Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of An Oral Health Training Program For School Nurses, Linda Drengler

Master's Projects

Pediatric dental disease is a silent epidemic (Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 2002). Dental decay is commonly unrecognized and under-treated, and can affect children's growth and development as well as their ability to perform in school. Effective interventions to prevent dental decay include water fluoridation, dental sealants, pediatric dental screenings, and dental health education programs. This pre-experimental design study evaluated the effectiveness of an oral health training program for school nurses. This training program was designed based on the First 5 California <;>ral Health Training Program (2003). A non-randomized sample of fourteen (N=l4) school nurses participated in the …

Perceptions Of High Risk Behaviors Among Culturally Diverse Adolescents And The Role Of Parental Influence And Parent Communication, Sharlene E. Junio

Master's Projects

Eighty seven ethnically diverse 9th and 1oth graders from an urban high school in Northern California were studied. Students were mostly female, between 14 and 16 years of age, and reported to be mostly Asian and Filipino. Students completed an 18-item Likert scale questionnaire requesting information about their overall relationship with their parents and their communication with their parents about drugs, sex, alcohol, birth control, and personal problems. Results of this study showed that participants rated their overall relationship with their parents as "good" or "very good." Despite this, communication was lacking among parents and adolescents in all topics of …

Evaluation Of An Oral Health Training Program For School Nurses, Kelley Haines-Kolostian

Master's Projects

Pediatric dental disease is a silent epidemic (Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, 2002). Dental decay is commonly unrecognized and under-treated. Dental disease can affect children's growth and development as well as their ability to perform in school. Effective interventions to prevent dental decay include water fluoridation, dental sealants, pediatric dental screenings, and dental health education programs. This pre-experimental design study evaluated the effectiveness of an oral health training program for school nurses. This training program was designed based on the First 5 California Oral Health Training Program, First Smiles (First Smiles Program of California, 2003). The presentation was …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Shared Care Instrument In A Sample Of Home Health Care Family Dyads, Margaret Sebern

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Researchers have studied negative effects of caregiving on a family caregiver; however, less is known about positive aspects of exchanging assistance for both members of a family caregiving dyad. In a previous naturalistic inquiry the author indentified a basis for studying caregiving interactions was a construct called shared care. The three components of shared care identified in the naturalistic inquiry were communication, decision making, and reciprocity. The Shared Care Instrument (SCI) was developed to measure the construct. The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the SCI, and to assess its construct and criterion-related validity. A …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A Diabetes Managment Training Program For Unlicensed Assistive Personnel In Schools, Elaine M. Gomer

Master's Projects

This study evaluated the diabetes management-training program for unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). The purpose of the program was to prepare UAP to recognize and respond to the health care needs of students diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Twenty UAP participated. Teaching strategies were based on Albert Bandura' s social learning theory~ Two instruments were administered before and after the program. One was a 1 0-question survey addressing self-efficacy; the other was a 10 question multiple-choice test measuring knowledge of diabetes. Results of paired t tests indicate consistent and significant improvement in both perceptions of self-efficacy and knowledge (p < .05). This program provides a framework for school nurses training UAP that assist in the health care of students with diabetes. It is important that school nurses capitalize on the contribution that informed confident UAP might contribute to the provision of safe quality care to students with diabetes.

Job Satisfaction Among Staff Nurses In Mental Health Units In A Va Facility, Edith R. Lombard

Master's Projects

Studies have indicated that work environment in mental health is stressful, however, few studies have focused on staff working in acute mental health settings (Jenkins & Elliott, 2004). The purpose of this study was to describe job satisfaction among a sample of mental health staff nurses who were caring for patients with acute psychiatric disorders in a federal hospital. The second purpose was to determine if there were relationships between global job satisfaction and ethnicity, years in the organization, current unit, field of nursing, working with patients with mental disorders and age of staff nurses. An anonymous survey was distributed …

Being Whole: Aligning Personhoods To Achieve Successful Childbirth With A History Of Childhood Sexual Abuse During Perinatal Services, Karla Kendall Richmond Phd, Msn, Rnc, Cns

Dissertations

Being a pregnant female is a temporary condition. A woman with a history of childhood sexual abuse aligns the personhoods of child victim, adult survivor and pregnant female to achieve a successful pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum experience. Female survivors desire to be recognized and function as whole being during the perinatal experience. It is estimated that 15 to 32 percent of females prior to the age of eighteen have unwanted sexual contact. Female survivors carry this history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with them throughout their lives which may involve childbirth. There are many long-term psychological consequences that can …

Ua61/1 Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes, Wku Nursing

WKU Administration Documents

Minutes of the WKU Nursing Advisory Committee meeting.

Nursing Education And Service Collaboration: Making A Difference In The Clinical Learning Environment, Sheri P. Palmer, Amy Harmer Cox, Lynn Clark Callister, Vickie Johnsen, Geraldine Matsumura

Faculty Publications

This article focuses on innovative collaborative steps that were identified in recent research conducted by these authors on the relationship between academia and service. These steps are currently being implemented in the hope of improving the important role that the critical environment plays in student nurses' education. Few factors in nursing education are as important as the clinical environment in which students do their training. This article elaborates on these steps and offers practical suggestions for improving the relationship between academia and service.

A Systematic Review Of Mammography Educational Interventions For Low-Income Women, Tatiana Bailey, Jorge Delva, Kimberlee A. Gretebeck, Kristine Siefert, Amid I. Ismail

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

We conducted a systematic review to examine the effectiveness of educational interventions in increasing mammography screening among low-income women.

Data Sources

Bibliographic databases, including MEDLINE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the ISI Web of Science, were searched for relevant articles.

Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Randomized, community-based trials targeting low-income women and published between January 1980 and March 2003 were included.

Data Extraction

The search yielded 242 studies; 24 met all inclusion criteria.

Data Synthesis

Three studies used mammography vans, three used low-cost vouchers or provided free mammograms, three used …

Psychosocial Responses By Adolescent Male Victims To Peer Bullying, Karin Eve Reuter-Rice Phd

Dissertations

Bullying remains a pervasive problem in most schools throughout the nation. Peer-bullied victims report higher levels of depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and concerns regarding their safety in school. Reactions of victims to peer bullying have been extreme, as in the cases of the rampage school shooters. Primarily, current research has not focused on the high school adolescent, although most school shooters arise from that age group. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the psychosocial responses by adolescent male victims to peer bullying. Research questions addressed the frequency and severity of peer-victimization, distress, anxiety, and their perception of …

Chronically Ill Adolescents' Involvement In Health Treatment Decision Making, Edna B. Domingo Phd

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to explore preferences for involvement of chronically ill adolescents in health treatment decision-making; describe, explain and predict relationships and differences in self-confidence in decision-making between older and younger chronically ill adolescents; and explore relationships between severity of symptoms and self-confidence in health treatment decision-making among chronically ill adolescents. Ten to twenty million American children have some type of chronic illnesses with 90% survival to adulthood. There is lack of current literature on adolescent preferences for involvement in health care decisions. Courts and legislators assume that minors lack the requisite capacity for information, and lack …

Mothers’ Support Options During Childbirth: A Survey Of Hospital Obstetrical Units In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, Hila J. Spear

Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined hospital policies and procedures related to maternal support during childbirth and the promotion of breastfeeding among mothers who give birth by cesarean. Overall, the findings revealed hospital-based practices and protocols that facilitated positive chibirth experiences and that were supportive of breastfeeding for mothers regardless of mode of delivery.

Nurses Alumni Association Bulletin, Fall 2005, Paula Levine, Elizabeth K. Prisnock, Sally H. Wagner, John J. Wagner

Nursing Alumni Bulletins

2005 - 2006 Meeting Date Calendar

2006 Annual Luncheon & Meeting Notice

Officers, Committee Chairs, Satellite and Volunteers

Bulletin Publication Committee

The President's Message

Treasurer's Report

Resume of Minutes

Office News

Committee Reports

• Relief Trust Fund
• Satellite - Harrisburg Satellite Area
• Bulletin
• Scholarship
• Nominating
• Social
• Development

Annual Giving

Janet C. Hindson Award Recipients and Nominees

Janet C. Hindson Award Qualifications

Quotes from Janet C. Hindson's Recipients Letters

Quotes from Letters on Nursing at Jefferson

Biography of Lenora Schwartz, '66

News About Graduates

Memories

Odds & Ends

How I got my Education

U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps

Normandy Nightingales Weathered War's Worst …

Rain Rhythms: Fall 2005 - Spring 2006, College Of Nursing & Professional Disciplines

RAIN Rhythms

No abstract provided.

Experts Recommend Strategies For Strengthening The Use Of Advanced Practice Nurses In Nursing Homes., Mathy Mezey, Sarah Greene Burger, Harrison G Bloom, Alice Bonner, Mary Bourbonniere, Barbara Bowers, Jeffrey B Burl, Elizabeth Capezuti, Diane Carter, Jacob Dimant, Sarah A Jerro, Susan C Reinhard, Marilyn Ter Maat

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

In 2003, The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University Division of Nursing, convened an expert panel to explore the potential for developing recommendations for the caseloads of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in nursing homes and to provide substantive and detailed strategies to strengthen the use of APNs in nursing homes. The panel, consisting of nationally recognized experts in geriatric practice, education, research, public policy, and long-term care, developed six recommendations related to caseloads for APNs in nursing homes. The recommendations address educational preparation of APNs; average reimbursable APN visits per day; factors affecting APNs caseload …

Cigarette Smoking Among Low-Income African Americans: A Serious Public Health Problem, Jorge Delva, Marisol Tellez, Tracy L. Finlayson, Kimberlee A. Gretebeck, Kristine Siefert, David R. Williams, Amid I. Ismail

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

This study examines the current prevalence of cigarette smoking and the number of cigarettes smoked in a community-based sample of 1021 low-income African-American men and women.

Methods

Participants were selected using a two-stage, area probability sample design. Data were collected in 2002–2003 in face-to-face interviews and analyzed in 2005. All data and analyses were weighted to account for the complex sampling design.

Results

Fifty-nine percent of men and 41% of women were current smokers, with younger individuals apparently initiating smoking at an earlier age than older individuals.

Conclusions

The high prevalence of cigarette use provides further evidence that the …

Shared Care, Elder And Family Member Skills Used To Manage Burden, Margaret Sebern

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Aim. The aim of this paper is to further develop the construct of Shared Care by comparing and contrasting it to related research, and to show how the construct can be used to guide research and practice.

Background. While researchers have identified negative outcomes for family caregivers caused by providing care, less is known about positive aspects of family care for both members of a family dyad. Understanding family care relationships is important to nurses because family participation in the care of chronically ill elders is necessary to achieve optimal outcomes from nursing interventions. A previous naturalistic inquiry …

Measuring Nurse Workload In Ambulatory Care, Beth Ann Swan Phd, Crnp, Karen F. Griffin Msn, Rn, Cnaa

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

Nurses and adequate nurse staffing are critical to the delivery of safe, cost-effective, and quality patient care in every health care setting.

This has been proven time and again through various research studies and recognized by various accrediting bodies such as JCAHO.

However, the information available on required or optimal ambulatory care nurse staffing is limited and varies across ambulatory care settings.

An overview of instruments for measuring nursing workload in ambulatory care, a critical prerequisite when identifying best nurse staffing models for diverse ambulatory care settings, is provided.

Impact Of An Adherence Program On The Health And Outlook Of Hiv-Infected Patients Failing Antiretroviral Therapy, Michael F. Parry, Pamela Wright, Julie G. Stewart, Gavin Mcleod, James Tucker, Amy R. Weinberg

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: We prospectively studied the impact of an adherence counselor on the outcome of patients failing antiretroviral therapy because of nonadherence. Methods: Forty-six patients, identified as chronically nonadherent were enrolled. Individual attention was provided using the information, motivation and behavioral methodology. HIV RNA (viral load, in copies/mL), CD4 count (in cells/[mm.sup.3]), and body weight before and after the adherence counselor were measured. Qualitative outcome and patient satisfaction were assessed by deidentified third-party interviews. Results: Over half completed at least 1 year; only 8 patients were lost to follow-up. Mean CD4 counts increased significantly (P < .05) for completers at 6 and 12 months. Viral loads decreased between baseline and 6 months. Most clients reported subjective benefit from working with the adherence counselor. Conclusion: Although few clients showed complete virologic suppression, the value of an adherence counselor was validated. Longer term adherence programs should be evaluated.

Protocol For Determining Fertility While Breastfeeding And Not In Cycles, Richard J. Fehring, Mary Lee Barron, Mary Schneider

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

A protocol was developed and evaluated for nonovulating breastfeeding women to determine potential fertility with an electronic hormonal fertility monitor. The amount of required abstinence (i.e., days of potential fertility) through the first menstrual cycle indicated by the fertility monitor was significantly lower (17% of the total days) compared with the amount of abstinence (50% of the total days) indicated by the self-observation of cervical mucus.

Basal Body Temperature Assessment: Is It Useful To Couples Seeking Pregnancy?, Mary Lee Barron, Richard J. Fehring

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Advanced practice nurses in primary care settings are often asked to give appropriate advice to couples seeking pregnancy. This article examines the issue of basal body temperature (BBT), a time-honored way to establish the presence of ovulatory cycles, and asks if BBT is an outdated recommendation. The article also reviews the benefits and limitations of recommending BBT to couples seeking pregnancy in light of recent fecundity research.

Providing End-Of-Life Care To Patients: Critical Care Nurses' Perceived Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors, Renea L. Beckstrand, Karin T. Kirchhoff

Faculty Publications

• Background Critical care nurses care for dying patients daily. The process of dying in an intensive care unit is complicated, and research on specific obstacles that impede delivery of end-of-life care and/or supportive behaviors that help in delivery of end-of-life care is limited.
• Objective To measure critical care nurses' perceptions of the intensity and frequency of occurrence of (1) obstacles to providing end-of-life care and (2) supportive behaviors that help in providing end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.
• Methods An experimental, posttest-only, control-group design was used. A national, geographically dispersed, random sample of members of the American Association of …

Nursing Students' Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Pain And Pain Management, Ruth L. Schaffler Phd

Dissertations

Pain is a universal human experience and is a primary reason people seek health care; however, undertreatment of pain has been reported in the literature as a significant clinical problem for more than three decades. Researchers have concluded that nurses have inadequate knowledge of pain assessment, are misinformed about opioids, and have inappropriate attitudes about pain and pain management that lead to the undertreatment of pain. One question is whether those misconceptions are acquired in nursing school or whether they are present when students enroll in nursing programs. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the attitudes regarding …

A Pilot Study: The Effects Of Group Exercise On Fatigue And Quality Of Life During Cancer Treatment, Joanna M. Losito

Master's Projects

Fatigue affects 60-100% of all cancer patients, is difficult to manage, and can have a profound impact on everyday functioning and quality of life. Though seemingly counterintuitive, exercise has emerged as a promising intervention for the management of cancer related fatigue (CRF). Current research predominantly involves individual, home-based exercise programs with few studies exploring other modes of exercise delivery. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if participation in a structured group exercise program (SGEP) was a feasible intervention for adult oncology patients receiving cancer treatment and to test the impact of a SGEP on reducing CRF and …

Workplace Organization, Labor Process Control And Occupational Health. Ph. D. Dissertation, Linda Treiber

Faculty Articles

The purpose of this research is to understand the complex relationships between working conditions and occupational health. The research draws from labor process theory that generally views worker control over the labor process as essential to non-alienated labor and from epidemiologic models of host, agent/exposure, and environment. Using General Social Survey 2002 cross sectional data, I investigate the effects of standard epidemiologic factors and worker labor process control factors in multivariate models to predict the dependent variables of workplace injury, persistent pain, exhaustion, and general health status. I suggest that labor process autonomy, social cohesion and skill utilization generally have …

Screening Of Postpartum Depression Among Chinese Immigrants, Beahwa Yeoh

Master's Projects

Postpartum depression among the Chinese population in the United States has been understudied even though the Chinese community continues to rapidly increase in numbers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of postpartum depression among Chinese immigrants using the "Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale," a self-report questionnaire. This study also reports demographics obtained from participants and explores the practice of "zuo ye zi" among Chinese immigrants. In the spring of 2005, twenty-eight postpartum Chinese women, all first generation immigrants, were asked to participate in this study during home visits conducted by public health nurses in Alameda County, CA. …

Incidence And Clinical Predictors Of Risk Factors For Inappropriate Shock In Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators, Shu-Ling Lo Phd

Dissertations

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major unresolved medical problem worldwide. Although Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICD) are highly effective in diagnosing and treating life threatening arrhythmias, inappropriate shock therapy (IST) occurs in approximately 5-20% of ICD recipients. IST results in pain, anxiety, induction of ventricular arrhythmias, decreased battery longevity, and even death. Researchers studying clinical predictors of IST have drawn findings based on single case studies with small samples or with outdated data. This study filled this gap by describing the incidence and co-existing clinical predictors of IST. Methodology This descriptive, retrospective study analyzed the incidence and clinical predictors of IST …

An Exploratory Study Of Functional Status In Post Cardiac Arrest Survivors Discharged To Home, John J. Whitcomb Phd

Dissertations

Cardiopulmonary arrest is a major health problem, claiming 350,000 to 450,000 lives per year in the United States, but survival has increased to 49% from the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) by lay personnel. Leidy's work on functional status is a comprehensive framework to describe functional status and has not been used in this population. The specific aims of the project were to describe perceived functional capacity, physical functional performance, mental health, symptom distress, and demographic factors in survivors of cardiopulmonary arrest after discharge to home and to examine the relationship among perceived functional capacity, mental health and physical …

Evidence-Based Practice Considerations In Facilitating The Risk Surveillance Of Occupational Exposure To Antineoplastic Agents, Theresa A. Rafique

MSN Research Projects

According to Martin and Larson (2003), healthcare professionals involved with handling antineoplastic drugs may be exposed inadvertently to these agents, placing them at potential risk for acute and long-term adverse effects. For example, cyclophosphamide one of the most frequently used antineoplastic agents in clinical treatment facilities, is a known human carcinogen (Larson, Khazaeli, & Dillon, 2003). While the health risks associated with cytotoxic use have been well established, there is little information available about how people perceive these risks, particularly among those most affected by it-chemotherapy nurses. Therefore, the purpose of this Evidence Based Practice (EBP) project was to develop …