Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Culturally Appropriate Breastfeeding Education For African American Mothers, Alicia Marie Freppert

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding is globally recognized as the best possible source of nutrition for infants due to breastmilk’s extensive health benefits. Significant disparities in breastfeeding initiation and duration exist among demographic groups in the United States, with African American breastfeeding initiation rates being significantly lower than any other race. Purpose: The purpose of this critical review of the literature is to explore the impact of providing culturally appropriate breastfeeding education interventions on the rate of exclusive breastfeeding among African American mothers with children 0 to12 months of age. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical frameworks utilized to guide this systematic review of …

Implementation Of The Essential Competencies For Evidence-Based Practice In Baccalaureate Nursing Education, Elizabeth Whorley

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Integrating evidence-based practice into healthcare education has been a recommendation for the past 16 years. Despite this, barriers still exist with the utilization of evidence-based practice. The purpose of this study was to describe the current state of EBP scholarship in the curriculum of baccalaureate pre-licensure nursing programs. Essential Competencies for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing (Stevens, 2009) was utilized to measure the state of EBP scholarship. The research question stated: how is evidence-based practice scholarship addressed within baccalaureate pre-licensure nursing programs? The research design was guided by Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theoretical framework and the star model of knowledge transformation …

Incorporation Of An Interprofessional Palliative Care-Ethics Experience Into A Required Critical Care Acting Internship., G. R. Goldberg, J. Weiner, A. Fornari, R. E. B. Pearlman, G. A. Farina

Journal Articles

Introduction: The literature documents inadequate palliative medicine training in undergraduate and graduate medical education. As the population lives longer, many people will experience multiple chronic illnesses and the associated symptom burden. All physicians involved in clinical care of patients need to be equipped with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to provide palliative care, yet most physicians do not feel adequately prepared. We designed a curriculum to provide a meaningful palliative care-ethics (PCE) clinical experience to prepare senior medical students for future practice regardless of specialty choice.

Methods: The Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell integrated a PCE experience into …

Improving Resident Understanding Of Healthcare Business And Policy Through The Development Of A High-Yield And Dynamic Educational Series, John Legge

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Objective: Residents have a strong desire to be engaged in and learn about the financial and societal impact of health care delivery and reform initiatives1,2. In order to address this need, a Business and Health Policy Educational Series was developed, with positive feedback from participating residents. Background: During the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting, as part of the annual review of the ACGME education curriculum for the Virginia Commonwealth University Neurology Residency Program, a deficiency was identified with regard to resident self-perception of understanding of the business and policy of healthcare and reform initiatives. This deficiency is one shared at …

Implementation Of A Multi-Pronged Approach To Improve Education In Quality Improvement (Qi) And To Increase Resident Involvement In Qi Work, Ashlie Tseng

Health Sciences Education Symposium

Objective: To evaluate a multi-tiered approach to incorporating QI and PS training and participation in a pediatrics residency program. Methods: We developed a multi-tiered approach to QI/PS training during the 2013-14 year, and expanded upon it during subsequent years. We tracked resident participation in Departmental QI Grand Rounds and ACGME and Department survey results. The initial intervention involved didactic and small group sessions/to facilitate project development. We also instituted Departmental QI Grand Rounds. In the following year (2014-15), we increased the number of didactics and started a practice improvement project within the resident group practice where residents were provided individualized …

Ethiopia: Malaria, Courtney R. Olson

Global Public Health

Ethiopia is a developing country located on the easternmost part of Africa. Ethiopia has a population of around 105 million people. With such a high population, Ethiopia faces a majority of infectious diseases; one of which is Malaria. In Ethiopia alone, there are around 3 million cases of Malaria each year and it is known to be the biggest health risk for this developing country. Because a majority of Ethiopians live under the poverty line, adequate food, water, shelter, and medical services are slim to none. Although drug interventions have been found to be somewhat beneficial, the problem continues to …

Sweden: Elderly Care System, Jhadira Villavicencio

Global Public Health

This is a brief overview of Sweden and one of its major public health issues--the elderly care system. This includes information on the location of Sweden, its population, and the type of government established. The public health issue Sweden is facing is the lack of quality elderly care with its growing elderly population. The affected group is the elderly community. There are several challenges faced in order to improve the quality of elderly care. Chronic conditions in this population have been increasing and are requiring more complex health services. A reform needs to be established by the government to require …

Three Professions Come Together For An Interdisciplinary Approach To 3d Printing: Occupational Therapy, Biomedical Engineering, And Medical Librarianship, Joan B. Wagner, Laurel Scheinfeld, Blanche Leeman, Keith Pardini, Jamie Saragossi, Katie Flood

Touro University Libraries Publications and Research

Background: Although many libraries have offered 3D printing as a service or available technology, there is a lack of information on course-integrated programs for 3D printing in which the library played a primary role. Therefore, librarians at the Touro College School of Health Sciences began exploring 3D printing for inclusion in the occupational and physical therapy curriculum.

Case Presentation: The goal of this project was to educate occupational and physical therapy students and faculty about the potential applications of 3D printing in health care and provide hands-on experience, while increasing collaboration between librarians and faculty. Students’ tasks included designing and …

Virtual Mentorship Network To Address The Rural Shortage Of Mental Health Providers, Heidi Keeler, Tara Sjuts, Kosuke Niitsu, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Paul Force-Emery Mackie, Howard Liu

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

INTRODUCTION: The process of identifying effective responses to the challenges of placing and retaining a rural behavioral health workforce remains elusive. The Virtual Mentorship Network was developed to test the feasibility of using distance technology to connect rural students interested in mental health careers with mentors.

METHODS: In Year 1, college and high school students were virtually mentored using a near-peer approach both live and asynchronously as a cohort over 7 months. In Year 2, college students only were virtually intensely mentored live over 1 month. High school students were asynchronously provided with informational videos produced by mentors. Program benefits …

Vcu Health Nursing Inquiry Process Diagram (Version 2), Roy E. Brown

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This diagram outlines the nursing inquiry process to help answer questions that arise in the clinical setting. The diagram further helps a nurse understand how to distinguish whether a situation calls for evidence-based practice, performance improvement or research. It also guides a nurse through clarifying the initial question, gathering the evidence, and through each step in the subsequent process.

Preparedness Of School Psychologists To Provide Services For Students Diagnosed With Cancer, Lauren Mckenzie Blevins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Children who survive cancer face many challenges when reintegrating into the school system. School psychologists are among the school support professionals who may aid in providing support and identifying appropriate interventions and accommodations for the academic and mental health needs of these students. This study identifies whether school psychologists in West Virginia perceive themselves to be adequately prepared to assist students who have survived cancer upon returning to school. A survey containing fourteen questions regarding the individual’s experience, training, and knowledge was distributed to school psychologists in attendance at the Fall 2016 West Virginia School Psychologists’ Association conference. Of the …

Examining Practitioner Standards Regarding Periodontal Clearance For The Orthodontic Patient, William P. Brown

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: Orthodontic tooth movement relies largely on the physiology of the periodontium, which is comprised of various types of bone and soft tissues that surround and support the teeth. New orthodontic treatment modalities have emerged offering various combinations of improved esthetics and/or speed. However, the impact on standard and quality of care of these alternative treatment modalities is unclear. Institutional concern for the effects of orthodontics on a periodontally-compromised patient remains high, as evidenced by governing dental bodies mandating, and contemporary orthodontic leaders insisting, orthodontic treatment should not be carried out until active dental disease has been addressed. Therefore, this …

Influence Of A Post-­Graduate Physical Therapy Residency Program On Clinical Reasoning, Professional Development, And Career Advancement In Nairobi, Kenya, Shala Cunningham

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Problem Statement

Residency programs that emphasize clinical reasoning and manual therapy can provide a means to optimize the outcomes of physical therapy without the need for or access to expensive equipment. The residency format of continuing education could allow physical therapists in developing countries access to specialty training and ongoing mentorship. However, there are limited studies that investigate the influence of residency training on the progression of clinical reasoning, professional development, and career advancement.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was threefold. The first objective was to describe the outcome of a post-graduate orthopaedic manual therapy residency program on development …

Physical Therapists’ Beliefs About Preparation To Work In Special Care Nurseries And Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Joyce Lammers

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Physical therapists (PTs) may care for full-term or premature newborns in all levels of hospital nurseries. There is some endorsement in the published physical therapy literature for restricting practice in the nursery setting to only those PTs with specialized training.1-4 PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of becoming and being a physical therapist in a special care nursery (SCN) or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) from the therapists’ perspective. METHODS: The participants were physical therapists who have practiced in a SCN or NICU in the United States. A phenomenological approach was used and data …

Mathematical Abilities In Children With Developmental Language Disorder, Alexandra M. Cross, Lisa M.D. Archibald, Marc F. Joanisse

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Purpose. The present paper provides a scoping review of the literature on mathematical abilities in developmental language disorder (DLD). Children with DLD typically struggle with learning in school, however the mechanism by which DLD impacts academic success is unclear. Mathematics involves demands in the multiple domains, and therefore holds potential for examining the relationship between language and academic performance on tasks mediated by verbal and non-verbal demands.

Methods. A scoping review was performed via computerized database searching to examine literature on mathematics and DLD. The 21 papers meeting inclusion criteria compared children with typical development or DLD on various tasks …

An Exploration Of Factors That Contribute To The High Attrition Rate Of African American Nursing Students, Shanell Hill

ETD Archive

Although African Americans represent the largest minority group, studies show they have the lowest success rates in nursing programs. According to the AACN (2013), “African American nursing students have the lowest graduation rate when compared to other minority groups.” The lack of minorities providing care negatively effects healthcare outcomes and accessibility. In order to increase the number of practicing African Americans nurses, it is essential to gain an understanding of the circumstances that lead to successes and failures. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study is to provide insight into the positive and negative experiences of African American nursing …

Dialogic Reading With Adolescent Mothers, Diana L. Abarca

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching dialogic reading (DR) strategies to adolescent mothers as measured by DR strategy use during shared book reading with their children. The secondary purpose was to determine the impact of adolescent mothers' implementation of DR strategies on their preschool children’s single word vocabulary. A single subject multiple baseline across behaviors research design was implemented with one adolescent mother and her twin boys. Based on visual analysis of graphical representation of the data, it was determined there was a moderate to strong functional relation between educating an adolescent mother on …

Pregnant Women's Knowledge About Fetal Movement Count, Jade Hanna Bowen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

BACKGROUND: Fetal movement count (FMC) is a non-invasive tool used to evaluate fetal well-being and prevent stillbirth. FMC decrease the chances of stillbirth occurrence (Tveit et al., 2009), but in other countries, research shows that women are not taught about the benefits of FMC (Berndl, O'Connel, & Mcload, 2013). The purposes of this study were to discover 1) the knowledge of pregnant women in their third trimester about FMC and 2) sources through which women learn about FMC.

METHODOLOGY: The study is a quantitative descriptive design. An original survey consisting of 12 questions was created for the study. Inclusion criteria …

Perceptions Of Atp Certified Occupational Therapy Practitioners On Assistive Technology Education In Occupational Therapy Programs, Karen M. Dishman Otd, Otr, Atp

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

This capstone project focused on identifying which categories of assistive technology (AT) that practitioners perceived to be needed in entry-level master’s occupational therapy (OT) programs; and validating the need for post-professional AT training and post-professional AT certificate programs. For this capstone project, a survey approach was used as the data collection method. The purpose of the survey was to determine perceptions of OT practitioners on AT education received during their entry-level OT program. The survey was returned by 148 occupational therapy practitioners certified as assistive technology professionals (ATP) by the Rehabilitation and Engineering Society of North America (RESNA). Results indicated …

Senior Nursing Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perceived Competency About Older Adults, Deborah Denise Brabham

Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: Nurses entering the workforce may have limited education in gerontological nursing. Therefore, many nurses are unprepared to provide quality care to older adults. An unprepared nursing workforce could negatively influence older adults’ health outcomes and care experience. Purpose: To determine differences in senior nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competency about older adults based on enrollment in a bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN), associate’s degree nursing (ADN), and practical nursing (PN) program that offers geriatric content in curricula. Theoretical Framework: Bandura’s social cognitive theory, triadic reciprocal determinism model provided the theoretical framework. Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive survey …

Teaching Children Road Safety Through Storybooks: An Approach To Child Health Literacy In Pakistan, Haris Ahmad, Rubaba Naeem, Nukhba Zia, Asher Feroze, Amarah Shakoor, Uzma R. Khan, Asad Mian

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) commonly affect the younger population in low- and-middle-income countries. School children may be educated about road safety using storybooks with colorful pictures, which tends to increase the child’s interest in the text. Therefore, this study assessed the use of bilingual pictorial storybooks to improve RTI prevention knowledge among school children.
Methods: This pretest-posttest study was conducted in eight public and nine private schools of Karachi, Pakistan, between February to May 2015. Children in grades four and five were enrolled at baseline (n = 410). The intervention was an interactive discussion about RTI prevention using a …

Collaboration Across The Curriculum: Urban Planning & Public Health, Lula Geyre

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The way our communities are designed impacts our health. and there is an increasing need for collaboration between urban planners and public health professionals. Yet, it is not clear to what extent universities are preparing public health and planning students to work together. Our research will shed light on this important topic by evaluating the course requirements for both of these disciplines in accredited institutions and look at how they are addressing interprofessional issues such as land development, transportation policies, air/water quality, and community growth issues. The current study explores the availability of interdisciplinary courses in accredited undergraduate and graduate …

Postprofessional Athletic Training Students' Perceptions Concerning The Health Care Competencies, Cailee E. Welch Bacon, Bonnie L. Van Lunen, Dorice A. Hankemeier

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: Over a decade ago, the Institute of Medicine indicated that all health care professionals should be educated in several health care competency areas (quality improvement, health care informatics, interprofessional education and collaborative practice, evidence-based practice, and patient-centered care). Despite this initiative, athletic training has only recently incorporated these competencies throughout education.

Objective: To assess postprofessional athletic training students' perceived abilities and importance regarding 6 core competencies.

Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Self-reported paper survey. Patients or Other

Participants: A total of 221 from a convenience sample of 258 postprofessional athletic training students (85.7%) completed the survey (82 males, 138 females; age …

The Systemic Multigenerational Implications Of Education: Second-Generation Haitian- American College Graduates’ Perspectives, Daphney Farah Lundi

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Similar to other immigrant populations in the United States, Haitians have a migratory history of escaping from political turmoil, natural disasters, and extreme poverty (Zephir, 2004). However, Haitian Americans remain one of the underserved populations in the United States. Marginalized yet resilient, Haitian families in the U.S. continue to display strength in the face of adversity. Second-generation Haitian-American college graduates are the evidence of such strengths. There is very little research focused on second-generation Haitian-American college graduates’ perspective on the possible familial influences pertaining to education. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) design and Bowen’s Family Systems Theory as a …

The Effects Of A Digital Educational Intervention On Undergraduate Nursing Students' Attitudes, Knowledge And Self-Efficacy With Female Genital Cutting, Najla Barnawi

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Background: Due to increasing transmigration, care of women with female genital cutting FGC has become a national and global public health and human rights issue. The US is one of the Western countries that have a large number of women who underwent or are at risk to undergo FGC. Based on the US Population Reference Bureau (PRB) (2013), there were more than 507,000 females with different migration status who were subjected to some form of FGC. Around 55% of these women were during their reproductive cycle (15 to 49 years old). Caring for immigrant women with FGC, especially those who …

Education Protocol For Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Raegan Elizabeth Quandt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, contributing to rising health care costs and increased morbidity and mortality rates. Researchers demonstrated that aggressive heath measures involving ongoing diabetes self-management education are paramount in minimizing associated complications of diabetes. The management and prevention of diabetes is not standardized and providers within a health clinic in Illinois reported challenges in providing self-management education during scheduled patient appointments due to limited resources and time. The purpose of this DNP project was to develop a clinical practice guideline to be used by all providers within the health …

Are Audience Response Systems Worth The Cost? Comparing Question-Driven Teaching Strategies For Emergency Medical Technician Education, Lauren M. Maloney, James P. Dilger, Paul A. Werfel, Linda M. Cimino

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: As Emergency Medical Technician educators develop curricula to meet new national educational standards, effective teaching strategies validated for course content and unique student demographics are warranted. Three methods for answering multiple choice questions presented during lectures were compared: a) Audience Response System (ARS, clickers), b) hand-raising-with-eyes-closed (no-cost option), and c) passive response (no-cost option). The purpose was to determine if using the ARS resulted in improved exam scores. Method: 113 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students participated in this cross-over, block randomized, controlled trial, which was incorporated into their Cardiac Emergencies and Pulmonary Emergencies course lectures. Students took …

Post-Traumatic Stress And Academic Performance Among Entry-Level Doctoral Physical Therapy Students In A Human Anatomy Cadaver Dissection Course, Sue E. Curfman, Gary P. Austin, Joyce S. Nicholas

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Dissection of human cadavers can be a stressful experience for students. Purpose: The purposes of this study were twofold: 1) to determine if physical therapy students develop or experience a worsening of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during exposure to and dissection of human cadavers; and 2) to determine if these symptoms are related to academic performance. Methods: Previous history of a diagnosis of anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder and level of prior exposure to cadavers were recorded among 26 entry-level first semester doctoral students in physical therapy (DPT) taking gross human anatomy. Their level of anxiety about working …

Differences In The Use And Perceptions Of Evidence-Based Practice Between Occupational Therapy Students And Practitioners, Alison Nichols, Paige Creighton, Annie Derolf, Shelby Hale, Leann Vandeman, Kersten Laughlin, Kelsie Long

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This study explored differences in perceptions of evidence-based practice (EBP) between occupational therapy (OT) students and practitioners. Researchers aimed to understand student and practitioner perceptions of barriers, knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in EBP. Occupational therapy students (n=61) and practitioners (n=21) completed an online researcher-created survey and the Evidence-Based Practice Confidence (EPIC) Scale survey. Results indicated practitioners were more confident in utilizing EBP than students, particularly when identifying a gap in knowledge related to a patient (p = <.001) deciding on a course of action for a client (p = <.001), and assessing the efficacy of EBP on client outcomes (p = <.001). This finding was inconsistent with previous research, which may be due to more practitioners receiving formal education on EBP. It is critical for OT education to support student learning and application of clinical reasoning throughout the EBP process in order to increase confidence. This study was limited by the use of a homogenous population from a single university.

Girlsread! Girls’ Rights: An Empowerment Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Barbara Mensch, Pamela Nyirenda, Diana Bulanda-Shalala

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This curriculum guide is designed to help female mentors in the GirlsRead! program in Zambia to directly engage girls in critical thinking about gender inequalities and discrimination, and help them build the assets and confidence needed to act on their own behalf and as progressive voices in their communities. GirlsRead! participants are girls in grade 7—the last year of primary school—when they are at high risk of leaving school. The curriculum includes 19 sessions that cover a range of topics from gender equality to sexuality to rights, in meetings that provide a space and opportunity for girls to regularly interact …