Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Functional Movement Screen Score By Somatotype Category, Amanda Kelch

Masters Theses

Background: The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a tool used by fitness and health professionals to assess the quality of movement patterns in active populations. The literature has established descriptive values for FMS scores in various populations. However there has not yet been a study establishing the descriptive values of FMS score based on the somatotype categories. Establishing these descriptive values may provide a better understanding of how an individual's somatotype affects their ability to move. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish FMS scores for the four simplified somatotype categories (normal, endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph). Methods: Participants …

An Evidence-Based Approach To Determine The Feasibility And Sustainability Of A Support Group For Vulnerable Populations With Diabetes In A Free Health Clinic, Shawn Hillman

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: People living with diabetes require the appropriate resources, education, and support to avoid long-term complications. Vulnerable people with diabetes are often lacking these vital components, resulting in higher rates of complications, and decreased quality of life. A support group for diabetes in a free health clinic is an effective venue to provide these resources. This project determined the feasibility and factors leading to the potential for sustainability of a diabetes support group for a vulnerable population in West Michigan by implementing a pilot support group. Determinants of feasibility and sustainability were participant and professional feedback, perceptions of value and …

Sociodemographic Characteristics Of Heart Failure Associated Hospital Readmissions In Michigan Medicare Patients, Kelsey A. Peterson

Masters Theses

Repeated hospital admissions constitute a large proportion of healthcare expenses, but are incurred by a small minority of chronically ill patients. Rising healthcare expenditures and the link between readmissions and quality of care make readmission rates a high priority for clinicians as well as insurance payers. Though hospital readmissions have many components, one of the relationships which is still inconclusive is that between socioeconomic status and hospital readmission rates.

Investigating the conditions which have a substantial impact on the rate of hospital readmissions, heart failure stands out as it is the leading cause of death in the United States. This …

A Cyberbullying Needs Assessment In A Middle School Population: Identifying A Direction For Nurses, Ashley M. Eggleston

Doctoral Dissertations

Cyberbullying is a fairly new phenomenon that most adolescents will experience or be exposed to during their lifetime. It produces devastating outcomes on those who are victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying. There is a limited amount of research regarding the prevention of cyberbullying. The evidence that is available is mostly exploratory in nature. Currently, the literature recommends conducting a needs assessment to validate the problem, raise awareness, and identify potential solutions that are specific to a population and/or setting. Therefore, the purpose of this scholarly project was to administer a cyberbullying needs assessment at a local west Michigan middle school. …

Optical Tracking System To Monitor Laparoscopic Training, William D. Rytlewski

Masters Theses

Laparoscopic Surgery, also known as Minimally Invasive Surgery, is a surgical technique where surgeons perform surgery through small incisions in the patient’s abdomen using a camera to monitor the movements of the instruments inside the patient. In order for the surgery to be performed, the surgeon must possess a unique set of skills obtained through training using a variety of techniques. Simulators are the preferred method of training for laparoscopic surgery since they provide medical residents with real world scenarios as well as a tremendous amount of feedback on what he/she did wrong or right. However, due to the high …

The Evaluation Of Select Lifestyle Behavior Modification Following Participation In A Comprehensive Weight Management Clinic, Jennifer L. Bowling

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last decades, obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportion. Obesity rates have nearly doubled since 1960 when 43% of the United States population was overweight or obese and 1% was extremely obese. In 2012, approximately 69% of the US population was overweight or obese while 6.3% were extremely obese. Obesity rates are expected to progressively increase; therefore, interventions and guidelines are imperative in order to reduce the long term health risks of the Nation and to reduce overall health care costs (National Institute of Health [NIH], 2012).

Obesity increases morbidity resulting from associated hypertension, cardiovascular disease, …

An Interdisciplinary Team Approach To The Patient-Centered Medical Home As A Means Of Meeting Meaningful Use Stage 2 Requirements, Katie M. Alfredson

Doctoral Dissertations

In an attempt to address the shortcomings of the current U.S. healthcare system, reimbursement structure is changing from fee-for-service to a value-based model. This requires drastic change in how care is delivered. Therefore, care delivery models and reimbursement incentive programs are evolving to promote advancements in care delivery. This project examined an interdisciplinary team model utilized at a rural, privately owned practice that is a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH). This practice has incorporated unique structures and processes to attain Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements in the first year attesting for this stage became available as a means of addressing …

A Process Improvement Toolkit To Guide The Attainment Of Meaningful Use Stage 2 Requirements, Katie M. Alfredson

Doctoral Dissertations

Healthcare is evolving. Reimbursement is transitioning to a model based on quality and patient outcomes. To remain relevant and survive this transition, providers of care must adapt and implement new models of care delivery that account for these changes. This toolkit was created as a deliverable of a Doctor of Nursing Practice dissertation that explored a successful primary care delivery model of a Patient-Centered Medical Home that utilized an interdisciplinary team approach that included nurses. Through this model high quality care was delivered to achieve desired outcomes, specifically, successful attestation for Stage 2 of the Meaningful Use Incentive Program during …

A Needs Assessment Of Occupation Based Services In A West Michigan Homeless Shelter From A Staff Perspective, Stephanie A. Ballard, Katie M. Deveneau, April D. Hemlock

Community Based

In this qualitative study, student researchers conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews of individuals employed by a homeless shelter in West Michigan, posing questions related to the perceived need of occupation-based services for shelter recipients, and the efficacy of current services. Narratives were interpreted using thematic analysis, yielding themes related to the barriers faced by the shelter population, life skills of the shelter population, and services in place to provide for the needs of the shelter recipients. Authors concluded that shelter staff perceived a need for occupation-based services to engage the shelter population in meaningful occupations, particularly relating to leisure, education and …

Exploration Of Chemotherapy Safe-Handling Practices And Identification Of Knowledge Deficits Among Oncology Nurses In The Ambulatory Care Setting, Cheryl A. Verstrate

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to explore nursing practice perceptions regarding the safe-administration of outpatient chemotherapy and establish whether a knowledge deficit existed in an ambulatory care setting. Although recommendations for chemotherapy administration exist they are not mandatory and data suggests that contamination may still be occurring, due in part to inconsistent nursing compliance. To provide a foundation for instituting safety improvements in the administration of chemotherapy, a mailed survey was distributed to a population of 68 oncology nurses in an outpatient setting to explore the disparity between evidence-based recommendations and actual implementation.

The Chemotherapy Handling Questionnaire previously developed …

The Effectiveness Of A Multi-Component Community Program For The Prevention Of Childhood Obesity, Katelyn Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations

Trends in childhood obesity have increased in the past several decades at an alarming rate. According to the CDC, there are 12.5 million children ages 2-19 years affected by the condition. There are many associated comorbidities to childhood obesity and they are negatively affecting our nation’s youth. Research supports childhood obesity prevention programs that are familybased, take place in the community, and include education about nutrition, physical activity, and behavior change. B.Healthy Families is a program designed to address the issue of childhood obesity in a rural county in the Midwest. It was a six week community-based program that involved …

Implementation Of Motivational Interviewing In A Multidisciplinary Hiv Clinic In An Academic Medical Setting, Lucy Ledesma

Doctoral Dissertations

Purpose: People living with HIV (PLWH) struggle with medication adherence. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires greater than 95% adherence to prevent HIV drug resistance and treatment failure. Motivational interviewing (MI) is an effective counseling method designed to enhance health behavior change. This project determined the effectiveness of a two-day introductory MI training course on participant MI knowledge, perception of MI effectiveness, perception of client behavior change, and likelihood of MI use in a Midwest outpatient HIV clinic.

Participants: Seven clinical and non-clinical members of the multidisciplinary care team completed the two-day MI training course. Approximately 82% of the participants had never …

The Development Of An Evidence-Based Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness Plan For A College Health Center, Julie Cooper

Doctoral Dissertations

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) represents a new and previously unexplored threat to college campuses across the United States. In the fall of 2014, thousands of international students arrived on college campuses across the nation, but there were few resources for officials in higher education to reference as they sought to manage the threat of an unfamiliar hemorrhagic disease. Preparing for viral outbreaks is an essential task for campus emergency response committees. Colleges and universities are at risk for disease outbreaks because of extensive travel programs and close living quarters. At the same time, colleges must also promote hospitality and avoid …

Implementation Of A Treatment Plan In A Rural Health Clinic For Patients With A Diagnosis Of Migraine Headache, Darleen C. Hoffert

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this practice dissertation was to improve the quality of care and outcomes for patients in a small, rural health clinic with a diagnosis of migraine headache. The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) prepared a health care guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of headaches (Beithon et al., 2013). As part of this guideline, aims and measures were provided for the purpose of quality improvement in migraine headache management (Beithon et al., 2013). The guidelines state the purpose of Aim #5 is to, “increase the percentage of patients with migraine headache who have a treatment plan” (Beithon …

Subcutaneous Tissue Depth Over Intraosseous Infusion Sites In A Cadaveric Model, Megan Marie Glazier

Masters Theses

BACKGROUND: When emergent intravenous access is not available an intraosseous (IO) infusion is performed. To accurately perform an IO infusion, the healthcare provider must precisely palpate and identify the associated anatomical landmark for placement. A thicker layer of subcutaneous tissue over the insertion site can make this process difficult, leading to an increased risk of misplacement. PURPOSE: To relate the subcutaneous tissue depth with body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat in order to better understand IO placement sites in relation to these body composition factors. SUBJECTS: Male and female unembalmed cadavers (n=22) between the ages of 54-95 years …

A Community Needs Assessment For A Camp Activity Center For People With Disabilities, Jackie L. Main, Melissa A. Klenk, Samantha N. Vandriel

Community Based

This paper describes a needs assessment of a camp for individuals with disabilities. Utilizing a combination of focus groups and interviews, the needs assessment explores the benefits of additional space and services of an activity center and sensory room, the desire for additional equipment, the value of occupational therapy services, and the potential benefit these additions may have for the surrounding populations within the community. The participants include administrative staff, counselors, campers, and other key informants who maintain knowledge of the topics pertaining to the camp. The results revealed three major themes including marketing, staffing, and indoor space. It was …