Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of An Educational Intervention On The Head Of Bed Elevation In The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Randall L. Johnson

Faculty Dissertations

Elevating the head of bed (HOB) reduces risks for aspiration and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) in the adult population. Educational interventions have resulted in improvements in achieving a target HOB elevation of 30° in adults. Limited research has addressed this intervention in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). The aim of this study was to determine if an educational intervention for the PICU staff would result in improvement in the HOB elevation in the PICU. Four research questions were studied: (1) What is the common practice related to the elevation of the HOB in the PICU? (2) Is there a …

Illness Representation And Cardiac Rehabilitation Utilization Among Older Adults, Carrie N. Keib

Faculty Dissertations

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the number one cause of mortality and disability in the United States (U.S.). The burden of CHD disproportionately impacts the older adult population of the U.S. in relation to mortality, disability, and economic cost. Greater than 55% of acute myocardial infarction deaths and 86% of CHD deaths occur in adults who are 65 years of age or older. The estimated direct and indirect cost of CHD in the U.S. for 2007 is $151.6 billion. Research studies are needed to address the increasing burden of CHD among the older adult population.

The secondary prevention of CHD …