Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Implementation Of A Turn Team To Reduce Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries In A Medical Intensive Care Unit, Heather A, Adair

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Implementation of a Turn Team to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries in a Medical Intensive Care Unit

PURPOSE

The project aimed to reduce hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) rates in a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) by improving nurses' knowledge of the Braden Scale and implementing a structured two-nurse turn team workflow to reposition high-risk patients every two hours.

RESULTS

Repositioning compliance improved substantially and consistently exceeded the project goal of 90% after implementing a pod-based workflow. The HAPI prevalence rate decreased from a baseline of 8% to below the project goal of ≤5% during implementation but was not sustained in the …

Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Neurons In The Bed Nucleus Of The Stria Terminalis Modulate Avoidance Behaviors And Feeding, Juan Manuel Romero, Shae-Marie Stafford-Trujillo, Mitzy Mendoza, Pey-Shyuan Chin, Snigdha Srivastava, Mikhail Kochukov, Qingchun Tong, Benjamin Russell Arenkiel

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Introduction: Animals rely on defensive avoidance of exposed or potentially threatening environments as a fundamental survival strategy, often expressing this behavior as thigmotaxis, or a preference for the periphery of an open space. However, researchers still do not understand how neural circuits coordinate avoidance behavior with competing physiological drives such as feeding. In this study, we investigate how corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-expressing neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) integrate environmental avoidance and feeding behavior.

Methods: We used adult male and female mice and applied fiber photometry to monitor BNST CRF neuronal activity in vivo. We performed both …

Cone Beam Computed Tomography For Endodontics: Incidental Findings And Respective Significance, Erin J Key, Nina K Anderson, Dan Colosi, Mina Mahdian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence, distribution, and follow-up recommendations of incidental findings in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans acquired for endodontic treatment.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of limited field-of-view (FOV) CBCT images for endodontic evaluation obtained at the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine between 2018 and 2022. All scans were reviewed by 1 oral and maxillofacial radiology (OMR) resident and all incidental findings were corroborated with the radiology report approved by 1 of 2 board-certified OMRs. Data extracted for each case included age, gender, and reason for scan; and …

Evaluating The Impact Of Proactive Rounding On Early Recognition And Rapid Response, Alicia Mcintosh

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement project evaluated the impact of a Rapid Response Team (RRT)-led proactive rounding model on the early recognition of clinical deterioration and selected patient outcomes.

Background: Delays in recognizing clinical deterioration contribute to preventable adverse events, highlighting the need for proactive strategies to support early identification and timely intervention. To address this need, the project was implemented on a 36-bed intermediate care unit at a community medical center in Southeast United States.

Methodology: Guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, the project used a six-week pre-post intervention in which an Advanced Practice Provider (APP) conducted proactive rounds on patients …

Assessing The Impact Of The 2021 Vwd Guidelines On The Diagnosis/Management Of Low Vwf Patients, Michael Dong, Joanna Larson, Sepideh Saroukhani, Miguel Escobar, Lakshmi Srivaths

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: The 2021 ASH/ISTH/NHF/WFH VWD diagnosis guidelines recommend Type 1 VWD diagnoses for patients with (a) VWF < 0.30 IU/mL or (b) 'Low VWF' 0.30-0.50 IU/mL with the presence of abnormal bleeding. This recommendation recategorizes 'Low VWF' patients with abnormal bleeding into Type 1 VWD.

Aim: To assess the impact of the 2021 VWD guidelines on the diagnosis and management of 'Low VWF' patients.

Methods: A single centre retrospective study was conducted to review all patients presenting for VWD evaluation between January 2000 to September 2024, analyzing for clinical features, ISTH-BAT scores, VWF/FVIII levels, and management of bleeding. 149 patients, totalling 305 clinical encounters, were included in the study.

Results: Seventy five percent of patient encounters had a change in diagnosis from 'Low VWF' to Type 1 VWD …

Safety And Effectiveness Of Stereotactic Radiosurgery For Larger Hemangioblastomas (>2cc): A Multi-Center Retrospective Study, Pavel S Pichardo-Rojas, Salem M Tos, Georgios Mantziaris, Ahmed Shaaban, Ahmed M Nabeel, Wael A Reda, Sameh R Tawadros, Khaled Abdelkarim, Amr M N El-Shehaby, Reem M Emad, Zhishuo Wei, Lindsay M Mckendrick, Ajay Niranjan, L Dade Lunsford, Selcuk Peker, Yavuz Samanci, Roman Liscak, Jaromir May, David Mathieu, Cheng-Chia Lee, Huai-Che Yang, Antonio Dono, Angel I Blanco, Yoshua Esquenazi, Nuria Martinez Moreno, Roberto Martinez Álvarez, Piero Picozzi, Andrea Franzini, Manjul Tripathi, Takuma Sumi, Takeo Uzuka, Hideyuki Kano, David Bailey, Brad E Zacharia, Christopher P Cifarelli, Daniel T Cifarelli, Joshua D Hack, Herwin Speckter, Erwin Lazo, Ronald E Warnick, Jonathan E Schoenhals, Joshua D Palmer, Zhiyuan Xu, Jason P Sheehan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Hemangioblastomas (HGB) are the most common primary intra-axial tumors in the posterior fossa in adults, with an overall occurrence of 7-10%. They occur sporadically or as part of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. The role of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as a minimally invasive treatment in larger HGB (>2cc) has not been thoroughly investigated.

METHODS: This multi-center study retrospectively analyzed data from 91 patients with large HGB (>2cc) treated between 1993 and 2023. Patients were stratified into VHL-associated and sporadic groups, with assessments including radiosurgical parameters, tumor response, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS: Patients with VHL-associated …

Evaluation Of Interventions For Cognitive Symptoms In Long Covid: A Randomized Clinical Trial, David S Knopman, Deborah Koltai, Daniel T Laskowitz, Jacqueline Becker, Leigh Charvet, Juan Wisnivesky, Alex Federman, Adam Silverstein, Yuliya Lokhnygina, Giuseppina Pilloni, Michelle Haddad, Henry Mahncke, Tom Van Vleet, Rong Huang, Wendy Cox, Diana Terry, Jeannie Karwowski, Netia Mccray, Jenny J Lin, Grace A Mccomsey, Upinder Singh, Linda N Geng, Helen Y Chu, Rebecca Reece, James Moy, Zoe Arvanitakis, Sairam Parthasarathy, Thomas F Patterson, Aditi Gupta, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Jeffrey Parsonnet, Elaine T Kiriakopoulos, Tamara G Fong, Janet Mullington, Sarah Jolley, Nirav S Shah, Sarah Shizuko Morimoto, Joyce K Lee-Iannotti, William D S Killgore, Brigid Dwyer, William Stringer, Carmen Isache, Jennifer A Frontera, Jerry A Krishnan, Ashley O'Steen, Melissa James, Barrie L Harper, Kanecia O Zimmerman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: Treatment for cognitive dysfunction due to postacute sequelae of long COVID (ie, symptoms of fatigue, malaise, weakness, confusion that persist beyond 12 weeks after an initial COVID infection) remains a significant unmet need.

Objective: To test evidence-based rehabilitation strategies for improving cognitive symptoms in persons with long COVID.

Design, setting, and participants: This was a 5-arm, multicenter, randomized clinical trial of 3 remotely delivered interventions conducted between August 17, 2023, and June 10, 2024. The study took place at 22 trial sites and included the screening of individuals with cognitive long COVID.

Interventions: Participants were randomized to 1 of …

Improving Remote Monitoring Compliance For Pediatric And Adult Congenital Electrophysiology Patients With Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (Cieds), Christine Meliones

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Improving Remote Monitoring Compliance for Pediatric and Adult Congenital Electrophysiology Patients with Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (CIEDs)

Purpose

The purpose of this scholarly project was to implement a quality improvement (QI) project to improve patient safety by improving cardiac implantable electronic device remote monitoring (RM) which has traditionally failed to achieve published benchmarks.

Background

The project was implemented at a healthcare institution in Houston, Texas. The practice area includes pediatric and adult patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in an outpatient setting. Current compliance with 14-day post-implementation enrollment (44%) and ongoing compliance (60%) did not meet published benchmarks.

Methodology …

Utilizing A Suction Catheter As A Makeshift Tracheostomy Tube In A Premature Infant: A Case Report., Ashwini V Bandi, Shaina W Gong, Gabriela G Cruz, Alicia S Lore, Kunal Shetty, Sancak Yuksel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

One of the most challenging aspects regarding pediatric tracheostomy tube placement is the size selection, particularly in preterm infants. We present the first reported case of a makeshift tracheostomy tube using a 6-French suction catheter in a 31-week-old premature infant in an emergent situation. This approach holds promise as a potentially life-saving intervention for extremely small preterm infants. Furthermore, this case emphasizes the size discrepancy between the premature neonatal airway and the smallest tracheostomy tubes available. Further research is warranted to allow for more diverse clinical solutions that can accommodate similar cases in acute settings.

Ventilation-Perfusion Scan: A Functional Imaging Approach To Regional Lung Disease In Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, Gabriel Román-Ríos, Gabriel Rosario-Ortiz, Marcos J Ramos-Benitez, Ricardo A Mosquera, Wilfredo De Jesús-Rojas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: As a rare genetic disorder defined by defective ciliary motility, Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) leads to chronic respiratory complications. A founder variant in the RSPH4A [c.921+3_921+6delAAGT] gene, common in Puerto Rico, impairs ciliary function and contributes to progressive lung disease. Today, the clinical value of ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scans in PCD has not been thoroughly investigated as well as pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and chest imaging. To explore the role and clinical utility of V/Q scans in PCD.

Methods: Retrospective evaluation of pulmonary function tests, chest imaging, and Tc-99m DTPA ventilation and Tc-99m MAA perfusion scans in ten patients with …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Clinical Characteristics And Outcomes In Adults With Encephalitis: A Retrospective Study, Sienna Wu, Rodrigo Hasbun, Ralph Habis, Jordan Benderoth, Ivany Patel, Ashutosh Gupta, Megan Goyal, Arun Venkatesan, John C Probasco, Paris Bean, Ashley Heck, Laya Rao, Rajesh K Gupta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and objectives: This study aims to assess whether adult patients with encephalitis from different racial and ethnic backgrounds exhibit significant differences in clinical presentation, diagnostic findings, and outcomes.

Design and methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted by utilizing the electronic health records of encephalitis patients in the greater Houston and Baltimore areas. Patients were categorized by race/ethnicity into White or ethnic minority (including Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients). Data was analyzed for the presence of significant differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups.

Results: Among 599 patients, 312 (52.1%) were White and 287 (47.9%) were of an …

Psycinfo Platforms: A Tale Of Two Interfaces (Ovid Vs Ebsco), Sandra Yvette Desjardins, Jamie Quinn

Library Staff Publications

PsycInfo is a foundational database for evidence-based behavioral health literature, which makes it an essential tool for health sciences librarians. This column provides a comprehensive comparison of PsycInfo on Ovid and EBSCO platforms. It offers a foundational overview for new librarians, guiding them through essential functionalities and navigation. The article also helps librarians evaluate potential database acquisitions by highlighting the distinct features and search capabilities of each interface. This comparison aims to equip health sciences librarians with the knowledge to optimize search strategies and inform strategic purchasing decisions.

Using The Dynamic Appraisal Of Situation Aggression (Dasa) Tool In An Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Doose J. Onarinde

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement project evaluated whether implementation of the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA) tool reduced aggressive incidents compared with unstructured clinical judgment.

Background: Workplace violence is a persistent safety concern in inpatient psychiatric settings, contributing to staff injury, burnout, and compromised patient care.

Methods: Guided by Lewin’s Change Model, a pre–post intervention design was implemented over eight weeks on a 23-bed male forensic psychiatric unit. Registered nurses received standardized education and completed daily DASA assessments for all admitted patients. Data were collected from incident reports, DASA scores, and pre- and post-intervention nurse surveys. Descriptive statistics were used …

Implementation Of A Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle To Reduce Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries In The Intensive Care Unit, Xibo Lan

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

The goal of this quality improvement project was to utilize the SKINSAFE pressure injury prevention bundle during 12 weeks of implementation to increase evidence-based pressure injury prevention practices adherence and decrease risk of hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) in the intensive care units (ICU).

Background

ICU patients experience high risk for hospital acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) secondary to immobility and device related pressure. Initial adherence to SKINSAFE bundle was 55-56%. There was inconsistent use of heel offloading devices, wound photography and documentation. Prevention bundles were affected by staffing fluctuations and leadership turnovers.

Methodology

The Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle for this project included …

Enhancing Patient Satisfaction Through A Telehealth -Enabled Post-Discharge Follow-Up Program In An Adult Medical-Surgical Unit, Helen T. Idowu, Helen Temitope Idowu

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project evaluated the effectiveness of a telehealth-enabled post-discharge follow-up program in improving patient satisfaction among adult medical–surgical patients discharged following arteriovenous (AV) fistula placement.

Background: Ineffective communication during transitional care contributes to poor patient understanding, decreased confidence in self-management, and lower patient satisfaction. Internal organizational data identified a baseline satisfaction rate of 55%, demonstrating the need for a structured post-discharge intervention.

Methodology: A 12-week QI initiative was conducted using the Plan–Do–Study–Act framework. Registered nurses completed standardized telehealth follow-up calls within 24–48 hours of discharge to reinforce discharge education, assess symptoms, and address patient …

Nurse-Driven Initiatives To Reduce Supply Waste Produced In The Intensive Care Unit, Lance Prince

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to implement a needs-based supply retrieval system using mobile carts and evaluate its effectiveness in reducing supply costs and improving resource stewardship among nursing staff over an 8-week period.

Background

intensive care units are high-resource environments where medical supply overconsumption leads to significant financial strain and environmental impact. Preliminary audits in a high-acuity unit revealed a trend of excess waste driven by the automatic opening of standardized, pre-packaged admission kits regardless of individual patient needs.

Methodology

Guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, a pre/post-intervention design evaluated 49 patient …

Facilitating Shared Reading Exposure To Promote Health Outcomes In A Rural Pediatric Primary Care Clinic, Meredith L. Longino

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this scholarly project was to address a gap in early literacy promotion for rural children by incorporating the Reach Out and Read program. This program bolsters foundational literacy by providing a book and anticipatory guidance at every well-child visit from birth through age 5. This project was expected to decrease no-show well-child attendance rates and improve provider morale.

Background

The project was implemented in an established rural pediatric primary care clinic in Northeast Texas. 

Methodology

Process implementation was measured through books distributed and EHR documentation of the intervention. Process objectives were measured by no-show rates for …

Improving Parental Self-Efficacy And Stress Management Among Parenting Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Development And Implementation Of A Standardized Group Parenting Curriculum At An Urban Homeless Shelter, Liam Jerez

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

This quality improvement (QI) project developed and implemented an evidence-informed group parenting curriculum, The Parenting Hub: Mindful Moments (TPHMM), at an urban youth shelter, aiming to increase parental self-efficacy by 20% and decrease parental stress by 20% among homeless parenting youth.

Background

Nearly half (49%) of 18–24-year-olds in families experiencing homelessness are parents, often facing low parenting confidence, limited support, and high stress. The project site, serving up to 150 youths, with a fluctuating number of young parents, lacked a standardized parenting curriculum.

Methodology

This pre-/post-test QI pilot used the Model for Improvement; Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles refined delivery in the …

Accelerating Ai Innovation In Healthcare: Real-World Clinical Research Applications On The Mayo Clinic Platform, Yue Yu, Xinyue Hu, Sivaraman Rajaganapathy, Jingna Feng, Ahmed Abdelhameed, Xiaodi Li, Jianfu Li, Xiaoke Liu, Liu Yang, Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner, Phil Fiero, Soulmaz Boroumand, Richard Larsen, Maneesh Goyal, Clark C Otley, Nansu Zong, Vijay H Shah, John D Halamka, Cui Tao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise for healthcare, but real-world implementation remains difficult. The Mayo clinic platform (MCP) addresses this by providing scalable, multi-institutional, de-identified data and analytical tools. Through four research projects, we demonstrate MCP's ability to support efficient cohort identification, AI model development, and real-world evidence generation. MCP enables broader accessibility and standardization compared to institutional EHRs, positioning it as a powerful platform for advancing translational research and precision medicine.

The Ai-Native Health Science Institution Innovation Theater Vs. Structural Redesign, Jiajie Zhang, Martin J Citardi, Xiaoqian Jiang, Sean Savitz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Academic health institutions face a new constraint: cognitive labor. Many adopt AI through additive initiatives that risk becoming "innovation theater"-visible activity without structural change. We argue this reflects a mismatch between rapid AI advances and slower institutional evolution. AI-native institutions treat AI as infrastructure, requiring governance, shared platforms, and workforce readiness. The challenge is not adoption but redesign; those that fail risk widening gaps and accelerating irrelevance.

Frame: Fast Reference-Based Ancestry Makeup Estimation Tool, Pramesh Shakya, Ardalan Naseri, Degui Zhi, Shaojie Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Motivation: The availability of large-scale genetic data presents a unique opportunity to study the genetic ancestries of individuals, which requires an efficient and scalable method. The existing global ancestry methods are accurate, but they cannot scale to large genetic datasets. Identity-by-descent (IBD) segments are DNA segments shared by individuals such that they are inherited from a common recent ancestor without recombination. These IBD segments, which reflect co-ancestry, provide an efficient alternative for inferring genetic ancestry.

Results: We introduced a reference-based global ancestry inference method called FRAME (Fast Reference-based Ancestry Makeup Estimation). FRAME utilizes partial local ancestry information estimated through IBD …

Clinical Outcomes With Perioperative Nivolumab By Nodal Status In Patients With Stage Iii Resectable Nsclc: Phase 3 Checkmate 77t Exploratory Analysis, Mariano Provencio, Mark M Awad, Jonathan D Spicer, Annelies Janssens, Fedor Moiseyenko, Yang Gao, Yasutaka Watanabe, Aurelia Alexandru, Florian Guisier, Nikolaj Frost, Fabio Franke, T Jeroen Nicolaas Hiltermann, Jie He, Fumihiro Tanaka, Shun Lu, Cinthya Coronado Erdmann, Padma Sathyanarayana, Phuong Tran, Vipul Devas, Tina Cascone

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Individuals with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with metastases to the ipsilateral mediastinum or subcarinal lymph nodes (N2 disease) have poor long-term survival. This exploratory analysis from the randomized phase 3 CheckMate 77T study assessed clinical outcomes by nodal status in individuals with stage III NSCLC who received neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant nivolumab (nivolumab) versus neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and adjuvant placebo (placebo). Here we show that among patients with N2 disease, nivolumab versus placebo improved event-free survival (1-year rate, 70% versus 45%; hazard ratio, 0.46 (95% confidence interval, 0.30–0.70)) and pathological complete response rate …

Blood Flow Regulates Metabolism In Hematopoietic Development, Pamela L Wenzel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Blood flow modifies oxygen availability and biomechanical forces within the vasculature of the embryo as the hematopoietic system develops. The aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) envelops the largest artery in the body and is a critical site for the emergence of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Herein, I discuss the role of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and force as determinants of metabolism and fate determination. To address the effects of blood flow on hematopoietic development, I employ mouse embryo models and biomimetic culture. Real-time cell metabolic analyses show that oxygen consumption rates (OCR) and extracellular acidification rates (ECAR) are altered by flow in cultures of …

Multisite, Multiancestry Genome-Wide Association Study Meta-Analysis Of Functional Seizure Disorder In A Hospital Sample Of 675,680 Patients, Slavina B Goleva, Costin Leu, Yen-Chen Anne Feng, David Burstein, Sanan Venkatesh, Rebecca Birnbaum, Veera M Rajagopal, Peter Straub, Jakob Christensen, Jocelyn F Bautista, Robyn M Busch, Imad M Najm, Jakob Grove, Anders D Børglum, Georgios Voloudakis, Panos Roussos, Jordan Smoller, Dennis Lal, Lea K Davis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Functional seizures (FS) are paroxysmal episodes that phenotypically resemble epileptic seizures but are not associated with brain epileptiform discharges; they are also known as psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. The exact etiology and pathophysiology of FS is unknown; however, trauma and stress-related disorders are known risk factors.

Methods: We used a validated algorithm applied to electronic health records to identify individuals with FS in 6 international biobanks and hospital sites. We conducted a multisite FS genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis, including 10,910 FS cases (9040 predicted European ancestry [EA] and 1870 predicted African ancestry [AA]) and 664,500 (561,150 EA and 103,350 …

Improving Nursing Compliance With Pain Reassessment Documentation After Analgesic Administration, Dorcas Okunola

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Improving Nursing Compliance with Pain Reassessment Documentation After Analgesic Administration

PURPOSE: This quality improvement project aimed to increase registered nurse (RN) compliance with documenting pain reassessment within 30–60 minutes after analgesic administration in an adult medical–surgical trauma unit at a large academic medical center.

BACKGROUND: Timely pain reassessment is essential for evaluating treatment effectiveness and ensuring safe, patient-centered care. Baseline audits showed inconsistent documentation and compliance below institutional expectations. Evidence supports the use of electronic health record (EHR) prompts combined with targeted nursing education to improve adherence.

METHODOLOGY: A 12-week quality improvement initiative was conducted to reinforce adherence to the …

Implementing An Evidence-Based Wound Care Protocol For Inpatient End-Of-Life Residents That Aligns With Hospice Comfort Care Goals, Oge C. Okeke

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Implementing an evidence-based wound care protocol for inpatient end-of-life residents that aligns with hospice comfort care goals.

Purpose

This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to adopt a patient-centered, comfort-focused approach to wound care at the DNP project site and improve patient outcomes by increasing nursing staff's knowledge of evidence-based wound treatment strategies by 20%.

Background

Curative treatments involving aggressive methods do not align with hospice principles. Residents at the project site experience increased suffering at the end of life because of limited nursing knowledge of evidence-based, atraumatic wound care practices for end-of-life patients.

Results

Pre-intervention nursing knowledge survey scores ranged …

Improving Handoff Communication Among Uaps In A Group Home By Implementing Standardized Sbar Tool And Evaluating Its Impact On Communication Quality And Resident Safety, Ola Iweala

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

Improving handoff communication among unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs) in a group home through Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR) tool implementation.

Background

Communication failures during shift handoffs among unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs) in a group home contributed to missed information, inconsistent care, and resident safety events. Baseline observations showed that only 37.5% of handoffs met criteria for high-quality communication, and approximately 75% of safety incidents were related to communication breakdowns.

Methodology

This project was conducted in a group home serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and included 19 UAPs. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model and Adult Learning Theory guided implementation. …

Improving First Case-On-Time Starts In The Operating Room By Implementing A Visual Patient Readiness Assessment Tool: A Pilot Quality Improvement Project, Xochitl I. Miranda-Khayat

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose

Delays in first case on-time starts (FCOTS) impact operating room (OR) efficiency, causing compounding schedule delays. This quality improvement (QI) project implemented a visual readiness tool to standardize communication and increase FCOTS rates.

Background

The project was implemented in a 5-room OR in an academic teaching hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

Methodology

Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) guided continuous improvement and contextual factors evaluation. Following multidisciplinary education, the visual tool was implemented. De-identified FCOTS data was extracted from the electronic health record (EHR). Qualitative feedback was gathered via Qualtrics (n=17 pre-implementation) and …

Improving Prostate Cancer Patients’ Experience And Understanding With A Pre-Ct Simulation Checklist In Genitourinary Radiation Oncology, Christopher Le

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Improving Prostate Cancer Patients’ Experience and Understanding With a Pre-CT Simulation Checklist in Genitourinary Radiation Oncology

Purpose

The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to implement a Pre-CT Simulation checklist for Prostate cancer patients in the outpatient Radiation Oncology Genitourinary clinic to improve patients’ experience and comprehension on their Simulation Day.

Background

The CT simulation is a critical step in treatment planning. Lack of clear, concise, consistent instruction and education preparation prior to simulation day can delay planning and treatment. Currently, there is no standardized checklist to ensure patients are educated and prepared for their CT simulation day. …

Improving Clinic Workflow To Enhance Rubeola Immunity Screening In Pregnant Patients, Courtney Mcduffie

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Project Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to improve provider adherence to Rubeola IgG serum order entry for prenatal care visits by implementing a standardized workflow and an electronic medical record (EMR)-based order-entry process in a high-risk maternal outpatient clinic.

Background: Rubeola infection during pregnancy is associated with significant maternal and fetal complications. Despite recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to use serologic testing to determine immunity status, inconsistent provider ordering practices and workflow gaps contribute to missed opportunities for identifying non-immune patients and planning post-partum vaccination.

Methodology: A ten-week intervention period utilized …