Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Well-Born: Black Women And The Infertility Crisis No One Is Talking About, Kaara Baptiste

Capstones

Black women are twice as likely to experience infertility than white women, but are less likely to seek treatment or to have successful fertility results once treated. Despite this alarming number, this topic is not often discussed, even among the black community. My narrative piece t tells the story of a black woman confronting her infertility diagnosis and the role her race played in her fertility treatment, while exploring the role racism and sexuality have had in keeping this issue in the shadows.

Urgent Cares Outpace Health Policy In The U.S., Ashley Rodriguez

Capstones

More and more medical practices across the country are rebranding themselves as urgent care centers to meet the growing demand for fast, affordable health care. In many states, they are regulated like physicians groups. However, there is a debate brewing among health care policy experts and government officials over whether these centers should have their own regulations. Such oversight could help patients expecting acute care avoid confusion to such a degree that they receive poor treatment from professionals who aren’t prepared to offer emergency services, or delayed treatment because they are bounced around from facility to facility.

Assessing Cultural Competence In Health Professional Student's, Sophia Jones

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background-The United States has become a more diverse society and healthcare professionals must be ready to meet the needs of this more culturally diverse society. Students studying in the many areas of healthcare must learn to be culturally competent. To ensure that students are culturally competent and can provide culturally competent care routed in a global perspective their abilities must be developed and assessed. With the absence of any such assessment tool in the literature reviewed the objective set forth in a preliminary study was to develop a tool to assess cultural competence from a global perspective. With this …

Older Woman Workers: Met And Unmet Needs For Health And Wellbeing In The Workplace, Gillian Gorfine

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Older women workers report experiencing occupational injustices however the literature focuses on barriers faced rather than understanding the needs-based strategies empowering women as they age at work. This study engaged women aged 55 and older in a participatory action research project defining and examining strategies for older women workers’ health and wellbeing. In Phase 1, a key informant advisory group (N = 4) defined the problem and guided the design of an open answer survey conducted with 72 older women in work. Three categories emerged informing the fundamental, instrumental, and contextual needs of older women workers. Meeting fundamental needs may …

Integrating Spirituality And Medical Education: What Students And Teachers Have To Say - A Qualitative Study, Sharon N. Hatcher

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Aims

This thesis explored the perceptions of medical students and teachers with regards to spirituality, its role in health care, and its integration into medical education.

Methods

Two studies were conducted using qualitative descriptive thematic analysis: the first using focus groups with students; and the second depth interviews with teachers. Both studies were carried out in Francophone Canada.

Findings

Teachers spoke of a concept of spirituality evolving as a journey, while students reported sudden turning-points. Both regarded spirituality as important to patient care. Students were struggling with their future physician role and their commitment to rationality, whereas …

Childhood Obesity Fieldwork Summary Report: The Food Education Project, Maria De Rosario Vasquez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Childhood Obesity and diabetes is on the rise and the health risk for developing various diseases is a major public health issue. This paper examines the public health issue on childhood obesity and diabetes. This paper explains the importance and magnitude of this problem by providing statistics, research efforts, educational efforts and the importance of preventing childhood obesity and diabetes. The paper will summarize, explain observations and provide insight on fieldwork completed through a project called The Food Education Project. The project focuses on addressing the major public health problem through educating children and adolescents on health, nutrition, food and …

Impact Of Text Messaging On Diabetic Foot Self-Care Behaviors Using A Single-Case Design, Stephanie Charese Hills

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Problem: The absence of diabetic foot self-care is one of the major reasons for the approximately 60,000 avoidable lower extremity amputations annually in the U.S. Providers have limited time during clinic visits to educate their patients and increase awareness. Innovative strategies beyond the clinical setting are necessary to reinforce self-care behaviors. Objective: The purpose of this study was to use an innovative design method to examine the impact of providing diabetic foot care education to patients via text messaging and to assess the effect on patient self-care behaviors and clinical outcomes. Methods: Quantitative research using a single case study design. …

Emergencies: Risk And Personal Preparedness Measures, Charleen C. Mcneill

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Personal emergency preparedness efforts that increase the resiliency of individuals and communities and decrease the risk for poor outcomes after an emergency are increasingly of interest to health care leaders, policy makers, and governmental entities. The limited capacity for external aid to provide relief in the first 72 hours after an emergency dictates that individuals and communities become prepared to sustain themselves for this initial period. Failure to prepare for an emergency can result in a multitude of negative outcomes. Those who are economically vulnerable are particularly at risk, including a high risk for negative health outcomes. An initial review …

Exploring Obstacles To Perinatal Care-Seeking Behavior In Women Of Rural Odisha, India Using A Community Based Participatory Research Approach, Sarah Law, Runjhun Bhatia

Senior Theses

This project resulted from collaboration between USC student organization GlobeMed and the Alternative for Rural Movement (ARM), a non-governmental organization in Odisha, India. Rajendra Rana, the head of ARM, expressed the need to delineate the factors underlying the tendency of rural Odishan women to deliver with unskilled birth attendants as opposed to institutionally. A literature review was conducted to explore possible economic, cultural, and social factors. During five weeks in Odisha, discussions with women's groups, community health workers, and ARM staff members built on the literature review. A preliminary survey and plan for its dissemination were developed. The community based …

Health Care Delivery And The Hispanic Community In Knox County, Sean C. Barton

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Drinking Water In The Developing World: Sources Of Fecal Contamination In Pitcher Pump Systems And Measurement Alternatives, Meghan Wahlstrom

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It has been reported that globally we have achieved Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Target 7C, to halve the proportion of the population without access to safe drinking water; however, there is a major flaw with this statement. While Target 7C calls for access to `safe' drinking water, what is actually being measured and reported is access to an `improved' water source. The World Health Organization (WHO) maintains that they must use this proxy measure because the methods for water quality testing are too expensive and logistically complicated, but by doing so, they may be over reporting safe water coverage.

This …

Portion Size Selection In Relation To Hemoglobin A1cs, Brian L. Dixon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Obesity has been recognized as an increasing issue within our country. Obesity contributes to many health related issues, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. Portion size is a factor that has generated clinical research interest. The aim of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between management of diabetes measured by hemoglobin A1c and portion size selection for type 2 diabetics. In this study, subjects selected portion sizes of four different foods. Data were compared to recent A1c levels. Due to the small sample size, nonparametric statistical analysis was used. The relationship of grain portion weight selection and …

Federal Disaster Declarations And Denials: Analyzing Spatial Equity In The Implementation Of The Stafford Act, Richard Salkowe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Federal disaster declarations are authorized by the president under the provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988. Prior studies have found varying levels of political influence associated with the declaration process. Factors including electoral votes, reelection years, congressional committee appointments, geographic location, and party favoritism have been implicated in claims of inequity associated with the distribution of federal disaster assistance. Compounding these concerns is evidence of recurring problems associated with disparities in the long-term recovery from disasters based on social and economic factors. This dissertation is a response to the call for further …

Gods' Diseases: Conceptualizing The Phenomenon Of Hybridity In Sri Lanka, Anfal Yesmien Nyhan

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

The Project Of The Physician: An Inquiry Into The Nature Of Medicine, Alexander X. Shea

Senior Theses and Projects

The telos of this project is twofold – in Part I, I will attempt to solidify the goal of the physician in medical practice, and in Part II, I will examine the specific ways by which the doctor can actualize that goal. In other words, the central questions are: 1) What is the goal of the physician? and 2) How is the physician to accomplish or actualize that goal?

Mobile Phone Short Message Service (Sms) To Improve Malaria Pharmacoadherence In Zambia, Elinda Steury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Malaria significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality rates in Zambia. The currently accepted malaria treatment is artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT); it is more than 97% effective when the regimen is strictly adhered to. However, the mean ACT adherence rate in sub-Saharan Africa is only approximately 38-48%. Poor pharmacoadherence remains a significant barrier to malaria control and elimination. The purpose of this study was to determine if adherence rates to a six-dose ACT antimalarial treatment differ between patients in Zambia who received short message service (SMS) reminders and those who did not. An experimental, randomized, controlled trial was conducted to collect …

Quality Of Life, Health Status, And Academic Success In Undergraduates, Amanda Kuhlman

Honors Projects

Background: Undergraduates are making their first autonomous health decisions. This is an opportune stage for examining the precursors to the chronic diseases of adulthood. The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between health status, quality of life, and academic success in college students.

Methods: A quality of life survey (Goodman, 1997) was utilized to determine the behavioral difficulties of 86 first and second year college students. Each of these behavioral categories were then examined for possible correlations with blood pressure, weight, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, body fat percentage, and any changes in these categories from the …

Testing The Health And Exercise Knowledge Of Bowling Green State University Students, Veronica Rasicci

Honors Projects

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions and the problem is only continuing to grow (Flegal, 2006). Young adult college students are at a time in their lives where behaviors can more easily change than during other ages. They also are at a point in their lives where their current behaviors will influence the habits that they continue into later adulthood (Racette, Deusinger, Strube, & Highstein, 2012). Education is one way to promote healthy changes by college students. It is important to find out what knowledge of health and exercise college students already have. I developed a questionnaire with content-related validity and …

Developing Effective Hospital Management Information Systems: A Technology Ecosystem Perspective, Christopher Bain

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis presents the results of the program of research performed in the completion of a Doctor of Philosophy (Business) entitled: Developing Effective Hospital Management Information Systems: A Technology Ecosystem Perspective.

The central contention of this thesis is that the current ecosystem models in the information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) literature can be extended and improved. In turn they can be better applied to the field of IS and the development and implementation of information systems. This research seeks to highlight an example of how these models can be extended, through an analysis of the specific context of …