Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

How Does The Ergogenic Benefits, Consumption, And Overall Perspective Of Caffeine Differ Between Athletes In Different Sports?, Steven Laflamme

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Caffeine has been a very popular ergogenic aid that has been widely used by athletes at all levels of sports performance (Pickering & Grgic, 2019). The effects of caffeine have shown performance-enhancing symptoms among athletes along with multiple cognitive benefits such as reaction time and overall mood during exercise. According to McArdle, Katch, and Katch (2015), caffeine acts as a stimulant for the central nervous system. It acts as a blocker for adenosine receptors and allows for more neuron firing in the brain as well as increased blood flow from the heart to other body systems. In interest of caffeine’s …

Prospective Generation Z Nurses: Expectation Of The Workforce In Connotation To The Great Resignation, Amelia Borders

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Great Resignation has left an impact on the entirety of the American workforce. Coupled with the burnout rates caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare systems have been trying to find solutions to inhibit the nurse shortage. While solutions that focus on symptoms of the problem may work for a short period of time, hospitals will continue to encounter issues with staffing nurses and will need to find a new solution (Laskowskil-Jones & Castner, 2022). A possible solution would be for hospitals to recruit and retain prospective Gen Z nurses. In a quantitative study completed at a single university in …

Huntington’S Disease: A Systematic Review And Overview Of Treatments, Madison Mintz

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disease that is the result of a mutation of the huntingtin gene. The gene is passed in an autosomal dominant fashion and is the result of multiple Cystine, Adenine, and Guanine base repeats. HD symptoms manifest as motor, cognitive, and psychological symptoms that can range of chorea movements to depression or apathy. The disease progresses through various prodromal and clinical stages as the disease starts to manifest. The current technique to diagnose HD is the use of direct genetic testing, which counts the number of repeats. Due to the nature of HD, both …

Treatment Of Allergic Rhinitis: Diphenhydramine Vs. Fexofenadine, Lauren Setzer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Allergic rhinitis is a growing allergic illness brought on by the inhalation of allergens, resulting in a list of symptoms, including sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, etc. Among the many treatment options available, H1-antihistamines are a popular choice for allergic rhinitis sufferers. First-generation antihistamines were the first to hit the market and were later discovered to be lipophilic, causing blood-brain barrier penetration and cognitive impairment. Second-generation antihistamines were later developed with lipophobic properties to eliminate any form of cognitive impairment. Both generations are readily available over-the-counter in tablet form, including two commonly used ones: diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) and fexofenadine (Allegra®). These …

Doing Death Better: Practical Ways For Healthcare Professionals To Care For The Dying Patient And Their Families, Andrea Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Healthcare professionals care for patients with unique personal, cultural, religious, and medical needs, but these needs are not always met in a way that ensures the patient and their families are being treated as unique individuals. This paper first provides an overview of the physiological aspects of dying and how to educate patients and their families regarding expectations in end-of-life. The impacts of the death of a child and a parent were explored, and areas in need of more resources for these individuals were identified. The beliefs and practices of Hindu, Native American, and Islamic cultures were discussed, and lessons …

Porifera: Biology And Medicinal Properties, Emma L. Rayfield

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The focus of this thesis is the possibility of oceanic medicine through understanding the general biology of poriferans, their symbionts, medicinal properties, and how we could harvest sponges conservatively. It was necessary to understand the basic biology of poriferans regarding their structures, differences in their classes, and how they obtain nutrition, develop, and reproduce. The ecology of the poriferans was also researched including their larval and sessile stages and how their environment determines where they settle. Additionally, ecology was examined including how poriferans interact with symbionts and other organisms. This then was utilized to seek whether poriferans had useful medical …

Parental Instincts: The Neurological And Biological Factors Associated With Parenthood, Jared Reeder

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The following project involves a systematic review of the scientific literature on neural and biological changes of mothers and fathers in parenthood. Until very recently, little scientific research was devoted to studying how bearing children affects a man or woman’s long-term biology. Over the last twenty years, studies of neuroplastic changes in new mothers show specific neural mechanisms responsible for altering the behaviors of mothers during and after pregnancy. These changes in neuroplasticity alter behavior in such a way that led to mothers requiring less sleep and being more prone to hearing the cries of their children. In addition to …

Operating Room Efficiency: Time Is Money, Hannah Leonard

Master of Science in Nursing Theses and Projects

Healthcare costs, including the costs of surgery, are very expensive for patients. The operating room is a huge source of income and expenses for hospitals. In the operating room, there is room for improvement to improve efficiency as well as decrease the costs for patients and healthcare systems without harming patient care. By decreasing turnover time, increasing first case on-time starts, and better preparing for the daily flow in the operating room, there is a proposed cost saving. This project proposal will address methods to decrease turnover time between surgical cases. It will also target improvement in first case start …

Neurobiology Of Ptsd In Adults And Children: The Impact Of Stress-Induced Brain Abnormalities Across The Lifespan, Catherine Clover

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the scholarly community, there is disagreement about the effects of PTSD or chronic stress on the brain of adults and children. Though PTSD or chronic stress are known to negatively affect neurobiological structures, specifically due to prolonged glucocorticoid excess, volumetric discrepancies between traumatized and control groups are not unanimously confirmed. This review sought to address the common understandings in academia of the effects of PTSD on the brains of adults and children. Literature on this topic indicated that, in adults, the hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, and prefrontal cortex bilaterally appeared to decrease in gray matter volume and the corpus callosum …

The Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Various Aspects Of Child And Adolescent Lives: A Literature Review, Alissa Carpenter

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coronavirus 19 or COVID-19 is a spherical, enveloped virus that causes a lower respiratory tract infection with symptoms including pneumonia, fever, and difficulty breathing (Ochani et al., 2021). This virus caused a global pandemic that infected millions of people and killed over a million people. The aim of this literature review is to examine how the social-distance mandates and quarantines affected various aspects of child and adolescent life and development. This review examines language and speech impairment, behavioral changes/challenges, academic performance, mental health (specifically depression and anxiety), child abuse and neglect, and student-athlete experiences. The results found that language and …

Faculty And Staff Perceptions Of Mental Health Services In The Elementary Schools Of A Rural District, Vera Collins Richardson

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This case study focused on the perceptions of faculty and staff of mental health services at the elementary level in a rural district. Mental health services provided in elementary school settings can ultimately change the outcome of individuals’ lives. Many districts in North Carolina lack the funds to hire mental health counselors, and must rely on elementary school counselors to take the lead in providing students with the mental health care they need. This qualitative case study focused on the perceptions of faculty and staff and was the primary focus of this research. An analysis of feedback from three elementary …

Distinctiveness In Hospital Safety And Security, Jimmy Reid Rollins Jr.

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand leadership and how these ideas feed into a professional dynamic of employee behavior, organizational leadership, motivation, and workplace culture, and how there is a real human interest as employees excel, grow, mature, and become better individuals.

Participants in this study were employees of a regional health organization and employed with the job title of public safety officer, public safety supervisor, or public safety administrator. This research used a mixed methodology approach in an explanatory design. A survey was completed followed by one on one interviews.

Conducting research into the safety and security …

Increasing Access To Healthcare For Black, Indigenous, People Of Color (Bipoc) And Impoverished Populations In A Rural County Of North Carolina, Shawn Perry

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Rural healthcare has often lagged when compared to those in suburban areas and inner cities. Rural healthcare has often been less effective, lower in quality, and not as accessible. Access to healthcare has been a key factor in life quality and quantity for all. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed which included the community health needs assessment (CHNA) data from the rural county (RC) and a double-blind survey distributed to organizational members by the partnering organization, the rural hospital (RH). The data identified that access to healthcare is a critical need for RC. Additionally, …

Effects Of Nurse-Led Hemodialysis Education Intervention On Hospital Readmission Rates, Kristi L. Keller

Master of Science in Nursing Theses and Projects

Patients on maintenance hemodialysis have high rates of 30-day hospital readmissions. This causes a high burden on the Medicare budget as well as a high burden on hospitals, and the number of hemodialysis patients is only expected to increase. The readmission rate for maintenance hemodialysis patients in the project facility is higher than the United States average. Current education in the project facility is for patients to receive some printed booklets, pamphlets, and internet materials to read after discharge from the hospital. The proposed change to practice is to receive one-on-one education designed by hemodialysis nurses and to develop an …

Why Doesn't She Just Leave? Improving Identification And Response To Victims Of Intimate Partner Violence In The Emergency Room, Elizabeth Berry

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this project was to improve identification and response to victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) presenting to the emergency department. Project participants completed a pre-education questionnaire prior to the project leader providing intimate partner violence educational materials and a presentation entitled Recognizing and Responding to Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in the Emergency Room. The project participants then completed a mirrored post-education questionnaire. Evaluation of the project included a comparison of the participant's responses to the mirrored questionnaires. Project participants reported an increase in the:

• recognition of the prevalence of intimate partner violence among their patients, …

Getting The Most From M.O.S.T.: Promoting Most Education For Palliative Care Providers, Shelby Mood

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms are relatively new in medicine. These forms help patients and providers navigate some of the difficult decisions that can occur near the end of life and in palliative care. Each state has its own version of POLST forms. In the state this DNP project was implemented, this form is called Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment, or MOST form. Given the complexities of medical decisions, patients may not always understand the options covered in the MOST form or the implied tasks with each choice. To further patient understanding of the MOST form, this …

Heart Smart Holidays: Coping With Stress, Staying Active, And Healthy Cooking Strategies For Seniors In Cleveland County, Lauren Ridgeway

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This Doctor of Nursing Practice Project assessed whether attending community group meetings focusing on stress, staying active, and healthy eating during the holidays, could influence cardiovascular disease awareness, mental health awareness, and quality of life of senior citizens in Cleveland County. A convenience sample of 6 participants attended the Coping with Stress and Staying Active event while 10 participants attended the Healthy Cooking Strategies event. The objectives were measured using a pretest posttest design before and after the presentations. There was strong evidence (t(9) = -13.597, p < .05) that the group seminar on managing stress and staying active during the holiday season improved the mental health awareness of participants. Data also showed a significant increase in Cardiovascular Disease Awareness from pretest to posttest (t(5) = 3.246, p < .05) after the seminar on healthy cooking strategies. The project raised community awareness to the importance of managing stress, staying active, and making small nutritional changes to positively impact the cardiovascular health of Seniors.

Combating Compassion Fatigue In The Emergency Department, Pam Packard

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Combating compassion fatigue in the emergency department is vital to nurses’ well-being. Compassion fatigue is the result of negative physical, emotional, and spiritual strains that often burden nurses. The weight of compassion fatigue is explored throughout this conceptualization of Combating Compassion Fatigue. Two questions were explored: Does compassion fatigue affect compassion satisfaction? If so, is compassion fatigue a precursor to suboptimal compassion satisfaction?

Improving Intravenous Catheter Insertion Success In Difficult Access Patients, Heidi Berry

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Around one in every nine Emergency Department (ED) patients have Difficult Intravenous Access (DIVA) and 25% of ED patients will require more than one attempt (Fields et al., 2014a). Failed insertion attempts contribute to decreased patient satisfaction, care delays, and financial losses. The freestanding ED affiliated with a multi-state, not-for-profit healthcare system in an urban community had difficulty with first-attempt Peripheral IV (PIV) insertion success in identified patients. The target population was the clinical staff of the freestanding ED which included Registered Nurses and Paramedics. The objective outcome was to enhance personal knowledge of PIV catheter insertion in difficult-access patients …

The Impact Of Palliative Care Education On Acute Care Nurses, Heather Sadler

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to improve acute care nurses’ knowledge of evidence-based palliative care interventions utilizing the framework from the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) training modules. Increasing the knowledge, comfort, and competence of acute care nurses has the potential to improve end-of-life care delivery in the acute care setting. A lack of access to specialized inpatient palliative care service teams was identified in a rural county in the Southeastern United States. This county is served by a small, criticalaccess hospital. The frontline nursing staff of this facility regularly provides end-of-life …

Connecting Simulation-Based Learning And Quality Improvement Among Student Nurses To Prevent Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections, Jason Defreitas

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) are a form of infection a patient acquired during hospitalization. Whether through the application or implementation of medical devices, performing bedside procedures, or non-adherence to following aseptic techniques, healthcare providers are responsible to ensure patients remain safe throughout the course of their inpatient treatment. Over the past 2 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has reported HAIs, specifically catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) have increased above pre-pandemic reported cases (CDC, 2021). These types of infections can lead to many factors that affect the patient and their family such as, “increased length of stay …

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses And Healthcare Disparities: Understanding The Impact Of Implicit Bias, Marla Lepley-Starr

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Introduction: Disparities in healthcare have long been a challenge for physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and other interdisciplinary team members. More recently, population health-focused efforts have been implemented to manage everincreasing rates of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, as well as lack of transportation, limited access to care, and poverty (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services [NCDHHS], 2019). Racism, sexism, ageism, sizeism, etc., are present in the healthcare setting and manifests in implicit bias during care delivery. This can manifest as beliefs, behaviors/practices, and emotions of the provider (Paradies et al., 2014). Research is limited related to the …

Self-Advocacy Training To Support Self-Confidence In Transition To Practice, Debora Shingleton Allder

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: The crisis in the competency of newly licensed graduate nurses continues to grow despite the efforts of nursing academia. Transition to practice programs has improved new graduate attrition and narrowed the gap of practice readiness, but much of the responsibility to train graduate nurses falls on nurse preceptors. Many of these preceptors have minimal nursing experience and little to no training in fostering clinical judgment. Furthermore, nurse preceptors must balance providing care for their clients while also guiding novice nurses. They often do not have the time to provide the emotional support, real-time reflection, and timely feedback required to …

Using Unfolding Case Studies To Develop Critical Thinking In First-Semester Nursing Students, Carol Cook

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

There is a crisis in competency among new nurses in the United States. Prelicensure nursing education prepares them to pass the NCLEX-RN, but it does not provide the necessary foundation for sound clinical decision-making. Mistakes in the clinical setting can lead to failure to rescue, resulting in the third leading cause of death: medical error. A radical change is needed to prepare nurses with the clinical judgment skills necessary for patient care. Educators must be mindful of the academic-practice gap and adopt evidence-based improvements, including active learning with unfolding case studies. This quality improvement project involved a four-part unfolding case …

Improving Handoff Communication In The Emergency Department, Amy Shepherd

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Ineffective handoff communication has been recognized for years as a practice issue and is the most frequently reported cause of sentinel events in U.S. hospitals (Dufault et al., 2010) and responsible, at least in part, for 30% of all malpractice claims (Fucik, 2019). The development of standardized tools has been identified as a key component to improving handover practice. For this project, a standardized SBAR tool was modified for a local emergency department. The intervention was a process change in the emergency department to utilize an SBAR tool during handoff reports. The project was implemented by educating staff on the …

Combating The Sedentary Lifestyle In A Rural North Carolina Community, Kelsey Toliver Watts

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

A rural North Carolina community is experiencing an increase in inactivity, obesity, and comorbidities. The project leader collaborated with the local health department and recreation department to implement community walking events. The events aimed to promote physical activity while providing education to the residents as to why physical activity is important. The project leader used optional pre-walking event and post-walking event surveys to assess activity change and increased knowledge. Out of the 90 attendees, 68% completed the pre-event survey and 14% responded to the post-event survey. This created limited data available for follow-up. All participants who completed the follow-up plan …

How Essential Oils Help Prevent Against Healthcare Workers’ Burnout, Lauren Casey

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This project set out to see if stress and anxiety (leading to burnout) could be combatted with the use of essential oils (EOs). Burnout is a common concern amongst the medical community and healthcare providers are leaving their jobs and field at unprecedented rates. While EOs have been used for patients, they are rarely used for the healthcare providers’ benefit. Because of that, this project wanted to focus on the employee for a change, which in turn would benefit the patient by having a mentally-present provider and the company by having less turnover. The project consisted of a pre-survey prior …

Using A Nurse Manager Prep Course To Spark Interest In Nurse Manager Succession Plan Participation, Sharon Pettiford

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Hospitals strive to become Magnet-accredited facilities. Having Magnet status indicates an institution has high standards regarding nurse work environments and positive patient outcomes. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) created the Magnet program criteria in 1994 (Dierkes et al., 2021). Obtaining Magnet accreditation is a coveted goal for hospitals. The target organization is currently not a Magnet-accredited hospital, nor does it have a nurse manager succession planning program. In preparation to achieve this accreditation, the target organization needed to implement a succession plan for nurse leaders. Institutions with successful succession planning programs pay careful attention when selecting participants for succession …

Increasing Future Health Care Providers’ Understanding Of The Complexity Of Endometriosis To Facilitate Early Diagnosis, Christina Alexander

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The DNP project was designed to improve future healthcare providers’ knowledge on the complexity of endometriosis by providing students with a lunch and learn session on endometriosis. The intent of the project implementation was to improve students’ knowledge on endometriosis to facilitate early diagnosis for patients. Improving provider knowledge of evidence-based endometriosis guidelines is imperative to achieve early diagnosis. The educational session provided students with information regarding symptoms, impact of delayed diagnosis, discerning differential diagnoses, associating timing of symptoms, and identifying endometriosis lesions. The impact of the project implementation was measured using pre/post-survey data evaluating overall knowledge, symptoms awareness, “best …

Integrating A Community Mental Health Resource Tool In A Rural Emergency Department Setting, Robert Rash

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Providing effective discharge education to patients who are treated in the emergency department setting remains a very important component of a patient’s visit to an emergency department. Literature confirms although there are various governmental regulatory agencies that set forth regulations and guidelines, there remains a need to continually evaluate and critique the discharge education process to best meet the evolving needs of the patients, stakeholders, and community. Universally understood standards include appropriate reading levels and usability of the discharge education being provided. Discharge education can be very simple to complex creating higher demands on nursing staff to ensure they understand …