Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Tobacco Treatment Education Module For Nurses Working In The Inpatient Psychiatric Setting, Marchell Rene Spielmann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tobacco use among people with mental illness remain a significant problem in the western United States. At the project site, there is widespread tobacco use among patients with mental illness and lack of training for nurses to address the issue. The purpose of this project was to educate nurses working in the acute psychiatric setting about evidence-based tobacco treatment interventions. The practice-focused question addressed whether a tobacco education program would increase nurses' knowledge, confidence, and skills to provide tobacco treatment interventions to patients with a mental illness. Self-determination theory and the transtheoretical model of change provided the theoretical framework for …

Public Health Nurses’ Perceptions Of High School Dropout Rates As A Public Health Issue, Maria Wallace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education is one of the strongest predictors of health, and well-being. Early termination of education can lead to poorer health, shorter lifespans, and increased stress on the healthcare system. Improving overall high school graduation rates has been debated and discussed by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Ministry of Education, however, there is a paucity of research on increased graduation rates as they relate to public health in the Canadian context. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of liaison public health nurses (PHNs) who worked directly with the TDSB regarding their roles …

Undergraduate Nurse Educator Perceptions Of Preparation To Teach Interprofessional Collaboration, Tamara Powell Berghout

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

If nurse educators do not teach students to function in interprofessional teams, students may lack communication and teamwork skills, which can result in patient harm; however, nurse educators do not always understand the concept of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and may, therefore, fail to teach it to students. The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand how undergraduate nurse educators prepared to teach IPC and how their preparation informed their teaching. The theory of transformative learning and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies of IPC framed this study. Data included semistructured interviews and associated documents from 9 nurse educators …

Evidence-Based Practice Self-Study Education Program For Staff Nurses On Genomics, Nancy L. Norman-Marzella

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurses routinely obtain genomic data when collecting family health histories. However, they report low confidence in their knowledge and understanding of genomics and the genetically engineered medications prescribed for their patients. The purpose of this project was the development and implementation of an evidence-based online education program about genetics and genomics to increase the nurses' understanding and ability to provide competent care for their patients receiving treatments based on the science of genomics. Knowles's principles of adult learning theory guided the development and delivery of the online education project to 12 medical-surgical registered nurses employed in a hospital in the …

Improving Nursing Knowledge Of African American Heart Failure Self-Care Management, Sharnee Moore-Jervis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Heart failure is a complex chronic disease affecting 6.6 million people in the United States, with an annual cost of $39.2 billion per year. African Americans are at an especially high risk for poor outcomes and readmissions from heart failure complications, as they are 2.5 times more likely to develop heart failure than other ethnic groups. This disease requires a high level of patient self-care management, and evidence suggests that African Americans do not always receive culturally sensitive education, which can lead to suboptimal self-care practices. The practice-focused question for this educational program asked whether nurses of African American patients …

Development Of A Nurse Residency Program In Perinatal Nursing, Elizabeth W. Roberts

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Staffing turnover created a challenge for the women’s services department of a hospital in the southern United States, potentially compromising care for women and infants during childbirth. The gap in practice was the lack of a structured nurse orientation/residency program for nurses new to perinatal nursing, which requires specific competencies not learned at the prelicensure level of education. The guiding practice-focused question was whether a multidisciplinary team could develop a formal evidence-based perinatal nurse residency program that would meet the needs of on-boarding and support for the new nursing hires at this facility. A team of experienced nurses, which included …

Community Education Through A Stroke Champion Program, Michele Gribko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and primary cause of long-term disability in the United States. Public awareness of stroke symptoms and ability to activate the emergency medical system (EMS) quickly are essential for early treatment. At a large Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Center with over 6,000 employees, a stroke champion program that included both clinical and nonclinical volunteers was initiated to determine whether stroke champion volunteers could learn and disseminate information about stroke symptoms and the importance of activating EMS within their community. Roger's diffusion-of- innovation framework was used to design and evaluate the outcome of the …

Development Of An Interactive Game For Education Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections, Sherri Arrington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevalence rates are increasing in the United States and globally. Education has been found to be an important strategy for increasing STI testing and treatment rates among sexually active young adults. The goal of this project was to develop an interactive educational game suitable for young adults to decrease the social and economic burden of STIs. The health belief model informed the project. A moderated usability evaluation was conducted using the concurrent think-aloud technique. The participants (N = 5) were a purposive sample of professionals who played the interactive game and then completed Schnall, Cho, and …

Educating Staff Nurses For Successful Patient Discharge, Julie First-Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The definition of a successful discharge is a discharge that results in patients successfully managing a chronic disease for at least 30 days without requiring an acute inpatient hospitalization. Many chronic disease readmissions are preventable. Successful discharge planning takes a multidisciplinary team that includes nurses who assess the discharge plan and provide additional education where needed. The purpose of this project was to determine staff nurses' understanding of their role in discharge education. Dorothea Orem's self-care deficit theory guided the project and root cause analysis was used in the development of the problem statements. Staff nurses (n=12) from evening and …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Beliefs About Food Additives And Obesity, Lorna Theresa Ingram

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Food Additives and Obesity

by

Lorna Theresa Ingram

MS, Long Island University, 2007

BA, Florida International University, 1999

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

Walden University

November 2019

Obesity is a chronic health problem that affects the health and well being of its population. The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to examine whether there is a relationship between individuals’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding food additives and obesity. The research questions concerned knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs participants had regarding food additives and obesity. The …

Direct Care Staffs’ Experiences And Perceptions Of Person-Centered Care Training, Jennifer Miranda Strollo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many long-term care (LTC) facilities within the United States have replaced the institutional model of care with one that accepts person-centered care (PCC) as the guiding standard of practice. Quality training ensures that direct care staff have the skills and the knowledge in the delivery of quality PCC. However, many nurses and nursing assistants have expressed the desire for further training in PCC practices to effectively deliver quality care. The purpose of this study was to explore the types and length of training and education provided based on the perceptions and experiences of direct care staff related to their implementation …

Effect Of Multiple Entry Levels Into Nursing Practice And Professionalism, Ogechi Abalihi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Entry into professional nursing practice in the United States occurs at varied education levels including a diploma, an associate degree, and a baccalaureate degree. These multiple entry levels into practice create a situation where academic preparedness for nursing practice varies, which may influence the professional behavior of nurses and, consequently, patient care and outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study, guided by Miller's wheel of professionalism in nursing, was to determine if there is a difference in the professional behaviors of associate degree prepared registered nurses (RNs) compared to the professional behaviors of baccalaureate degree prepared RNs. The Behavior …

Implementing A Sepsis Protocol In A Long-Term Care Hospital, Kristine Lynette Harral

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a response to infection that causes multiorgan failure. This condition causes high mortality and morbidity rates and leaves permanent disabilities. The purpose of this project was to create a sepsis protocol and an education training program for clinical staff in a hospital setting where no sepsis protocol was in place. The practice-focused question examined whether an educational program would improve clinical staff perception of their knowledge of the early recognition and management of sepsis. A literature review was conducted to identify an evidence-based practice protocol; the results were used to develop the education …

Predicting Educational Attainment Based On Forensic Psychiatric Patients' Age At First Hospitalization, Malinda Marie Lawson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Education during recovery could impact a forensic psychiatric patient's community reintegration; however, individual education goals for patients can be difficult due to the lack of available parameters. The purpose of this study was to test whether age at first hospitalization is predictive of educational attainment among forensic psychiatric patients and to determine which ages of first hospitalization best predict 8 levels of educational attainment. Cattell's intelligence theory served as the theoretical framework for this study because mental illness requiring early hospitalization may affect education and learning. This quantitative, nonexperimental study involved a predictive design with data from the Canadian Institute …

Development Of Nursing Education For An Observation Unit, Donna Mckinney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As healthcare continues to face scrutiny related to the cost and quality of patient care, organizations are challenged with providing the right care to patients in the right setting. Some healthcare organizations are implementing observation units to provide appropriate care to a specific subset of patients. The purpose of this project was to develop education for nursing staff who will work on the dedicated observation unit and are unfamiliar with the care requirements. Benner's novice-to-expert theory was used as the framework for the project. This theorist posits that nurses transitioning to a new area require new knowledge and skills to …

Nursing Staff Development For Novice Nurse Practitioners In Acute Care, Carolyn Berglund

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An acute care practice site reported 75% turnover of novice nurse practitioners (NPs),

which indicated a gap in the transition from student to practitioner within the first year of

clinical practice. This gap can leave novice NPs unprepared to manage patients

effectively and contribute to high turnover. The practice-focused question addressed

whether an evidence-based staff development program for novice NPs at an acute care

site could be developed. The purpose of this project was to create a framework based on

evidence to transition novice NPs successfully into practice. Benner's skill-acquisition

in-nursing theory informed this project. Evidence was obtained by searching …

Barriers To Male Faculty In Nursing Education, Troy Jeffrey Palmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Men are underrepresented among nursing faculty, providing few role models for male students who might benefit from interaction with male faculty. Male nursing faculty may face barriers similar to those faced by women in male-dominated professions. Diehl and Dzubinski's model of gender-based barriers served as the framework for this quantitative study conducted to identify disparities between male and female nursing faculty that may prevent men from entering, continuing, and advancing in nursing education. The association between the percentage of male nursing faculty with geographic region; institution type (i.e., public, private secular, or private religious); and 4 career variables (i.e., education …

Cultivating Cultural Competence To Address Childhood Obesity In Ethnic Minority Youth, Tia Knight-Forbes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity is an increasingly prevalent health issue, especially among children who live in high poverty, low income, and low education areas that lack needed resources and health care to promote quality of life. African American youth have a higher rate of obesity than other populations. The purpose of this project was to address an identified gap in practice by improving health care professionals' ability to provide culturally competent care to African American youth. An educational intervention framed by the Purnell model for cultural competence was developed to address the question, Will cultural competency staff education improve knowledge to prevent and …

Antibullying Definition, Policy, Surveillance, Education, And Training In The Healthcare Field, Adlene Jones Mcelroy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Workplace bullying in the healthcare field has contributed to decreasing productivity, decreasing employee morale, increasing workplace lawsuits, overall dissatisfaction in the workplace, and potentially compromising care to patients. Little, however, is known about how public policies related to workplace bullying impact the experiences of healthcare workers. Using Cornell and Limber's conceptualization of bullying, the purpose of this general qualitative study was to better understand the experiences of healthcare leaders and workers related to workplace bullying of a single health care facility. Data were principally collected from 9 participants representing three organizational leaders, three nurses, and three ancillary members staff. These …

Evidence-Based Care In Urgent Care Centers, Kelly Wagner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Concussions are brain injuries--also called mild traumatic brain injuries--that affect the function of the brain temporarily or permanently. The purpose of this doctoral project was to develop an education module for staff at an urgent care center to address the lack of knowledge and low level of comfort regarding the care for patients with a head trauma. This project introduced and educated the clinical staff on an evidence-based protocol for the treatment and management of a patient with a concussion. The Rosswurm and Larrabee model for evidence-based change was used as a foundation for refining the practice question, gathering evidence, …

Nonfatal Strangulation Continuing Education Program For Forensic Nurses, Pamela Susan Holtzinger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patients experiencing nonfatal strangulation during intimate partner violence (IPV) are suffering the consequences of unrecognized injuries and delayed life-threatening medical sequela. Forensic nurses offer expertise in the physical assessment and documentation to a variety of assault victims including those impacted by IPV. This project addressed whether an educational program on nonfatal strangulation increased the knowledge and assessment skills of forensic nurse examiners. The purpose of this doctoral project was to develop a continuing education program on the topic of nonfatal strangulation for forensic nurse examiners. The project design was created using Knowles's adult learning theory principles. The content outline was …

Transitioning From Student To Nurse Practitioner Using The One-Minute-Preceptor Model, Yetrevias Seymour

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are significant members of the health care team. Variation and lack of standardization in the practicum preparation of the NP has been identified as problematic. There is a need to improve NPs preparation to efficiently and independently impact health care. This project presented the 1-minute-preceptor (OMP) model as a standard tool in the practicum preparation of the NP through a preceptor-focused continuing education session. The aim of the OMP is to help ensure that students are exposed to the level of critical thinking and problem solving needed in the role of an independent, efficient NP. Knowles's adult …

Public Education/Public Health Perspectives On Collaboration-Influence On High School Completion, Claudette Virginia Campbell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The research problem focused on the use of collaboration by managers, supervisors, consultants, and professional staff in a department of public education and health to address disparities in on-time high school completion rates. The purpose of the study was to examine the perspectives of individuals in these public sectors on the use of collaboration as a means to improve on-time high school completion rates for African American and Hispanic students. The theoretical foundation and conceptual framework for the study were John Rawls's theory of justice and Amartya Sen's capability approach. The key research question involved how individuals in the public …