Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Leader At The Bedside: A Mixed Methods Study Establishing Clinical Staff Nurse Leadership Competencies, Sherron Denise Franks-Meeks

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Significance and Background

Leadership competencies were established for formal nursing roles (i.e. nurse executives), but not for informal nurse leader roles (i.e. clinical staff nurse leader). A set of comprehensive clinical staff nurse leader (CSNL) competencies would facilitate evaluation of the CSNL role in providing safe, quality, and efficient patient care.

Purpose

The purpose of this pilot was to establish a preliminary set of CSNL competencies with associated set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) for each competency identified through the CSNL’s voice. Theory & Design Underpinned by the Authentic Leadership Theory, this pilot was a multiphase sequential explanatory mixed …

Impact Of Ischemic Time On Functional Exercise Capacity After Orthotopic Heart Transplantation, Katelyn D. Brown

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Purpose: Ischemic time (IT) is an independent risk factor for poor functional exercise capacity (FEC) following orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). The OHT recipient’s post-transplant FEC (peak VO₂₎ is directly associated with improved quality of life. However, there is debate in the literature about the deleterious impact of extended IT on FEC following OHT.

Methods: Fifteen OHT recipients (14 men and 1 woman; < 3 months from OHT) performed a symptom-limited graded CPET where peak VO₂ was measured in an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. IT was obtained from the anesthesia post-operative note. VO₂ and IT values were dichotomized based on previous literature; high, ≥14 mL/kg/min (or ≥12 mL/kg/min if taking a beta …

The “Active Ingredients” Of Yin, Yang And Neutral Food And The Effect Of These Nutrients On Improving And Maintaining Health, Jingle Xu

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Chinese dietary therapy has been documented to date back at least 4000 years (Zhang, 2012). The aim of traditional Chinese dietary therapy was to maintain health by achieving the balance of Yin, cold or cool, and Yang, hot or warm, components in human bodies through having a Yin-Yang-balanced diet. Yin foods were to expel heat syndromes, such as constipation, caused by excessive Yang (heat), while Yang foods were to treat cold syndromes, such as fatigue, caused by excessive Yin (coldness). However, evidence of this food therapy phenomenon was not clear yet. The purpose of this study was to explore the …

Characterization Of The Nuclear Pore Complex In Red Alga, Cyanidioschyzon Merolae, Michelle Veronin

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Cyanidioschyzon merolae (C. merolae) is a primitive, unicellular species of red alga that is considered to be one of the simplest self-sustaining eukaryotes. The highly elementary nature of C. merolae makes it an excellent model organism for studying evolution as well as cell function and organelle communication. In our study, we hypothesize that C. merolae contains the minimal assembly of proteins to make up their Nuclear Pore Complexes (NPCs), and hence are the first ancestral NPCs. NPCs are essential for basic nuclear transport in the cell. They are embedded in the double membrane of the nucleus, the …

Effectiveness Of A Structured Online Prebriefing Activity On Prelicensure Students’ Clinical Judgment, Elizabeth M. Delavan

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Significance of the Problem: Today’s healthcare environment requires new nurses to have strong clinical judgment skills upon entry to practice. Contributing to this problem are the challenges faced by prelicensure nursing programs that include faculty shortages and the decreasing availability of clinical spaces. Simulation activities offer hands-on clinical learning opportunities in the place of traditional clinical experiences. However, simulation labs are costly to develop and maintain, which impacts student learning opportunities. Prebriefing, an understudied area of simulation, provides educators with another clinical exercise to facilitate students’ growth in clinical judgment.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the …

Exploring Relationships Among Environmental And Intrapersonal Variables And Evidence-Based Practice Implementation, Amanda N. Canada

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is not consistently implemented within healthcare settings; although many organizations claim it is how they deliver care in the 21^st century. In a review of the literature, multiple intrapersonal variables were found to impact the inconsistency with which EBP is applied and the success of its implementation within nursing practice. Organizational culture and perceived stress can influence the uptake of EBP beliefs and can affect EBP implementation. Clinicians who have more confidence in their EBP knowledge and skills are expected to implement best practices. Underpinned by Social Cognitive Theory, a model was developed to guide study …

Hospital-Based Palliative Care Programs: Perspectives Regarding Conceptualization And Accreditation, Karen L. Walker

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Palliative care has been shown to improve symptoms and increase quality of life in people with a life-limiting illness. Despite growth in hospital-based palliative care programs throughout the United States, only 91 hospitals have obtained The Joint Commission’s Advanced Palliative Certification. The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify how programs that do not have The Joint Commission’s Advanced Palliative Care Certification defined and conceptualized palliative care. An additional focus was to identify the barriers these programs perceived or experienced that prevented them from obtaining the advanced palliative care certification. This research program began with an evolutionary concept analysis …

Physicochemical Properties Of Blend Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) And Sodium Alginate Membranes For Potential Application In Wound Dressings, Martha Pieper

Mechanical Engineering Theses

Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) are water-soluble polymers with excellent biocompatibility suitable for biomedical applications in wound dressings. In this study, pure PVA, pure SA, and blends of PVA/SA membranes were solvent cast into films followed by crosslinking in CaCl₂, boric acid, and a mixture of CaCl₂/boric acid solutions for 5, 10, and 30 minutes. Initial feasibility studies showed a strong correlation of film thickness to the observed mechanical properties. Further studies in solvent casting of blend PVA/SA films, using various polymer concentrations, yielded better film appearance with minimal physical changes after crosslinking. …

Nursing Campus Therapy Dog, Deborah A. Hall

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

An acknowledged bond has existed between humans and animals throughout history. Therapeutic physical and psycho-social effects of these bonding relationships have been noted in health care settings. Professional nursing education is known to be one of the most demanding and stressful fields of study. Students begin to experience extreme stress early in their nursing education. An animal-assisted intervention with a therapy dog is an innovative and inexpensive action that can help decrease the stress, anxiety, and depression students experience in higher education.

The focus of this dissertation portfolio was an animal-assisted intervention with a nursing campus therapy dog. The initial …

Understanding Multigenerational Nurse-Faculty-Collaboration Strategies-A Delphi Study, Heather M. Fowler

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Four distinct generations have come together to work cooperatively, producing higher quality nursing students who are engaged and satisfied in their learning experience from nursing faculty. The multigenerational nursing faculty workforce must learn to work together through positive collaboration, using teamwork strategies, and decreasing conflict and negative influences in the workplace. Strauss and Howe’s (1991) generational-cycle model depicted four archetypes that recur throughout history every 22 years; the life stages of generations provided the foundation for this study. Generations can come together if they understand what various generational cohorts perceive as positive collaboration factors, teamwork strategies, and negative influences. A …

The Effectiveness Of A Robotic Seal On Compassion Satisfaction In Acute Care Nurses: A Mixed Methods Approach, Jo S. Henson

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Problem: Nurses face a variety of stressors that can result in decreased levels of compassion satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a computerized interactive social assist robot (PARO) to decrease stressors and increase compassion levels of acute care nurses in an inpatient setting.

Theory: The Professional Quality of Life Model posits that low Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress leads to Compassion Fatigue.

Hypotheses: It was hypothesized that interaction with a social assist robot with artificial intelligence will result in decreasing levels of stress therefore increasing levels of compassion satisfaction in nurses working …

System Integration Of C-Arm Robotic Prototype Using Motion Capture Guidance For Accurate Repositioning, Alireza Yazdanshenas

Mechanical Engineering Theses

One of the important surgical tools in spinal surgery is the C-Arm X-ray System. The C-Arm is a large “C” shaped and manually maneuvered arm that provides surgeons and X-ray technicians the ability to take quick quality X-rays during surgery. Because of its five degrees of freedom, the C-Arm can be manually maneuvered around the patient to provide many angles and perspectives, ensuring surgical success.

This system works fine for most surgical procedures but falls short when the C-Arm must be moved out of the way for complicated surgical procedures.

The aim of this thesis is to develop an accurate …

A Heartfulness Meditation Intervention In University Students Using Mixed Methodology, Dipta Amatya

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Objective: This is a mixed methods study in which Heartfulness meditation was introduced to university students. The objective of this study was to demonstrate a link between Heartfulness meditation and mental health as well as a link between Heartfulness meditation and Emotional Intelligence. The study also explored the experiences of the students after the meditation practice.

Background: College students have greater levels of stress and psychopathology now than at any other time in the nation’s history. Increases in mental distress can lead to serious mental health disorders in the future so there is a need for self-care skills for students …

Exploring Help-Seeking Intentions Of Homeless Veterans Attending A Stand Down Event, Tara Vaughn

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Lack of help-seeking behavior among homeless veterans results in higher burden of disease and lower quality of life. No studies have been conducted involving help- seeking intentions of homeless veterans within the veteran stand down population. Pender’s Revised Health Promotion Model was used to guide this descriptive correlational study with the aim of exploring the extent selected personal characteristics and experiences and behavior-specific factors affect help-seeking intentions among homeless veterans attending a stand down event.

A convenience sample of 86 homeless veterans (mean age 56) was recruited from a 3-day veteran stand down event in Northern California. Each participant was …

Evaluation Of An Underage Drinking And Driving After Drinking Intervention In Rusk County, Texas, Tim Sefa

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Background: Youth drinking and driving after drinking remains an important public health concern to this nation. Alcohol is the most frequently abused drug among youth. Alcohol-impaired-driving-fatalities are a significant mortality risk for youth. The average age of first consumption was 14.25 years in this study. A school-based intervention called Shattered Dreams was selected to address the problem of youth drinking, by educating high school juniors and seniors about the dangers of alcohol use through an intense, up-close vehicle crash simulation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention in terms of changing student beliefs …

Exploring The Relationships Between Moral Distress, Moral Courage, And Moral Resilience In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Erin Gibson

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

The pervasiveness of moral distress in nursing can no longer be ignored. Moral distress can have devastating effects on a nurse and lead to burnout and/or cause the nurse to leave the profession. To mitigate these effects, strategies to decrease moral distress should be implemented as early as nursing school. Related concepts such as moral courage and moral resilience show favorable effects as strategies to combat moral distress. However, little evidence is known as to how these three moral concepts are related with one another.

Chapter 2, “Student Courage: An Essential for Today’s Health Education” provides a concept analysis of …

The Impact Of Evidence-Based Practice On A Culture Of Safety, Donald C. Hunt

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Background: 210,000 to 440,000 deaths have been caused by errors in healthcare. Providers who are committed to core values that emphasize safety contribute to a “culture of safety.’ This culture is required for healthcare institutions to achieve high-reliability status demonstrating high potential for error but few adverse outcomes. There is little known about contributors to the culture of safety and the commitment of providers to its core values.

Purpose: To determine relationships among the predictors- EBP culture, individual evidence-based decision making, organizational implementation of evidence-based practice - and a culture of safety.

Design: Correlational Predictive Design.

Sample: Two-hundred seventeen nurses …

Hamstring Fatigue For Anterior Cruciate Ligament (Acl) Rehabilitation, Shiqi Yu

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Persistent quadriceps weakness in individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) has been attributed to arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI), which is partially due to the reciprocal inhibition of the quadriceps with the over-excitation of the hamstrings. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the hamstrings fatigue immediately prior to quadriceps strength training on reducing AMI. Eight subjects with ACLR (time since injury: 46.5±23.6 months, age: 21.4±1.4 years) and eight healthy subjects (age: 22.5±2.7 years) with no previous history of knee injury participated. All subjects completed a single session of exercise intervention including 10-mins hamstrings vibration before …

The Role Of Resilience And Preparedness In Nurses Working During Hurricane Disasters, Julie George

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Problem: Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from adversity and can serve as an avenue for nurses to recover from the disaster and subsequent potential issues related to coping with the event. To date, very little is found in the literature specific to nurses and how they adapt to and recover from disasters in their personal or professional lives.

Theory: Taormina’s (2015) theory of adult personal resilience and Veenema’s disaster management model (World Health Organization [WHO] and International Council of Nurses [ICN], 2009) provided the foundation of this study.

Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that levels of personal and professional …

Psychometric Development Of The Patient Engagement In Prenatal Care Scale, Phyllis M. Dyess-Nugent

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

The value of prenatal care in improving maternal and neonatal outcomes has been evident in research for many years, and yet in the U.S. where prenatal care is widely accessible to women, maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality remain higher than many developing countries (CDC, 2019). Attributes of prenatal care have been studied, such as the number of visits and timing of entry into care. Additional aspects of prenatal care deserve exploration in order to make improvements in this established, valuable intervention. A woman’s engagement in her care during pregnancy has not been previously measured. The focus of this dissertation …