Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Getting To The Heart Of The Problem: Blood Pressure Management Through Medication Adherence, Mallory G. Livengood

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Clinical hypertension affects one in four adults globally, making it the most common chronic condition. Despite its widespread impact, hypertension can be prevented, as it represents the most modifiable risk factor in preventing cardiovascular disease. The primary purpose of this evidence-based project was to determine whether a one-month follow-up with a healthcare provider improved medication adherence through enhanced hypertension management. Twelve eligible participants were selected from a primary clinic located in Northwest Indiana, based on their newly initiated anti-hypertensive medications or who required a medication adjustment due to poor hypertension management. Each participant’s preferred method of communication was noted, and …

Breastfeeding Promotion For Infants With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (Nas), Olivia Czerwonka

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is the exposure in utero to drugs with the incidence in the United States increasing from 4 to 6.3 per 1000 births (Wei et al., 2023). The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a breastfeeding support intervention to increase breastfeeding frequency and reduce hospital length of stay of newborns with NAS. A tailored multicomponent guideline based upon the current Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as established by WHO and UNICEF (2017) was implemented. Mothers of infants diagnosed with NAS were recruited using convenience sampling from a Northwest Indiana Hospital. Key stakeholders within the …

Evaluating The Impact Of A Standardized Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool In A Clinical Setting, Dylan Bogucki

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as any act of violence, including physical, sexual, stalking, or psychological aggression by an intimate partner, former or current. Despite being preventable, IPV remains a leading nonobstetric cause of morbidity and mortality among women, which highlights the need for systematic screening in clinical settings. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to identify women who have previously experienced or are currently experiencing IPV and to connect them with appropriate resources. Twenty-one studies were identified, all demonstrating moderate to high methodological quality and supporting the need for routine IPV screening in women’s health settings. …

A Quality Improvement Project To Increase Identification And Treatment Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes In A Rural Clinic, Paige Spence

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Screening For The Military Spouse: Prevention In Practice, Lura Allison Mcgrath

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Translational and Clinical Research Projects

Abstract

In recent years, a focus on mental health has moved to the forefront of healthcare. This is especially true when caring for United States military service members. The military spouses of these service members also struggle and suffer from mental health disorders. However, the mental health needs of military spouses often receive insufficient attention. Research shows military spouses are at an increased risk of developing mental health disorders and/or suffering from mental illness. A large contributor is the impact of the military lifestyle and its challenges for these spouses. However, research also reveals there has been minimal effort put …

Improving Blood Pressure Through A Multimodal Intervention, Kalynn Solomey

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and remains a significant public health concern in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023a). Despite the availability of effective pharmacological therapies, many patients struggle to achieve adequate blood pressure control, highlighting the need for accessible, evidence-based lifestyle interventions. An extensive literature search of five databases provided 11 articles for utilization. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal intervention that included hypertension education, individualized lifestyle counseling, self-measured blood pressure training, and a progressive walking program in reducing systolic blood pressure …

Improving Emergency Department Throughput: Implementation Of A Nurse-Driven Protocol In Pediatric Fast-Track Patients Presenting With Fever, Kerrigan A. Teeple

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Overcrowding in the emergency department presents significant operational challenges and is associated with adverse patient outcomes (Gottlieb et al., 2020). Despite throughput initiatives, increasing patient acuity and rising census levels continue to strain emergency department efficiency. This quality improvement project evaluated whether implementing a fever-reduction standing order protocol could reduce door-to-provider and door-to-disposition times for pediatric fast-track patients presenting to the emergency department. A review of evidence across 6 databases identified nurse-initiated standing orders as a best-practice strategy to expedite care, improve throughput, and reduce delays in disposition. Guided by this evidence, a standing order protocol for acetaminophen administration was …

Falling Star Program: A Visual Cue Intervention To Reduce Falls In Long-Term Care, Maggie Shanahan

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Falls among older adults in skilled nursing and long-term care settings remain a leading cause of injury, functional decline, and increased healthcare utilization, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality in this population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2022). The primary purpose of this project aimed to implement and evaluate a structured visual cue–based fall prevention intervention to reduce fall rates among high-risk residents in a long-term care facility in Northwest Indiana. The project included 23 participants aged 65 years and older who were identified as high risk for falls. Using …

Increasing Medication Adherence In Those With Hypertension, Holly Kimiecik

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

Hypertension is a chronic condition characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure and remains a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024), approximately 47.7% of U.S. adults have hypertension, yet only about one in five achieve blood pressure control below 130/80 mm Hg. Medication adherence plays a critical role in managing hypertension and preventing complications. Adults aged 18 years and older prescribed antihypertensive medications from a primary care clinic in Valparaiso, Indiana, participated in this six-week quality improvement intervention. Evidence from a comprehensive literature review supports combining patient …

Identifying And Addressing Burnout Among Nurses In Cache Valley And The Surrounding Salt Lake Metropolitan Area, Teegan Alma Martinez

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Background: Nursing burnout has emerged as a critical issue within modern healthcare systems, with widespread implications for nurse well-being, patient safety, and organizational performance. Characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, burnout affects an estimated 30% to 60% of nurses, particularly in high-acuity settings. The persistence of burnout highlights the need to better understand its contributing factors, consequences, and effective strategies for mitigation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and contributing factors of nursing burnout, evaluate its impact on nurses and patient care, and identify effective interventions. Additionally, this study aimed …

Barriers To Climate Change And Sustainability Action: Nursing Education And Practice, Dawn Marie Smith

Dissertations

Climate change is one of the most pressing public health emergencies of our time and nurses can have a great impact in their current practice and in the education of future nurses (The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, n.d.; American Nurses Association, 2023; Health Care without Harm, 2025). Deaths due to rising temperatures, vector-borne illness, and food insecurity related to drought and extreme weather are on the rise (WHO, 2024). It has been estimated that globally over 250,000 additional deaths will be attributed to climate related effects between 2030 and 2050 (Watts et al., 2020; WHO, 2023).

A primary …

Healthy Living For Unhoused Women, Aliya K. Jatoi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This capstone thesis details the importance of healthcare for unhoused women. Unhoused women do not have the ability to receive women’s healthcare nor receive proper education surrounding the topic of women’s healthcare. After participating in several events with unhoused women throughout Johnson City, a lack of attention to improving the quality of women’s healthcare was noticed. To address this issue, I began by surveying unhoused women, talking with unhoused women, and collecting online data and statistics regarding homelessness, prevelant diseases, and infection rates among unhoused women. After collecting data, educational materials, such as flyers with information about local resources and …

Discharge Process Improvement Initiative Using An N-By-T Strategy In A Progressive Care Unit In An Acute Care Setting, Sukhvir Walia

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background

Timely and efficient patient discharge processes are crucial for enhancing hospital throughput, reducing emergency department boarding, optimizing inpatient bed utilization, and ensuring safe transitions of care. Delayed hospital discharges contribute to prolonged hospitalizations, operational inefficiencies, increased healthcare expenditures, and decreased patient satisfaction. Progressive care units (PCU) are particularly vulnerable to discharge delays because patients frequently require multidisciplinary coordination before safe discharge can occur.

Purpose

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing a structured discharge readiness checklist combined with an n-by-T discharge planning strategy during multidisciplinary patient progressive rounds (PPRs) to improve discharge …

Quality Improvement Project: Impact Of An Escape Room Simulation Tool On Nursing Confidence, Farren M. Moore

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This quality improvement project aims to address the need for innovative teaching strategies to meet the demands of licensure exams and the increasing complexity of patient care. Evidence supports simulation-based learning as an effective method to enhance critical thinking and clinical judgment; however, faculty members lack confidence in implementing innovative strategies in their courses. The purpose of this project is to determine whether a standardized escape room simulation tool would impact faculty’s self-confidence in developing and implementing simulation-based activities. Guided by the National League for Nursing (NLN) Jeffries Simulation Theory and Lewin’s Change Theory, the project evaluates the change in …

Associations Between Smoking Habits And Weight-Related Behaviors Among People Who Smoke In The United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study, Sharifa Alblooshi, Maryam Hassan Dawood, Dana N. Abdelrahim, Marika Lo Monaco, Falak Zeb

All Works

Background: Smoking is one of the leading global public health problems, and is complicated by multiple reasons for its prevalence and associated health problems. An understanding of the influence of smoking activity on weight management is essential to formulate successful health programs. Aim: The objective of the present study was the investigation of the association between smoking habits and weight management among adult people who smoke in the UAE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 232 participants who completed a 36-item questionnaire assessing their smoking habits and weight management practices. Results: The sample consisted mostly of males (75.4%) aged …

Frailty And Fall Risk In Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study, Hatice Yılmaz, Nazmiye Çıray

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: This study aimed to examine the effect of frailty on the risk of falls in older adults aged 65 years with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: The study is cross-sectional and correlational. The sample included 146 individuals aged 65 years who had type 2 diabetes and visited the internal medicine outpatient clinic of a state hospital in Türkiye. The participants were assessed based on a personal information form, the Mini-Mental State Examination, Edmonton Frail Scale, Morse Fall Scale, and Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. IBM SPSS Statistics version 22.0 was used for data analysis. …

The Mediating Role Of The Care Factor In The Effect Of Nomophobia On Nurses’ Job Satisfaction, Uğur Öner, Sinan Aslan, Erhan Ekingen

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: This study aimed to examine the mediating role of the Care Factor in the relationship between nomophobia and job satisfaction among nurses.

Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,083 nurses working in a province in Turkey between May and September 2024. Data were collected using a Descriptive Form, the Fırat Nomophobia Scale (FNS), the Care Factor Scale (CFS), and the Job Satisfaction Scale for Nurses (JSSN). All analyses were performed using SPSS 25, including descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression. Mediation was tested using PROCESS Macro version 4.0 (Model 4).

Results: The CFS-CS and …

Clinical Medical Emergency Team Training Simulation (Cmetts): An Interprofessional Simulation For Medical Students And Nursing Residents, Allan John R. Barcena, Marvin R. Bernardino, Dominic Karl M. Bolinas, Kitz Paul D. Marco, Toni Edwards, Shelita Kimble, James Cavalier, Marites P. Melancon, Jillian R. Gunther

Advances in Cancer Education and Quality Improvement

Effective teamwork and communication are critical during medical emergencies, particularly in oncology, yet health care professionals are often trained separately, creating challenges for interprofessional collaboration. Evidence-based frameworks like Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) offer structured tools to optimize team performance. This study describes a simulation-based program, the Clinical Medical Emergency Team Training Simulation (CMETTS), designed to instill foundational teamwork skills in early-stage learners. First-year medical students and newly graduated nursing residents participated in an interprofessional simulation involving medical emergency scenarios followed by structured debriefing sessions guided by TeamSTEPPS principles. We evaluated the program’s effectiveness …

Understanding How Nurses Could Utilize Child Life Specialists, Paige Perkins

Honors Projects

Do pediatric nurses notice improvement in patient education levels when they use the resources of Child Life Specialists, understand their role, and utilize their resources to educate their patients, compared to hospitals without Child Life Specialists?

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Operating Room Nurse Interns Transitioning To Practice: A Qualitative Study, Christina C. Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the essence of the lived experiences of new graduate nurse interns transitioning to the operating room (OR) specialty at a southeastern U.S. university hospital system. Many hospitals have nurse residency programs designed to support and facilitate new nursing graduates’ transition to practice areas. The OR is a highly specialized nursing area requiring training in addition to what is offered in nurse residency programs. The central research question was, what is the lived experience of new graduate OR nurses as they complete their transition to practice programs? The theory guiding this …

Roy Stevens Hall Dedicated, Vincent Toney

Documents

Dedication of the Education/Nursing building as Roy Stevens Hall--The TimesDaily

A Blueprint For Success, Una Publications Office

Documents

Brochure for the Education-Nursing Building at UNA

Mindbodystrong: A Pilot To Address Nursing Burnout & To Promote Wellness, Leilah Hunt

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background: Nursing burnout rates have increased significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, not only within the United States but throughout the world. As burnout is multifaceted in nature, identifying and addressing the root cause of burnout has been challenging. One approach to remedy burnout effects is by enhancing wellness through daily practice of healthy habits. Purpose: The purpose of this DNP project was to pilot and evaluate the effects of the MINDBODYSTRONG Cognitive Behavioral Skills Building Program on self-rated anxiety, stress, depressive symptoms, and burnout symptoms in a sample population of nurses at a large psychiatric hospital. This program has …

Transition To Parenthood, Angel D. Kietzer

Honors Projects

The transition to parenthood is an exciting and life changing moment for any family, especially first-time parents. This moment may be full of excitement, joy, and overwhelming emotions but may also include significant challenges. Parents may struggle with emotions as they learn how to adapt to this shift in family roles, and can be overwhelmed with the amount of new information they need to know in order to take care of their newborn. This paper will examine how the transition to parenthood is physically and emotionally challenging, as well as the educational needs regarding newborn growth and development, infant safety, …

A Market Of Care Skills: Profiting From Professional Education And Practice, Yasmin Y. Ortiga

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Who profits from the commodification of care and how does such accumulation occur? Focusing on the case of the nursing care market, this paper shows how professional schools and local hospitals within source nations like the Philippines profit from nurses seeking the credentials to qualify for jobs overseas. While existing studies show how nursing skills are exploited and undervalued, this paper argues that it is the process of skilling itself that allows for the accumulation of profit, regardless of whether nurses leave their origin countries to work abroad. This study reveals how global care economies are tightly linked to local …

Bio 230 - Microbiology, Sarah Moroianu

Open Educational Resources

This open educational resource (OER) syllabus is designed for BIO 230: Microbiology at Lehman College, City University of New York (CUNY), a single-semester introductory microbiology course for non-biology majors such as Nursing, Dietetics, Health Education, and Physical Education. The course reviews microbial structure, metabolism, genetics, and microbial ecology, with applied emphasis on infectious disease, antimicrobial drugs, host immune defenses, and microbial diseases. The syllabus aligns course content with the freely available OpenStax Microbiology textbook (Parker et al., CC BY 4.0) and reflects accessibility best practices consistent with CUNY guidelines.

Spiritual Scaffolding: Integrating Acute Care Nursing Empathy And Caregiver Religiosity To Enhance Well-Being For The Work Of The Informal Caregiver, Dr. Julie Yonker, Alyssa Pokharel

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Informal caregivers—adults providing unpaid medical or physical care to family or friends with adult-onset conditions— are essential yet often unrecognized contributors to U.S. health care. • One in four adults serve as caregivers, providing care valued at over $600 billion (AARP 2025). • Despite their vital role, many lack training, social support, and connection to professional care networks. • Health professionals can promote sustainable, whole-person care by integrating caregiver training and referral systems into acute care practice.

The Impact Of Foot Care Education Within The Unhoused Female Population: A Community-Based Nursing Intervention, Bertha Karina Coronel Barragan, Jessica Sandoval, Afia Margaret Darko, Alexandra Elizabeth Lucero, Gloria Yeyoung Kim, Anyanka T. Ziegler

Nursing Leadership in Community Engagement Projects

The Impact of Foot Care Education Within the Unhoused Female Population: A Community-based Nursing Intervention

The unhoused population is a vulnerable community that faces many obstacles in accessing healthcare (Benadda et al., 2025). Many of these individuals face stigmas related to their economic and housing conditions. It is important for nurses to be able to identify risk factors that may increase the prevalence of health-related problems, including using public health models to implement disease prevention. When discussing this population, one crucial preventative measure includes foot care, which aids in the deterrence of infections and promotes overall health (Coates et al., …

Evidence To Support Certification In Online Nursing Teaching Excellence: A Systematic Review, Ellen Vorbeck, Louisa Krueger, Ellen Johnson

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Abstract

A systematic review of the literature following PRISMA© (2020) was conducted to determine the evidence within nursing and higher education literature to support certification in online teaching and to determine the value of additional certification for nurse educators in higher education nursing programs. Data from CINAHL, ERIC, EBSCO, COCHRANE, AND PUBMED databases were collected following inclusion and exclusion criteria. An independent review by two authors was conducted with twenty-seven articles and one report identified. Bias was examined, followed by deductive analysis, which identified common themes and subthemes within the research. The results suggest that high-quality online courses require instructors …

Nursing Practice In Cancer Treatment Decision Making Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review On Behalf Of The International Society Of Geriatric Oncology Nursing, Allied Health, And Scientists Interest Group, Fay J. Strohschein, Hanneke Van Der Wal-Huisman, K. Alix Hayden, Kristen R. Haase, Michelle Hannan, Cindy Kenis, Juan Li, Nikita Nikita, Sophie Pilleron, Tracy Ruegg, Heike Schmidt, Anke Steckelberg, Cassandra Vonnes, Martine Puts

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Cancer treatment decision making (CTDM) presents important challenges among older adults due to variation in health and functional status, presence of comorbidities, differing goals/values, quality and quantity of life considerations, and limited inclusion in clinical trials. Nursing standards and guidelines call for competence in supporting CTDM and nurses advocate for greater involvement. However, clear understanding of the existing evidence to inform nursing practice is lacking. We aimed to map and synthesize evidence that provides insight into nursing practice in CTDM among older adults, with attention to nursing roles, required skills and competencies, potential barriers and facilitators, and outcomes studied. …