Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Locus Of Control, Activity Level, And Living Situation Among The Elderly, Jennifer L. Birchenough

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was to investigate the relationships among locus of control, activity level, and living situation in the elderly. The participants in this study consisted of 62 elderly individuals who resided in one of three living situations: (1) independent living, (2) assisted living, and (3) comprehensive care centers. All participants were screened for cognitive status using the Mini-Mental State Assessment (Folstein, M., Folstein, S., & McHugh, 1975). Individuals who scored in the normal range then completed a Locus of Control Scale (Rotter, 1966) and the Index of Occupational Behavior (Gregory, 1983) to address the meaningfulness of, and …

Cultural Considerations In Clinical Reasoning: An Occupational Therapy Case Study, Sandra M. Winter

Masters Theses

This study looked at an occupational therapist's work with clients from varied cultural backgrounds. Qualitative research strategies and a phenomenological approach were used to gather data through interviews with a single respondent and observation of treatment. This methodology was used to examine the process utilized to acquire cultural knowledge and integrate that knowledge into treatment planning. Research focused on: (a) how the cultural background of a client influenced an occupational therapist as she planned and implemented treatment, (b) how the treatment process was influenced by cultural differences between the therapist and the client, and (c) how training or education helped …

Perceived Differences Between Male And Female Occupational Therapists’ Treatment And Other Related Gender Issues, Dennis Robert Jones

Masters Theses

This study explored how occupational therapy clients perceive the treatment they receive from male and female occupational therapists. The study was conducted in a qualitative manner. Occupational therapy supervisors who have supervised both female and male occupational therapists were interviewed to gain an initial understanding of the relevant issues. More structured interviews were then conducted with clients who have been treated by both a female and a male occupational therapist. Therapists and clients were also observed during four treatment sessions.

Analysis of the data collected through interviews revealed that supervisors and clients do notice some behavioral differences in male and …

The Effects Of Animal Assisted Therapy When Used As An Adjunct To Occupational Therapy In The Rehabilitation Of Persons Who Have Had Cerebral Vascular Accidents, Alice Arlene Briggs

Masters Theses

Occupational therapists can use animals to assist their clients in achieving goals in treatment. Most often dogs are used as they are more easily trained. The dog may fetch a ball thrown by the client or stand still and allow the client to brush it. These activities with the animal increase the client's range of motion, endurance and strength. Dogs as well as other animals are used in various ways to elicit the desired response from the client. No studies were found in the literature that examined the use of animals as adjuncts to, or as modalities in occupational therapy …

The Oncology Patient's Perception Of Support For The Use Of Alternative Therapies By Their Health Care Provider, Michelle Lynn Witkop

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if patients with cancer communicated their use of alternative therapies to their health care providers, to identify factors that influenced their decision to share (or not to share) this information with the health care provider, to describe the types of alternative therapy they were using, to identify where information on the chosen alternative therapy was obtained, and to discuss the factors that influenced their use of an alternative therapy. A convenience sample of 29 subjects from five oncology practices in northwestern lower Michigan responded to questionnaires assessing their use of alternative …

Musicians' Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Problems: Medical Care From The Patients' Perspective, Susan Gail Stephenson

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to add to the body of knowledge concerning musicians' musculoskeletal problems and to investigate whether an occupational therapy specialty is warranted for this field of medicine. An original questionnaire was constructed and administered to the members of three symphony orchestras. Three primary sections of the questionnaire address participants' demographic and occupational characteristics, symptom and treatment experiences, and opinions on medical care. Descriptive data are reported for all sections of the questionnaire. Particular attention is given to the effectiveness of traditional occupational and physical· therapy treatments. Data are provided regarding the relationships between variables: (a) certain personal …

Assessing The Pragmatic Skills Of Adolescents With And Without Learning Disabilities On A Dramatization Task, Amy L. Juergens

Masters Theses

This study was designed to compare the pragmatic skills of adolescents with and without learning disabilities as measured by a dramatization task. Seventeen high school students with learning disabilities and 17 normal-achieving high school students participated in this study. Twenty scenes were presented verbally to the participants who were instructed to act out the part of a character in each scene, making up the dialogue to fit the scene. The responses were scored for their pragmatic appropriateness and linguistic quality. Task reliability and validity analyses indicated that the dramatization task was an effective measure of key aspects of pragmatic skills. …

Continuing Eligibility: A Reason For Change, Louise L. Ericson

Masters Theses

The purposes of this study were to determine how the NCAA continuing eligibility rules affect the academic choices and the educational enhancement of the "well-intentioned" student-athlete and to determine what exceptions should be made so that this type of student-athlete is not punished by the system when no wrongful intent exists. Fourteen Directors of Athletic Academic Support Programs at NCAA Division I institutions were sent the survey instrument. Twelve were returned, indicating a response rate of 86%.

The study was broken down into seven areas: (a) departmental personnel background, knowledge, and interaction with the continuing eligibility rules, (b) defining the …

The Effect Of The Hapad Longitudinal Metatarsal Arch Pad On Ground Reaction Forces And Rear Foot Angle, William F. Rocker

Masters Theses

The effectiveness of the Hapad Longitudinal Metatarsal Arch Pad (HLMAP) to correct for pronation was investigated using 30 female volunteer student subjects. The investigation consisted of measuring ground reaction forces measured by a force plate and rear foot angle (RFA) measured by video digitization. The repeated measures design consisted of l grouping variable with 3 levels, supinators, mildpronators, and over pronators, and 2 research variables, 10 trials, and pad/no-pad. The results indicated (a) no significant difference for medial or lateral force, propulsive force, vertic al thrust, negative torque among groups, or between pad/no-pad; (b) a significant difference was found for …

The Effect Of Post-Prostatectomy Urinary Incontinence On Quality Of Life, Martha Ellen Rheault

Masters Theses

The purpose o f this study was to evaluate the effect of post-operative urinary incontinence on the quality of life of men after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). A convenience sample consisted of 128 males, aged 40 to 75 years, who underwent RRP between May, 1994 and June, 1996 at a 529 bed acute care hospital in a Midwest city.

Subjects were asked to complete 3 data collection tools: The Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index Cancer Version (Q.L.I.-C.V.); The Urinary Function Questionnaire for Men After Radical Prostatectomy (Herr, 1994); and a Demographic/Related Information Questionnaire, developed by the researcher.

A …

The Effect Of Cancer Diagnosis Information On The Anxiety Of Patients With An Initial Diagnosis Of First Cancer, Kim S. Allen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of differing educational programs on state anxiety of patients with an initial diagnosis of first cancer. The Neuman Systems Model was used as the conceptual framework. The convenience sample included 40 patients in an outpatient chemotherapy clinic. The control group (n=21) received the standard cancer education, the experimental group (n=19) received additional cancer diagnosis information. The dependent variable, state anxiety, was measured using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Two-way ANCOVA demonstrated that, after controlling for pre-test trait and state anxiety, the experimental group who received additional cancer diagnosis information had …

Reanalysis Of Tendon Data: Availability Of Dilated Eye Exams By Optometrists, Patrice Conrad

Masters Theses

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness among adults. Dilated funduscopic eye exams are necessary to screen for this complication of diabetes. It is often asymptomatic in the earliest stages when it is the most treatable. Nurses often need to refer people with diabetes for these screens.

Data were collected by TENDON through a survey of optometrists and were reexamined. The TENDON region includes ten counties in Western and Central Michigan. The original survey was sent to optometrists in the ten counties to gather information to print a survey used by nurses and others making referrals for screening. …

The Relationship Of Hamstring Length And Chronic Low Back Pain, Aaron Deline, David Doubblestein

Masters Theses

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most complex dysfunctions facing physical therapists today. There has been some research on the correlation between decreased hamstring length and LBP, but the results have been inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a direct correlation between decreased hamstring length and chronic LBP among males and females aged 20 - 60 years who are non-manual laborers.

Based on responses to a questionnaire thirty-nine volunteer subjects were placed into either the no LBP group or the chronic LBP group. The subjects were then tested bilaterally for hamstring muscle …

An Investigation Of Psychological Distress And Self-Destructive Behavior In Adult Victims Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Susan Christine Wood

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in psychological distress exhibited between adult victims and non-victims of childhood sexual abuse, both of which are acting out in a self-destructive manner.

This study investigates the damaging effects that childhood sexual abuse has on its adult victims. The Brief Symptom Inventory (ESI) was used to measure current psychological symptom status and is designed to detect internal distress, often not visible externally. Childhood sexual abuse produces an hyperarousal state which overwhelms the limbic system, leading to developmental dysfunction and restricted cognition. Due to the dysfunctional development produced by childhood sexual …

Patient Perceptions Of Nurse Behaviors As Indicators Of Caring, Susan B. Tuttle

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify which nursing behaviors were perceived by the patient who has undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as the most important and least important indicators of caring. In this descriptive study, the Caring Behaviors Assessment (CBA) was administered to 25 CABG patients. This research was a partial replication of a previous study by Cronin and Harrison (1988).

Jean Watson's theory of human care (1985) served as the theoretical framework for this study. The CBA items, ordered in seven subscales, are congruent with Watson's (1985) carative factors.

In this study, the 63 CBA items …

Nurse-Physician Collaboration And Nurse Satisfaction, Michelle R. Troseth

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to describe nurses' perception of collaborative practice behaviors with physicians in a 529 bed mid-western acute care hospital setting and to relate those findings to nurses' satisfaction, and (b) to describe the perceptions of collaborative practice behaviors reported by physicians.

The study was a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design. The convenience sample included 264 nurses, 72 staff physicians and 22 medical residents in a sample setting of medical-surgical, critical care, pediatrics, women's health services, emergency, and surgical services departments. The study used the Collaborative Practice Scales (CPS) to measure nurse and physician perceptions …

The Relationship Between Organizational Climate In The Hospital And Rn Satisfaction, Dawn R. Shoemaker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of organizational climate in the hospital and RN satisfaction. This study examines the hospital work climate and how it affects the level of quality of care, cost-efficiency, and job satisfaction. A meta-analysis (Irvine & Evans, 1995) with Maslowian underpinnings as the basis of the conceptual framework of job satisfaction and organizational climate was used in this study. A secondary analysis was preformed on previously obtained data from a large scale database (n=330 registered nurses). This descriptive correlational study utilized two main instruments, both of which were modified for this study; …

The Interdisciplinary Treatment Of Temporomandibular Disorder, Wendy Conlon, Amy Jones, Brenda Mitus

Masters Theses

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a chronic complex disorder that is treated by many health care professionals including dentists and physical therapists. The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent an interdisciplinary relationship exists between the dental and physical therapy professions in the treatment of TMD. This was accomplished by sending a survey questionnaire to 300 dentists in three midwestem metropolitan areas. The questionnaire identified treatment strategies and referral patterns used by dentists treating TMD. It is believed that the results of this study will bring attention to the advantages of using an interdisciplinary approach in the treatment of …

Concurrent Validity Of Functional Reach In Community-Dwelling Elderly Women, Aimee Hosek, Kimberly Sackett

Masters Theses

The purpose o f this correlational study was to establish concurrent validity of functional reach, the maximal distance one can reach forward beyond arm's length without taking a step, as a measure of physical decline, by determining the relationship between functional reach and other physical performance measures. Subjects included 46 community-dwelling women over 65 years of age who performed the functional reach test, the timed Up and Go, and the 10-foot walk. Data analysis employed Pearson correlation coefficients. The association between FR and timed Up and Go and 10-foot walk was r = -.51 and r = -.53 respectively. After …

Normative Database Of Adult Unilateral Trans-Tibial Amputee Gait, Kevin Carley, Kristin Dart, Margery Vos

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compile a database of gait characteristics for adult, unilateral trans-tibial amputees specific to the protocol for the Center of Human Kinetic Studies. Subjects were community ambulators with established gait patterns and had used their current prosthesis for greater than three months. Kinematic, kinetic, and electromyographic data of the lower extremities were collected and analyzed using a motion analysis system, force plates, and surface electrodes. Data were normalized to percent gait cycle and presented as an average of trials taken. Results of this study were similar to previously published literature. This database of amputee …

A Preliminary Study Of Trunk Kinematics During Walking In Normal Subjects, Lisa R. Elders, Heather L. Greenwald, Celeste A. Sartor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to systematically describe the three-dimensional trunk kinematics in normal subjects, to establish a baseline for comparison to future research in gait analysis and aid in the identification of pathological gait. Seventeen volunteers between the ages of twenty and fifty, who met criteria for normal subjects, participated in this study. Trunk kinematic data were collected using an optoelectronic technique. An ensemble average of trunk kinematic data in each of the cardinal planes was plotted in degrees of motion versus percentage of gait cycle. A distinct pattern of trunk kinematics during gait was found in this …

Efficacy Of Neurodevelopmental Treatment With Primary Focus On Dynamic Postural Control In A Chronic Stroke Individual, Renee E. Baer, Mary Kathryn Koeninger, Neha S. Shah

Masters Theses

This study examined the efficacy of Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) with primary focus on seated dynamic postural control (DPC) in a chronic stroke individual. Secondarily, the relationship between postural control and upper extremity function was examined. An 11 week ABAB single subject design was utilized. DPC was measured using the Modified Functional Reach Test (MFRT) and DPC Checklists (DPCCs). The MFRT had high interrater reliability (> 0.97) for the four reach directions and therefore could be clinically useful. Data was graphically analyzed using the two standard deviation band width method. During treatment phase 1, significant upward trends were noted in anterior …

Pain Management Practice In The Acute Adult Trauma Patient, Sally B. Ossewaarde

Masters Theses

The purpose o f this study was to compare the pain management o f acute adult trauma patients during the first hour of resuscitation at a Level I Trauma Center versus non Level 1 Trauma Center Emergency Departments.

A descriptive two group comparison design was used for this study. The sample consisted o f 74 patients at the Level I Center and 65 patients at the non Level I Centers. Data was obtained through a retrospective chart review. Type, route, dose of analgesic, time from admission to first dose, and number o f consecutive doses were determined and analyzed by …

Importance And Fulfillment Of Family Needs In The Icu, Linda L. Baker

Masters Theses

The family is a major source of support for the intensive care patient. To provide optimal support to the patient the family’s needs must be met. A convenience sample of thirty family members of intensive care patients were interviewed. The continuing importance of primary needs established in previous studies was demonstrated. None of the needs were universally perceived as being fulfilled. The nurse was most often cited as the best person to meet needs. Many respondents couldn’t choose a single best person emphasizing the need for a multi disciplinary approach to meeting needs. Seven additional needs were identified (a) to …

Social Support And Well-Being In Early And Mid-Adolescents: The Mediating Role Of Hopefulness, Peggy S. Norman

Masters Theses

Adolescence is known to be a time of transition and special needs. A descriptive correlational study was conducted to examine the impact of hopefulness upon the relationship between perceived social support and general well-being in early and mid-adolescents in a convenience sample of 61 early adolescents and 54 mid-adolescents. The Hopefulness Scale for Adolescents, the Adolescent General Well-Being Questionnaire and the Personal Resource Questionnaire Part II were completed by the subjects of a rural, Midwest, high school health class.

The hypothesized and assumed positive relationships between the three variables of perceived social support, hopefulness, and general well-being were supported. Hopefulness …

Humor And Its Relationship To Cohesion Of Work Group Members In The Acute Care Setting, Marla J. Niedzwiecki

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the relationship between the use of humor and cohesion of work groups. It was hypothesized that individuals with a high value and use of humor to cope would have a tendency to use humor with others. Additionally, groups with more members who value and use humor to cope would exhibit more group cohesion than groups consisting of members with minimal or no humor use. A descriptive correlational design was used. A convenience sample of hospital based staff nurses was studied. The participants completed three surveys measuring individuals’ use of humor to …

The Relationship Between Level Of Knowledge And Instruction On Sublingual Nitroglycerin Use In Cardiac Patients, Nancy Jean Rogers

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate patients’ level of knowledge of the use of sublingual Nitroglycerin (SL NTG) after receiving individually tailored pre-discharge instructions. The study tested the following hypothesis. There will be a difference in the knowledge level between patients who receive the usual SL NTG hospital teaching and those who receive individually tailored and structured SL NTG teaching. The study utilized a pretest-posttest comparison group design with a convenience sample of 40 patients admitted to a rural 368 bed hospital. Knowledge levels were not significantly higher for those in the intervention group than for those in …

A Comparison Of The Knowledge, Misconceptions, And Attitudes Toward The Elderly Of First Versus Final Year Students In Accredited Physical Therapy Programs, Christina J. Fleming, Mark A. Kandes, Jennifer E. Shultz

Masters Theses

Physical therapy is one of the many professions that must respond to the increase of health care utilization by the rapidly growing elderly population. The purposes of this cross-sectional study were to compare first and final year physical therapy students’ knowledge, misconceptions, and attitudes toward the elderly and to determine if knowledge correlates with attitudes. Students in their first year (N=168) and final year (N=149) of accredited Master’s level physical therapy programs were surveyed. Questionnaires consisted of: a short demographic sheet, Palmore’s Facts on Aging Quiz 1 with a “don’t know” response added, and a modified Aging Semantic Differential by …

The Relationship Between The Timing Of Self-Care Information And Adjustment To Ostomy Surgery, Carol Irene Teneyck

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the timing of self-care information and a person's adjustment to ostomy surgery. A retrospective, descriptive, correlational approach was used. Information from 57 subjects was obtained by using Quality Assurance Questionnaires from the archived files of an Enterostomal Therapy (ET) Nurse Service in West Michigan. Data from these questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS/PC+) software.

Analysis by linear regression indicated that timing of self-care information is a predictor of adjustment to ostomy surgery. Further analysis of variance after collapsing the groups of respondents indicated a …

Health Beliefs And Adherence To Cardiac Exercise Following A Cardiac Event, Vince Worthington

Masters Theses

The purpose o f this study was to examine the relationship between health beliefs and adherence to cardiac exercise at eighteen to twenty four months post cardiac event. Ninety subjects participated in a study by Foster (1995) and McGinn (1995), examining the relationship of health beliefs and adherence to cardiac exercise six to eight weeks post cardiac event. This study contacted the same sample at eighteen to twenty four months post cardiac event. Thirty five subjects responded to a mailed questionnaire measuring perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, adherence to exercise, and demographic information.

Descriptive analysis of the data was conducted …