Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Quality Improvement Measures For Cervical Screening Guidelines In A Clinic For Uninsured Adults, Julie Ann Baker-Townsend

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cervical cancer, a completely curable disease with early detection and management, is an international concern. Early identification allows for treatment of the disease, which prevents or slows progression, ultimately reducing morbidity and mortality. Due to the regressive nature of most cervical lesions, the duration between cervical cytology has been lengthened to prevent over diagnosis and treatment. This was reflected in the 2012 United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) clinical practice guideline for cervical cancer screening.

The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of a quality improvement initiative to increase adherence to the 2012 USPSTF guideline at …

The Relationship Of Preschool Children's Television Viewing, Food/Brand Recognition/Recall, Weight Classification, And Parent's Knowledge Of American Academy Of Pediatrics' Recommendations Of Daily Television Viewing, Patricia Marley Howell

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevention of childhood obesity during the formative years is necessary because dietary patterns influenced by parents are developed early. A major obstacle to healthy feeding patterns in children is television advertising. The study tested three hypotheses. 1) Preschool children ages two to five years who watch more television are able to recognize/recall more food brands than those who view less television. 2) An increase in food brand recognition/recall in preschool children is associated with an overweight classification based on calculated Body Mass Index. 3) Children of parents who are unaware of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations for …

The Effect Of Moral Distress On Nursing Retention In The Acute Care Setting, Cynthia L. Cummings

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study explored the relationship between moral distress, professional stress and intent to stay in the hospital setting. The study involved 234 nursing participants and was conducted via an online survey over a 90 day period. The survey tool consisted of 51 items taken from known moral distress, professional stress and intent to stay tools. The items were divided into frequency and intensity of occurrence. Various statistical measures were utilized to conclude that moral distress and professional stress factors were significant (p

Peripheral Arterial Disease Screening Of An Underserved High Risk Population, Laura Walter Triola

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disparity in access to health care and preventive services places a heavier burden of morbidity on those with limited access and resources. Underserved populations with decreased access to appropriate health screening and therapeutic interventions often present with increased risks for peripheral arterial disease. Some patients with peripheral arterial disease are asymptomatic and may defer treatment while others present with occlusive disease requiring immediate therapy. Delaying diagnosis and treatment reduces quality of life and functional status. The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease has been extensively studied in the elderly population but the prevalence in the high-risk underserved population is unknown. The …

Women Who Continue Hormone Replacement Therapy Despite Findings From The Women's Health Initiative, Catherine Margaret Greenblum

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the results of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study were published in 2002, millions of women and their healthcare practitioners have had to re-examine decisions about the use of hormone replacement therapy. This level one descriptive study explored the characteristics of menopausal women who could not tolerate estrogen withdrawal and continued taking hormone replacement therapy despite findings of risk published in the Women's Health Initiative. The sample included the medical records of 1,195 patients in a single-physician OB-GYN practice in northeast Florida. All records of women with a birth date in 1954 or prior and a visit to the …

Paravertebral Nerve Block For Pain Management Of Nissen Fundoplication Surgery, Shelly M. Brock

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Providing comfort is a fundamental nursing responsibility. Unrelieved postoperative pain has adverse physiologic and psychologic effects that contribute to prolonged hospital admissions and significant discomfort to patients. Opioids are standard methods of postoperative analgesia for many surgical procedures. Unfortunately, the use of opioids is associated with side effects such as nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, ileus and respiratory depression. These side effects, with the added problem of inadequate pain control, result in patient dissatisfaction with surgical procedures.

Paravertebral nerve block (PVB) is a regional anesthetic technique that has been shown to result in opioid sparing in many procedures including breast …

Improving Compliance: Listening To The Patient's Perspective, Faith Coleman

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A large number of patients do not follow medical advice for reasons generally unclear to the health care provider. Significant morbidity and mortality can be outcomes of noncompliance. The purpose of this naturalistic inquiry was to study and clarify from the patient's perspective, issues identified as influencing the ability to comply with provider recommendations. Data collection and analysis occurred simultaneously as a fluid process of organizing and synthesizing qualitative material into categories or themes that emerged to illuminate a phenomenon. Seventy-six percent of participants described themselves as 100% compliant though they did not take medications as prescribed or failed to …