitous health risks that we routinely ignore to avoid analysis paralysis from worries. Environmental risks are hidden in food, drink, household and personal care products, furniture, and building materials; chemical hazards and physical residues of modern living contaminate air, water, and soil. Occupational hazards are prevalent in workplaces as diverse as agriculture, highways, and hospitals. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022) found that out of 2,310 urine samples taken from a group of Americans from the United …

Instituting A Preceptor Program In Home Health, Abbi Arnold

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Staff being unfamiliar with the role of being a preceptor impacts their ability to perform the job well. Insufficient understanding of a new role creates stress and uncertainty which can lead to poor employee retention or high job dissatisfaction.

Context: The setting for this project is a large hospital-based home health agency that has an average daily census of 375 patients. The project was a collaboration between home health management and the quality department.

Measures: A measurement strategy was developed to meet the outcome measure, process measure, and balancing measure. The outcome measure was increasing the nurses’ understanding of …

Improving Medication Side Effects Documentation And Clinician Understanding In Home Health, Katherine Bales

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: In home healthcare services, care experience scores are increasingly the strategy for evaluating the continuity of care to patients who require post-hospital follow up and guidance on medication management. Clinician understanding of how to use the available medication education tools impacts how well patients are able to manage their own care.

Context: The organization’s Home Health clinicians have not done well providing medication education on side effects as evidenced by low survey scores. The focus of the project is improving the medication education provided to patients and documentation thereof. The project takes place in a home health microsystem …

Why Is Blood Glucose Control Important To Self-Care Of Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?, Mi-Joon Lee, Bum Jeun Seo, Yeon Sook Kim

Nursing Faculty Publications

This study aimed to investigate the change in self-care, self-efficacy, and health status of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and to identify whether blood glucose control influences pregnancy outcomes. This study is experimental research using a one-group pretest-posttest design. The study subjects were 40 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM, and the data were collected in their 24th and 40th week of gestation and analyzed using SPSS 27.0. Paired samples t-test was used to compare the health status, self-care, and self-efficacy of subjects between antepartum and postpartum, and t-test and non-parametric test were used to evaluate the changes in …

Impacting Positive Breastfeeding Attitudes Of Prelicensure Nursing Students Using An Evidence-Based Breastfeeding Module, Stephanie D. Uhr

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Robust evidence demonstrates optimal breastfeeding behaviors provide unmatched short- and long-term health outcomes. Therefore, breast milk feeding is more than a feeding decision; it is a significant public health concern. Breast milk is species-specific nutrition for a developing infant. The health impact of providing breastmilk extends to the lactating parent. However, the existing breastfeeding education is often inadequate to support the care of the breastfeeding dyad. The dissertation examines the role breastfeeding plays in prelicensure nursing education and analyzes the use of an evidence-based breastfeeding educational module (EBBM) on breastfeeding attitudes.Method: An integrative review analyzed the current state of …

The Importance Of Education In The Management Of Diabetes, Taylor Nicole Henry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Type 2 diabetes continues to affect millions of people every day across the United States. Uncontrolled blood sugars pose a risk to individuals’ overall health by causing microvascular and macrovascular changes and ultimately lead to an earlier mortality. One’s blood sugar levels can be checked at any time, but an individual’s hemoglobin (hgb) A1c is a three-month average that allows the diabetic to have an overview on how they are managing their diabetes. Appropriate nutrition and having someone hold the diabetic accountable have proven to limit these risks by lowering the patient’s hgb A1c. Providers and staff need to do …

The Effectiveness Of A Chart Audit And Education Intervention To Improve Rts Referral Rates And Confidence In Emergency Nurses Delivering Care To Patients Experiencing Perinatal Loss, Rachel Kathleen Tillas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Perinatal loss is a significant event in a woman’s life that can have both physical and psychological impacts. Women with perinatal loss often seek care in emergency settings. Research shows that nurses working in emergency settings lack confidence in caring for this patient population, and women who seek care for perinatal loss in the emergency department are dissatisfied with their care. Resolve through sharing (RTS) is an evidence-based approach to bereavement care that offers resources and training to organizations and healthcare professionals. RTS can help bridge the education gap among emergency nurses caring for patients experiencing perinatal loss, be used …

The Effect Of Trauma-Informed Care Education On Improving Knowledge And Confidence Of Clinicians Caring For Women In A Labor And Delivery Setting, Claire Annaliese Wycoff

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The birthing process can be profoundly emotionally, mentally, and physically strenuous for women. Many women feel a loss of sense of control during their labor and birth experience. While trauma during the birthing process can happen to anyone, women with a history of sexual trauma are more likely to experience retraumatization during birth. Health care workers have the ability to exacerbate the patient’s trauma or promote healing through the care they provide. The lack of provider and nurse education in trauma-informed care is related to women’s experiences of secondary trauma during labor and childbirth and can cause prolonged complications for …

Education To Improve Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Use, Travis Donald Wolfangel

Dissertations

Purpose: Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics are underutilized as an evidence-based treatment for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine if a web-based LAI education module changed advance practice prescribers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviors regarding LAI antipsychotics one month after receiving LAI education at a community-based mental health organization.

Methods: This QI project was an observational pre- post-educational design. The 20-item Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) questionnaire was used to assess advanced practice providers’ knowledge retention, attitude changes, and practice modifications regarding LAI antipsychotics and prospective patient chart reviews were performed. …

Providing Education To Staff Members On Implementing Follow-Up Education At Discharge To Patients With Low Heart Scores, Daniel Burton

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) provides accreditation to hospitals, including “heart certification.” The facility was successful at meeting the four measures previously assigned to them. As a result, they were given four new measures. One of these standards is providing discharge education based on “heart scores.”. Only 35% of patients are receiving discharge/follow-up education at discharge from the emergency department (ED).

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the number of patients receiving chest pain education and follow-up instructions in the ED as evidenced by the improvement in documentation of the interventions.

Methods: …

Clabsi’S: Reducing The Rates In An Urban Intensive Care Unit By Consistent Use Of The Central Line Maintenance Evaluation Tool (Clmet), Bridget Smith

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Quality improvement efforts from an urban facility have observed a need for staff education on the central line maintenance bundle and consistent surveillance with the Central Line Maintenance Evaluation Tool (CLMET).

Purpose: To address the practice gap of central line maintenance bundle usage at the bedside by utilizing the CLMET consistently.

Methods: A voluntary didactic program offered to staff and encouraging daily utilization of the CLMET that included real-time feedback by the supervisors.

Results: Pretest grade for the unit (n=13, 82.06) and the post-test grade (n=13, 86.33), which is + 4.27 points after education. Pre-implementation, January 1st through 31st, …

Using The Cdc’S Healthcare Personnel And First Responders: How To Cope With Stress And Build Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic Education Resources To Reduce Burnout Of Intensive Care Nurses At An Urban Acute Care Hospital, Elizabeth Gilbert

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Nurse burnout is a serious problem, as documented by many studies. Burnout has been shown to lower quality of life, performance level, and organizational commitment while also increasing a nurses' desire to leave the job. Despite this knowledge, nurse burnout continues to be present, especially among nurses who work in intensive care units (ICUs). Hospitals need ICU nurses to care for critically ill patients; therefore, it is essential to educate ICU nurses on burnout and initiate measures to decrease burnout in this vulnerable population.

Purpose: The goals of this study are to explore nurse burnout in the medical intensive …

Education Regarding Advance Directives Improves The End-Of-Life Choices Documentation In Heart Failure Patients, Phebe Hagins Wright

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Heart failure affects the lives of more than 6 million people in the United States and outpatient heart failure clinics offer an opportunity to educate patients while providing evidence-based care. A needs analysis revealed that many heart failure patients do not have an advance directive (AD) on file.

Purpose: The DNP project aims to implement an educational program that provides the tools and knowledge to heart failure patients to assist patients in determining their end-of-life care goals and allow them to document these goals in the Five Wishes document.

Methods: This quality improvement project consisted of a didactic educational …

Effects Of Education On Correcting Misconceptions And Acceptance Of The Influenza Vaccination Among A College Campus, Travis E. Fairbanks

DNP Scholarly Projects

Educating patients on the influenza vaccination is an important goal for health care providers. It fosters a working relationship between provider and patient and allows patients to make an informed decision on their health care needs. The percentage of individuals who receive the influenza vaccine in the United States has been consistently below goals set by the committee for Healthy People 2020. This DNP scholarly project aimed to determine whether the introduction of education was effective at increasing individuals’ choice to vaccinate against the influenza virus among college campus students. The study was a non-experimental, non-randomized control trial that utilized …

Evaluating The Extent Of Fall Prevention Knowledge Of Direct Care Clinicians In A Post-Acute Hospital Setting: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Joseph Henry Mitchell Jr

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Events, such as falls, continue to maintain permanence in countless public health settings and organizations, attributing to unnecessary resource utilization. Proven methods for mitigating fall occurrences transpire through reliable fall education and by creating programs that directly impact these incidents. These agendas are essential and can lessen undue stress, obligations, and associated fiscal liability.

Purpose: This DNP project aimed to ascertain and expand unit nurses' fall prevention strategy knowledge in a long-term acute care hospital, bringing awareness of evidence-based practices through a learning addendum.

Methods: This program, based on a descriptive, quasi-experimental, pre-, and post-analysis, strategically …

Prenatal Education For Black Mothers And Their Support Persons As An Intervention For Improving Initiation Of Breastfeeding, Sandra King

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: The benefits of breastfeeding are commonly known; however, the rates of exclusive breastfeeding among the Black community are less than those of other ethnic groups. Providing breastmilk or formula to an infant is an individual decision. Influential factors such as cultural background, employment status, socioeconomic status, level of education, and availability of support from family members and health care providers correlate with the method a mother chooses to feed her infant. Increasing breastfeeding initiation immediately after birth is a necessary precedent for uptake in the exclusivity of breastfeeding.

Purpose: This Doctor of Nursing Practice project aims to improve prenatal …

Preoperative Education For Cardiac Surgical Patients Benchmark Study, Jackson W. Payne

MSN Capstone Projects

Heart surgery is a term that scares a lot of people and rightfully so, as the heart is one of, if not the, most vital organ in the human body. So naturally, one can imagine the amount of fear and anxiety that patients feel when they are told they need heart surgery. This fear and anxiety is not unwarranted, either. Heart surgery, in most cases, is a major and highly complex operation with a lot of potential complications and negatives. Despite this, the majority of the time the benefits do outweigh the risks and patients elect to go forward with …

Hpv Infection And Vaccination: A Question-And-Answer Guide For School Nurses, Mendi England, Karlen E. Luthy, Michael S. Robinson

Student Works

This paper provides school nurses with a quick question-and-answer format guide to common HPV-related questions that are often asked by school aged children's parents.

Relationship Between Vaccine Knowledge And Attitudes Of Undergraduate Nursing Students, Caitlyn D. Wilpstra, Jody L. Ralph, Kathryn D. Lafreniere, Linda J. Patrick

Quality Advancement in Nursing Education - Avancées en formation infirmière

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a growing threat to public health worldwide. While COVID-19 vaccinations and vaccine hesitancy have dominated headlines recently, routine immunizations will continue to be an important focus both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing students represent the next generation of immunizers and health promoters; however, the vaccine knowledge and attitudes of this population are largely unknown.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess baccalaureate nursing students’ knowledge of, and attitudes toward, routine vaccinations. Students’ self-reported vaccination influences were also examined.

Methodology: A quantitative descriptive research design was utilized along with correlational methodology. Vaccine knowledge …

Pediatric Palliative Care Training To Advance Nurses’ Knowledge And Increase Patient Referrals, Whitney Lynn Stone, Lisa Merritt, Tammy Childers

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

Objective: The purpose of this evidence-based practice quality improvement project was to implement an educational intervention to improve pediatric palliative care services in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The goal was to improve nurses’ knowledge of palliative care and increase the number of palliative care consults.

Methods: Educational sessions were created using the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) Pediatric Curriculum. Participants included 46 PICU nurses. Knowledge of palliative care was measured at three timepoints; pre-, immediately post- and four weeks post-intervention. The number of palliative care referrals were measured at two timepoints; three months pre- and three months post-intervention. …

Student Retention And Success In An Rn-Bsn Program: Determining Variables And Methods, Audrey C. Tolouian, Melissa Wholeben, Diane Rankin

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background

The Online Registered Nurse to Baccalaureate Science in Nursing (RN- BSN) Program has a retention rate of close to 97.5% (UTEP, 2020). Attrition rates in nursing programs are high. The National League for Nursing (NLN) last reported a 25 % attrition rate which may double for minority students in four-year nursing programs (NLN, 2014; Elkin, 2019). As online courses in colleges and universities are growing and are predicted to become mainstream by 2025, it is essential to identify factors contributing to our retention rates. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has made it part of its 2021-2022 policy …

Implementing A Diabetic Foot Care Program In A Virtual Primary Care Clinic, Zahra Naderi Asiabar

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Abstract

Background

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have a key responsibility in delivering preventative and early intervention diabetes foot management within primary care. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a major complication of diabetes and can lead to amputations and other wound issues.

Comprehensive care and treatment of diabetes are most effective when patients can access a supportive connection with providers. Before the pandemic, there were many reasons to utilize a technology-based distance approach to health care. The coronavirus pandemic in 2019 prompted additional reasons for the transition to distant care.

Problem

The yearly screening of a virtual foot exam on patients with …

Skin Response: A Multidisciplinary Approach To Pressure Injury Prevention, Shannon E. Jagger Msn, Rn-Bc, Ne-Bc, Cpps, Deborah A. Saber Ph.D.. Rn, Ccrn-K, Patricia Poirier Ph.D., Rn

Journal of Nursing & Interprofessional Leadership in Quality & Safety

Hospital acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are listed as serious reportable events and classified as “never events.” Nevertheless, more than 2.5 million people develop HAPIs in the United States every year with 60,000 dying from associated complications. HAPI rates at the site of this quality improvement initiative were high and required intervention. As a result, the Skin Response (SR) initiative was developed to bring a multidisciplinary team to the bedside within 20 minutes of an identified skin concern. This team consisted of the bedside registered nurse (RN), RN leader, physician, facilitator, nutritionist, and wound RN. Through a team approach, SR assisted …

Improving Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Knowledge Among Registered Nurses On A Medical-Surgical Inpatient Unit In The Midwest, Theresa Umscheid

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common vascular disease and includes approximately 900,000 cases annually in the United States. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to enhance education regarding VTE prophylaxis for registered nurses on a medical-surgical inpatient unit at a hospital in the Midwest. This study was initiated due to one nurse’s perception that staff on this unit lacked confidence and expertise on the importance of VTE prophylaxis interventions. Participants completed a VTE knowledge pretest, followed by an educational intervention on VTE prophylaxis utilizing Health Stream. After the intervention, participants completed a VTE knowledge post-test. The …

Pregnancy Education In Rural Areas, Kayla Tinsley

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

Educating of the pregnancy population before, during and after pregnancy can help to ensure a healthy pregnancy and in turn reduce maternal mortality. The purpose of this research project was to understand education provided in the clinic and hospital setting in a rural area by those who take care of and talk to pregnant women and their support persons. A descriptive research design was utilized to discover the important education topics that are discussed, and the routine tests that are done throughout the pregnancy, during labor and at delivery, and even ask how prepared they feel they are equipped to …

Increasing School Personnel Knowledge And Self-Efficacy Of Allergy Management, Sabrina Monzione

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Introduction: School-aged children with allergies is a growing population. Allergies are a leading cause of chronic illnesses, are costly to the healthcare system, and can result in death. Allergic reactions in schools negatively impact student outcomes. The sites for this improvement project were four urban, public schools in Suffolk County, Massachusetts that did not have standardized school personnel allergy education.

Methods: The project took place in four, urban public schools in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The four schools are comprised of three middle schools and one high school serving over 1,400 students. Over 240 teachers and supporting staff members provide instruction …