Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Quality Of Life For Persons With Chronic Disease Utilizing Mobile Integrated Healthcare, Dr John Robert Ash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The use of mobile integrated healthcare-community paramedicine (MIH-CP) has the potential to be integrated into existing chronic disease management initiatives as a means of reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and costs as well as improving quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between demographics, noncommunicable disease type (NCD), and changes in self-perceived, self-reported QOL for those who have participated in an MIH-CP program. The research design for this study was a pretest/posttest design using secondary data that were obtained from a research partner using the MIH-CP intervention and collecting QOL data using the Euroqol QOL …

Sustainable Building Certification In Healthcare And Patient Satisfaction, Brian Jay Goehner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Eco-friendly healthcare delivery concepts are becoming more accepted as hospital leaders seek to control energy costs, mitigate contributions to climate change, and preserve scarce resources. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) offers healthcare leaders a framework for designing and constructing sustainable facilities that meet efficiency goals. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to build an understanding of whether LEED certification influences Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) ratings. Using complex systems theory as the framework, the research questions were focused on exploring if higher levels of LEED certification led to greater HCAHPS overall hospital …

The Relationship Between Food Rules And Childhood Obesity In Rural And Non-Rural Families, Anna Venjohn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Childhood obesity is continuing to rise, leading to long-term health consequences. Research shows that rural populations have higher rates of childhood obesity. There is a lack of research on how the home environment may affect this health disparity. Parents often enforce food rules to control their child’s eating habits, but the difference between the rural and non-rural populations in enforcing these rules is unknown.
Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine if there is a significant difference in food rules between rural and non-rural school-aged children, and if these differences correlate to BMI categories.
Methods: Secondary …

Demographics, Naloxone Accessibility, And Repeat Opioid Overdose In The United States, Craig Hamp Booker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 2.1 million people in the United States suffer from opioid use disorder, and over 47,600 people die from opioid-related overdoses each year. Opioid overdose is often treated with naloxone, a quick-acting medication that counteracts the effects of an overdose. This quantitative, correlational study was conducted to determine whether demographics (gender, age, and race) and naloxone accessibility were predictors of repeat opioid overdose in a Tennessee county in the United States. The study was developed and conducted using principles of the diffusion of innovations theory. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using secondary, county-level data (n = 967) from emergency …

Eating Disorders And The Gap Of Education, Sara Jane Camden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Eating disorders are described as excessive dieting, limiting food intake, and withholding of food. Over 30 million people suffer from eating disorders. Some people may also have preconceived notions that this disease is easily fixable and that eating more and stopping dieting will solve the problem. Registered nurses struggle with having preconceived ideas, a lack of confidence in their assessment skills, and fear of using the eating disorder diagnosis. Barriers that have surrounded the eating disorder mental health disease need to be addressed. The staff development project was based on the question if nursing knowledge would improve on eating disorders …

Leadership Strategies To Maintain Hospital Business Office Productivity During A Merger, Scott Alan Hughes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2017, healthcare system mergers in the United States set a record with 115 deals made and 11 involved sellers with net revenue of at least $1 billion; however, it is common for hospital business office productivity to suffer during a merger. Grounded in the theory of business process re-engineering, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies hospital leaders in the southeastern United States used to maintain business office productivity as they completed a merger. A review of documentation from archival records supplemented in-depth interviews with 7 purposively selected hospital leaders. Yin’s 5-step analysis guided …

Levels Of Albuterol Inhaler With And Without Spacers In Children With Asthma, Jefferson Libed Pambid

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children with asthma remain a problem in public health because asthma drastically impacts children’s daily activities, increases absenteeism in school, and causes difficulties in sleeping. Researchers have demonstrated that poor asthma management is due to a lack of education about the correct inhaler technique, and the appropriate doses are not inhaled. Researchers have yet established whether asthma symptoms improve based on the doses inhaled with or without a spacer and whether children are most likely to experience fewer asthma episodes or attacks if they receive professional instruction. The purpose of this study was to fully understand the influence of an …

Integrating Technology In Improving Communication To Reduce Discharge Cycle Time, Julieta Fajardo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the most important milestones during a patient’s transition to care is discharge from hospital. Consequently, delays in the discharge process can lead to patient dissatisfaction and affect outcomes in intensive care and emergency rooms. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the tools built into the electronic system to improve communication and reduce the discharge cycle time. The focus of the project is to enter the expected date of discharge (EDD) and identify discharge barriers within 24-48 hours of admission to reduce this time. Evidence was from the project site’s discharge initiative dashboard. Analysis of the problem …

Minority Pregnant Women Perspective On Health Disparities And Health-Related Outcomes, Lorna Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health agencies have recognized persistent health care disparities as the primary causes of mortality among minority populations. The emphasis of published studies on the health of minority women in the United States has revealed a knowledge gap in prioritizing prenatal care (PNC). The purpose of this narrative descriptive study was to explore access disparities in PNC and the effect the overall experience had on first-time pregnant minority women in receipt of PNC. The health services utilization framework provided the theoretical lens to analyze and interpret the findings of this study. The key research questions explored how the self-reported experiences of …

Using Data-Enabled Performance Feedback And Guidance To Assist Employment Consultants In Their Work With Job Seekers: An Experimental Study, John Butterworth, Alberto Migliore, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Oliver Lyons, Amy Gunty, Jill Eastman, Paul Foos

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

BACKGROUND:The success of job seekers with disabilities in achieving their employment goals depends in large part on the quality of employment supports that they receive from employment consultants. OBJECTIVE:To test the effectiveness of data-enabled performance feedback to assist employment consultants in implementing standards of effective employment supports. METHODS:A total of 187 employment consultants in 30 states were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. The intervention group received data-enabled performance feedback and guidance for 12 months, whereas the control group continued with business as usual. Both groups completed baseline and quarterly surveys throughout the intervention. RESULTS:One year after baseline, the …

Effect Of Surface Treatment And Storage Time On Immediate Repair Bond Strength Durability Of Methacrylate- And Ormocer-Based Bulk Fill Resin Composites., Sara Adel Botros

Dentistry

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of surface treatment and storage time on immediate repair bond durability of methacrylate- and ormocer-based bulk fill composites. In total, 265 discs were divided into 32 groups (n = 8/group) according to: (1) Material: X-tra fil and Admira Fusion X-tra; (2) Surface treatment: oxygen inhibition; matrix; Futurabond M+; Silane/Futurabond M+; Admira Bond; Silane/Admira Bond; ceramic repair system; and Silane/Cimara bond; and (3) Storage time: 24 h and 6 months. Each disc received three micro-cylinders from the same material. Specimens were subjected to micro-shear bond strength testing either at 24 h …

Individual And Joint Effects Of Metformin And Statins On Mortality Among Patients With High-Risk Prostate Cancer., Xiang-Lin Tan, Jian-Yu E, Yong Lin, Timothy R Rebbeck, Shou-En Lu, Mingyi Shang, William K Kelly, Anthony D'Amico, Mark N Stein, Lanjing Zhang, Thomas L Jang, Isaac Yi Kim, Kitaw Demissie, Anna Ferrari, Grace Lu-Yao

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Pre-clinical studies suggest that metformin and statins may delay prostate cancer (PCa) metastases; however, data in humans are limited. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first human study aimed to quantify the individual and joint effects of statin and metformin use among patients with high-risk PCa.

METHODS: This population-based retrospective cohort study identified patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database. Exposure to metformin and statins was ascertained from Medicare Prescription Drug Event files. The association with all-cause and PCa mortality were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard model with competing causes of death, …

Assessing A Two-Hit Model Of Schizophrenia: Prenatal Choline Deficiency And Induced Hypofunction Of Nmda Receptors In Male And Female Long Evans Rats, Samuel Gray, Samuel W. Gray

Honors Theses

Choline is an essential dietary nutrient essential to the development and function of the central nervous system. Prenatal choline deficiency alters hippocampal development as well as acetylcholine metabolism, leading to cognitive impairments and attentional and sensory processing deficits into adulthood. MK-801 is an NMDA receptor antagonist frequently used in rodent models of neuropsychiatric conditions, particularly schizophrenia. Acutely and sub- chronically, it causes hyperlocomotion and social withdrawal. One primary goal of the present study were to investigate prenatal choline deficiency induces a biological vulnerability to the motor deficits, anhedonia, and social impairment precipitated by low-dose sub-chronic MK-801 administration in adulthood. Another …

From Urges To Action: Negative Urgency And Nonsuicidal Self-Injury In An Acute Transdiagnostic Sample, Andrew D. Peckham, Haley Jordan, Alexandra Silverman, Stephanie Jarvi Steele, Theöstur Björgvinsson, Courtney Beard

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Urgency–rash action during strong emotion–is a robust correlate of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study tested whether urgency is associated with time between NSSI urges and NSSI, and sought to replicate the finding that urgency is associated with NSSI history. Participants attending a partial hospitalization program (N = 669) completed self-report measures of urgency, NSSI history and latency, and psychiatric symptoms. Consistent with previous research in clinical samples, rates of lifetime engagement in NSSI were high. Using logistic regression to predict short vs. long latency between urges and NSSI, no significant relationship emerged between negative urgency and latency to self-injure. Negative …

Complex Morphology In Romani Can Resolve The Ambiguity Of Multiple Possessives, Jill De Villiers, Huseyin Kyuchuk, Tyler Poisson

Psychology: Faculty Publications

From the 44th annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, held November 7-10, 2019

Unusual Infectious Metastases Secondary To Acupuncture Induced Mssa Septicemia, Kayla Chory, Neil Bobenhouse, Maria Pena, Adwait Mehta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We describe a rare case of methicillin-sensitive

The Efficacy Of The Healthy Families Flourish Program For Families Raising Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Carli Madalena Rita

Honors Theses and Capstones

The family unit is the driving force that creates a foundation for life satisfaction and wellbeing of a child that extends across the lifespan. Understanding family health and family participation in meaningful daily activities are critical components of family life lacking in current research, especially for families raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study seeks to determine the effectiveness of an occupational therapy intervention program designed to support families raising children with ASD to identify and overcome barriers to everyday family activities. The Healthy Families Flourish Program is a 10-session occupational therapy intervention program developed for this study …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Student Nurses With Learning Disabilities In The Clinical Learning Environment, Lorna Jean Woodhall

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to record the lived experiences of nursing students with learning disabilities while in the clinical learning environment. Dewey’s theory of education and Knowles’ theory of adult learning were used to ground this study. Their theories provided a foundation to understand how the learning process is affected in nursing students with learning disabilities in the clinical learning environment. The study answered the following research questions: (a) What are the lived experiences of student nurses with learning disabilities in the clinical learning setting? (b) How are nursing students impacted by their learning disability during …

Tick-Borne Infections In New Hampshire: An Evaluation Of The Diagnostic Process In A Local Patient Population, Katherine Anderson

Honors Theses and Capstones

Overall, approximately 95 percent of reported cases of vector-borne disease were associated with ticks, making these the most medically important group of arthropods in the United States.¹ Despite the prevalence of tick-borne infections, the process for the diagnosis of this condition is not well studied. This study aims to analyze data from a pool of 100 patients who underwent testing for tick-borne disease in the same institution in Dover, New Hampshire during the most recent peak tick season of 2019. Information utilized in this study included: patient age, sex, location of testing (inpatient versus outpatient), diagnostic testing methods used …

The Role Of Socio-Economic Status On The Language Output Of 3-6 Year Old's During A Naturalistic Museum Study, Serena K. Mueller

Honors Theses and Capstones

Over the past 50 years, the lexical nature of young children’s multi-word utterances has been disputed. We ask how socioeconomic status (SES) impacts content and function word usage, and how function word use impacts MLU. Findings show that SES positively correlates with content word production and MLU, which contributes to our knowledge on how SES shapes language and highlights the need for its consideration across settings.

Examining The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) And Health-Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents In New Hampshire, Riana S. Malik

Honors Theses and Capstones

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic instances in the first 18 years of life including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has outlined priority health-risk behaviors among adolescents as substance use, violent behaviors, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and unsafe sexual behaviors. Previous research has linked both ACEs and health-risk behaviors to negative health outcomes including disability, chronic disease, and substance use. That said, understanding and preventing risky behaviors among adolescents and working to reduce the lasting harm caused by ACEs can lead to healthier adults and communities going forward.

This research defines ACEs …

Changes In Bone Health Of Female College Students, Sarah E. Pogany, Jesse Morrell, Maggie Dylewski Begis, Gretchen Arnold

Honors Theses and Capstones

Objective: Identifying individuals with low bone ultrasound attenuation (BUA) z-scores under the age of 30 can allow for improvements of bone health through increased intake of calcium and vitamin D, physical activity, and avoidance of excessive alcohol or caffeine intake. The goal of this study was to assess changes in bone health and observe related risk factors among female college students.

Participants and Methods: Female students (n=38) enrolled in the Nutrition Program at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) who participated in the College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey (CHANAS) were recruited to participate in a follow-up study …

The Relationship Between Social Media Engagement And Psychological Well-Being In College Students At The University Of New Hampshire, Emily G. D'Antonio

Honors Theses and Capstones

Social media use has increased substantially in recent years, and for the college-aged population, social media is often the leading method of communication. Research indicates this reliance on digital connection could have a negative impact on the health of young adults (Bagroy et al., 2017). The college years are a time of personal growth and defining actions, yet can also be burdened by mental health issues related to stress, anxiety, and depression (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). Acknowledging these trends, the current study explores how college students’ specific frequency and intentionality while interacting on social media relates to their psychological well-being. …

The Cholera Crisis In Yemen: Case Studies On Vulnerability And Resilience In Sana'a, Al Hudaydah, And Ma'areb, Noor Albannein A. Al-Saad

Honors Theses and Capstones

The largest recorded cholera epidemic in history is happening right now in Yemen, a country which has reported over 2 million cases of cholera as of 2020. Yemen has a history of endemic cholera, but prolonged conflict in the country has led to deteriorating conditions that have triggered massive outbreaks of the disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the direct and indirect causes of the cholera epidemic in Yemen by proposing factors that may confer vulnerability and resilience in Yemeni governorates. Case studies were constructed for three governorates: Sana’a and the inner municipality of Amanat Al Asimah; …

Therapeutic Dna: Delivery And As A Delivery Vehicle, Natalie J. Holl

Masters Theses

"A review of gene delivery methods and gene editing methods, as well as original research utilizing DNA as a delivery vehicle is presented in the following thesis. Thousands of diseases have been linked to genes. Gene therapy, either delivering therapeutic genes or editing DNA bases, has arisen as a treatment option with the potential to cure diseases, rather than just ease symptoms. Genes and editing tools need to be delivered to cells for these therapies to be effective and many techniques have been developed to address the issue of delivery. Nonviral and viral methods have been used to deliver nucleic …

Understanding The Relationship Between Smartphone Addiction And Well-Being: The Mediation Of Mindfulness And Moderation Of Hedonic Apps, Murad Moqbel

Information Systems Faculty Publications

The advent of handheld devices such as smartphones has changed the way we connect, navigate, and entertain and has been recognized as a revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT). Despite the plethora of benefits of this new technology, concerns have been raised about the unintended adverse consequences to well-being in the form of addictive use. Past research has linked smartphone addiction to negative consequences, but it remains unclear how, why, and when (i.e., under what conditions) smartphone addiction, in turn, is related to well-being. This study attempts to fill this void by addressing these questions through the lens of …

Retention, Viral Suppression, And Care Models In Hiv Positive Children And Adolescents In Cameroon, Eveline Mboh Khan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) remains a significant public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa with poor treatment outcomes in children and adolescents (C&As). There is a lack of information on the effects of various HIV care models (Child and Adolescent Friendly Clinic model and Support Group model) on retention in care and Viral Suppression (VS) in Cameroon. This study was carried out to identify the care model with the best outcomes for C&As, inform national scale-up strategies, resource prioritization, and contribute to the existing literature. A quantitative retrospective cohort review approach guided by the social cognitive theory was used to analyze …

Glycogen Storage Diseases-Time To Flip The Outdated Diagnostic Approach Centered On Liver Biopsy With The Molecular Testing, Sibtain Ahmed, Bushra Afroze

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

The glycogen storage diseases (GSDs) are a group of inherited metabolic disorders that result from a defect in any one of several enzymes required for either glycogen synthesis or glycogen degradation. The traditional diagnostic approach is based on the invasive hepatic or muscle biopsies, which are neither cost effective nor convenient. Molecular (gene testing) has emerged over the course of past few years as a robust alternative diagnostic tool, which not only confirms the diagnosis of GSDs but also clearly differentiates the types of GSDs allowing the initiation of the type-specific appropriate treatment for the particular type of GSDs. The …

Kidney Stone Analysis And Spiritual Guides (Pir Faqir): The Known-Unknowns, Lena Jafri, Aysha Habib Khan, Humaira Asif

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

No abstract provided.

Hiv Knowledge And Behaviors Among Young People In Kenya And Lesotho, Beatrice Ochieng

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has a great burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and high new HIV infection rates among youths age 15-24 years. Suboptimal practice of HIV risk-reducing sexual behaviors among youths threatens to reverse the gains made in preventing the spread of HIV in SSA. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to investigate the effects of comprehensive knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention, on individuals’ attitude toward people living with HIV, and ability to obtain condoms (if needed) on practice of HIV risk-reducing sexual behaviors, in adolescents age 15-19 years and young adults age 20-24 years in …