Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of The Initial Health History Interview On Patient Satisfaction And Dissatisfaction With Health Care, Lenora Griffin

MSN Research Projects

Patient satisfaction or dissatisfaction was significantly impacted and tracked at the initial meeting or visit of the patient with the health care provider. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors in the initial health history interview that contributed to patient satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The Theory of Goal Attainment by Imogene King provided the framework for this study. The study sought to answer the research question: What are the factors in the initial health history interview that influence consumer satisfaction or dissatisfaction? A convenience sample of 81 health care consumers, ages 21 to 80 years, was obtained from …

Facilitators And Barriers To The Success Of Nursing Centers As Experienced By Nurse Executives, Amy Early

MSN Research Projects

Some nursing centers have been confronted with many problems that have hindered their success or even motivated them to close. Other nursing centers have attained with unsurpassed proficiency and, consequently, have emulated success. The purpose of this nonexperimental descriptive study was to explore the facilitators and barriers to the success of nursing centers as experienced by nurse executives. The conceptual framework used was the McGill Model of Nursing created by Dr. Moyra Allen (Gottlieb & Rowat, 1985). Research questions included these: What factors are identifiable by nurse executives as being facilitators to the success of nursing centers? What factors are …

Perceptions Of Home Health Nurses' Caring Behaviors By Home Health Patients And Nurses, Carol L. Schwanebeck

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify how home health patients and nurses in the rural home health setting in a southeastern state perceived different nurse behaviors related to caring.

The Effect Of Selected Cultural Factors On The Understanding And Use Of Advance Directives By Health-Care Recipients In The State Of Mississippi, Terri Massey-Hays

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of selected cultural factors on the understanding and use of advance directives by health-care recipients in the state of Mississippi.

Factors Influencing The Attitudes Of Nurses Regarding Victims Of Spouse Abuse, Christina Montague

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of elevated lead levels in children ages 1 to 6 years who received health care in a military facility.

The Experience Of Caregiving And The Expressed Needs Of Children Of Elders, Mandi B. Lewis

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this qualitative ethnography was to describe the experience of caregivers who resided with their elder dependent parents and to discover caregiver needs.

Determinants Of Early Subsequent Pregnancy Among Teenage Mothers, Susan Curl Brame

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to ascertain characteristics that influence the incidence of an early repeat teen pregnancy.

The Effect Of Empowerment Interventions Of An Interdisciplinary Team On The Self-Esteem Of Homeless Adolescent Girls, Patricia Gootee

MSN Research Projects

This quasi-experimental study examined the interventions intended to improve self-esteem in homeless adolescent girls.

The Correlation Between Health Behaviors And Compliance With Hypertension Treatment Regimens In Middle-Aged Adults, Marilyn Williams

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to determine the correlation between health behaviors and compliance with hypertension treatment regimens in middle-aged adults.

Perceptions Of Home Health Nurses' Caring Behaviors By Home Health Patients And Nurses, Carol L. Schwanebeck

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify how home health patients and nurses in the rural home health setting in a southeastern state perceived different nurse behaviors related to caring.

Effects Of Touch On Anxiety Levels In Elders Seeking Health Care, Simon Peter Redmon Ii

MSN Research Projects

Touch has been used for years by nurses and nurse practitioners in everyday practice both purposefully and incidentally. This touch has been in the form of therapeutic touch, massage, and coincidental. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the impact of touch, in the form of massage, on the reduction of anxiety levels in elders seeking health care. Watson's (19 79) Theory of Human Caring was the theoretical guide. Using Spielberger's (1983) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire, data were collected from a control group of 6 subjects and an experimental group of 5 subjects. These subjects were recruited from …

The Effect Of Empowerment Interventions Of An Interdisciplinary Team On The Self-Esteem Of Homeless Adolescent Girls, Patricia Gootee

MSN Research Projects

Low self-esteem has often been a term synonymous with powerlessness, and powerlessness has been identified as a health risk. Many homeless girls have experienced a high incidence of physical and emotional health problems. This quasi-experimental study examined the interventions intended to improve self-esteem in homeless adolescent girls. The interventions were designed to improve knowledge, skills and self-awareness in order to better equip them for self-care. The nursing theory upon which these interventions were founded was Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory. The interdisciplinary approach to the problem was determined by an assessment of self-care deficits. Interventions were categorized by Orem's (1991) "methods …

Correlation Between Hamstring Spasticity And Range Of Motion And Selected Gait Parameters In Pediatric Clients With Spastic Diplegia, Erin Mccain Glace

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Spasticity is often considered the primary limitation to function in children with spastic cerebral palsy. The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between hamstring spasticity and a functional activity, specifically gait. The gait parameters chosen were step length, stride length and velocity. A secondary purpose was to study the relationship between hamstring contracture and the same gait parameters. Reliability data were calculated for tone and ROM measurements. Eleven subjects (8 male and 3 female) between the ages of three years and fifteen years with a primary diagnosis of spastic diplegia were recruited for this study.

Hamstring spasticity …

Effective Changes In Hospital Patient Accounting Since The Prospective Payment System (Pps), Carol L. Francke

Dissertations

This is a multiple case study that examined three hospital patient accounting departments since the adoption of the prospective payment system (PPS). The cases were chosen based on similarities such as their size and dependence on government programs for reimbursement, interviews were conducted and documents were reviewed from 1985 and 1990. Measures of gross revenue days in accounts receivable and the ratio of the number of full time equivalents (FTEs) to patient encounters were used to determine whether these patient accounting departments were more efficient in 1990 than in 1985.

Despite their selection of different forms of adaptation, all three …

The Impact Of Shift Length On Absentee Rates, Margo A. Karsten

Nursing ETDs

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the difference in absenteeism rates between medical/surgical Registered Nurses (RN's), who work either eight-hour or 12-hour shifts. The study sought to examine the impact length of shift may have had on absenteeism.

Data were collected and analyzed from 80 automated personnel records in one acute-care hospital. Eight medical/surgical units were used in this study. The findings of this study demonstrate that medical/surgical RNs, who work either eight- or 12-hour shifts, do not have significantly different absentee rates.

Implementation Of A Prone Position Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle In The Picu, Lauren Hacker

Dissertations

Pronation is a low cost, high value intervention used in treating children and adults with Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Hospital-acquired pressure injury is the most common complication of pronation. While the presence of PI bundles and protocols have been shown to reduce incidence of PI in the prone position there is no standard bundle or protocol found in the literature, and no bundle or protocol specific to pediatric patients. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to create and implement a prone position pressure injury prevention bundle, called “Prone Pack”. This QI project setting was a 40 bed …

A Comparison Of Multidimensional Health Locus Of Control In Young Women With And Without A Sexually Transmitted Disease, Susan Elizabeth Turnage

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this descriptive study was to measure and compare differences in young women with a sexually transmitted disease and young women without a sexually transmitted disease on the internal, chance and powerful others scales of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control.

Relationship Between Perception Of Risk For Hiv Infection And Participation In Risk Behaviors For Hiv Infection By Women, Sister Eileen Breen

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to assess the magnitude of the relationship between perceiving oneself at risk for HIV infection and participating in behaviors associated with an increased risk for HIV among women. The Health Belief Model provided the theoretical framework for this study's examination of women's perception of risk and participation in risk behavior. The research questions addressed in this study were: What is the perception of risk for HIV infection in women age 18-45? What are the risk behaviors for HIV infection in women age 18-45? The research hypothesis of this study was: There is …

Regulation Of Dental Hygienists: Its Effect On Disciplinary Action And Opinions Of Regulatory Board Members In The United States And Canada, Jodie A. Mueller

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first was to examine the effect of regulatory status (dentist versus dental hygienist control) on disciplinary sanctions for dental hygiene practitioners. The second was to assess the opinions of board members concerning the regulation of the practice of dental hygiene. Regulatory bodies from jurisdictions with and without dental hygiene self-regulation in both Canada and the United States respectively were examined to determine if differences exist in opinions and sanctions exercised by the two. A self-designed questionnaire titled the Mueller-Dental Hygiene Regulatory Questionnaire was used to obtain descriptive data on a sample of …

Effects Of A Commercial Sodium Bicarbonate Toothpaste On Composite Restorative Material, Maggie Jackson

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Commercial sodium bicarbonate toothpaste is a relatively new product on the market and limited research has tested its effects on composite material. The purpose of this investigation was to determine and compare, invitro, the effects of a commercially available sodium bicarbonate toothpaste versus a leading brand of fluoridated toothpaste on composite restorative material simulated in daily toothbrushing for a six month time period. Deionized water was used as the control treatment. A three-group, post-test only design was used to test the abrasive effects of the paste on 48 filled composite resin shade guide teeth. The digital microprocessor scanning device, a …

An Assessment Of Personal Characteristics, Job Satisfaction And Semantic Descriptors Of Virginia Acute And Tertiary Care Hospitals' Chief Executive Officers, Justin C. Matus

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify the determinants of job satisfaction of Virginia Hospital CEO's and to identify those descriptors that best characterize the role of the hospital CEO as defined by the CEO's themselves. The study sample consisted of all hospital CEO's in Virginia as listed by the Virginia Hospital Association. The study employed a four part survey instrument that investigated four major areas: (1) personal and hospital demographics; (2) self rated performance; (3) a semantic scale measuring the concept of Hospital CEO; and (4) The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. A survey was mailed to 119 CEO's. The …

An Assessment Of Management Practices Among Virginia Acute Care Hospitals, Ogbonnia Godfrey Ochonma

Health Services Research Dissertations

The 1990's will see dramatic changes for the health care industry. At no previous time have both public and private health care institutions faced a more turbulent, confusing and threatening environment. Changes in health care arena will come from Federal, State and local governments; international as well as domestic economic and market forces; demographic shifts and life style changes; and structural evolution of the health care industry including mergers, integrations and competition.

The health care industry faces increasing financial pressures due to fundamentally new forces that affect the very viability of many health care organizations. Such pressures include prospective payment, …

A Comparison Of Multidimensional Health Locus Of Control In Young Women With And Without A Sexually Transmitted Disease, Susan Elizabeth Turnage

MSN Research Projects

The purpose of this descriptive study was to measure and compare differences in young women with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and young women without a sexually transmitted disease on the internal, chance and powerful others scales of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC). Three directional hypotheses guided this study: (1.) Young women with an STD have a higher Powerful Other Health Locus of Control (PHLC) than women without an STD. (2.) Young women with an STD have a higher Chance Health Locus of Control (CHLC) than women without an STD. (3.) Young women without an STD have a …

Determination Of Pancreatic And Salivary Amylase By Enzyme Immunoassay And Their Prevalence In Hyperamylasemic Patients, Sabdra Borgens Ward

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Currently, amylase determinations are nonspecific for the organ source and are based entirely on the enzymatic properties of amylase to produce a measurable product or byproduct. The determination of pancreatic amylase is important in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Most commercially available tests for amylase employ the measurement of the change in NADH absorbance at 280 nm or of the p-nitrophenol released from a maltotetrose substrate. These are nonspecific measurements of pancreatic amylase and often necessitate other tests to be run such as a serum lipase.

The two predominant isoenzymes of amylase are pancreatic (p-amylase) and salivary (s-amylase); the most …

Cerebral Microcirculatory Effects Of Maturation, Scott R. Elliott

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The present studies demonstrate that in the second (2B) and fourth (4B) branches of newborn and adult sheep middle cerebral arteries, 5-HT2 serotonergic receptors mediate contractile responses to serotonin and that alpha-1 adrenergic receptors mediate contractile responses to norepinephrine. In addition, tissue sensitivity to 5-HT and NE decreases significantly with maturation, but does not vary with branch order. These age-related changes were associated with a decrease in affinity and maximum response in 2B and 4B segments of 5-HT and NE contracted arteries, respectively. Norepinephrine and 5-HT occupancy at the pD₂ rose significantly in 2B segments, but did not change …

Lunar Lunacy: The Effect Of The Moon On Moods And Behavior, Lisa Compton

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Comparative Toxicities Of Aminonitriles, Timothy Lester Lacy

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examined the comparative toxicities and metabolism of four selected aminonitriles namely aminoacetonitrile, $\beta$-aminopropionitrile, $N,N\sp\prime$-dimethylaminopropionitrile, and $\beta ,\beta\sp\prime$-iminodipropionitrile. Various experiments in this study include time course of the metabolism of these nitriles to cyanide, thiocyanate, and cyanoacetic acid. All of the nitriles studied were metabolized to cyanide and thiocyanate and the levels of these metabolites remained at a significantly high level even 5 days after dosing. Except aminoacetonitrile all the nitriles were metabolized to cyanoacetic acid. Experiments on the role of vehicles on the toxicity and metabolism of nitriles showed that all of the vehicles studied significantly affected nitrile …

Healing Potential Of Osteotomies Of The Nasal Sinus In The Dog, Roderick W. Tataryn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Maxillary sinus osteotomy is sometimes indicated for transantral surgical approaches to palatal roots of maxillary molars. A search of the literature showed an absence of any report on the healing potential of such defects. The purpose of this study was to determine histologically the reparative process of the nasal sinus of dogs following small and large surgical antral perforations. After anesthetizing six beagle dogs, full thickness periosteal flaps were raised overlying the maxillary buccal cortical plates. A 5x5 mm diameter perforation was created with a trephine bur above the second maxillary premolar on one side of each animal. On the …

Healing Following Periodontal Reconstructive Surgery : Surgical Implantation Of A Collagen Matrix Or Demineralized Freeze-Dried Bone Allograft, Seong Yong Choi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Healing following periodontal reconstructive surgery including surgical implantation of a collagen matrix or demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA) was evaluated in a preclinical (collagen) and a clinical (DFDB A) study.

Contralateral periodontal fenestration defects in 7 beagle dogs were used to evaluate the effect of a collagen matrix on periodontal healing. The defects (6x4 mm) were created through the buccal cortical plates of the maxillary canine teeth following elevation of mucoperiosteal flaps. The collagen was fitted to the defects on one side, while contralateral defects served as controls. Raps were repositioned and sutured. Dogs were sacrificed 4 weeks after surgery …

Long-Term Posttreatment Upper Incisor Inclination : Relative To Facial Axis Angulation As A Measure For Incisor Placement, David Lawrence Sparks

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study was designed to determine whether upper central incisor inclination approximated the facial axis, long-term, posttreatment, regardless of the initial malocclusion or immediate posttreatment incisor inclination. Lateral head films at pretreatment, immediate posttreatment and long-term posttreatment were traced and evaluated. The sample was divided into facial type. Angle classification and treatment type (extraction vs. non-extraction). Statistical analyses included means, standard deviations, confidence intervals, population t tests and chi-square tabulations.

The results revealed that the upper central incisor did not approximate the facial axis after a minimum of 7 years posttreatment. This failed to support the use of the facial …