Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Contributing Factors In Medication Nonadherence In Schizophrenic Clients: A Descriptive Study, Sharron E. Howarth

Masters Theses

Medication nonadherence in schizophrenic clients is a major issue for psychiatric nurses. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore factors identified by the schizophrenic client and the client's primary nurse that contribute to medication nonadherence. The Health Belief Model and Peplau's Model were the theoretical frameworks used. The sample included 20 schizophrenic clients with a history of medication nonadherence and 20 primary psychiatric registered nurses.; Face-to-face interviews using the Compliance Interview Questionnaire were conducted with the psychiatric client and the primary nurse. Results indicated a difference between nurses' and clients' perceptions of the reasons for medication nonadherence. Most …

Validation Of The Neonatal Infant Pain Scale, Annette L. Backus

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to validate the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS). This was accomplished by determining inter-rater reliability, the ability to measure pain in infants of any gestational age, and the relationship between the NIPS behavioral scores and physiological parameters of heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation.; Inter-rater reliability on total scores obtained before, during and after the procedure yielded correlations ranging from 0.69 to 0.90, which were significant at p {dollar}<{dollar}.001. All groups showed significant increases in NIPS scores after a painful procedure was started. Total mean scores before, during and after a procedure were 0.44, 3.04 and 0.6 respectively. There were no significant correlations between NIPS scores and heart rate, respiratory rate or oxygen saturation.; The NIPS appears to be a reliable tool for evaluating pain in neonates of any gestational age. Physiological measures were not reliable indicators of pain in neonates.

Perceived Barriers And Perceived Motivators To Receiving Prenatal Care, Christine M. Davis

Masters Theses

The Health Belief Model served as the conceptual framework for this retrospective descriptive study that identified women's perceived barriers and perceived motivators to obtaining prenatal care. A 50 item questionnaire, including both forced-choice and open-ended questions, was administered to 29 women who had delivered a healthy infant within the previous 6 to 8 weeks. The sample was predominantly white (82.2%), {dollar}>{dollar}19 years of age (62.1%), single (62.1%), unemployed (51.7%), and receiving Medicaid insurance (69%). Univariate statistics were calculated for each item. Each item was then compared to the timing of the start of prenatal care. The most important motivators …

Intuition And The Decision Making Process Of Expert Critical Care Nurses, Kelley A. Hempsall

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of intuition and the decision making process of expert critical care nurses in providing health care for hospitalized patients. A descriptive correlational design was employed using a non-probability convenience sample of 172 registered nurses working in critical care areas. Data were obtained by a questionnaire developed by the researcher. Ninety five nurses (55.2%) responded. Data analysis included a comparison of the relationship of expert nurses' (n = 49) total scores and the total scores of the non-expert nurses (n = 46). No statistically significant difference was found in either the …

Social Support And Adaptation To Disability, Deborah J. Russell

Masters Theses

Based on Roy's Model of Adaptation, this study examined the relationship between social support and functional independence following hip fracture. A descriptive correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 29 women age 65 and older. The Personal Resource Questionnaire was used to measure social support and the Functional Independence Measure was used to measure locomotion as an aspect of physical function.; Data indicated that women who had higher levels of functional independence one week following hip fracture had higher levels of social support. However, this difference was not statistically significant. The hypothesized relationship between social support and functional …

Knowledge, Sources Used And Factors Considered In The Surgical Treatment Decisions Of Women With Breast Cancer, Debra J. Bisel

Masters Theses

The purpose of this replication study was to examine how women with breast cancer reached their decision for surgical treatment (Ward, Heidrich and Wolberg 1989). Twenty-one women who met the surgical criteria, i.e. option for Breast Conserving surgery or Modified Radical Mastectomy, completed four surveys 1 to 7 days post operatively. The women were divided into two groups, 13 who had Breast Conserving surgery and 8 who had Modified Radical Mastectomy. The surveys assessed demographic characteristics of the groups, the level of knowledge regarding breast cancer, factors considered important in reaching the decision for surgery and the sources of information …

The Effects Of Exercise Training On Functional Balance In A Community-Dwelling Elderly Population, Kathryn E. Smith

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of aerobic exercise training to improve balance in healthy adults over age 65. Twenty-five habitual exercisers (mean age 75.3 yrs.) and 25 control subjects (mean age 72.8 yrs.) were recruited from a senior day center. Balance was measured by the functional reach test. A two-sample t-test revealed no significantly higher difference in the mean balance score of the exercise group compared to the control group. Regression analysis indicated that none of the other variables collected (age, group, or level of fitness) were significant predictors of the functional reach scores. There …

The Effect Of A Change In Patient Care Delivery On Nurse Satisfaction And Cost Of Care, Kathleen M. Allen

Masters Theses

This quasi-experimental study was designed to compare the satisfaction of nurses assigned to a medical-surgical unit on which care delivery was changed to a Dyad model (combining elements of team nursing and case management) to nurses on similar units utilizing total patient care delivery. A convenience sample o f nurses from the Dyad model unit was compared to a control group comprised of nurses from three similar medicalsurgical units. Nurse satisfaction was measured using an instrument developed by Wade and Degerhammar (1991). Cost per case and length of stay on selected diagnoses, and labor cost per patient were compared across …

Role Clarification And The Myocardial Infarction Patient's Primary Support Person, Susan L. Dunn

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of role clarification in reducing anxiety of the myocardial infarction patient's primary support person (PSP). A quasi-experimental design was utilized. A nonprobability convenience sampling method produced a sample of 31 experimental and 38 comparison subjects. During the patient's hospitalization a pretest was given and the experimental group attended a role clarification session. Posttesting was done three weeks later. Both groups had higher trait and state anxiety levels than the norm at pretest and posttest. It was hypothesized that the experimental group would have lower posttest state anxiety levels. This was …

Crisis Anticipation, Janet A. Tucker

Masters Theses

This study builds on two qualitative studies, one by Smith (1988) and one by Rew (1988a) which investigate the characteristics of crisis anticipation as defined by critical care nurses. A convenience sample of critical care nurses from three Midwestern hospitals was shown a random ordered list of thirty characteristics of crisis anticipation identified in the Smith (1988) and Rew (1988a) studies. The nurses scored each characteristic on importance to the concept of crisis anticipation. Nurses were divided into two groups by experience level, and group scores for each characteristic were developed using the Fehring (1986) technique. Group scores were compared …

Effects Of Rote Exercise, Imagery, And A Material-Based Occupation On Postural Control In Children Ages 3-9, Robin Lengel

Masters Theses

Occupational therapy is based on the concept of enhancing motor, cognitive, sensory, and psycho-social performance through the utilization of purposeful activities. Purposeful activities are doing processes directed toward a planned or hypothesized end result, and can be naturalistic, simulated, or imagery-based (Nelson & Peterson, · 1989). This study compared the effects of a material-based occupation, imagery-based occupation, and rote exercise on the quality and duration of maintaining prone extension in children aged three to nine.· The quality of maintaining the posture was analyzed using the prone extension postural test (Gregory-Flock & Yerxa, 1984). Duration of prone extension for each child …

Loss Associated With Chronic Illness: Application Of The Roy Adaptation Model, Linda M. Dehaan

Masters Theses

The Roy Adaptation Model guided this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study to test an intervention addressing loss associated with chronic illness. Differences in adaptation and well-being were evaluated between control (n = 20) and experimental groups (n = 20) 30 days after intervention. Adaptation was measured by PAIS-SR scores and analyzed using ANCOVA to adjust for pretest differences. T-test and Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate well-being as measured by the Global Well-being Scale. Changes in adaptation were not significantly different between groups, but well-being improved 12.8% in the experimental group as compared with 1.4% in the control group. Inconsistency of results …

Health Beliefs And Adherence To Cardiac Exercise Following A Cardiac Event, Marianne Foster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of cardiac patients' health beliefs regarding exercise and their adherence to an exercise program following a documented cardiac event. A sample of 90 subjects, recovering from a recent cardiac event, was selected from two acute care medical centers in southwestern Michigan and northwestern Michigan. Each subject responded to a mailed questionnaire six to eight weeks post hospitalization which assessed perceived benefits, perceived barriers and self-efficacy as they related to a regular, aerobic exercise program.; Descriptive statistics, along with t-test and chi-square were used to analyze the data. Findings include (a) …

Parent Knowledge Of Fas And The Risks Of Heavy Drinking During Pregnancy, Kimberly Lynne Spring

Masters Theses

The purpose of this mini-study was to determine the level of parent knowledge of FAS and the risks of drinking during pregnancy.; The parents involved in this mini-study were members of a small, primarily rural community and had one or more children enrolled in grades kindergarten through four in the Hart Public School District.; A questionnaire was developed and mailed to a random sample of parents who were chosen from the school enrollment lists. Results of the survey indicated that the majority of parents had some basic knowledge of the term FAS; however they felt that they lacked enough knowledge …

Development In Drawings And Language Of Young Children With Hearing Impairments, Daniel Carey Nordenbrock

Masters Theses

The use of free choice drawings and contingent questions as prompts to enhance oral language development in young children with moderate to profound hearing losses was the focus of this descriptive and experimental study. The effects of contingent queries (scaffolding) on drawing and oral language were measured using a single subject experimental design in which a staggered baseline was followed by treatment replicated across two sets of students at two levels of language abilities. An extensive coding system for dependent drawing and language variables was developed and utilized for analysis.

The major findings of this study were that the use …

The Effects Of Interactive Songs On Syllable Production In A Child With Agenesis Of The Corpus Callosum, Kelly D. Beens

Masters Theses

Agenesis of the corpus callosum is a disorder which has been the focus of clinical research on various tasks involving interhemispheric transfer of information. However, therapeutic intervention for individuals with this disorder has not been located in the literature by this researcher. Speech-language therapy for a five-year-old male incorporating interaction with songs was employed to activate various portions of the congenitally separated cerebral hemispheres and to encourage information transfer through non-traditional ways to facilitate syllable production.

The child received speech-language therapy for 15, 30-minute sessions. He was prompted to participate physically (with actions or manipulation of props) and verbally in …

Prediction Of In-Hospital Delirium In Elderly Hip Fracture Patients Using Family Assessment Of Pre-Morbid Cognitive Behaviors, Ronell R. Ruhlandt

Masters Theses

The elderly are the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States. Elderly persons are at high risk for developing delirium when hospitalized. The purpose of this study was to determine if pre-morbid cognitive behaviors were predictive of in-hospital delirium in elderly hip-fracture patients. The ability to predict or diagnose delirium early could prevent complications during hospitalization and decrease the length of hospital stays. The study was descriptive correlational. Subjects were admitted to a metropolitan teaching hospital during February through August 1993, were 60 years or older, and were diagnosed with hip fracture. Admission assessments included the Cognitive …

The Relationship Between Codependency, Alcoholism, And The Family Of Origin, William Ansara

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between the construct of codependency, family alcohol consumption patterns, degree of family dysfunction, and gender. It was proposed that codependent behaviors, feelings, and attitudes would be present in persons regardless of the reported degree of family alcohol abuse if dysfunctional patterns of relating exsisted in the family of origin. It was further hypothesised that women would evidence higher codependency scores than males in all groups. The Spann-Fischer codependency assessment instrument was use to measure subjects feelings and attitudes. Subjects were divided into four groups based on their report of family dysfunction and family alcohol consumption …

Burnout Among Master's Level Mental Health Practitioners, Brenda K. Greeson

Masters Theses

Seventy-eight master's level mental health practitioners completed survey materials including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Psychologist's Burnout Inventory (PBI), and a demographic and job satisfaction questionnaire modified for this study from a 1994 study of school psychologists (Niebrugge, 1994). The random sample of community mental health centers selected to receive survey materials came from a list obtained from the Illinois Department of Mental Health (DMH). Results suggested that symptoms of burnout frequently occur among this group of clinicians, regardless of their disciplinary training. A relationship between burnout and job-related stressors (e.g., feeling a lack of control in the work …

Investigation Of The Relationship Between Language & Mathematics In Regards To Problem Solving, Heather A. Grant

Masters Theses

While previous research has established language as a component of mathematical performance (Kintsch, 1988; Simon, 1985), none have identified a relationship between language and mathematics. This study was conducted to examine the relationships between language and mathematical abilities, specifically problem solving abilities and concept knowledge.

The subjects consisted of 29 fifth-grade students selected from an elementary school in central Illinois. These students were not receiving special education services. Each subject was administered the Test of Problem Solving (Zachman, et al., 1984) to assess the subjects' ability to utilize reasoning skills and expressive language to solve situational problems; and The WORD …

Nutrition Knowledge Of Illinois High School Athletic Coaches, Donall M. Hausauer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

What Are The Perceived Needs Of Parents Of Critically Ill Neonates?, Linda B. Corliss

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify needs of parents during the hospitalization of their critically ill neonate. Studies indicate that parents of critically ill neonates are under a certain degree of stress and that sources of stress are identifiable by parents and equated to needs and the importance of those needs.; This study used an exploratory, descriptive design to document the needs of parents while also identifying variables that influenced those needs. Parents of 29 critically ill neonates (n = 53) were interviewed using a revised version of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) designed by Molter …

Predictors Of Nclex-Rn Success Post 1988, Marie E. Rogers

Masters Theses

This ex post facto correlation design study was completed to compare the relative ability of the National League for Nursing Diagnostic Readiness Test (NLN-DRT), nursing non-clinical grade point average, overall grade point average, and pre-nursing grade point average in predicting NCLEX-RN success. Records of 95 graduates from a particular associate degree nursing program were reviewed. The Pearson r identified the NLN-DRT to have the strongest correlation with NCLEX-RN success. All the independent variables had a high degree of correlation with one another. The multiple regression analysis revealed that the NLN-DRT accounted for 25% of the variance in NCLEX-RN success. The …

A Comparison Study Of The Effects Of Methods Of Pain Control On Client Outcomes, Susan K. Cristofori

Masters Theses

A correlational ex post facto design was used to study the relationships between methods of pain control and client perception of pain, achievement of the physical therapy regime and length of stay following total joint replacement surgery. Continuous epidural infusion and patient controlled analgesia (PCA) were the pain control methods examined in the study.; Perception of pain was measured using a 6-word descriptor verbal rating scale. Achievement of physical therapy was measured using the activity criteria on the case care map used at the study hospital. Length of stay was measured using daily census records. (1) The study site was …

The Effect Of Support Groups On Aids Patients, Karen Bouwman

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to answer the following question: Will individuals with HIV/AIDS have the same or decreased levels of anxiety and hopelessness after participating in a support group? A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. A convenience sample consisted of 40 persons with HIV/AIDS attending a large support group which met on a weekly basis. Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and Beck's Hopelessness Scale (HS) were administered to the participants. Six weeks later, the HS and SAI were repeated. A Social Support Inventory was also given to assess the subject's perceived satisfaction with the support group. Based on …

The Impact Of Delirium On Mental Status And Physical Functioning Of The Hip Fracture Patient One To One And One Half Years Post-Injury, Delores L. Arendsen

Masters Theses

Delirium occurs frequently among hospitalized hip fractured elders. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a delirious episode on physical and mental status of those patients 12-18 months post-injury. This ex post facto correlational study utilized Levine's Conservation Principles as the conceptual framework. The sample consisted of 67 subjects age 60 or older. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) were administered on admission and by telephone at the post-injury interview. The Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) Diagnostic Instrument was used to assess for the syndrome of delirium. Eleven (16%) …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Registered Nurse Time Spent In Direct Care Activities, Nursing Skill Mix And Patient Perceptions Of Nurse Caring, Jeanne L. Roode

Masters Theses

There is a need for nurse administrators to understand how the use of nursing resources impacts the quality of patient care. A descriptive correlational research design was used to examine the relationship between R.N. time spent in direct care activities, nursing skill mix and patient perceptions of nurse caring. A secondary analysis was conducted using data previously collected as part of a large-scale data set from a 529 bed community teaching hospital. The data consisted of 76,491 activity samples obtained through work sampling of 16 nursing units, 2 categories of unit skill mix measurements, and a Caring Behaviors Inventory completed …

Development And Evaluation Of The Cardiac Exercise Health Belief Scale, Virginia R. Mcginn

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate the Cardiac Exercise Health Belief Scale (CEHBS) which is based on the Health Belief Model. The CEHBS focuses on the concepts of benefits and barriers. Ninety post cardiac event subjects, 69 males and 21 females, were recruited from two Michigan hospitals during their hospital stay. The CEHBS was mailed to subjects six to eight weeks following discharge.; Cronbach alpha for the CEHBS benefits subscale was.90 and for the barriers subscale was.84. Content validity was established by expert review. During factor analysis all items did load on factors related to the …

Nurse/Physician Perceptions Of The Nurse Practitioner Role, Deborah R. Bambini

Masters Theses

As the role of the nurse practitioner (NP) continues to evolve, ambiguity in the scope of practice remains. This study described perceptions of the nurse practitioner role. This descriptive three group comparative study asked random samples of registered nurses (n = 51) and physicians (n = 46), and a convenience sample of 34 NPs to indicate their agreement with the appropriateness of 30 behaviors for the NP role. The modification of Hupcey's (1994) instrument had an alpha reliability of.97. A Kruskal-Wallis test revealed significant differences (p = {dollar}<{dollar}.001) among the three occupations for every behavior. The largest difference was found relative to defining the role/scope of nurse practitioner practice (X{dollar}\sp2{dollar} = 59.21, df = 2, p =.00). Knowing an NP was found to be a variable with some influence on the responses whereas interest in becoming or hiring an NP did not in most cases. Most physicians (53.3%) and 32% of RNs indicated that nurse practitioners should work under direct supervision only. Seventy three percent of nurse practitioners felt that a collaborative relationship was the best option.

The Relationship Between The Level Of Codependent Behavior And The Level Of Differentiation Of Self Among Nursing Students, Vicki Lynn Brandes Hillborg

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the level of codependent behavior and the level of differentiation of self among nursing students. This study employed a descriptive correlational design. The convenience sample of 241 nursing students (221 female, 20 male, ages 18-55) from associate degree, diploma, and baccalaureate degree nursing programs completed, by self-report, the Friel Adult Child/Codependent Assessment Inventory (Friel & Friel, 1988), the Haber Level of Differentiation of Self Scale (Haber, 1990), and an author created respondent characteristics questionnaire. There was a significant moderate negative correlation between the level of codependent behavior and the …