Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Music Intervention On Cam Scores Of Hospitalized Older Adults Experiencing Delirium, Mae Lavente Dizon

Doctoral Projects

Older adults are vulnerable to developing while hospitalized is delirium. Research has shown that non-pharmacological interventions are effective in managing delirium and should be the first-line of treatment; however despite this, nurses fmd it difficult to address delirium. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effectiveness of classical music intervention in hospitalized older adults experiencing delirium by evaluating their Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) scores. A pre-and-post study design to compare the CAM scores of patients before and after music intervention was implemented. Study participants were patients 65 years and older identified to be experiencing delirium by a …

A Comparison Of Educational Approaches To The End-Of-Life-Nursing Education Consortium (Elnec) Course, Jennifer L. Bodine

Doctoral Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to compare the effectiveness of two different educational approaches to teaching the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium course.

Background: Terminally ill patients frequently visit the emergency department for palliative care. However, various references show that staff does not have the knowledge base necessary to provide quality end-of-life care in the emergency setting.

Method: Participants from the emergency department at a Level I Trauma Center were recruited. A quantitative, cross-sectional pilot study was conducted to investigate whether lecture or lecture with simulation was more effective in increasing the knowledge base of participants regarding …

Assessing Readiness For Interprofessional Learning About Sepsis Among Registered Nurses, Physicians, And Respiratory Therapists In A Community Hospital, Katie Choy

Doctoral Projects

Interprofessional teamwork and education have been advanced as methods to address the complexities of patient care (National Academy of Medicine [NAM], 2011-2013). One area needing further exploration is health care professionals' readiness to learn together in the acute care setting. The application of interprofessionalleaming (IPL) focused on sepsis education and improvement in sepsis outcomes in a community hospital has not been fully assessed. This descriptive, quantitative study explored interprofessional readiness to learn, perceptions of professional identity, and understanding of roles and responsibilities, by examining three subgroups. Registered nurses (n = 52), physicians (n = 29), and respiratory therapists (n = …

The Impact Of Intensive Case Management On Hospice Utilization, Debra Lowry Hummel

Doctoral Projects

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine if patients enrolled in multi-disciplinary intensive case management program (ImPACT) alter the patient’s end-of-life path or setting of death.

Methods: The quality improvement project is a quantitative retrospective study that compared patients receiving standard primary care vs intensive case management (ImPACT) during 2/2013-1/2014. It is a secondary analysis of a larger study of a quality improvement evaluation that took place at the Veterans Administration facility in Palo Alto, Ca.

Results: Among the 82 patients who died, 19 were enrolled in ImPACT for approximately 249 days compared to 63 who received standard …

An Exploration Of Social Capital Among Nurses In The Ambulatory Setting, Anna Lutz, Tamara Mckinnon

Doctoral Projects

Bullying and lateral violence are a sadly, common phenomena among nurses. While this issue has been examined within the inpatient, acute setting, it has not been widely researched in the ambulatory setting. This concept is usually looked at from a negative standpoint, looking at the levels of lateral violence. The purpose of this research study was done to explore the levels of social capital, also known as positive peer support, among nurses in the ambulatory setting. The participants of the study were 39 registered nurses from a public health department and an embedded care management department. The tool used was …

Therapeutic Listening Communication In Children With Autism And Hyperacusis, Jennifer Margaret Hughes

Doctoral Projects

Hyperacusis, or auditory hypersensitivity, is defined as abnormally sensitive hearing and in some cases an extreme sensitivity, where normally tolerated sounds are perceived as excessively, even painfully loud. This is a debilitating condition for children with autism, causing activity limitations and participation restrictions, also leading to peer isolation and habitual sound avoidance behaviors.

This research explores a means of modifying the auditory environment of a child with hyperacusis in a safe, effective way for the purpose of improving attention span and facilitating learning. The small pilot study (n=4) was a single-subject, multiple-baseline design, conducted with school-aged children in the special …

Development And Evaluation Of A Chronic Care Management Toolkit, Heidi Hongxin He

Doctoral Projects

Currently, little research is available on the topic of Chronic Care Management (CCM) service and its impact on patient health outcomes, largely because the service was recently introduced by Medicare in January 2015. The purpose of this Doctor in Nursing Practice (DNP) project is to create a Chronic Care Management (CCM) Toolkit specific to an established pulmonology practice based in a Central California community. This quality improvement pilot project also included an evaluation of the newly developed CCM Toolkit designed for this project. The evaluation was accomplished by surveying CCM care team members in this pulmonary practice (an internal group), …

Exploring Asian Indian's Perceptions Regarding Organ Donation, Sandip Suprai

Doctoral Projects

Organ donation saves many lives and gives many people a second chance at life. With over 123,000 candidates on the organ transplant list, it is crucial to increase organ awareness in an effort to increase organ allocation. The growing Asian Indian population in the United States along with low rates of organ donation in this unique cultural group provides an opportunity to explore perceptions and barriers that may exist. This study will explore the perceptions of Asian Indians regarding organ donation. Findings will provide much needed data for interventions to educate and promote organ awareness in this ethnic group. Increasing …

Undiagnosed Depression In The Elderly And Healthcare Education, Nancy J. Wynn-Grundy

Doctoral Projects

This descriptive study examined undiagnosed depression in the elderly and how it affects the elderly from retaining healthcare education. It is estimated by 2029, 20% of the United States population will be age 65 and older (Colby & Ortman, 2014). Depression in the elderly who have chronic diseases, is estimated to be undiagnosed up to 40% (Chaoyang et al., 2009). A hallmark symptom of depression is the inability to concentrate. It is unknown if undiagnosed depression will affect the older adult from retaining pertinent healthcare education. The 30 point Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was administered to a class of elderly …

Teaching And Evaluation Of Suicidal Assessment, Five-Step Evaluation And Triage (Safe-T) In The Emergency Department, Evangeline Rico

Doctoral Projects

Suicide remains to be a global and a national problem, and it continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the United States (U.S.) The Emergency Department (ED), being the gateway to the hospital can provide a great opportunity to assess each patient for suicidal ideation, and evaluate if patients present with risk factors for suicide. The competency of the ED staff plays a critical role in early recognition of patients who are at risk, and in implementing a plan of care for those with positive screens. However, researchers showed that knowledge deficit and lack of education …

Effectiveness And Feasibility Of In-Office Versus Smartphone Text-Delivered Nutrition Education In The College Setting: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study, Jordan Rose, Deepika Goyal, Mary Ellen Wilkosz, Anita Catlin

Doctoral Projects

Often, being away from home for the first time, coupled with limited knowledge regarding healthy eating behaviors, leads to poor food choices and an increased risk of obesity among college-aged young adults. These college students are prone to high-calorie diets and limited physical activity, putting them at risk for obesity, a physiologically, psychologically, and financially costly epidemic in the United States. College students use their cellular phones over eight and a half hours a day and cell phones are their primary means of information consumption outside of the classroom, suggesting that the phones would be a useful tool to provide …

Effect Of An Emergency Nurse Heart Failure Educational Intervention, Lori Hudgens

Doctoral Projects

Background: Research indicates many nurses lack the appropriate heart failure (HF) education necessary to assist with readmission reduction efforts. Employer approved nurse HF education has resulted in improved nurse HF knowledge, and, reduced readmissions.

Problem: ED nurses require a competent knowledge of heart failure to effectively educate heart failure patients upon admission to the ED. No research has been conducted with ED nurse specific populations to assess ED nurse knowledge of heart failure, and, to determine if heart failure educational interventions increase ED nurse' HF knowledge.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of an ED nurse b.eart failure educational intervention in …

How To Start A Nurse Practitioner Faculty Managed Clinic: Missing Components?, Johnna Edmunds

Doctoral Projects

A serious need exists for improved access to primary care for vulnerable populations. Nurse Practitioner Faculty Managed Clinics (NPFMC) can help to alleviate this problem. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to identify and examine the beginning components necessary for implementing this inter-professional collaboration. A comprehensive literature review identified the absence of these components, which were then revealed through the interviews with founders of NPFMCs. Prior to the interviews two manuals were reviewed about the process of starting a free clinic. Questions were explored relating to the participants’ experiences in starting a NPFMC. Review of the manuals was …

Barriers To Preoperative Teaching In A Culturally Diverse Healthcare Environment, Rancelle Ablan

Doctoral Projects

The role of the professional nurse is integral in educating and ensuring that patients understand essential components of their plan of care. This is especially true for patients who are to undergo surgical interventions; evidence has demonstrated that preoperative education provided to patients is linked with positive patient outcomes and a decrease in post-operative complications (Blackstone, Garrett, & Hasselkus, 2011). This qualitative study investigated the barriers that nurses experience in providing preoperative education to diverse patients in a multicultural healthcare environment. Ten registered nurses at a private community hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area participated in an hour long …

Nursing Input During Interprofessional Rounds In The Intensive Care Unit, Kathrine A. Winnie

Doctoral Projects

Interprofessional rounding has become a standard in intensive care units. Healthcare organizations such as The Joint Commission (2013) and the Institute of Medicine (2010) promote interprofessional teamwork with the goal of improving patient safety and outcomes. The 2010 IOM report, The Future of Nursing – Leading Change, Advancing Health discusses the need for all nurses to work as part of an interprofessional team to improve healthcare. Interprofessional rounding offers a venue for nurses to demonstrate their role as an equal member of the healthcare team. At the hospital of focus, there has been no previous formal attempt to measure the …

Constructivist Learning Strategies In A Nurse Residency Program, Floyd M. Hammon Iii

Doctoral Projects

Nurses are knowledge workers in technologically advanced social environments providing care to patients with complex biopsychosocial health care needs. The Nurse Residency Program (NRP) is a transition to practice program designed to facilitate the professional socialization of the newly licensed registered nurse (NLRN) with the goal of developing competency in providing safe and quality patient-centered care. Constructivist learning strategies are an instructional framework that promotes social facilitated self-directed learning. The purpose of the project is to determine if using constructivist learning strategies are an effective learning method in a NRP as measured by the Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey.

The Effectiveness Of California Assembly Bill 2109: Personal Belief Exemptions For Kindergarten Immunizations, Lilli Shizuka Goishi-Bessey

Doctoral Projects

The numbers of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) in the United States has declined with the development, administration, and effectiveness of vaccines during the 1970s and 1980s. As the eminent threat of VPDs to the public began to wane, parents started questioning the safety and necessity of vaccines. When parents were given the option of selecting personal belief exemption (PBE) waivers for state mandated immunizations for their incoming kindergarten children, an increase in PBEs and the number of VPD outbreaks began to occur. To counter the growing trend of PBEs, and to prevent outbreaks of VPDs in school settings and communities, …

Intraspinal Drug Delivery Reservoir Refill Procedure By Non-Physician Clinicians: A Nation-Wide Survey Of Training, Pocket Fill Experience, And Life-Long Learning Behaviors, Gail Mcglothlen

Doctoral Projects

Intraspinal drug delivery (IDD) is a safe and efficacious method used to deliver medications for the treatment of chronic neurologic disease that requires periodic reservoir refills that can place patients at risk for a rare, accidental but potentially life-threatening, pocket fill. In the United States (US), non-physician clinicians perform this procedure. This study reports the results of a nationwide survey completed by 65 non-physician clinicians, obtained through social media, who performed the reservoir refill procedure. The results of the survey showed no standardized training was used, lack of attention to existing clinical practice guidelines in the training given, lack of …

Exploring The Needs And Preferences For A Diabetes Self-Management Program In Hispanics Living In The Central Valley Of California, Emily Lane Kimble

Doctoral Projects

Diabetes mellitus type 2 is an ever increasing threat to the health of people living in the United States, especially those of Hispanic ethnicity. This ethnic group is disproportionately afflicted with the chronic condition and is also more likely than non-Hispanic whites to suffer from serious complications of diabetes. This project examines this growing problem among Hispanics living in the Central Valley of California by exploring how best to structure diabetes self-management education in a network of community health centers.

The Social Cognitive Theory provides a theoretical basis for investigation into motivation for diabetes self-management. This needs assessment specifically explored …

A Phenomenological Assessment Of Factors That Affect Medication Adherence Among Hypertensive Nigerian Immigrants, Beulah Iroegbu

Doctoral Projects

This qualitative study explored the perceptions that affect medication adherence among hypertensive Nigerian immigrants in Sacramento, California. The research questions focused on factors that influenced the adherence to hypertension medication; specifically, how the sample population explained the cause of hypertension and whether culture and religion impacted the cause and management of hypertension. A phenomenological approach was used to understand perceptions about medication adherence. A predefined group of 9 acted as a purposive sample and was given semi-structured individual interviews. Qualitative data analysis of the interviews was performed using Colaizzi's 7-step method. Results from the study found the cause of hypertension …

Examining The Satisfaction Levels Of Hospice And Palliative Care Nurses In Education, Clinical Confidence And Knowledge Of Self Care Practice, Monica Wooldridge

Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this descriptive exploratory research study was to measure hospice and palliative care registered nurses self-reported information on end of life education and self- care practices including overall satisfaction with end of life education, self-rating of clinical confidence and knowledge of self-care practice. As no tool for measuring this was found in literature, this study included development of a new survey tool. Participants were solicited on a volunteer basis at end of life conferences and professional meetings for a period of ninety days. A total of 88 surveys were returned. Results revealed that the majority of respondents reported …