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Initiating Access To Palliative Care Earlier In Pediatric Oncology Patients, Anita Sharma

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Abstract

Background: Pediatric oncology patients should be referred to palliative care early but despite research indicating the clear benefits, there is still a delay in referring patients. One of the reasons include lack of understanding amongst providers on what palliative care is. Palliative care provides symptom management, emotional support and helps the patient and family with difficult decision making.

Objectives: This project aimed to increase the number of early referrals to palliative care. The Pediatric Palliative Care Screening Tool (PaPas) was utilized to help identify the triggers which should prompt the referral.

Methods: A chart review of patients diagnosed with …

Reducing The Rate Of Falls In Hospice Patients: A Fall Prevention Pilot Program, Allison Floyd

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background and Evidence Problem: As the population ages, there is an increase in the incidents of falls. Falls are the predominant cause of both nonfatal and fatal injuries among adults aged 65 years and older (Bergen et al., 2016). Extensive research has been conducted in fall prevention in hospitals, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation units. End-of-life care in a hospice setting presents a greater challenge in risk identification and prevention of falls. A local hospice had 457 falls between July 2018 to mid-March 2019 with a lack of consistent, detailed, fall education and documentation.

Evidence-Based Practice Intervention: Utilizing the American Geriatrics …

Utilization Of Peer-Led Education To Enhance Advance Care Planning And Advance Directive Completion, Jenna Juenger

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: The integration of advance care planning (ACP) and palliative care (PC) into oncology plays a critical role in symptom management and quality of life. Studies reveal a large subset of oncology patients with unmet needs regarding ACP and advance directive (AD) completion. Successful ACP helps to promote congruent medical treatment with patients’ values and preferences and motivates patients to complete ADs.

Objective: An evidence-based practice project was conducted to assess the effectiveness of peer-led education to nursing staff to improve ACP and AD completion among inpatient oncology and PC patients

Design: A standardized survey created from the …

Pilot Implementation Of A Comprehensive Pain Assessment In An Oncology Clinic, Lauren Botta

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Purpose/Aims: This project implemented an algorithmic approach to assess pain, functionality, and psychosocial states in newly diagnosed cancer patients. This was accomplished through utilization of a validated pain assessment tool. The tool’s purpose was to identify high-risk patients for Emergency Department (ED) visits or unanticipated hospital admissions (UHA), within a second-year fellow Hematology/Oncology clinic.

Primary aims included: (a) aggregating demographic data to determine the profile of a high-risk patient seen within this clinic, (b) determining those referred to and who followed up with symptom specialists or the ED, and (c) identifying barriers for the next iteration of the project. …

Creating A Palliative Care Referral To Improve Quality Of Life In Heart Failure Patients, Johnny Garcia

Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts

Background: A transitional care program was developed at a southern San Diego hospital to guide patients dealing with heart failure from an inpatient to an outpatient setting to decrease hospital readmissions. Although, very successful with a quarterly readmission average of 9%, patients that are considered end-stage heart failure categorized by ejection fraction less than 30% and have greater than one visit in a thirty day period do not qualify for transitional care. These patients’ readmission rates average 50%. The literature shows that patients who will not significantly improve within six months would benefit from palliative and hospice care, thus a …