Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The School Nurse Teacher's Role In Preventing Childhood Obesity At School, Melissa Pelletier

Honors Projects

Childhood obesity has become a major health concern for children of all ages. One out of every three children have been identified as being overweight or obese, putting those children at an increased risk for detrimental health consequences such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and early mortality (Institute of Medicine, 2014, & CDC, 2014). The continuation and progression of incidences of childhood obesity are also contributing to a potential issue for America’s national security, due to children being physically unfit to fight for the country (Christeson, Taggart, & Messner-Zidell, 2010). This paper is focused on the findings from nursing …

Increasing Public Awareness Of Venous Thromboembolism Through Social Media, Kathryn A. Lavall

Honors Projects

This paper investigates the problem of public awareness of venous thromboembolism (VTE) from a nursing perspective. VTE encompasses deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). It is a major public health problem as 600,000 people suffer from VTE annually and 100,000 deaths are attributed to it. The aim of this research study was to investigate and attempt to quantify the general public’s knowledge level of VTE. The research study included a survey in which 325 people participated. Of the 242 participants who identified themselves occupationally as nonmedical, less than 30% were familiar with both DVT and PE. Participants who …

Development Of A Community-Based Lactation Support Program, Susan D. Bryant

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Background. Despite the recommendations from leading health organizations and the documented health benefits for both mother and infant, breastfeeding success rates continue to be suboptimal.

Design. A program development design was used for this Community-Based Lactation Support Program. This pilot was the first step in accomplishing the long term goal of expansion of the program to the entire community of Scituate and the state of Rhode Island.

Objectives. The objectives of this program were to increase exclusive and sustained breastfeeding rates in the town of Scituate through education and support and to ensure a positive breastfeeding experience for the …

Educational Innovation Brief: Educating Graduate Nursing Students On Value Based Purchasing, Kristen M. Farrell

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act implemented value-based purchasing to raise the bar on quality care and patient satisfaction in healthcare facilities. The time has come to educate graduate nursing students on the reality of quality indicators and the impact that advanced practice nurses will have on these initiatives. This educational brief describes implementation of an educational session developed for graduate nursing students on VBP and the APN role. The content for the education was derived from an extensive literature review, The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing, and the clinical experience of the author. The education was …

Nurses' Attitudes Towards Drug-Seekers In The Emergency Room, Megan E. Gernt

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

Emergency department patients often present with a chief complaint of pain. There is a unique population of patients who present with this chief complaint in an effort to obtain narcotics for non-medical use. This population is often referred to as drug-seekers and there is little information available to define what exactly nurses mean when they use this term. This study utilized a descriptive survey design to gain a better understanding of nurses’ use of the term drug-seeker. Respondents agreed on a variety of behaviors that lead them to identify patients as drug-seeking and expressed a frustration with this population of …

School Based Nutrition And Exercise Program, Darlene L. Amalfitano

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

The purpose of this project was to develop a school-based nutrition and exercise program aimed at encouraging and teaching healthful lifestyle choices and facilitating behavior change. A premise of the program was that sustainable changes in diet and physical activity accomplished in childhood may be carried into adulthood and may assist in the prevention of obesity in later years. The Ecological Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner and Nola Pender's Health Promotion Model (2006) were the frameworks that guided this program development. The program duration was six weeks, and sessions met two times per week with 4th, 5th, and 6th grade participants. …