Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

A Description Of The Health Beliefs And Skin Cancer Prevention Practices Of Michigan Farmers, Denise Ann Coats

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the skin cancer knowledge, health beliefs, prevention practices and cues to action o f a sample of Michigan farmers. A sample o f 106 randomly selected male farmers responded to a mailed questionnaire comprised of 40 items measuring variables of the Health Belief Model and demographic information.

The farmers spent an average of 4.05 hours in the sun each day between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and an average o f 45.13 years living and/or working on a farm. They were quite knowledgeable about skin cancer (M = 77% correct), but most …

Women's Perceptions Of Postpartum Appointment Keeping Barriers, Carol L. Czuk

Masters Theses

An exploratory, descriptive design was used to examine women's perceptions of barriers that inhibited them from keeping their postpartum appointments. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as a theoretical framework, with special attention to the barriers dimension. A three-part survey consisting of basic demographic questions, a five point response scale for assessment of perceived barriers, and open-ended questions were used for data collection. A convenience sample of 15 women in a rural southwestern Michigan community who had not kept their postpartum appointment by the sixth week after delivery were included in the study. Data were collected by a structured …

Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Intradermal Injection Of Lidocaine, Iontophoretic Delivery Of Lidocaine, And Topical Emla Cream As Local Anesthetics For Venipuncture, Carol Straight

Masters Theses

The study was undertaken to establish whether the administration of a local anesthetic, lidocaine, significantly reduces the pain of venipuncture in adults, to establish the degree of tolerability and effectiveness of each of three delivery methods for lidocaine, and to identify recipient's preferences among the three pain-relieving measures. In this study, lidocaine was administered using three different delivery techniques: (1) intradermal injection of lidocaine, (2) iontophoresis of lidocaine, and (3) topical application of lidocaine/prilocaine cream, prior to undergoing venipuncture. Participants were asked to measure the level of pain experienced with each method of local anesthesia as well as the level …

Cancer Health Beliefs And Knowledge In Relationship To Korean American Cigarette Smoking Status, Melissa Sue George

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe health beliefs and knowledge in relationship to Korean American cigarette smoking status. The data for this study came from the Asian American Cancer Control Study conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Asian American Cancer Control Survey examined the cigarette smoking status, demographic variables, cancer knowledge and beliefs, and alcohol use of 263 Korean Americans. The health belief model was the conceptual framework for the study. Chi square analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between cigarette smoking status and gender, education, spoken English proficiency, years of residency in the United …

Nurses' Beliefs And Perceptions About Children In Pain, Patricia A. Gorney

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine nurse's beliefs and perceptions of children in pain amongst nursing personnel employed in Northwestern Michigan, and to determine if a relationship existed between nursing education, age and years experience in nursing, and the scores on the Beliefs and Perceptions Scale. The sample consisted of 74 registered and licensed practical nurses in the area working in acute and ambulatory settings. Data collected was analyzed using Pearson's Correlational Coefficient. The Roy Adaptation Model served as a framework for the study.

No significant correlation was found to exist between the participant's age, years of nursing …

Measurement Of Self-Care In Patients With Cystic Fibrosis, Chrysanthe Porter Fooy

Masters Theses

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to contribute to theory regarding the self-care agency in a population of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients ≥ 11 years of age (n=30). The following research questions were addressed: (1) w hat is the level of self-care in a group of CF patients; (2) what is the relationship between self-care and the basic conditioning factors of age, gender, years since diagnosis, and severity of illness; and (3) what is the relationship between locus of control and self-care.

Baker’s Cystic Fibrosis Self-Care Practice Instrument was used to measure CF self-care. Wallston’s Multidimensional Health Locus …

Comparison Of Pulmonary Artery, Tympanic, Oral, And Axillary Temperatures, Linda Oravec Walter

Masters Theses

Hypothermia depresses the myocardium and shifts the oxygen dissociation curve to the left. Accurate tem perature monitoring Is essential. Studies conflict regarding the accuracy of sites other than the pulmonary artery (the gold standard) In temperature measurement of intubated patients. Using Roy’s Adaptation Model as a conceptual framework, repeated measures analysis of variance found a significant difference between the pulmonary artery, tympanic, oral, and axillary temperatures when taken within 15 minutes of arriving to the cardiothoracic unit and then hourly for four hours after open heart surgery. Post hoc t-test showed significant differences during rapid temperature changes. When temperatures were …

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 …

Stress, Coping, Adaptation, And Family Hardiness In Families With An Adult Child Who Is Developmentally Disabled And Living In The Parental Home, Joan M. Vansolkema

Masters Theses

Families who successfully cope and adapt to having a child with a developmental disability are of interest to health professionals. The Typology Model of Adjustment and Adaptation and family hardiness provided the conceptual framework to explore and describe the relationships between family hardiness and family coping and adaptation. Sixty-three families returned a mailed survey that included the Family Hardiness Index, Coping Health Inventory for Parents, and Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales II. Higher levels of family hardiness were associated with better family coping and adaptation. Results of ANOVAs and multiple regression indicate the level of mental retardation of the …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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; …

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 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 …

Nursing Students' Perceptions Of Clinical Instructor Behaviors That Affect The Development Of Self-Confidence, Debra E. Veltkamp

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine clinical instructor behaviors that students perceive as important in promoting or hindering their development of self-confidence. One hundred fifty-eight associate degree and baccalaureate nursing students rated 21 clinical teaching behaviors on the degree each helped or hindered their self-confidence as nurses and responded to two open-ended questions by identifying additional behaviors. Factor analysis of these behaviors revealed six dimensions of clinical teaching that characterized the instructor as: encourager, evaluator, discourager, enabler, benevolent presence, and resource. All behaviors contributing to the dimensions of clinical instructor were rated by students as helpful in their …

Perceived Sources And Level Of Stress Experienced By Student Nurses In Associate And Baccalaureate Degree Programs, Lori J. Kane

Masters Theses

This study examined possible differences in levels of stress and perceived sources of stress in student nurses attending associate degree programs and baccalaureate degree programs. A combination of Lazarus' theory of cognitive appraisal with Roy's Adaptation Model provided the conceptual framework. One hundred and sixteen students from a public university, two private Christian colleges and two community colleges participated in the study. The Student Stress and Coping Inventory (SSCI) questionnaire was used to measure stressful situations and/or experiences from students beginning the second semester of their first year in the nursing program. Reliability of the questionnaire was established at 0.91. …

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 …

The Relationship Between Self-Care Agency, Self-Efficacy, And Medication Management Behaviors In Chronically Ill Elderly Home-Bound Individuals, Elaine J. Lince

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the exercise of self-care agency, long-term medication self-efficacy and medication management in elderly, chronically ill home-bound individuals. The study seeks to answer the following hypotheses: (1) There is a positive relationship between level of self-care agency and level of medication management in elderly, chronically ill home-bound individuals; (2) Level of long-term medication behavior self-efficacy is a predictor of level of medication management in chronically 01, elderly, home-bound individuals. The study sought to answer the following question: What is the degree of variability in level of medication management that is …

Gender Differences In Reported Quality Of Life In Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients, Susan M. Flynn

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in the way men and women experience their cardiac problems, rehabilitation programs, and the resulting quality of life. A descriptive two group research design was utilized. A convenience sample produced 35 participants, 20 men and 15 women. At the participant’s first or second cardiac rehabilitation session, a pretest on quality of life was given. Posttesting was done at 5-8 weeks later. It was hypothesized that the women would have lower quality of life scores than the men. This was not supported in a data analysis using an analysis of covariance. …

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 …

Perceived Control Of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease And Adherence To A Therapeutic Regimen, Lori A. Booms

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research study was to examine if a difference existed between the concept of perceived control of the effects and course of the COPD and the adherence to the prescribed therapeutic regimen. The conceptual framework for the study was the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control. The study design was a comparative descriptive survey. Data collection was completed by using the three instruments: Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (Form C), Health Value Measurement, and Measurement of Compliance with a Comprehensive COPD Treatment Program. The study consisted of 20 participants. The findings of the study showed no significant difference …

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 …

A Survey Of Swallowing Symptoms Associated With The Premenstrual Cycle, Jill Gigi Calcagno

Dissertations and Theses

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) has been associated with a vast number of physical, emotional, social, and behavioral symptomatology. Laryngeal disturbances invoked by hormonal imbalance may affect swallowing as a component of PMS. Previous studies regarding swallowing ability during the premenstrual cycle were nonexistent.

This study examined the relationship between PMS and swallowing disorders. One hundred thirty-seven females completed a written survey that elicited information regarding biographical data, presence and severity of cyclically recurring symptoms associated with PMS, and perceived presence and severity of dysphagia during premenstruum.

Spearman Rank (Rho) correlation coefficients were computed to determine the extent of the relationship between …

Neuman-Based Analysis Of Women's Health Needs Aboard A Deployed Navy Ship: Can Nursing Make A Difference?, Vivienne Andrea Parodi

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

The Place Of Automation In National Healthcare, Ted J. Macinski

Theses

This cumulating project will focus on the development of the current U.S. healthcare system and the involvement of government, especially the federal government in this process.

The focus is on the proposal to use advanced information systems technology to establish cost control for the healthcare sector of the economy.

The issues which are addressed are what role the federal government plays in the current healthcare system, the proposed use of a comprehensive federal health data bank which would include data on all U.S. residents, and alternative applications of systems technology which are operational or under development by private and state …

Attitudes Of Student Nurses Toward Domestic Violence, Phyllis Jean Messing

Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if student nurses needed more education about domestic violence. Nurses, more than any other profession, are frequently in a position to identify and assist the victims of abuse. Presently, however, rather than addressing the hidden problem of family violence, nurses may inadvertently contribute to it, due to their lack of awareness and knowledge. Nurses, including student nurses, need to fine tune their knowledge in order to recognize the signs and symptoms surrounding family violence. Once identified, it will take an expanded level of awareness and enhanced skills to deal effectively with this …

The Integration Of The Long Term Care Continuum Into A Seamless Health Delivery System, Viriginia E. Moseley

Theses

A seamless continuum of healthcare services is necessary to serve older adults, caregivers and the community. Personal knowledge and experience of the author, a nurse and skilled nursing facility administrator, is combined with a literature review to determine a vision for serving older adults and caregivers. A vertical integration of long term care into a health delivery network traditionally focused on acute and primary care is proposed.

The History Of American Health Care, Michael R. Niehaus

Theses

Health care in America has grown predominately in response to both social and religious need. All though historically social position was the primary determinant of a patients ability to receive health care, today insurance plays a major role in ones ability to receive that care. This thesis will examine some of the social changes which have effected American hospital and its relation to the patients ability to pay .