Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

What Are The Perceptions Of Hispanic Parents Associated With Eating Habits Of Hispanic Children Ages 6--12 And Obesity?, Amy Barrett

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The main objective of this study is to identify the perceptions of Hispanic parents associated with eating habits of Hispanic children ages 6-12 and obesity. The purpose was to identify if the child's intake was different based on the parent's perception of whether or not their child had a weight problem. The idea was to examine how many times certain foods are consumed and compare that to the parent's perceptions. The study was a descriptive study. The childrenhad to be in the 95 th percentile and between the ages of 6-12 to qualify for the study. Parents were approached by …

Preceptor Coordinators: The Link Connecting Hospital Orientation And Unit Orientation, Tina S. Hunter

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Orientation is a crucial time for newly hired nurses, both experienced and non-experienced, and this initial training period is a vital function for all healthcare organizations. Being a collaborative process that includes administrators, managers, preceptors, and orientees, formal orientation programs directly influence and are essential in improving staff retention, lowering turnover, increasing productivity and quality patient care, and improving staff morale and job satisfaction. This scholarly project offers a detailed plan for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the preceptor coordinator role, a department-level initiative that links hospital orientation to unit orientation; thus enhancing the overall orientation process.

The Impact Of Formal Nursing Education And Nursing Experience On Medication Errors Made By Nurses In The Hospital Setting, Shellie M. Bumgarner

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The occurrence of medication errors is a problem that is common to health care systems worldwide. There has been countless research performed to try to determine the cause of medication errors. It has been found that shifts worked, pharmacy involvement, miscommunication and multiple other elements contribute to the occurrence of medication errors. The primary person involved in medication administration is the nurse. This study was performed at a Western North Carolina hospital examining recorded medication errors from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007. Using a retrospective, descriptive, correlation design (n=293), the study determined that a significant correlation exists between …

Nursing Attitudes Towards Obese Patients, Diane M. Davis

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

All Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses who work in CICU, MSICU, NTICU and 7N .The attitudes of these nurses regarding obesity and the obese patients were measured. Objectives. To determine if there is a bias against obese patients in the health care setting and if further education is needed. Methods. Likert scale survey, modified from the NATOOPS survey (with permission) was sent electronically to each nurse and when completed transmitted to a data base where results were tabulated. Results. Among the 51 respondents, 60% had 4 years of college or more. Years in nursing ranged from 0-47.Age of nurse …

Nurse Perceptions Of Physician-Nurse Collaboration In The Home Health Setting: A Pilot Study, Tameki Mongo

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

This quantitative, descriptive study surveyed 20 registered nurses in a single home health setting for the purpose of uncovering nurse attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration. Particularly, the researcher was interested in whether the nurses held "positive" or "negative" attitudes. The data collection instrument was the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC). Study data was analyzed via means of descriptive and inferential statistics.

Although non-significant, the findings of this study indicate that nurses in this particular home health setting demonstrated positive attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration. Age and number of years in nursing practice had no effect on total scores on …

The Experienced Critical Care Rn's Perception Of New Graduate Rns Competence In Critical Care Using Benner's Novice To Expert, Denise H. Reid

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of the study was to describe the experienced critical care RNs' perception of the new graduate RNs' competence in critical care areas. Using the Six-Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance (Six-D Scale) by Patricia Schwirian, experienced nurses from critical care areas with at least three years of experience were asked to rate new graduate RNs in their critical care area on specific nursing activities. Benner's theory of Novice to Expert is used as the theoretical framework. Findings revealed that experienced critical care RNs perception of new graduate RNs is greater than expected. All activities on the Six-D Scale were …

Expectations Of Pain Relief Utilizing Epidural Analgesia, Kelly Powell Morris

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

This study describes patient expectations and actual pain relief reported by patients experiencing childbirth while utilizing epidural analgesia as their method of choice to reduce the pain associated with childbirth using a quantitative descriptive design. Data were collected using the Expectations of Pain Relief Utilizing Epidural Analgesia Questionnaire. The sample (N=17) consisted of first-time mothers delivering at an acute community hospital who were participants in the county's Nurse-Family Partnership Program. The questionnaire, developed by the researcher, was distributed to participants by their Nurse-Family Partnership Registered Nurse during a routine postpartum home visit during the three month study time span. The …

Nursing Students Knowledge Of Factors Influencing Parent Satisfaction Of Pediatric Nursing Care, Carol L. Smith

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Professional Pediatric Registered Nurses and parents of sick children share a common goal of returning the sick child to health. To the Pediatric Registered Nurse the means to achieving the goal of returning the child to wellness involves their knowledge of signs and symptoms of disease processes and their abilities to quickly respond to warning signs of impending illness. The knowledge and abilities of the Pediatric Registered Nurse is important to the parent of the ill child however to the parent there are many other elements of care delivery that can assist the Pediatric Registered Nurse and parent in achieving …

Trends In International Compulsory Licensing Of Pharmaceuticals Since The Institution Of The Trade-Related Aspects Of Intellectual Property Protection (Trips) Agreement, Reed F. Beall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement went into effect for World Trade Organization (WTO) members in 1995. The agreement defines minimum standards of patent protection that must eventually be observed by all signatories. TRIPS includes "compulsory licensing", a policy that allows for states under certain conditions to permit the use of a patented innovation without the consent of the patent holder. This paper considers instances of compulsory licenses (CLs) aimed to increase access to pharmaceuticals during urgent public health scenarios. The WTO maintains no registry of CLs; therefore, this research is an effort to catalog as many …

Effects Of Patient Trauma On Hospital Staff Functioning: An Exploratory Study Of Psychological Distress Resulting From Trauma Exposure, Randy Allen Braley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study attempted to determine the relationship between exposure to traumatic experiences of hospitalized children and adolescents and the development of secondary traumatic stress, also known as compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, or burnout in clinical staff working with such patients. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses that: clinical treatment staff will experience higher levels of psychological distress following exposure to patient trauma and previous lifetime trauma events; clinical treatment staff will experience quality of patient relationships associated with the degree of exposure to patient trauma, previous lifetime or work-related trauma history, and level of supervisor support; clinical …

Quality Of Life Of The Severely Mentally Ill As Described By Social Workers, Simonetta Fosci

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of the quality of life among severely mentally ill offenders residing at a psychiatric hospital in the United States as perceived by their social workers.

The Relative Importance Of Risk Factors Leading To Relapse Among Individuals Recovering From Substance Abuse, Norma America Likens

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to help social workers by determining the relative importance of relapse warning signs that have been identified by the addiction treatment professionals.

Barriers To Hiv Couples Testing: The African American Woman's Perspective, Frederick Scott Smith

Theses Digitization Project

African American Women continue to contract HIV/AIDS at an alarming rate. Of all the women living with Aids in the United States, 64% were African American and two out of three African American women got HIV from having unprotected sex with a man. The purposes of the study are to identify perceived barriers to HIV testing of the intimate partners of African American Women and subsequently identify an effective couples of HIV testing strategy. The research study investigated the primary causes for low HIV testing rates of African American couples. This study uttilized a quantitatve method using self-administered questionaires. The …

Mental Health Of Medical Social Workers In The Workplace, Jenna Christina Gailani

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine medical social workers' experiences, job burnout, and coping strategies. Participants in this study were recruited from various hospitals in the Inland Empire. The findings were able to act as a pilot study to help augment policies that effect medical social workers.

Cellular Automata Rules Generator For Microbial Communities, Melissa Marie Quintana

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to provide a visual representation as program output so that the rules and the radius of effect can be estimated. Currently there is a need for a method that extracts the cellular automata rules which simulate the growth patterns of microbial communities found within extreme environments. Contains source code.

To Live And Die In Ca, Jane Frances Curnutt

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis investigates the nature of elementary cellular automata to better understand their relationship of the models they support to the biological organisms that create the mats and soil crusts found in extreme environments here on earth. Cellular automata have been used to study growth and patterns in forests, arid desert environments, predator-prey problems, and sea shells. It has also been used to study areas of diverse epidemiology and linguistics. Cellular automata have been used as the core of computer games as well. This investigation has led to develop a graphical grammar for simple cellular automata, using L-systems, a grammar …

The Medicalization Of Hyperactivity And Inattentiveness : A Social History And Theoretical Perspectives On Adhd, Justin Douglas Brock

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigates the rise of the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis. It approaches the topic from a medicalization perspective and frames it under the therapeutic state as proposed by Nicholas Kittrie in 1971. It asks three questions: how has society, and particularly, the medical community changed to allow the medicalization of hyperactivity and social control of active children? How has the continuing diagnosis of hyperactivity in children expanded to include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in both children and adults? And what forces are behind the continuously inclusive diagnosis and why? In an attempt to answer these questions the history of the …

A Program To Promote Physical Activity And Healthy Body Weight In An Adolescent Female: A Case Study, Katie Stoddard

Kinesiology and Public Health

A case study of an obese 14-year-old female was conducted to assess her body weight and dietary and physical activity habits. The purpose of this study was to promote weight loss through improved dietary practices and an increase in energy expenditure. This was done by monitoring and altering caloric intake and engaging in regular, vigorous physical activity. Furthermore, the subject increased health-related knowledge, developed new skills, and ultimately attempted behavior modification. From April to September 2009, the subject participated in a minimum of two supervised exercise sessions per week to increase her energy expenditure and to teach her strategies for …

An Initial Investigation Of The Applicability Of The Dreyfus Skill Acquisition Model To The Professional Development Of Nurse Educators, Lisa Ramsburg

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Little is known about the skill and knowledge acquisition of nurses in the educator role. This investigation represents an attempt to design and validate a skill acquisition model for the nurse educator role. While nurse educators often have strong clinical backgrounds, they face a significant role transition as nurse educators. Dreyfus and Dreyfus provided a model for studying skill acquisition in several fields and Benner applied the model to clinical nursing. To investigate skill acquisition among nurse educators, the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition along with the National League for Nursing (NLN) Nurse Educator Competencies provided a framework for the …

Antibiotic Sensitivity Patterns Of Hospital-Acquired And Community-Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Iyad Kaddora

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most dangerous human pathogens. An intensive effort to control resistant staphylococci, especially methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is vital as it is the most common cause of hospitalacquired infections. During the one year study period, a total of 35 MRSA isolates were collected. Fifteen isolates were identified as hospital-acquired (HA) infections, and 20 isolates were determined to be community acquired (CA). All 15 (100%) HA-MRSA strains were resistant to clindamycin and to erythromycin. Thirteen isolates (87%) were resistant to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, and 12 (80%) were resistant to moxifloxacin. Of the 20 CA-MRSA isolates, …

Assessing Adult Attitudes Toward End-Of-Life Issues And Advanced Directives After Implementing An Educational Intervention In A, Marchina Tolbert-Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: There is a lack of discussion regarding end-of-life care planning which results in low advanced directive execution (AD) rates. This can lead to decision making by family, friends, and the health care team on behalf of patients whose end-of-life care wishes are unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention in the work setting to increase end-of-life discussions and the execution of advanced directives. Methods: A descriptive design was used in an occupational workplace setting at a local bottling company after appropriate IRB approval was obtained. An educational intervention based on the …

Substance Abuse: A Chronic Care Perspective, Michael James Sweitzer

Theses Digitization Project

This study provides an examination of the Chronic Care Model and its application to the treatment of substance abuse disorders. The hypothesis of the study was that elements of the Chronic Care Model are not being utilized within San Bernardino County's system of care. The study was conducted by having Alcohol and other Drug Counselors throughout San Bernardino County complete the study's 24-question quantitative survey. The purpose of this study is to add to the sparse literature related to the Chronic Care Model and its application to the alcohol and other drug (AOD) field. At this time the AOD field …

Health Disparities: A Look At Colorectal Cancer Screening In The Minority Community, Patrina Louise Archie

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine a physician's recommendation for ColoRectal Cancer screenings among Caucasians and minorities (African American, Asian American, and Latino). Past research on CRC has suggested that a history of CRC in a first degree relative elevates a person's lifetime risk. Furthermore, without a physician recommendation for early screening, the patient's chances of early detection are substantially lowered. This is why it is imperative to examine the complex factors that contribute to minorities who have lower CRC screening rates compared to Caucasians.

Reordered Subsets Reconstruction Of Proton Computed Tomography, Wenzhe Xue

Theses Digitization Project

This project investigates the improvement of iterative reconstruction using reordered subsets. Block iterative projection and Ordered Subset reconstruction algorithms are developed to improve the performance of image reconstruction. Contains source code.

Paying The Price For Black Masculinity: Investigating Sexual Behaviors Contributing To Hiv/Aids Infection And Death Of Black Women, Porsche Monic Terry

Theses Digitization Project

According to the Center for Disease Control (2005), African American women account for 64% of the nearly 127,000 women living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. The author conducted qualitative interviews with 30 adult Black males with a history of practicing Down Low (DL) sexual behavior-- engaging in homoerotic activities with their female partners. The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the DL subculture and to obtain useful information that is crucial to understanding how the DL male's personal struggles with sexuality and masculinity contribute to the disporportionate amount of Black women contracting HIV/AIDS.

The Impact Of Patient-Centered Narrative Interviewing On The Perceptions Of Primary Care Clinicians: A Pilot Evaluation, Michael James Terry

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

In this project, psychiatric nurses were trained in patient-centered narrative interviewing approaches and placed in a variety of healthcare sites and conditions to function as consultants. Primary care clinicians (PCCs) in those sites selected patients that each clinician felt was frustrating or difficult and arranged for the consultant to interview them. The consultants then presented patient information to the PCC, data typically difficult to obtain using a standard medical interviewing format. The consultant and PCC discussed the new information provided. The PCC than determined if the information provided was valuable, whether it changed their clinical decision-making regarding this patient's diagnosis …

Electronic Medical Records: A Systematic Review Of Published Reports On The Effect Of Implementation In Primary Care/Office-Based Settings, Patricia T. Vigil

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

With the push to streamline medical records and the use of electronic medical records system technology on the rise, successful implementation is important. The push is due in part for the need to reduce unnecessary paperwork, increase reimbursement, increase quality of medical records and increase overall quality of care. Factors to consider are the effects of implementation on quality of care, quality of medical records, physician and staff perceptions, working conditions, patient satisfaction, cost and barriers. Implementation may have a positive, negative or neutral effect on these factors making the need to review literature and report outcomes significant.

Survivors On The Edge: The Lived-Experience Of Professional Musicians With Playing-Related Injuries, Christine A. Guptill

Digitized Theses

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived-experience of professional instrumental musicians who have experienced playing-related injuries. This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology developed to examine this lived-experience. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten professional musicians. This was followed by a focus group where preliminary findings were presented to participants and their feedback was sought. Other sources of lived-experience included participant-observation by the researcher, who is a musician and has experienced injuries; and biographic and artistic representations of musical performance and its loss, including literature, films and television.

The findings were summarized in a visual representation unique …

Applications Of Ultrafine Powder Coatings, A.S. Mohammad Sayem Mozumder

Digitized Theses

Powder coatings have emerged as an alternative to the conventional liquid coatings when environmental regulations become stricter every year. The advantage of powder coatings mainly renders to their solvent-free formulations, because solvent(s) used in liquid coatings are to be evaporated to environment contributing to the total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions. Although advantageous, until recently, powder coating was not able to provide surface finishes comparable to the liquid coatings. However, when ultrafine powders (particularly, in the size range of 15-25 µm) becomes flowable with the aid of nano-additive(s), ultrafine powder coatings (UPCs) came into business with its thinner and smoother …

Comparing Garmin Forerunner 405cx Ggp And Nike + Ipod To Accurately Measure Energy Expenditure, Distance, And Speed Of Overground Running, Christine L. Mallula

ETD Archive

Accurate measurement of energy expenditure, distance, and speed are desired by many runners. There are many commercially available devices for measuring these components in overground running. Purpose: The purpose of this research study was to compare the accuracy of distance, speed, and energy expenditure of overground running with two different devices: the Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS and the Nike + iPod. Methods: Subjects consisted of 15 runners recruited from the Cleveland running community. The subjects were composed of 9 males and 6 females ranging in age from 18-55 years old. After a quarter mile calibration, the subjects ran a 3 …