Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Emotional Intelligence And Caring Behaviors: Is There A Relationship?, Deborah Godbee Johnson

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Caring for others is stressful work. Research has shown that nurses are leaving practice and have identified job-related stressors which lead to burnout as a primary cause. A review of literature revealed that burnout is common in nursing and that this syndrome decreases the quality of care, produces negative outcomes, and leads to a decline in displaying caring behaviors. Studies identified that people who possess high levels of emotional intelligence (EI) experience less burnout in their jobs. EI, a rising field of study that includes the recognition, understanding, expression, and management of emotions, may offer plausibility for effectively navigating occupational …

Utilization Of Emergency Departments: Examining Patient Perception Of Urgency, Susan Dale O'Shields

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Nationwide volumes of those utilizing an emergency department (ED) for care have increased significantly over three decades with health professionals witnessing a significant increase of those triaged as non-urgent. Despite alternative healthcare resources, utilization has continued. Multiple factors are influential in the decision-making process with seriousness of condition having a direct link. However, a gap of knowledge exists between the professionals’ actual measured level of acuity and the patient’s perceived level. The term “urgency” has no standard definition in healthcare. Few studies have examined urgency from the patient’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to identify primary factors influential …

Using High-Fidelity Simulation To Prepare Nursing Students In The Obstetrical Environment, Cynthia Ann Dixon

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Aim: The goal of this study was to evaluate senior nursing students and use of high-fidelity simulation in the development of critical thinking skills. Background: Nursing students are only given limited opportunities in the specialty areas, such as obstetrics, and often lack the skills and confidence necessary to provide safe and effective care as they join the health care industry as new graduates. Methods: The senior nursing students were brought into the simulation lab and given a new scenario on a preeclampsia patient. The students were given ten minutes to ask questions of the patient, complete a focused assessment, call …

Clinical Workload Policy In Nursing Programs: Striving To Be Equitable And Transparent, Melinda West

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Nursing schools throughout the country are facing a dilemma over how to concisely and fairly count faculty's clinical workload hours. Faculty members report dissatisfaction with their workload as one of the reasons for leaving the education field and contributing to the shortage of qualified nursing educators. There is no standardized method or policy for counting clinical teaching hours, so schools are left to create their own policies or simply not have one. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of the faculty members at a community college of the current clinical teaching workload policy and to determine …

Registered Nurse Satisfaction: The Impact Of Organizational Communication On Satisfaction Among Registered Nurses In The Acute Care/Hospital Setting, Lori Michelle Lovelace

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Organizational communication can impact the satisfaction of registered nurses in the acute care hospital setting. With the projected growth of the nursing profession, recruitment and retention of registered nurses is essential in building a highly engaged workforce. Literature review identified areas that impact nurse satisfaction including salary and benefits, nursing leadership, nursing engagement, and nursing workload and staffing. The researcher recognized a gap in the literature regarding the impact of organizational communication on satisfaction of registered nurses in the acute care hospital setting. This study evaluates the difference in the satisfaction of organizational communication among registered nurses who spend less …

Compassion Fatigue And Burnout Of Critical Care Nurses, Lyndsey Brooke Couch

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore levels of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary post-traumatic stress of critical care nurses. Compassion fatigue is a combination of physical, emotional, and spiritual depletion that caregivers experience when they care for patients who are in physical or emotional distress. Compassion fatigue has affected many nurses and has a direct effect on patients' satisfactions. Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring served as the theoretical framework for this study. The literature shows that there is a prevalence of compassion fatigue of acute care nurses. A quantitative study was performed using the ProQOL …

Compassion Fatigue In Medical Surgical Nurses, Ashlee Nicole Simmons

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Often nurses are consumed by providing care to others and forget to care for themselves. The lack of self-care can lead to compassion fatigue in the nurse's life. The purpose of this thesis was to assess the level of compassion fatigue within medical surgical nurses, and determine the correlation between years of experience as a registered nurse and compassion fatigue. The Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL-5) was used to identify the existence of compassion fatigue in medical surgical nurses. Data was collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Seventy-five medical surgical nurses working in an acute …

Discovering The Living Experience Of Feeling Overwhelmed By The Rapid Response Team Member, Rhonda Wayne Mann

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Rapid response teams were implemented in efforts to combat mounting safety concerns among hospitalized patients. Numerous differing team compositions exist across the nation, however, most teams are led by a critical care nurse. Responsibilities of the rapid response team, in addition to unit based responsibilities, can lead to the feeling of being overwhelmed. Literature focusing exclusively on the feelings of the rapid response team member is obsolete. A qualitative study using the Parse research method was used to answer the research question: What is the structure of the critical care nurse’s living experience of feeling overwhelmed during rapid response calls? …

Hospice Nurses’ Perception Of Factors Influencing Nurse Retention, Vanessa Kelly Boris

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Aim. To identify factors that affect hospice nurses’ intent to remain employed. Background. Recent literature indicates that turnover is a major problem for health care organizations, since it is costly and negatively affects patient care. Several strategies have been highlighted to help improve retention rates, however hospice nurses have special needs. Methods. To assess hospice nurse perspectives, a survey was conducted using registered nurses working in a multi-county Hospice and Palliative Care facility in the southeastern U.S. Survey items were based on information gathered from previous focus groups exploring determinants of nurse retention. Results. Eighty-eight percent (n=7) of nurses chose …

Nurse-Physician Collaboration And Satisfaction, Fatima Brewton

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of interdisciplinary rounds (IDR) on a neurology medical-surgical inpatient unit. Existing research shows that IDR improves nurse-physician relationships and satisfaction and improves patient outcomes. Using the Collaboration and Satisfaction about Care Decisions (CSACD) tool developed by Baggs, nurse-physician collaboration and satisfaction was measured pre and post implementation of interdisciplinary rounds. Twenty-one nurses and five physicians participated in the study which included education sessions, a two week trial of IDR, and a pre and post survey. Nurses and physicians in this sample perceived a significant increase in collaboration (X = 5.6563, …

Primary Care Nursing Barriers To Identifying And Referring Patients To Palliative Care, Angela F. Rutherford

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Palliative care (PC) is an interdisciplinary approach that specifically focuses on improving quality of life for people living with chronic, life-limiting illnesses (Kelley & Morrison, 2015). Ideally, PC should be initiated at the time of diagnosis. Research suggest that PC referrals are often delayed until there is a clearly terminal event, leading to unnecessary suffering from preventable symptoms and poor quality of life (Wilson, Avalos, & Dowling, 2016). The aim of this MSN thesis was to determine what barriers exist in the primary care setting to identifying and/or referring patients to PC programs. A descriptive study was performed utilizing an …

The Relationship Between Exercise And Compassion Fatigue In Nurses, Cynthia Harrill Yeargin

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Nurses in today’s healthcare arena face numerous challenges and demands from the organization, personally, professionally, and their patients. These pressures can culminate into the development of compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue (CF) has been defined as a combination of physical, emotional, and spiritual depletion associated with caring for patients. Compassion fatigue is linked to increased turnover, decreased teammate engagement, and poor clinical performance. The purpose of this thesis was to assess the prevalence of CF among nurses, and to determine if a relationship exists between CF and amount exercised each week. The organizing framework was based on Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort. …

Correlation Between Self-Appraisal And Measured Risk For Prediabetes, Amanda Sowell

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

One-third of adults in the United States have prediabetes and 90% of those individuals are unaware they have the disease. Prediabetes is a disease where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as prediabetes. The purpose of this thesis was to identify adults at risk for prediabetes in a rural community setting, and explore the relationship between adults’ perceived risk for prediabetes and actual measured risk for prediabetes as determined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Prediabetes Screening Test. The organizing framework was based on Betty Neuman’s systems model. The participants of …

Intuition In Nursing: Correlation With Area Of Practice And Years Of Experience In Registered Nurses In A Rural, Community Hospital, Leah Frady

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

This study assessed the levels of intuition in nursing in relation to area of practice and years of experience. The goal was to provide data indicating whether or not levels of nursing intuition is affected by area of practice and years of experience in nursing. No relationship was found in regard to levels of intuition in nursing, area of practice, and years of nursing experience. Implications for nurse educators and nurse managers based on this finding suggested the importance of knowing the competency levels and intuitive abilities of nursing staff to help in the decision-making process of initial and ongoing …

Nurse Workloads: The Relationship Between Nurse Compassion Satisfaction And Burnout, Lisa M. Greene

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Nurses face a wide variety of challenges and demands while caring for their patients and families. While nurses are an important part of healthcare, both for their compassion and care and for their skills at the bedside, they can become stressed and burned out. Compassion satisfaction is essential for nurses in today’s society. Compassion satisfaction has been defined as the pleasure an individual derives from being able to help others and do their work to the best of their ability. The lack of compassion satisfaction can lead to compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue affects the care provided to patients. Compassion fatigue …

Stress And Social Media: Implications For Nurses' Quality Of Life, Crystal A. Goodman

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

This study sought to explore relationships between nurse stress, social media use, and emotional wellbeing. Social media being such a popular trend, has been studied a lot in recent years to determine impacts on health. Nurses are also impacted by this societal trend and research has not focused on this particular group to see how it impacts their emotional wellbeing. The framework for this research was Cognitive-Relational Theory and Margaret Newman’s Theory of Expanding Consciousness. A review of literature was performed to gather data on direct care nurse stress, social media use, coping mechanisms, quality of life, and strategies for …

A Spatial Analysis Of Physician Assistant Programs, J. Glenn Forister, Curt Stilp

Faculty Publications - College of Medical Science

Purpose: The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant projects a total of 273 accredited programs by the summer of 2020. Over the past 10 years, the number of Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA) applicants per seat has increased by 53%. However, no studies have addressed the current geographic relationship of applicants to programs and program growth. The purpose of this study was to describe the geospatial patterns and relationships of physician assistant (PA) programs and CASPA applicants.

Methods: Program directory information for established (n = 159), satellite (n = 18), and new PA programs (n …

Learning By Doing: The Md-Pa Interprofessional Education Rural Rotation, Ryan Palmer, Curt Stilp

Faculty Publications - College of Medical Science

While much investment has gone into developing interprofessional education (IPE) curriculum for healthcare professional students, many of these efforts have focused on classroom rather than clinical environments. Implementing robust IPE experiences into clinical training is often complicated by obstacles such as differing rotating schedules and differing curricular requirements. The Combined Medical-Physician Assistant Student Rural Rotation (Med-PARR) at the Oregon Health and Science University takes a practical approach to these challenges. Med-PARR students participate in focused IPE activities that overlay, or 'float', on top of each trainee's profession-specific curricular requirements. Through critical reflection, goal setting, and a community-based project, students get …

Critical-Thinking Skills Of First-Year Athletic Training Students Enrolled In Professional Programs, Dana K. Bates

Faculty Publications - Department of Kinesiology

Context: The Examination of Professional Degree Level document presented to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Board of Directors states that research in athletic training education has not investigated differences in the critical-thinking skills of professional athletic training students.

Objective: Investigate the differences in critical thinking and other demographic variables across first-year athletic training students enrolled in professional bachelor’s- and master’s-degree programs.

Design: Quantitative study.

Setting: District 10 athletic training programs.

Patients or Other Participants: Students (N ¼ 40) enrolled within their first 6 months of a professional athletic training program were asked to complete the California Critical Thinking Skills Test …

Raw And Count Data Comparability Of Hip-Worn Actigraph Gt3x+ And Link Accelerometers, Alexander H. K. Montoye, M. Benjamin Nelson, Joshua M. Bock, Mary T. Imboden, Leonard A. Kaminsky, Kelly A. Mackintosh, Melitta A. Mcnarry, Karin A. Pfeiffer

Faculty Publications - Department of Kinesiology

To enable inter- and intrastudy comparisons it is important to ascertain comparability among accelerometer models.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare raw and count data between hip-worn ActiGraph GT3X+ and GT9X Link accelerometers.

Methods: Adults (n = 26 (n = 15 women); age, 49.1 T 20.0 yr) wore GT3X+ and Link accelerometers over the right hip for an 80-min protocol involving 12–21 sedentary, household, and ambulatory/exercise activities lasting 2–15 min each. For each accelerometer, mean and variance of the raw (60 Hz) data for each axis and vector magnitude (VM) were extracted in 30-s epochs. …

The Effects Of Watson’S Theory Of Human Caring On The Nurse Perception And Utilization Of Caring Attributes And The Impact On Nurse Communication, Mary Owens Mcmillan

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project was to create a profile of nurses who utilize Jean Watson’s caritas processes and acknowledge caring by forming transpersonal caring relationships with all patients. In an acute care, 468-bed healthcare organization located in southeastern United States, on five adult medical surgical units, an overall score of 52% existed on the nurse communication domain within the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. This score was well below the national top box of the 76th percentile set for the domain of nurse communication. Within the five units selected, 67 nurse participants completed a …

Effects Of Engaging Hospitalized Heart Failure Patients In A Self-Care Management Protocol On Self-Care Self-Confidence Levels, Michele Denise Blakely

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Delivering high quality heart failure (HF) management and education to empower patients to manage successfully in the community is imperative. Common trends observed impacting HF patients and concerning inpatient nurses on a medical cardiology unit were identified and discussed. Understanding accessing and adhering to a low salt diet, fluid restriction, and daily weights were all commonly identified challenges by direct care nurses of HF patients. Nurses reported increased frustration with patients not knowing or possessing little awareness of their fluid restriction or how to manage or articulate restrictions during the inpatient stay. Nurses felt intake and output (I&O) and daily …

Patient Safety In The Ambulatory Oncology Environment: A Teamstepps® Journey, Tammi Phelps Hick

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Problem: Children have reported that pain and anxiety were the most difficult part of hospitalization, and under treatment of pain and anxiety can have short and long term effects on health outcomes. Most healthcare professionals recognize a link between emotional health and physical health, but this may be especially true for pediatric patients who may not be able to marshal adequate coping skills due to their developmental age. Providing age appropriate alternatives, such as distraction therapy, may result in less invasive treatments for pediatric patients. Distraction therapy is an effective non-pharmacological intervention that is often under-utilized in the acute care …

The Calm Project: Teaching Mindfulness Meditation In Primary Care Using Computer-Based Application, Vanessa Norton

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) have been studied extensively and the evidence is now credible that even brief techniques, delivered electronically using web-based applications (apps), easily accessed by smart phone, computer, or tablet, are consistently effective at anxiety reduction as well demonstrating efficacy in other commonly occurring comorbidities such as depression, stress, and panic symptoms. The purpose of this DNP project was to examine feasibility and the effect of the app, Calm.com, on anxious adult patients in primary care, using the Recovery Alliance Theory as its theoretical foundation. This pilot study was longitudinal, using a pre-test/post-test measurement of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder …

Demographic Factors That Correlate With Adherence To Hemodialysis Treatment Regimen, Brittany Ross

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Background: Research has shown that non-adherence to the recommended treatment regimen in patients with chronic health conditions such as end stage renal disease can have detrimental consequences such as cardiac enlargement, difficulty breathing, cardiac arrest, and death. Several studies have shown a patient’s age, marital status, gender, and family support can affect adherence to treatment regimen in hemodialysis patients. Purpose: The goal of this study was to provide insight into the demographic factors that correlate with adherence to treatment regimen in hemodialysis patients. Method: This research study consisted of a retrospective chart review of 75 charts of chronic outpatient hemodialysis …

The Effect Of Patient Activation On Transition Clinic Adherence, Megan Sue Mcgraw

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Heart failure (HF) affects more than 5 million Americans and is one of the most commonly occurring reasons for admission to the hospital among adults aged 65 and over. Evidence is growing that the higher amount of patient engagement or activation, the better the health and cost outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between a higher patient activation score, as determined by the PAM-10, and completion in the heart failure transition clinic. The design for this study was a quantitative descriptive study. The patients were given the questionnaire prior to discharge from …

Hospice And Palliative Care: Imperative To The Education Of Nursing, Crystal Lynn Jordan

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Many advanced practice nursing programs do not have hospice and palliative care content included in their curricula. Reviewing the literature regarding the nature of hospice and palliative care content in advanced practice nursing curricula revealed few published studies. Rather than a small snapshot of what end-of-life care entails, it is vital to integrate end-of-life care into every aspect taught in advance practice nursing school. The purpose of this thesis was ascertain the nature of hospice and palliative care content contained in advanced practice nursing curricula. A survey was sent to advance practice nursing program directors asking for information related to …

The Effect Of Grinding And Polishing Of Zirconia Surfaces On Surface Roughness, Gloss And Antagonist Wear, Manar Mohammed Alzahrani

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Objective. This study was conducted to evaluate the surface roughness and gloss of yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia after grinding and/or polishing of the surfaces and to investigate the effects of grinding and/or polishing on wear rate of zirconia and its composite antagonist. Background. Many clinicians are extremely concern about delivering zirconia restorations after proper glazing procedure, but in some cases, chair-side modification of the occlusal surfaces is required after cementation in order to obtain proper occlusion, which produces rough surfaces. Loss of the original zirconia gloss and wear of opposing dentition or restorations are some of the drawbacks of rough surfaces. …

Text Message Follow-Up Reminders In The Pediatric Urgent Care, Kimberly R. Joo

Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Projects

Follow-up care by a primary care provider (PCP) immediately following a visit to the pediatric urgent care is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Unfortunately, studies indicate that between 26-56% of patients do not complete a recommended follow-up appointment with PCPs. Communication in the form of reminders to parents, guardians, and patients over the age of 18 may have the potential to increase rates of follow-up appointments after an urgent care visit. Short Message Service (SMS) text messages have been shown to be an effective means of communication between providers and patients in multiple types of healthcare settings. The …

To Nudge Or Not To Nudge: Promoting Environmentally Beneficial Behaviors, Emma Jean Cooper

Bard Center for Environmental Policy

In order to mitigate the effects of climate change, humans need to change how they act toward the environment. Unfortunately, as much as we may want to act in ways that would be best for us and for the environment, we often struggle to do just that due to cognitive biases. Nudge theory attempts to remedy this problem by helping us make the decision that would be in our best interests. To explore this issue, I conduct an extended review of the literature to examine how well nudge theory can be applied to the realm of environmental policy. Specifically, I …